Astronomy: A Beginner’s Guide to the Universe (6th Edition)
The authors incorporate three themes in this briefer version of their two textbooks; process of science (how we know what we know), the size and scale of the universe as well as the evolution of the universe. Astronomy: A Beginner’s Guide to the Universe (6th Edition)
Astronomy: A Self-Teaching Guide
Here is a great book for the Astronomy Enthusiast.
Astronomy: A Self-Teaching Guide (Wiley Self-Teaching Guides)
Discover the wonders of the night sky with this bestselling astronomy guide
For a generation, Astronomy: A Self-Teaching Guide has introduced hundreds of thousands of readers worldwide to the night sky. Now this classic beginner’s guide has been completely revised to bring it up to date with the latest discoveries and graphics.
- Features over 80 new photos and illustrations, including a full-color insert
- Reviews the newest telescopes and spacecraft
- Includes an overview of the best astronomy Web sites
- Written by award-winning author Dinah Moch?
Packed with valuable tables, charts, and star and moon maps, this user-friendly guide makes it easy for you to quickly grasp the basic principles of astronomy and start observing the night sky. The book includes objectives, reviews, and self-tests, and can be used on its own as a self-teaching guide or as a supplement to astronomy course materials.
Invisible world discovered
Usually, running five minutes late is a bad thing since you might lose your dinner reservation or miss out on tickets to the latest show. But when a planet runs five minutes late, astronomers get excited because it suggests that another world is nearby. NASA’s Kepler spacecraft has spotted a planet that alternately runs late and early in its orbit because a second, “invisible” world is tugging on it. This is the first definite detection of a previously unknown planet using this method. No other technique could have found the unseen companion. Read more
Mars
Mars
Venus
The next planet in out series is Venus. There is no one who is credited with the discovery of Venus. Venus is the brightest of the five planets that can be seen in the night sky without the use of a telescope. Venus was named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty. Venus and Earth are almost the same size, have about the same mass, and have a similar composition. They are also neighboring planets. However, Venus has an atmosphere that is about 100 times thicker than Earth’s and has surface temperatures that are extremely hot. Venus rotates backwards compared to Earth and the other planets. Read more
Mercury
Next in the Planet series is Mercury. Mercury is the closest planet to the sun. It’s orbit around the sun is very elliptical, like a stretched out circle. Mercury’s distance from the sun ranges from 28.6 million miles (46 million km) to 43.4 million miles (69.8 million km). The surface gravity on Mercury is less than the surface gravity on Earth. The surface gravity on Mercury is only about 38% of the surface gravity on Earth, so if you weigh 100 pounds on Earth, you would weigh only 38 pounds on Mercury. Read more
Saturn
In the planet series n this blog, here is Saturn. Saturn is the second largest planet in our solar system. Saturn is about 75 thousand miles (120,000 km) in diameter and is about ten times the diameter of Earth. Around 764 Earths could fit inside Saturn.
Saturn’s rings most likely formed when comets, asteroids or even moons broke up in orbit around Saturn due to Saturn’s very strong gravity. The pieces of these objects kept colliding with each other and broke into even smaller pieces. These pieces gradually spread around Saturn to form its rings. Read more
Current Moon Phase
New Moon The moon is currently in Pisces The moon is 1 day old
Distance: 62 earth radii
Ecliptic latitude: 5 degrees
Ecliptic longitude: 351 degrees
