Sun, Star and Solar eclipse

Are all the starts same? -

No, every start is unique. With one exception of the Sun, starts are all so far away from Earth that they appear as pin points of twinkling tight to us. But even though they may look as the same to the naked eye, they all have their own characteristics, differing in size, temperature, colour, and brightness, depending on how old they are.

Closest starts to the Sun

name-                                    distance-

Proxima Centauri                 4.2

Alpha Centauri A                  4.3

Alpha Centauri B                  4.3

Barnard's Star                       5.9

Wolf 359                                 7.8

Lalande 21185                       8.3

Sirius A                                   8.6

Sirius B                                   8.6

 

Three ways to search life in the Universe

01. The Allen Telescope Array in the USA is the group of 42 radio-telescope dishes working as a giant ear listening out for signals from extraterrestrial life. 

02. Anyone can take part in search (SETI) by running a screensaver on their computer that looks for data patterns from the Allen Telescope. 

03. In 2015, a spacecraft called Darwin will be launched to look for Earth- like planets. Onboard telescopes will then analyze light from the planets for signs of gases that might have been produced by living things.

Will the Sun shine for ever?

 The Sun is a star - a vast sphere pf luminous gas. Its light is a by-product of gas-fuelled nuclear reactions in its core. It shine steadily now, but in about five billions years it will swell up before dying as a cold, dark cinder in space.

Watch a total solar eclipse 

01. Using an eclipse viewer, observe the Moon passing directly in front of the Sun - a rare occurrence not to be missed!

02. Observe the Moon looking like a dark disc, covering more and more of the Sun's face and slowly day seems to turn to night.

03. "Totality" occurs when the Sun's face completely, revealing its corona, and lasts 3-4 minutes. 

04. As the Moon continues on its path, watch the Sun come back into view. The sky brightens and distance starts become invisible again.

05. The eclipse is almost over; only a fraction of the Sun remains covered, and the shadow cast on Earth by the Moon has all but gone.

-Keva