Of course, many of us think that we should figure out getting this planet sorted, before wasting billions blasting people into space, to possibly ruin other planets too.
The irony does not seem to be lost on those at space stations, that we have polluted our own planet, and sending rocket fuel to explore Mars, will just do more of the same.
Watch The Day The Earth Stood Still (the original, not the remake). This is a wonderful sci-fi film, where an ‘alien’ arrives on earth, to stay at a local boarding house, to plan a massive ‘turn off’ of all power (except emergency power) to warn earth not to mess with other planets.
Even if you’re not a sci-fi fan, this is worth a look. The woman who plays the mother he makes friends with, was the wife in real life of children’s writer Roald Dahl.
They suffered terrible tragedies with one child dying of measles, and the other being badly hurt after a taxi accident in New York city. His treatment later led to technology being used today.
Patrician Neal herself then had a massive stroke, and had to learn and walk again, only a few years after the film was made.
We Need Our Night Skies
Stopping light pollution is paramount, as without it, it’s possible to see far more stars, and sometimes even the Milky Way. You can usually also see Venus (the brightest planet) and Jupiter (low in the eastern sky). And sometimes Saturn in the southern sky.
With a telescope, you should also be able to see Uranus and Neptune.
When you fall into a Black Hole, you will literally be spaghettified. Dr Brian Cox
It’s four hundred million million million million watts. That is a million times the power consumption of the US each year, radiated in one second.
And we worked that out by using some water, a thermometer, a tin and an umbrella. And that’s why I love physics. Dr Brian Cox (on the energy radiated by the sun)
Grab a pair of binos, go outside and learn yourself around the sky. Sir Patrick Moore
I’m only a four-dimensional creature. Haven’t got a clue how to visualise infinity. Even Einstein hadn’t. I know because I asked him. Sir Patrick Moore
There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. Albert Einstein
The Sun and the Inner Planets
The Sun is a star made mostly of hydrogen and helium. It is so large that it holds more than 99 percent of the solar system’s mass. Its gravity keeps the planets in their paths. Its light and heat power weather, seasons, and life on Earth. At its core, atoms fuse and release energy that takes thousands of years to reach the surface, then about eight minutes to reach us. Think of it as the steady hearth at the centre of our home.
Mercury: The Swift Messenger
Mercury races around the Sun in just 88 days. It sits so close that its surface bakes in daylight, then freezes in night. Air is almost absent, so heat has nowhere to hide. Craters cover its face, a sign of many ancient impacts. A strange twist, its day is longer than its year, since it spins slowly and orbits fast. The name comes from the Roman messenger god, fitting for such speed.
Venus: Earth’s Hot Twin
Venus is close in size to Earth, yet it could not be more different. Thick clouds trap heat in a runaway greenhouse effect. The surface is hot enough to melt lead, roughly 465 degrees Celsius, with pressure like standing deep underwater. It rotates backwards, so the Sun rises in the west. You cannot see the ground from above. Radar maps have shown mountains, plains, and signs of old volcanoes beneath that dense veil.
Earth: Our Blue Home
Earth is the only known world with life. Liquid water covers about 71 percent of its surface, and a balanced atmosphere protects it from harsh sunlight and space debris. The mix of nitrogen, oxygen, and trace gases supports complex ecosystems. Our Moon steadies Earth’s tilt, which helps keep seasons regular. From space, Earth glows blue and white, a sign of seas and clouds. That view reminds us how rare this balance may be.
Mars: The Red Planet
Mars owes its colour to iron oxide, a rusty dust that coats much of its surface. It has polar ice caps that wax and wane with the seasons. Olympus Mons, the largest volcano in the solar system, towers over its plains. Ancient channels hint that water once flowed here. Rovers and orbiters have searched for signs of past habitability, and some have found minerals that form in water. The story of Mars is far from over.
The Outer Planets and Beyond
Past Mars, the solar system opens up to the giants. These planets are vast, rich in gas and ice, and ringed with many moons. They formed far from the heat of the Sun, which let lighter elements stay put. Think of them as deep, stormy worlds wrapped in thick atmospheres, with complex systems of rings and satellites.
Jupiter: King of the Planets
Jupiter is the largest planet by far, a giant of hydrogen and helium with no solid surface. It is home to fierce storms, including the Great Red Spot, a centuries-old tempest larger than Earth. Its gravity shapes the paths of comets and asteroids, which can spare Earth from some impacts. Jupiter has about 95 known moons, from volcanic Io to ocean-hiding Europa. Its magnetic field is immense, trapping charged particles in a harsh belt.
Saturn: The Ringed Wonder
Saturn is famous for its rings, a wide, thin disc of ice and rock that gleams in sunlight. The planet itself is so light that, on paper, it would float in water. Its moons are a varied group. Titan stands out with a thick atmosphere and lakes of liquid methane and ethane. Enceladus shoots plumes of icy water into space, a sign of a hidden ocean. Saturn is a quiet beauty that rewards a careful look.
Uranus and Neptune: The Ice Giants
Uranus and Neptune sit on the far edge of what we call the planetary zone. They are smaller than Jupiter and Saturn, and richer in water, ammonia, and methane, which earns them the name ice giants. Uranus is tipped on its side by about 98 degrees, so its seasons are extreme and long. Neptune shows a deep blue hue, and it hosts the fastest winds measured in the solar system. Both worlds are cold, distant, and still full of secrets.
Dwarf Planets, Asteroids, and Comets
Not every world is a planet. Pluto, once the ninth planet, is now classed as a dwarf planet. It orbits in the Kuiper Belt, a ring of icy bodies beyond Neptune. Ceres, in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, is also a dwarf planet. Asteroids are rocky remnants from the early days of planet building. Comets are icy wanderers from the Kuiper Belt and the far-off Oort Cloud. When they near the Sun, they grow tails that light the night.
