Does God Exist ?

This topic has puzzled man since eons.Now a famous scientist of Harvard University Dr Willie Soon has stated:

"One could perhaps describe the situation by saying that God is a mathematician of a very high order, and he used very advanced mathematics in constructing the universe,".He said this in a piece in the Scientific American.He further said that life we know wouldn't have existed if the gravitational quality of various objects had been slightly higher or lower that what it is.

Now read a post I wrote two years ago on a similar theme 

God,the Greatest Scientisthttps://jeeteraho.blogspot.com/2023/03/god-greatest-scientist.html

This was from a layman's point of view.I have never been a student of science-only an avid interest in Astronomy.Don't my views synchronize with those of a great scientist?Ha ha!

God,the Greatest Scientist

https://jeeteraho.blogspot.com/2023/03/god-greatest-scientist.html.

Harvard astrophysicist Dr Willie Soon recently unveiled a mathematical formula that he believes can successfully prove the existence of God.

Harvard astrophysicist Dr Willie Soon recently unveiled a mathematical formula that he believes can successfully prove the existence of God.

Harvard astrophysicist Dr Willie Soon recently unveiled a mathematical formula that he believes can successfully prove the existence of God.

God,the Greatest Scientist

 Many things on earth follow a regular course. Just as night follows day,the sun moon and stars appear or disappear at their regular times. So do the seasons.But there are many more such  systematic events of which we are not usually aware.

Take our own body-do you know how many systems run continuously inside it?According to Healthline there are 11 major organ systems in human body each working to keep us going.

Then there is the food-chain.It determines the feeding relationships between different species.From the one celled algae to the giant Blue Whales every being has food provided for its sustenance.When a tiny being is eaten by another one it also prevents putrefaction of our planet.Not to forget the typical methods of procreation and parenting among different species which we seldom think of or appreciate.The endless variety of flora and fauna too is astonishing.

Our solar system is equally admirable. All planets circle round the sun in prearranged circles-never clashing or changing their orbits except Pluto and Neptune,which change places but never clash.According to astronomers about 275 million stars are born every day.And the galaxies!The following site put the number of galaxies in the universe at 200 billion more than five years ago. 

https://www.universetoday.com/30305/how-many-galaxies-in-the-universe/ 

There are miracles galore in universe.A few,as mentioned in https://jeeteraho.blogspot.com/2013/07/universe are--

*Earth spins at an equatorial speed of 1,670 km/h.

*It revolves round sun at a dizzy speed of 100,000 km/h.

*Sun,along with it's solar system, takes 200--225 million years to complete one orbit around the Milky Way.

*Milky way rotates at an astonishing speed of 270 km per sec.

*It is racing through space with reference to cosmic background radiation at this astounding speed of 2.1 million km/h.

How far we travel even while sitting in our armchairs.Just imagine,so many objects racing at gigantic speeds and never clashing.Our earth spins and rotates constantly but we don't topple down. Isn't it a miracle?Who provided the power of gravity for earthlings?

Who designed all this?Things we can explain today with the help of science were thought of eons ago.And that thinking genius lived before the existence any other element in the universe. 

Mere chance cannot be so effective.Does this not prove the existence of a super power?Call him what you will but he is verily the greatest scientist.

Voyager One Leaves Solar System

This is truly an epoch making event.BBC News confirms that Voyager one which was launched 36 years ago to study the outer planets Jupiter,Saturn,Uranus and Neptune;has gone beyond it's original task and entered inter-stellar space.It is believed that this happened around 25th August 2012.It is so far from earth that signals sent by it take 17 hrs to reach earth.

This is the first man made object to leave the solar system.Although it is now out of the solar system,it can still feel the sun's pull.It will take nearly 40,000 years to approach another star even though it is moving at a speed of 45km/s and it will orbit around the center of our galaxy with all it's stars for billions of years.In 1990, when Voyager looked back to earth it was seen as a blue dot 

In terms of size earth may not be so earth-shaking,but look at what a stupendous achievement earthlings have made. Marvelous!

For more related news you can check this site.

Pics courtesy google. 

Science in Rigved

This is my debut post on the speaking tree:----

These days i am reading the 'pratham mandal '( first volume) of Rig Ved as translated by Maharshi Dayanand.I have only read up to 'sukta 62' but it is enough to amaze me.It has opened for me a window through which i can glimpse the vast treasure of our ancestors' knowledge.In those days.....

Please go to the following link for the full post

http://www.speakingtree.in/public/spiritual-blogs/seekers/philosophy/science-in-rigved

# Universe

Lie down under the sky on a clear,dark night and look up.What do you see?Bright,beautiful,mesmerizing stars stretched like a canopy overhead.At such times it is not unusual to wonder,what is this universe?Where does it begin & where does it end?How large is it?What exists there-on those stars?What are they made of?Is there air,water,hard ground,vegetation & life over there?

Ah!So many questions but scant answers.Still, we are better placed than our ancestors today,to get an inkling into these mysteries.This universe of which we are an infinitesimal part,is"the totality of existence" including stars,planets,intergalactic space & all matter and energy.An important distinction needs to be made here-the above description refers to the observable universe -the farthest distance it is possible for us to see from earth.The diameter of this universe is 93 billion light years.Naturally no one knows what exists beyond that.

It is widely accepted that the universe originated with a big bang,before which all matter was concentrated at one single spot.After the big bang, matter began to scatter in all directions,leading to the formation of galaxies consisting of dust,gas & countless stars.A number of atoms fused together to make stars & these stars were drawn together into various galaxies.The stars orbit the center of a galaxy's mass.The galaxies are moving outwards at an accelerating pace.There are vast intergalactic spaces between these galaxies and these spaces are expanding continually.

Although the big bang theory explains many things,what caused this bang & from where all the matter came-nobody knows.Nature,or God,does not reveal all secrets!According to Wikipedia Hindu cosmology comes nearest to modern scientific views about the origin of universe.Rig Veda maintains that the universe emanated from 'hirnyagarbha' or the golden womb of Brahman--the supreme consciousness.Hinduism encompasses various viewpoints in it's repository but it is widely believed that a long chain of creation & destruction of universe goes on.The Hindu view of various universes also tallies with the modern concept of multiverse. But at one place in Rig Veda(10.129.1-7)there is also this interesting agnostic statement:--

Who really knows,and who can swear

How creation came,when and where!

Even gods came after creation's day,

Who really knows,who can say

When and how did creation start?

Did He do it?Or did He not?

Only He,up there,knows maybe;

Or perhaps,not even He.

Looks like we come back to square one on that question!

But we have a lot of information about the composition of the universe today.It is a well known fact that there are innumerable galaxies in the universe.But how many?

It is difficult to arrive at an exact number but the current estimate rests at 100-200 billion galaxies.Most of them are probably small,dwarf galaxies while some are huge,spiral ones like the Milky Way,which has 400 billion stars.Dwarf galaxies probably contain as few as ten million stars but in large spiral galaxies, the number could go up to hundreds of billions or even a trillion.It is unlikely that the picture above is of Milky Way because we,being inside the galaxy,cannot click it from above.It might be another spiral galaxy or an artist's interpretation.

We see lots of stars on a clear night and many,many more can be seen through powerful telescopes.Do not miss some spectacular images taken by hubble at this site.The observable matter in sky is spread evenly all round--all areas of the universe look similar.But these visible bodies form only 4% of the universe.Apart from them,there is 73% dark energy &23% cold dark matter.Stated in simple terms,vast open spaces far out-weigh the heavenly bodies.

Outer space is an enigma.Einstein was the first person to realize that this space is not completely empty.It contains few atoms of hydrogen & electromagnetic radiation.'It is the closest approximation to a perfect vacuum.'There is no friction & all celestial objects slither easily along their established orbits.The temperature in space is absolute zero-which means the coldest possible temperature.

Here are some amazing facts about the universe:--

*Earth spins at an equatorial speed of 1,670 km/h.

*It revolves round sun at a dizzy speed of 100,000 km/h.

*Sun,along with it's solar system, takes 200--225 million years to complete one orbit around the Milky Way.

*Milky way rotates at an astonishing speed of 270 km per sec.

*It is racing through space with reference to cosmic background radiation at this astounding speed of 2.1 million km/h.

*Now think--are you really sitting at the same place while you are resting in your armchair???Add up all these astronomical speeds & then decide how far you must have travelled in one second!It is truly mind boggling!

*The sun is not considered to be a huge star,yet it can accommodate one million earths!

*Alpha Centauri-the star nearest to sun,(and in the Milky Way only) is 4-3 light years way from earth!

*Like many other galaxies,Milky Way too,has a black hole at it's center.It is a super massive black hole called Sagittarius A which is 26,000 light years away from earth

*Milky Way & Andromeda galaxy are set on a collision course.

*According to astronomers about 275 million new stars are born every day.

*One more shocker--light travels at approximately 186,000 miles per second;if we could travel at that speed we would take 100,000 years to cross the Milky Way alone!Our puny minds can never visualize the enormity of this universe;much less understand the power and brilliance of it's creator!!!!!

Resources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universe
www.outerspaceuniverse.org/what-is-the-temperature-of-outer-space.html
http://www.astrosociety.org/edu/publications/tnl/71/howfast.html
Image courtesy google.

Ooooh these heavenly bodies ! ! ! ! !

Got you there-all you who have dirty minds!No this is not about human bodies but about the celestial ones!Read on,you will not be disappointed.

We are truly blessed to have been allotted this earth to live on.It is tailor-made for our sustenance.This conclusion is the natural culmination of a musing about our #solar system.Just look at the queer specimens which are whirling around the sun.

First of all we have Mercury-the tiniest planet & one which is harbored closest to sun.Perhaps that is why it whizzes along at the abominable speed of 172,000Km/h.This is the fastest speed in the solar system.But it spins so slowly that it's day is equal to 58-1/2 earth days.Besides it's sky is always dark,and while one side of it is baking hot,the other half is freezing cold-no we could not live there!

Next comes Venus.This one's day (243 earth days) is longer than it's year(225 earth days).Ever heard of such a thing?Besides it is the hottest planet of the solar system-what with acid rain & hundreds of volcanoes spewing fire.It is much safer here,on earth!

Let us skip earth for the time being & go on to Mars.Admittedly,this one is like earth in many ways,that is why all the scientists are frantically trying to go & plunder  make it fit for habitation.But there is no liquid water on it's surface.Earth is any day better.

Jupiter  comes next.It's gravity is 2.4 times stronger than earth's.If you stood on it's surface,you would find it difficult to walk.Jupiter's day & night are only of 5hrs each because only10 hrs make a day.Jupiter spins faster than any other planet---ooh my head is also spinning!

Coming to Saturn, it too is not at all hospitable.Firstly,like Jupiter & other planets coming after it;it has no solid surface,and secondly there are fierce winds lightening & storms.No fun going there.

Next is Uranus which takes 84 yrs to revolve round the sun.Such a long year-so many inhabitants would pass away before completing their first year,Tch,tch,tch! 

Fasten your seat belts because now we come to Neptune where winds are howling at around 1,500 mp/h.On this planet a baby would need to live for 164 yrs to complete it's first year-so cruel!

Now Pluto,the dwarf planet.This one has a year of 248 yrs.Sun light reaches it in 5 hrs;and the sun-it is a mere speck of light when seen from there.

Well,if you are still with me then you too will agree that we are indeed fortunate to be living on this earth.Whether the earth is fortunate to have us as it's inhabitants--we all know the answer to that.
Pics courtesy google & text courtesy Robin Kerrod & web. 

Shshshh Space Speaks,Listen Carefully !

It is eerie and humbling.All our tittle tattle fades into insignificance when we strain our ears for those soft sounds emanating from  interplanetary space.This humongous cosmos is mind blowing,but no less is man's invasion into it's secrets.What next?One is forced to wonder!

Meanwhile here are some sounds from space as captured by NASA.Enjoy !!!!!!!

Video courtesy Nasa.

Pluto

Pluto was considered the ninth planet till the year 2006,when it was brought down to the category of a dwarf planet.It is only two thirds the size of our moon,although it has five known moons of it's own.It is a dark icy entity having a faint atmosphere of nitrogen,carbon monoxide & methane.Beneath the atmosphere is a layer of frozen gases followed by a layer of water ice which envelopes a rocky  core. The temperature on Pluto ranges from -378*F to -396*F depending upon it's distance from sun.

Like Uranus,Pluto also rotates on it's axis so that one quarter of it's surface is in continuous daylight while another quarter is continuously dark.

Pluto has a very elliptical orbit which sometimes takes it inside Neptune's orbit;when it becomes the eighth planet.It completes one orbit of sun in 248 yrs,while it's day consists of 16.39 earth days.It is so far out in space that while sunlight reaches earth in nine minutes,it takes five hours to reach Pluto.The sun would be a mere speck of light from there.

Pluto is the ruling planet of Scorpio & is generally known as God of the underworld.But in Hindu mythology it is also referred to as Yama or guardian of hell.It governs business,wealth,mining,surgery & espionage.

If you liked this post you may also like to read the following
* http://jeeteraho.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-sun.html
*http://jeeteraho.blogspot.com/2012/12/our-home-planet-earth.html
*http://jeeteraho.blogspot.com/2012/12/planet-mercury.html
*http://jeeteraho.blogspot.com/2012/12/planet-venus.html
*http://jeeteraho.blogspot.com/2012/12/mars-red-planet.html
*http://jeeteraho.blogspot.com/2013/01/jupiter-king-of-planets.html
*http://jeeteraho.blogspot.com/2013/02/beautiful-planet-satuen.html
*http://jeeteraho.blogspot.com/2013/03/uranus-pale-green-beauty-of-solar-system.html

Images courtesy google.
Text courtesy Robin Kerrod & web.

Aurora Borealis-The Northern Lights

A small treat for space lovers fire works in the heavens !

This is just one sample.Please click the link above for more dazzling sights!

Hope you like them !

Text & pictures courtesy TIMEHealthland.

Planet Neptune,or Ketu ?

Neptune is a stormy blue planet,eighth from the Sun.It is huge enough to contain 60 earths.A gas giant only slightly smaller than Uranus,it is quite similar to it in composition too.It is thirty times farther from sun than earth,and cannot be seen from here with naked eye.Looking at it's distance from sun,it is not as cold as one would expect it to be.This is because it is heated from within.It gives off double the heat it gets from sun--the father of all modern central heating systems?Hahaha!

Neptune's atmosphere consists of hydrogen,helium & some methane.The temperature at the top of it's atmosphere is -218*c,while it's core is approximately 5.000*c. It's   tremendous heat gives rise to fierce winds blowing in the opposite direction from it's rotation.Neptune has the fastest winds in the solar system.They can reach up to a speed of 1,500 mph and are responsible for severe storms.

Since Neptune's axial tilt is quite similar to that of earth,it has seasons just like we do.But each season lasts for 40 yrs.Phew!Neptune has four rings & thirteen known moons.It's moon Triton is one of the coldest places in the solar system,having a temperature of -235*c.

The day at Neptune consists of about 16 hrs while it takes 164  earth years to orbit once round the Sun.And that too at an average speed of 12,000 mph.Taking 164 yrs to complete one orbit of sun at this amazing speed---the expanse of solar system is truly astounding!!!

Interestingly although Neptune lies between Uranus & Pluto every 248 yrs Pluto moves inside it's orbit so that Neptune moves to the ninth rank! for twenty years. No collision occurs in this inter-changing of positions.What control,and what management!!!!

Shifting to astrology, one could doubt if a planet so far off could have any influence upon our lives,but according to Hindu mythology Neptune is Ketu ,which is feared by many.Some refer to it as Varun also. According to Wikipedia it gives creativity,idealism & compassion but it can also bestow illusion,confusion & deception.

Ah well,there certainly is some confusion regarding it's ability to influence our lives but there is no confusion that it is impossible for us to visit it.
If you liked this post you may like to read
* http://jeeteraho.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-sun.html
*http://jeeteraho.blogspot.com/2012/12/our-home-planet-earth.html
*http://jeeteraho.blogspot.com/2012/12/planet-mercury.html
*http://jeeteraho.blogspot.com/2012/12/planet-venus.html
*http://jeeteraho.blogspot.com/2012/12/mars-red-planet.html
*http://jeeteraho.blogspot.com/2013/01/jupiter-king-of-planets.html
*http://jeeteraho.blogspot.com/2013/02/beautiful-planet-satuen.html
*http://jeeteraho.blogspot.com/2013/03/uranus-pale-green-beauty-of-solar-system.html

Text courtesy Robin Kerrod
Pics courtesy google.

Uranus-Pale Green Beauty of Solar System

The third largest planet in the solar system & seventh from Sun,Uranus looks like a pale greenish body when viewed from a large telescope.It is twice as far from Sun as Saturn & huge enough to accommodate sixty earths;but since it is so far away,it can barely be seen with the naked eye,except on very clear nights.Enveloped in a thick atmosphere of mainly hydrogen & helium,it has no solid surface & is mainly composed of various ices.It has a core of earth sized liquid rock.

Uranus has seventeen moons & also rings,which are dark & do not reflect light.It has the coldest atmosphere in the solar system,the minimum temperature dipping up to -224*.Internal heat is low.There are winds  raging at a speed of up to 370mp/h.

Being far out in space,Uranus takes 84 yrs to complete one orbit at a dizzy speed of 15,200 mph. It also rotates mighty fast--only 17 hrs 14 mts make it's day.Uranus is truly unique in one more respect-while all other planets orbit the Sun straight or slightly tilted like a spinning top;Uranus almost rolls along on it's side.If one pole faces the Sun,the other is turned away from it.As a result each pole gets 42 yrs of light followed by 42 yrs of darkness.

The Hindi name of Uranus is Arun though some also regard it as Rahu .According to astrology Uranus is the ruling planet of Aquarius .It bestows on Aquarians the qualities of individuality,unconventional thinking & revolutionary tendencies.
However some astrologers feel that it is too far off to have any effect upon humans.

If you liked this post you may like to read

* http://jeeteraho.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-sun.html
*http://jeeteraho.blogspot.com/2012/12/our-home-planet-earth.html
*http://jeeteraho.blogspot.com/2012/12/planet-mercury.html
*http://jeeteraho.blogspot.com/2012/12/planet-venus.html
*http://jeeteraho.blogspot.com/2012/12/mars-red-planet.html
*http://jeeteraho.blogspot.com/2013/01/jupiter-king-of-planets.html
*http://jeeteraho.blogspot.com/2013/02/beautiful-planet-satuen.html
*http://jeeteraho.blogspot.com/2013/04/planet-neptuneor-ketu.html

Pics courtesy google search
Text courtesy Robin Kerrod

Beautiful Planet Saturn

Ever heard of a planet which is huge enough to contain 750 earths,yet light enough to float on water?That is Saturn for you--the second largest & also the lightest planet in the solar system.It has also been rated as one of the most beautiful bodies out there.It is ten times farther from sun than earth,the sixth planet from there,but it can be seen with naked eye--the last planet to have that distinction.In fact at certain points it can even outshine most of the stars in sky with it's yellow light ( Uranus & occasionally 4 Vesta are visible in very dark night sky too ).

It is a gas giant composed mainly of hydrogen gas.A heavy atmosphere of this gas around it, liquefies the gas,so that a huge ocean of liquid hydrogen which is thousands of miles deep, covers the planet.The weight of this ocean transforms hydrogen into liquid metal,which in turn,encompasses a hard rocky core at least as big as earth.The metallic elements create a strong magnetic force which extends up to millions of miles in space.

The temperature at the top of Saturn's atmosphere is  -300*F & the clouds there are made up of frozen gas crystals.Beneath them are moist clouds resembling those on earth.The heat below the atmosphere goes up to 10,000*F which is strange considering that Saturn is so far away from sun.But this heat comes from it's core rather than from sun.At the core the temperature climbs up to 12,000*F.The weather on Saturn is not at all hospitable.There are fierce winds zooming at a speed of up to 1100mph,rowdy storms & lightening too.Below is a view of the hexagonal vortex at Saturn's north pole,spinning like mad----

Saturn travels through space with a family of 62 moons which are composed of water & ice.It also has a magnificent system of rings whizzing around it's equator at high speed.These rings consist of small dust particles and bigger icy lumps.These rings are very thin but wide.They reflect sunlight brilliantly.

Saturn spins in about ten and a half hours at an equatorial speed of   35,500km/h; but takes nearly thirty years to orbit sun at an average speed of 21,687mp/h. It is tilted at the axis & has seasons like earth.Since it's year is so long,each season lasts for seven & a half years. Ain't we glad that our winters & hot summers are much shorter?Imagine bearing the brunt of any season for so long!

Moving on to astrology,Saturn is the ruling planet of Capricorn .It affects the person's ambition,career,duty & discipline.It is considered malefic-it leads to contraction of the sector in which it is placed.
Text courtesy Robin Kerrod
Images from google.

Jupiter-King of Planets !

It is easy to spot the king of planets if it is present in our night sky because it is the brightest object over there,after Moon & Venus (Venus is visible only near sunset or sunrise ).This colossal giant is so huge that a 1,000 earths could comfortably settle inside it,or all the planets put together.It has beautiful bands of colors caused by fast moving clouds & thick layers of gases.You can see the first true color picture of this planet above.

It is known as a gas giant because it does not have a solid surface.It's atmosphere mainly consists of hydrogen & helium.Beneath the atmosphere is a large ocean of hydrogen & water.It is mainly composed of gas & liquid gas.Jupiter has tremendous atmospheric pressure.The temperature at it's top layer is -200*F but it may increase up to 43,000*F at the core.This core is probably made up of liquid  rock & it comprises only 5% of the total mass.

In fact the composition of Jupiter is quite like that of sun.It even has a miniature solar system of four large & many other smaller moons.In addition to this there are Trojans--two groups of asteroids-- which accompany Jupiter in it's orbit,one behind & the other in front of it..Next ,there are thin rings composed of rocky bits,which circle Jupiter at high speed-completing one round in only six hours.

Jupiter has a stormy weather--winds blowing at a speed of 300-400mph.These winds do not blow in the same direction but in bands of opposite directions.The points where these opposing forces meet suffer furious clashes.Lightening & storms afflict the  whole planet.A huge storm which has been raging for at least 300 yrs gives it the famous Red Spot.This spot is so big that it could easily accommodate Earth.

Since it is such a mammoth planet, it's magnetism too, is stupendous--20,000 times as strong as that of earth.It extends to millions of miles in space--reaching up to Saturn's orbit,which is 400 million miles away from it.It's gravity too is two & a half times that of earth--you will find it difficult to walk on it's surface (oops!But   there is no surface at all,just gas,gas & more gas!).Only sun has greater gravity.

Some more interesting facts--Driving a car @ 50mph you will take six years to circle it's equator.On earth it takes only three weeks to do so.
 Jupiter rotates faster than any other planet in our solar system.

It's day consists of less than 10 earth hours & but it revolves round the sun in 11.9 yrs travelling at an average speed of 29,236mph. Well this speed is not a measly one but if you watch it day after day you will hardly notice any change in it's position.This demonstrates once again,how gigantic our solar system is!

Astrologers link Jupiter's presence in a horoscope with expansion,abundance & affluence.It all depends on, which sector this king is relaxing in.If it is the second sector then your financial status is going to expaand but if it is in the eleventh sector then friendships & social activities will blossom.

Text courtesy Robin Kerrod.
Images courtesy zazzle.com & wikipedia.

Mars---The Red Planet.

Mars is the fourth planet from Sun & lies between Earth & Jupiter.It's surface is made up of red soil & thousands of rocks of all sizes.Though small in size,it has the highest mountain,the largest volcano and the deepest & longest valley in our solar system.That's not all.It even has the largest dust storms of all--lasting for months & covering the whole planet.How is that for small sized big achievements?

In many ways Mars is very much like Earth---it rotates in 24.6 hours,has seasons,winds,clouds, morning mist,frozen polar caps,mountains & valleys just like us.

The similarities end here because it's environment is too harsh to support life--

Firstly there is no water.

Secondly temperatures vary a lot.While summer temperature at the equator can be as high as 70*F,it may dip to -220*F at the poles.On the whole it is much colder than Earth.

Thirdly Mars takes nearly twice as long as Earth to orbit Sun.Therefore it's year is double that of Earth & it's seasons too last twice as long.

It's air has very little oxygen,which we all need to breathe.

It has two moons-Phobos & Deimos, while we have only one.

Mars' diameter is about one half of Earth's.It is so small that nearly seven Mars could fit inside Earth.

It's largest volcano Olympus Mons is hundred times as large as the largest volcano on Earth .It is also three times as high as Mount Everest.

Mars can be seen with naked eye because it shines with a bright red light.But we cannot see it when it's orbit takes it away to the other side of Sun.Mars travels round Sun at an average speed of 86871Km/h.Yet when we see it in the sky we cannot discern any movement-amazing isn't it ?

It takes nearly eight months for a spacecraft to reach Mars even if it is launched when Earth is nearest to it.Many probes have visited Mars but no evidence of life has been found.

From the astrological angle Mars as a ruling planet endows the person with courage,vitality,daring & recklessness.

Text courtesy Robin Kerrod
Image courtesy windows2universe.org

Planet Venus

 Venus is associated with love & beauty but planet Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system.By hot i do not mean sexy or sassy as women are often labelled,but as hot as 900*F.Quite a revelation isn't it?There's more--it is dotted with hundreds of volcanoes.There is thunder,lightening & acid rain but the rain evaporates before it reaches the surface.It's atmosphere is so heavy that standing on it you would feel as if you were under 3,000 Ft of water.Better not do that because you would be crushed under this huge pressure.There are also hundreds of craters but many more have been submerged under lava which flowed from the volcanoes.The surface mainly consists of volcanoes & rolling plains.There is not much variation in temperature whether it is night or day,hillock or a lowland.This is because it's atmosphere traps Sun's heat.Viewed from earth we will only see a white planet covered with clouds.The clouds are mainly made up of sulphuric acid.They extend up to 100Km above it's surface.

If you look at the south-east corner of sky at 6am in India nowadays,you will see Venus rising on the horizon.It is mostly seen as the morning star or evening star.After Sun & moon it is the brightest entity in the sky.Venus is known as the sister planet of Earth because it is almost the same size.Mariner 10 took nearly 3 months to reach it

Now some oddities--Venus orbits the sun in 225 earth days but rotates around it's axis in 243 which means it's day is longer than it's year.Ever heard of such a thing?This happens because it spins very slowly,but whizzes past the sun at a speed of 126,077 Kmh.Another unique feature is that while all other planets spin anti-clockwise,Venus spins clock-wise,so that over there sun rises in the west;and it rises ever so slowly.

.Every planet in the solar system is so unique that it is mind boggling!!!!!!

Text courtesy Robin Kerrod
Images courtesy Clipart &soft3k.com

Planet Mercury

A brave little planet of our solar system (only Pluto is smaller) is next door neighbor of the mighty Sun.Since it rotates nearest to it we can view it only at sunset or sunrise.It shines very brightly & we can see it with our naked eyes.

Mercury has borne the brunt of assaults by thousands of meteorites & asteroids,resulting in vast craters on it's surface.It also has steep round cliffs which are not found on any other planet.Sixty% of it's land is smooth like the moon.It is only slightly larger than our Moon.

One very interesting fact about Mercury is that while it whizzes past Sun at a speed of 172,000 kmh(the fastest speed in our solar system),taking 88 earth days to complete one year;it rotates very slowly,taking almost 59 earth days to constitute the daytime and an equal time span to make up the night.Add to this the fact that it has a negligible atmosphere to trap the surface heat & the consequence is that the part which faces the Sun heats up to 840*F & when the night comes it drops to -290*F.Playing hot and cold if you like!Another chimerical feature of this planet is that even in day time it's sky will be pitch black except for the luminous bodies when visible.One more bouncer from the same source-it tracks an elliptical orbit because of which if you were to stand on it's surface you would see the Sun changing sizes.It is a different matter that you would first roast to vapor or be frozen to an icicle,depending if it was day or night!The latest discovery by NASA suggests that it's North Pole has deposits of ice & water.Well!Surprises never cease in Astronomy!

Although nearest to Sun,it is not the hottest planet of our family.Which one is that?Surprise!Wait for the answer!

Text courtesy Robin Kerrod
Image courtesy gstatic.com

Our Home--Planet Earth

As we go about our daily lives we seldom pause to think about the miracle,which is this(maybe the only), life supporting planet in our solar system.Here are some interesting facts about it--

Earth came into being about 4.6 billion years ago.It is a middle-sized planet in it's family of nine planets.It's diameter from north to south poles is less than 1/10th the diameter of Jupiter & five times more than that of Pluto-the smallest planet.At equator it's diameter is 7,926 miles & circumference is 25,000 miles.If someone drove round the equator at the speed of 50 miles p/h he would take about  3 weeks to complete one circle.It's average distance from Sun is 93,000,000 miles & it's core is believed to be as hot as 11,000*F.

The atmosphere around Earth stretches up to a height of nearly 400 miles but the air gets thinner as we go up because the weight of air over it diminishes concomitantly.The clouds are mostly at the height of 10-12 miles above the Earth surface.At 50 miles above Earth,in the mesosphere,temperatures can be as low as -100*F.Surprising,isn't it ?

As we all know,most of Earth's surface is covered by oceans whose average depth is two & a half miles but Marianas Trench in the Pacific ocean is nearly 7 miles deep.

Our Earth houses at least one & a half million different kinds of living beings.It all started billions of years ago in the form of simple life in early oceans.Then about 600 million years ago different life  forms began to emerge in the seas.Four hundred million years ago life deigned to appear on land starting with plants & going on to insects & amphibians.As late as 150 million years back reptiles were the main life form followed by the birds.At about 65 million years ago dinosaurs & some other species died & the animals we see around us began to emerge.We humans may think the world of ourselves,but we came into existence only about 3 million years ago.Quite a sobering thought that !!!!!!!!

Just look at this picture of Earth spinning like mad.Do you know it's speed?It is 1,670kmh at the equator.

Now sit tight for the last blast-our Earth is travelling round the Sun at this reckless speed of 100,000 Km/h.How's that for rash driving?

Text courtesy Robin Kerrod.
Images courtesy amazonaws .com & wikipedia.

The Sun

The Sun , it's planets & their moons together form our solar system.
Sun is the only star in this family,which means that it has light of it's own.All other bodies reflect Sun's light.

The temperature on it's surface is 10,000*F but it can go up to 27,000,000*F at the core.

It is nearly150 million km away from Earth & it's diameter is about 865.000 miles.It is more than a hundred times bigger than the Earth but as stars go,it is not very big.Astronomers call it a dwarf star.

It's gravity is 30 times as strong as Earth's & reaches far out in space to distances of many billions of miles.If you were able to stand on it's surface you would not be able to pick up your foot--stuck there for ever!

It rotates on it's axis in about 25 Earth days & travels through space along with it's family (our solar system) & other stars in a galaxy known as the Milky Way (yes,it is not stationary).

This galaxy contains about 100 billion stars which are clustered together in a flat disc,bulging at the centre ,while it's arms spiral outwards.Our mighty Sun is on one arm far away from the centre.It  circles the centre of our galaxy in one cosmic year-which is about 225 million years.

Surprised?There is more to come--there are more than 15 billion galaxies in the universe--all situated far apart,empty spaces separating them.And there are billions of stars in each galaxy! Mind boggling isn't it ?

These facts were so amazing that i wanted to share them with you all.Just imagine-where do I & U stand in this humongous universe?

How did you like these snippets about the Sun ?I hope you found them interesting.
Disclaimer :The facts given in this post have been culled from a book "The Planets" written by Robin Kerrod.
The pictures are courtesy NASA & dianpondika.blogspot.com