Perigee is a term used to describe the closest point at which an object orbits the Earth or another object in space. When an object is at its perigee, it travels faster than it does at any other point in its orbit because it is under the influence of the strongest gravitational force that its …
Blackbody radiation refers to the electromagnetic radiation that a blackbody material expels. Blackbody materials are substances that absorb all electromagnetic radiation that comes in contact with it, including light and heat. While a perfect blackbody material does not exist in nature, substances such as ash, soot, and granite come close. When a blackbody material is …
One of the basic questions regarding the earth is, how fast does it spin? The earth is constantly spinning; it spins around its axis. An axis in this case is an imaginary line running through the center of the earth from the North Pole to the South Pole. To calculate how fast the earth spins, …
The planet Mars has held a place of intrigue with humanity for many centuries. Also known as the “Red Planet,” Mars can be seen with the naked eye and looks red due to the large red desert covering its surface and the presence of a large amount of ferric oxide. As the fourth planet in …
What was once only a dream has now become a reality as space travel is a regular activity in our society. With thousands of satellites in orbit, the Hubble Space Telescope that can see other galaxies, regular shuttle launches, and prototypes for vehicles that can fly in and out of the atmosphere, it makes sense …
Quasars are a phenomena that, to this day, continue to baffle and confuse astronomers. There are different theories. One is that a quasar is formed from a super, massive black hole. Another theory is that a quasar is actually a baby galaxy and is at the earliest stages of development. However, since no one really …
The law of universal gravitation gives the attraction force between two objects due to gravity. Definition: For any pair of objects, they attract each other with a force that is directly proportional to the product of the masses of the objects and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers of mass. …