Planets
Since we have starting working on renovating the Explore Your Playful Nature kids area into a space/night theme, we have learned tons of interesting things about planet. They are a part of our solar system, but sometimes all we learn about them are the order they are from the sun and how big they are relative to Earth.
And sometimes we don't even learn that.
Plus, when I was in school Pluto was still a regular planet, not a dwarf planet like it is considered today. That made the way I remembered the planet orders obsolete, so I had to look up a new way. This one made me laugh --- My Very Exciting Mother Just Served Us Noodles (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune).
Since we've been excited about planets lately, here are some fun planet facts to share with your friends.
Asteroid, meteor, comet — what do these mean?
Did you know that April is Global Astronomy Month? When you look into the night sky, you can only see a small taste of what is actually out there. Stars, black holes, galaxies, comets, asteroids, meteors. However, sometimes that world of astronomy can get confusing quick. So we decided it would be wise to define Read More »
Read MorePut a ring on it: All giant planets in our solar system have them
Most people think that only Saturn has rings. Some know that Uranus too, even though they often aren’t drawn in illustrations, has rings. However, they aren’t the only ones. Jupiter and Neptune also have rings. Even some moons, like Saturn’s moon Rhea, and asteroids can have rings. Let’s take a look at rings that exist Read More »
Read MoreWhy Pluto isn’t considered a planet anymore
Pluto was first designated a planet in 1930 when it was discovered by Clyde W. Tombaugh at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, AZ. The tiny planet is about two-thirds the diameter of Earth’s moon and most likely is made up of a rocky core surrounded by ice and coated with methane and nitrogen frost. It Read More »
Read MoreMake your own magnetic stars
We have some awesome updates to existing exhibits and some brand new exhibits coming up at winter projects. One of those is to turn our kids area into a space/night theme! (Celebrate winter with a craft stick snowflake) A few parts of the renovation are underway behind the scenes, and one is a project that Read More »
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