El passat 26 de novembre vaig conèixer uns amics molt especials. Es tracta dels nens i nenes de P3, P4 i P5 del col.legi "La Sagrera" de Santa Eulàlia de Ronçana.
Turns out his classes this year have names related to the world of astronomy. P3 classes are called "The Sun" and "The Moon". The classes are P4 "Earth" and "Saturn" and the P5 is "The Big Dipper" and "Ursa Minor". So I wanted to know the children of these classes and thus could explain things in person on behalf of its kind.
It was a day when we were doing very fun workshops related to astronomy and looking very xules images of the universe. We made a rocket craters on the moon, smaller models of the planets, our own constellations making machine, ...
However, time was very short and we were left many questions unanswered. Therefore, children in the class of Ursa Minor I prepared a list of questions about astronomy now try to answer as best I can from a distance. I hope your teacher Elisenda (incidentally, a great teacher!) They can explain everything do not understand in my answers (it is much easier to explain things in person and very difficult to do four lines).
Well ... A greeting to all children and teachers of the school "The Sagrera. It was a real pleasure to meet you.
And if any readers of this blog still has more questions and want to send them to me, I will be happy to answer as best I can.
Regards to all,
Josep Manel
STARS and constellations
Martin: What is the star closest to the Sun?
The closest star to the Sun is a star called Proxima Centauri "(what more appropriate name, right?) Of the constellation Centaurus. It is "only" about 40 million million kilometers and if we could go as fast as light, however, would take over 4 years to get there. Despite being so close to us can not be seen without the aid of telescopes because it is a very small star (7 times smaller than the Sun) and cold (3000 degrees cooler than the Sun), red and shining very little.
Lali: What is the star that is farther from the Sun?
The farthest star that we have seen so far was discovered in early 2009 with the collaboration of English astronomers. In fact, rather than the star, which was observed was the star that exploded as a supernova. That star was so far away that light from that explosion took to get ourselves some 13,000 million years. At that time, the universe was created that had very little (only about 500 million years ago), so, besides being the most distant star is also the oldest known.
Laura: The stars of Ursa Minor move?
All the stars we see in the sky move. They are spinning around the center of our galaxy, the Milky Way at a speed very high. Our Sun, for example, every second is moving 220 km around the Galactic Center.
I have not found any animation of Ursa Minor. But the movement of the stars of the Big Dipper and how the future vision we have of the constellation will deformed. However, this animation goes 200,000 years. The movement of the stars during a person's life is not so obvious like this:
Hugo: Why the Big Dipper has many stars?
The constellations in the sky are little pictures that people have been joining the stars of heaven. Thus, a constellation may be as large or small as it is decided according to how many stars need to make drawings of the bear, for example, joining dots.
Marc F.: The stars have a tail behind fire ... there? (Like Christmas)
Yes, Marc. But in fact they are not sun-like stars, but we tell quotes. Comets are large balls of dirty snow that travel between the planets of the solar system and that when very close to the Sun begin to melt and left debris on his way. These remains are bouncing sunlight, like small mirrors, and this is the tail of the comet seen from Earth. Of these quotes are often the sky (every few years there is a sufficient bright). A very famous comet is Halley's Comet, which can be seen every 75 years.
Oriol: When the Sun runs out of gas what will happen?
When the sun no longer have to produce more gas to go light, then it will fade gradually to become a white dwarf. Before that, however, the Sun will go through other stages in their lives that will be very large, becoming a red giant. When I was little and I I learned this very worrying, because it wanted the sun extinguished. Then I realized that in fact there are still many, many years for this to happen (about 4500 million years) and no need to worry about: Every time you want to go to the beach playing with sand water Surely the Sun is still there to give us light and heat that we love.
PLANETS
Carla: Why Mercury has craters?
When the planets were formed, there was many asteroids (which are like mountains, flying through space) . These asteroids hit planets and continuously against the holes were there (the craters ) its surface. The large planets, like Earth, are below the crust, a layer of lava (as it exits the volcanoes occasionally) that makes the crust and a sliding continents collide with each other from time So (very occasionally, we speak of thousands of years, and also so soft). This is how mountains are formed, for example, by collision of two plates of crust. These shocks, which cause many earthquakes, changing the look of those crater spoke at the beginning. Why on earth there are few craters visible today (we can only find the newer craters that have not yet had time to delete). The Mercury or the Moon, being smaller than the Earth, there is no layer of lava below and erased the craters there are on its surface. So have many craters. It is as if we were drawing on the board and could not clear, because we lost the draft. In the end, if we make many pictures one after another, the board will be very dirty.
Marc F.: Because Venus has so many clouds?
The atmosphere of Venus is very dense and is composed of carbon dioxide (the gas which become the oxygen that people breathe.) On Earth, this gas is absorbed again by plants that produce oxygen again and the cycle begins again. In Venus, as there are no plants, carbon dioxide accumulates and accumulating and the atmosphere was becoming more and more dense. The clouds of Venus are made of sulfuric acid (a highly corrosive substance that undoes everything it touches.) The sulfuric acid comes from the interior of Venus and is released into the atmosphere because there are many volcanoes on Venus that removing many washes out.
Gabriel: As Earth moves?
The Earth is like a spinning top that turns and turns while woman turns around the sun. Astronomers say the movement will turn rotation and giving laps around the sun we say translation. Like a spinning top when it is about to fall, the Earth also makes other strange movements, such as precession. This precession is what makes the North Pole does not always look towards the star Polaris. 13,000 years ago, the star that marked the northern sky in the star Vega in the constellation Lyra, and I will return within 13 000 years.
Santi: Perquè el planeta Mart és vermell?
El color vermell de la superfície de Mart es dóna perquè tota la terra i sorra que hi ha esta molt "rovellada". Això passa perquè les roques i sorra d'allà tenen molt de ferro en la seva composició.
Unai: Because Jupiter has a stain?
The great red spot of Jupiter is a large storm (a storm with large funnel-shaped). But this storm on Jupiter is spectacular. Think it was discovered in 1664 (more than 300 years) and still takes the same storm. Besides the great Spot of Jupiter has more than twice the size of planet Earth. Can you imagine a storm so big and long? We would not have very good weather days to leave the park to play!
The great red spot of Jupiter is a large storm (a storm with large funnel-shaped). But this storm on Jupiter is spectacular. Think it was discovered in 1664 (more than 300 years) and still takes the same storm. Besides the great Spot of Jupiter has more than twice the size of planet Earth. Can you imagine a storm so big and long? We would not have very good weather days to leave the park to play!
Andrea: Because Jupiter has dark and light stripes?
Streaks clouds of Jupiter are in a different color because they are composed of various materials (ammonia, sulfur, ...), and, as Jupiter rotates so fast and strong winds melt in the form of stripes.
Marc B.: Because Jupiter is so big?
I have a friend that when we come to room Lunch always comes first and all the good eats menu before anyone else. When I arrived there were not many to choose food on the table. I do not know how he rides, but always comes first. With Jupiter going a bit the same. Do not know why it was he who took everything that was not wanted when the Sun was formed and he told "eat" him for being so great. I guess that came first. When the Earth began to form, Jupiter had already caught him everything he wanted and the Earth had to be satisfied with what remained. Also, my friend, when you eat more, have more appetite. Jupiter equal, the greater is attracting more material because the strength of gravity is greater.
Oriol: Because Saturn has rings?
Saturn's rings are, in fact, many pieces of ice are circling Saturn. But it is a solid ring like those found in jewelry stores. It is believed that during the training process, Saturn broke one of its moons, which broke into many pieces that followed circling Saturn, forming the ring we see from Earth.
Hugo: Because Saturn has many rings? (7)
When it was discovered that Saturn had a ring, only one and he saw enough. But little by little, they went using telescopes that magnify the image more and more. It is said that there was only one ring, but with an empty space between. But actually, if you see an image of Saturn's rings closely you'll see that there are only 2, 3 or 7 rings, but many more rings.
And, in truth, the rings are small chunks of ice, in fact could even say that there is no ring, but there are many little moons that spin on Saturn. So depending on what we understand to find more or less ring.
Yara: Because the 1st ring of Saturn is bigger?
When a moon broods a planet, there are areas where the satellite is not at ease and does not stay too long. And on the contrary, there are other regions where a satellite can feel a lot of time in a stable manner. A ring of Saturn, where there are holes where the pieces of ice that form are not happy and go there and rings is greater where there are more pieces of ice so they stay there longer. why Saturn has rings of different sizes and gaps between them.
Andrea: Because Saturn has some fine lines?
The fine lines of Saturn are its clouds stretching to the wind so strong that there is (the wind of Saturn at 1800 km / h). This same thing happened to Jupiter and its bands, remember?
Adrian: Because Saturn is brown and yellow?
The colors of Saturn are due to the color of their clouds, which is all that we see. Not all clouds are composed of the same elements and therefore have different colors.
Nelson: Because Uranus is so clear (white)?
color of Uranus (mostly blue) is because it contains methane, which is white because it absorbs all red light in the atmosphere.
Aitana: Because the last planet (Neptune) is so blue?
Like Uranus, Neptune contain much methane, giving the blue so nice.
Martin: Because Neptune has white spots?
The spots are also hurricane Neptune's atmosphere, as happened with Jupiter and its large dark spot. The great dark spot of Neptune was observed in 1989. When 5 years after a telescope called Hubble wanted to observe it again, it had already disappeared. So the storms of Neptune seems to take so long to go to Jupiter.
OTHER
Marc B.: Because the people of the South Pole to be straight to do a handstand?
People from the South Pole do not need to pine for the entire day going from home to school or park (imagine how you would pull up to a slide if we had to go to down all day?). Luckily, kids south pole can play in the park without need to work in a circus! The Earth is round like a ball. There is something that astronomers call gravity, which makes us fall into the center of the Earth (luckily, we do not sink down and the ground keeps us on the outside of the Earth). Note that I said it fall down, but the center of the Earth. For us, the center of the earth under our feet a break and when we fall down again, right? So for a child's south pole, the center of the Earth also is under his feet and falls down, but his 'down' and ours is not the same because the center of the Earth is in opposite directions . If you were a child at the south pole caminaríem exactly as we do here. In fact, the South Pole for children who are upside down are we!
Yara: Because the planets revolve around the sun?
The same gravity that keeps us patches on the surface of the Earth is making the Earth and other planets revolve around the sun. The Earth weighs more than us and so attracts us towards the center. Well, the Sun than the Earth weighs Greece Grecia, so the planets are attracted by the Sun. If the Earth to move slightly, the Sun would that we were slowly falling toward him and end up surprising ourselves against the sun. But luckily the Earth moves and the maximum that can make the sun is going towards him tense, as if we were linked with an imaginary rope and Earth can not be separated from the Sun more than we let the imaginary rope. This is fortunate, indeed, because if we allunyéssim mass of the sun begin to get very cold and the Earth would not be too nice a place to live.
Marc F.: Why do astronauts float inside the rocket have been removed when the belt?
Imagine that the rocket has not yet taken off. If we are inside the rocket and jump from a chair, we fall down, but the rocket is quiet and does not fall, then touch the ground at the end of the rocket. But what if the rocket is still falling well as us? Never tocaríem the floor of the rocket because the rocket also falls at the same speed as us. The same thing happens in an amusement park, the roller coaster. When the train coaster drops in free fall, it seems that we get the ass of the chair and it is because we are falling at the same speed that makes the train. Well this is the same that happens to an astronaut. In space, the rocket and astronaut falling at the same speed and it looks like the astronaut floats and does not fall, but in reality both rocket and astronaut, are falling toward Earth. The problem is not the same fall that the earth does not fall towards the Sun, because the rocket is moving and the only thing you can do is tie the Earth a bit with the invisible strings mentioned above.
Aitana: Because the rockets are so sharp tip top?
when rockets and take off, especially when they land, they need to be pointed this way. In fact, it's the same thing is happening to swimmers in the pool. When you make a springboard to jump into the water if they fall Ironing made a lot of damage to the stomach. But if you jump head with arms stretched to resemble rockets, then it seems that there are water slides on the sides and it does so much harm. If a rocket does not have this form when it enters the atmosphere again suddenly collide with the air of the atmosphere and there would be a good time suddenly. This could break the rocket. because it gives are not happen this way. It's funny but once the rocket is outside the Earth's atmosphere because no matter how you have. It could be square, round or sausage-shaped and would just as fast or slow, because there is no air space that the brakes.
Santi: Why not always work off rockets into space?
You never played the hockey table? There are many shopping centers. Put a coin on the table and starts to air out and get a disc with one side of the machine. Then, when you put the disc flat on the table, the disc appears to float. And when you give it once, the disc begins to slide and was very fast. It seems that if the table was longer, the disc could continue and continue without stopping ever. However, when the currency finished and no longer get air, the album is very hard to make it move. Well it's the same rocket. When a rocket takes off we have to give a great blow to make it out. But once it is in space, as there is nothing there that slow, then you can travel smoothly and requires no engine to continue pushing that. Just take some small motors to change direction.
Adrià Why not quit when they fire rockets into space?
As I said at Santi in his question of why rockets work in space, the first time that we give in out of the Earth, the rocket can travel without having to ignited engines throughout the trip. This, indeed, is fortunate because the engines could not operate in space, although we wanted. The fire needs oxygen to breathe the air there to burn. If a room there were no oxygen, we could not fire. This is what happens, for example, when a candle to cover it with a glass. The candle continues to burn until the oxygen and then just shuts down.
Well. In space there's no air and therefore can not be ignited combustion engines to push our rocket.
Adrian: Because the rockets have a round window? The
windows are round so that the rockets are strong and resilient. The earliest rockets were made had the square windows, but always broke. So what was the best student of the window would not break because they concluded that they should be circles.
Marc B.: Where aliens live?
that there is life on a planet must meet certain conditions
. The most important of all is that there is liquid water. And not only need water
to drink it. Life on Earth believe that
formed in the oceans, protected from radiation
much energy he had when the Earth was formed and had not allowed the formation
life. The water there was the shield of the first
microbes that will appear on Earth and slowly went
transforming, evolving to more complex creatures that
could survive out of water, such as humans.
If a planet is too far from the Sun, the water freezes, turning into ice. If instead
is too close, too hot and the water evaporates and when we
boiling water to make soup in the kitchen. The Solar System
Earth is only within the region where liquid water can be
its surface, but maybe around other stars and planets where liquid water can be
. ; Marc F.: On what planet the aliens live?
Until now we could not detect life beyond Earth, nor could I speak
with aliens from other worlds. Maybe someday we will find in one place
but for now, the only aliens we meet are
appearing in movies and cartoons that
are invented by human beings. There are many people who say they have seen them and even
even spoken with them, but when scientists investigate thoroughly
is not always true and that UFOs do not exist. F. Marc: Why are green aliens?
not know how are the aliens, because we have not seen any. However, if
existed, could be very different from humans.
We're used to seeing people with 2 eyes, a nose, a mouth, two ears, etc. ...
But nothing assures us that life everywhere in the universe should be. Or
it would be very strange that the aliens were like humans and
the only thing different was that they have green skin.
may not resemble any animal we know (lizards, flies, ...).
still do not have enough imagination to try to guess how
are aliens (even though there are people who continually tries).
All: What is the job of an astronomer? There are many types of astronomers. There is a kind of astronomer devoted to observing the sky. Watch the stars with his telescope during the night and try to find something interesting. Some of these astronomers found something that nobody knows explain why so, or even, as may exist. Then another astronomer tries to explain this question and proposes a new theory. Many times, to show that this theory is right back to observe the sky with a telescope or even more powerful that you can look these strange objects, to see if all are equal and if the theory explains these new cases as well. Then we need another kind of astronomer who are dedicated to design and build the new instrument that astronomers are all crying. I am an astronomer this latter type. I'm building a telescope, called Gaia, which sent into space to observe many more stars that have never been observed and that will help us to know how our Galaxy, as formed, like the stars the form, and much more. But actually, I also dedicate myself to watch the sky with telescopes and proposing theories about what I see. So astronomers do a bit of everything to try to understand what we know. It is a very xula profession, although a bit difficult.
Yara: Why you chose this job?
During my visit to your questions with Cole and me have you seen that there are many things in the universe that are wonderful. The universe is very large, very nice, very interesting and mysterious. We live in a house in a very little city within a continent that is inside the Earth. And planet Earth is very small compared to Jupiter or the Sun. And the sun is a star not too large, there are much larger. And all these stars are in galaxies where there are millions of stars like the Sun. And we could continue and continue to realize that we are very tiny and there is much more discovered in the universe that we have no idea how they are. Why the Universe is so big? I do not need much space or to play a football game! If I love to see the colors of the flowers on the way home, I can imagine how astonished to be looking at the stars and galaxies in the sky! There are many things that we are unaware of the Universe and I want to be one of those who help them discover new things in the universe. So I made astronomer. To know a person is not enough to know how is your finger, we need to look at the whole person, eyes, mouth, nose, arms, ... I want to know the universe and I do not want to be known only on Earth. I need to look at the Universe Sencer perquè estic per attempt entender here.
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