Science Essay

Outcome 1:
Can use multiple sources to observe various objects in the
solar system, galaxies and universe.
1. Universe: Universe is everything that we can sense; Universe
is the planets, stars, galaxies, light, and even time. Before
universe there is nothing. Inside universe there are billions of
galaxies and many more (even most of universe part is
unknown by us because its so huge).1 Meanwhile other said
that universe is vast empty space that consists of everything
we know including the galaxies that we live in.2 We can
conclude that were actually part of universe and the universe
is so big that it consists of billion of galaxies and this means
were really small part of the universe. There are two main
types of universe this include, observable universe and
observed universe. Other universe are include:
Inside the universe34:
1. Super cluster of galaxies. Galaxies are small part of universe
and this galaxies group together and form a cluster of galaxies
and this clusters of galaxies group together is called a super
clusters of galaxies. 5 These are example of super cluster
galaxies:
a. Horologium Super cluster
b. Virgo Super Cluster
c. The Local Group
d. Abell 2029
2. Cosmic voids, and super voids are large volumes of the space
in the universe that is free or lack of matter this means there
is no normal matter or even dark matter. Examples of void are
include local void, botes void, Eridanus super void and Taurus
void.6
3. Matter:
a. Normal Matter, The basic matter that we can see around
us. Normal matter was made by leptons (like electrons)
and quarks (the things that build protons and neutrons).
b. Anti Matter, Anti matter is the opposite of normal matter
so it has the same mass with the particles but with the
1
2
3
4
5
6

https://www.esa.int/esaKIDSen/SEMX4EBE8JG_OurUniverse_0.html
http://www.thebigger.com/physics/universe/what-is-universe/
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120312.html
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/interactive-scale-universe/
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/universe/tour_ggs.html
http://www.whillyard.com/science-pages/voids.html

opposite reaction and charge. If Anti Matter and normal

matter collide it could create pure energy in form of
gamma rays.7
c. Dark Matter, Just like the name, dark matter is dark and
its not form like planets or stars that people normally
know. Dark matter is also not made of normal matter
and it was made of Bryon particles.8
d. Dark energy, Mysterious radiation in the Universe this
was proven by the expansion of the universe.9
So move on from universe were going to understand more about
one of universe structure or the galaxy.
2. Galaxy: Galaxy is a large system of stars even though some
astronomer still debating between galaxy and clusters of
stars. Galaxies also sometimes made up of stars and their
constituents (part of the star system, ex: Solar System).10
Example of galaxies are include:
a. IC 1101
b. NGC 4889
c. Whirlpool Galaxy
d. Pinwheel Galaxy
e. Cartwheel Galaxy
f. Andromeda Galaxy
g. Milky Way Galaxy
h. And many more
Just like universe, galaxy has its structure and component this
include:1112
1. Nucleus or central bulge is around structure mostly made of
old stars, gas, and dust. With wavelengths that we got from
nucleus we know that there are violent processes inside the
nucleus that people assumed galaxies might have massive
black holes at their nucleus or core. The outer parts of the
bulge sometimes difficult to be differentiate with the halo.
2. Halo is containing by old stars and/or clusters of old stars
(called globular cluster, one of globular cluster in the Milky
7 http://space.about.com/od/astronomybasics/g/What-Is-Matter.htm
8 http://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/what-is-darkenergy/
9 http://space.about.com/od/astronomybasics/g/What-Is-Matter.htm
10 http://news.sciencemag.org/2011/01/what-galaxy
11
http://hubblesite.org/reference_desk/faq/answer.php.id=39&cat=gal
axies
12
http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr162/lect/milkyway/components.html

3.

4.
5.

6.

Way is the Omega Centauri) and sometimes-dark matter. Halo

is also the oldest component of the galaxy.
Spiral Arms (only in spiral galaxies, milky way is one of the
spiral galaxy types) are extension that begin from the nucleus
or the bulge of the galaxy that give pinwheel or spiral
appearance. Spiral arms was made by gas, dust and young
blue stars.
Disk (only in spiral galaxies) is the flattened region that
surrounds the nucleus that was made of young stars, gas and
dust (however old stars could also present in the disk).
Nebula is a Latin word that means cloud however nebula is
more then a cloud. Nebula is an interstellar cloud in outer
space that is made by dust, hydrogen, helium gas, and
plasma.13 Examples of Nebula are include:
a. Tarantula Nebula
b. Rosette Nebula
c. Crab Nebula
d. Orion Nebula
e. Cats Eye Nebula
f. Stingray Nebula
Star is a ball of hydrogen and helium that has enough mass to
control and have a nuclear fusion at its core.14 There are
actually star classifications. There are seven main types of
stars based on the temperature this include: O, B, A, F, G, K,
and M. Each of this star types has it own characteristics this
include:15
Star Type

Color
Blue
Blue

Surface
Temperature
Over 25,000 K
11,000 25,000 K

O
B

Example
10 Lacertra
Rigel

Blue

7,500 11,000 K

Sirius

Blue to White

6,000 7,500 K

Canopus

White to Yellow

5,000- 6,000 K

Sun

Orange to Red

3,500 5,000 K

Arctrurus

Red

Under 3,500 K

Betelgeus

13 http://www.universetoday.com/61103/what-is-a-nebula/
14 http://www.universetoday.com/24351/what-is-a-star/
15
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/stars/startyp
es.shtml

Star Cycle:16
Same size as our sun:
1. Stellar Nursery, Star will form in this nebula from collapsing
interstellar clouds of gas and dust. Stellar Nursery or also
known as molecular cloud is the process of forming new stars.
Molecular cloud is a region with enough hydrogen atoms that
there is diatomic hydrogen can form. Molecular cloud is also
huge with the size could be 1000 to 100,000 times the mass
of the Sun.17
2. Sun-Like Star or main sequence stars could be form by the
stellar Nursery. The mass could reach 1.5 times the mass of
our sun. So this star will also have similar or same composition
of it including a good amount of Hydrogen, helium and small
amount of oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, silicon, magnesium, neon
and many more. 18
3. Red Giant stars form because of the nuclear fusion that
originally balanced the star against the pressure of gravity, so
that when the star fusion stops the gravity will compress the
star become smaller. When the star decrease the size the
temperature will increase due to friction and causing helium to
change to carbon and his energy will expand the star size or
end it with a explosive flash. Red giant stars are 100 to 1,000
time s the size of our sun.19
4. Planetary Nebula happen after the red giant stars burn its fuel
causing it to collapse and this will ejected the shell of glass
forming the beautiful shell of diffuse gas or also known as a
planetary nebula.20
5. White Dwarf will happen when the star become planetary
nebula because the core will be left over and this star core will
become a white dwarf a star with no hydrogen fusion in it.
White Dwarf has the mass of the sun but with the size of the
Earth causing it to be so dense.21
6. Black Dwarf (hypothetical) is when the white dwarf cooled
down to the temperature of the space temperature causing it
to be invisible or black.22
Bigger size as our sun:
1. Stellar Nursery (already explained before)
16
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/add_aqa/stars/life
cyclestarsrev2.shtml
17 http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-stellar-nursery.htm
18 http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/tables/suncomp.html
19 http://www.space.com/22471-red-giant-stars.html
20 http://www.space.com/17715-planetary-nebula.html
21 http://www.space.com/23756-white-dwarf-stars.html
22 http://www.universetoday.com/41096/black-dwarf/

2. Huge Star, huge star is 1.5 to 3 times larger of the mass of the
sun. Huge star is similar to normal star but is bigger thus
hotter the surface
3. Red super giant star, this is similar however the huge star
produce bigger giant star then the star if it has the size of the
sun.
4. Super nova (hypothetical), when the huge star out of fuel the
huge star will explode instead of forming a planetary nebula
this is cause by the star it too huge to make a planetary
nebula.23
5. Neutron Star is the explosive death of this large star and this
is leave by the super nova. Neutron star will be also really
dense and will have the gravity 2 billion stronger than gravity
on Earth. 24
OR
5. Black hole is the hole that gravity pulls everything even light
couldnt escape. Black hole is form when the object is to dense it
just suck itself.25
Example of stars are include:
a. VY Canis Majoris
b. VV Cephei
c. Antares
d. Betelgeuse
e. Mu Cephei
Solar system is part of Milky Way galaxy. Solar system also has it
own structure and object inside it, this include:
1. Star (already explain before).
2. Planets, Planets always change its characteristics over time.
Currently after the new definition that astronomers make is
that planet is an object that orbits the sun, has sufficient mass
to be round or nearly round, doesnt orbits or become a
satellite of another object, and has removed debris and small
objects from the area around its orbit.
a. Inner Planets, Inner planets are planets between sun
and asteroid belt.26 There are major characteristics from
the inner planets this include all inner planets are
terrestrial planet this that these planets have rocky
surface and iron care. All inner planets also have relative
smaller size if compared with outer planets.27
i. Mercury
23
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090319142405.htm
24 http://www.space.com/22180-neutron-stars.html
25 http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/nasaknows/what-is-a-black-hole-k4.html
26 http://www.universetoday.com/34577/inner-and-outer-planets/

1. Location: Mercury is the closest planet to the

sun.28 The minimum distance from the sun
between the sun when its perihelion is 47
million km meanwhile when its the aphelion
the distance between the two of this object
is 70 million km.29
2. Composition: Mercury is a terrestrial planet
this means that a mantle and a crust
surrounded it. Mercury also has craters due
to constant collisions.30
3. Size:31
a. Radius: 2,440 Km
b. Diameter: 4,878 Km
c. Circumference: 15,329 Km from its
equator.
4. Rotation: Mercury takes 59 Earth Days to
spin once on its axis.32
5. Revolution: Mercury takes 88 Earth Days to
complete one orbit about the Sun.33
ii. Venus
1. Location: Venus is the second planet from
the sun. When the Venus at its perihelion its
107 million km meanwhile when its the
aphelion the Venus is 108.9 million km apart
from the sun.34
2. Composition: Venus is similar to Earth in size
and mass however a thick atmosphere fills
the surface and the surface is hidden. The
surface however is rocky mantle with liquid
core.35
3. Size:36
a. Radius: 6,052 Km
b. Circumference: 38,025 km in the
equator
27 http://classroom.synonym.com/three-major-characteristics-innerplanets-12917.html
28http://www.universetoday.com/13943/mercury/
29 http://www.space.com/18646-mercury-distance.html
30 http://www.space.com/18643-mercury-composition.html
31 http://www.space.com/18647-how-big-is-mercury.html
32
http://www.windows2universe.org/mercury/News_and_Discovery/Mer
c_orbit_reson.html
33
http://www.windows2universe.org/mercury/News_and_Discovery/Mer
c_orbit_reson.html
34 http://www.space.com/18529-distance-to-venus.html
35 http://www.space.com/18525-venus-composition.html
36 http://www.space.com/18530-how-big-is-venus.html

4. Rotation: Venus rotates every 243 days and

it rotate backwards or the opposite.
5. Revolution: Venus revolute or rotate sun
every 224.7 days. 37
iii. Earth
1. Location: Earth is the third planet from the
sun. When the Earth is the farther to Sun
(Early July) or the aphelion the distance
between the sun is 152 million km
meanwhile when the Earth is the closest to
the sun or perihelion or early January the
distance is 146 million km.
2. Composition: The Earth is 70% of the
planets surface. The Earth also has crust,
mantle and core. Crust made of metal,
silicon, and metal. Mantle is made of silicate
rocks with magnesium and iron. Core is
made of Iron that is really hot.
3. Size:
a. Radius: 6,371 Km
b. Diameter: 12,720
c. Circumference: 40,075 km from
equator and 40,008 km from pole to
pole
4. Rotation: 24 hours or the exact time with 23
hours and 56 minutes with the speed of
1675 km/h
5. Revolution: The revolution of the Earth or
the time that Earth takes to orbit the sun is
365 1/4 days or 1 Earth Years.
iv. Mars
1. Location: Mars is the fourth planet from the
sun. Mars in its perihelion is 207 million km
from then sun meanwhile the aphelion is
249 million km.38
2. Composition: Mars has dust covers the
surface of Mars. The soil of Mars however
was made by nutrients such as sodium,
potassium, chloride, and magnesium. Mars
also have no tectonic mantle to reshape its
terrain.39
3. Size:40
a. Diameter: 6,794 Km
37 https://pds.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/special/venus.htm
38 http://www.universetoday.com/14822/how-far-is-mars-from-thesun/
39 http://www.space.com/16895-what-is-mars-made-of.html
40 http://www.space.com/16871-how-big-is-mars.html

b. Circumference: 21,343 km from the

planet equator
4. Rotation: Mars rotates its axis every 24.6
hours.
5. Revolution: 1.88 Earth years41
b. Outer Planets, Outer planets are planets between
asteroid belt and keplar belt.42 Outer planets or Jovian
planets are gas giants and relatively bigger size then the
inner planets. 43
i. Jupiter
1. Location4445: Jupiter is located between Mars
and Saturn. The closest point of Jupiter or
the perihelion is 741 million km or 4.96
astronomical Units from the sun; meanwhile
the farthest point or the aphelion of Jupiter
is 817 million km or 5.47 astronomical
Units. However to Earth the distance
between the two always change this include
when in the closest distance is 365 million
miles or 588 million kilometers) and when its
in the farthest it is 601 million miles or 968
million km away. 43 minutes for sunlight to
reach Jupiter.
2. Composition46: The atmosphere of the
Jupiter is 90 percent hydrogen and the rest
of the 10 percent is helium. However the
surface of the Jupiter is still being
speculated.
3. Size:47
a. Radius: 69,911 Kilometers
b. Diameter: 142,984 Kilometers |
139,822 Kilometers
c. Circumference: 272,946 Kilometers
4. Rotation: Jupiter rotates every 10 hours or
9.9 hours. This rotation makes Jupiter the
fastest rotating planet in our solar system.48
5. Revolution: Jupiter also has 6.09-degree tilt
for its orbit. Jupiter takes 11.86 Earth Years
or 4331 Earth Days (or 4,333 Earth days
41 https://exploration.grc.nasa.gov/education/rocket/mars.html
42 http://www.universetoday.com/34577/inner-and-outer-planets/
43 http://www-bioc.rice.edu/pblclass/6th%20grade/astronomy/outer
%20hw.pdf
44 http://www.universetoday.com/15089/how-far-is-jupiter-from-thesun/
45 http://www.space.com/18383-how-far-away-is-jupiter.html
46 http://www.space.com/18388-what-is-jupiter-made-of.html
47 http://www.space.com/18392-how-big-is-jupiter.html
48 http://www.universetoday.com/23914/rotation-of-jupiter/

based on theplantes.org) to complete one

orbit around the sun. The planet has the
speed of 13 km/s when orbiting the sun.
6. Fact: Gaileo spacecraft that launched in
October 1989 took over six years (which is
in December 1995) to reach the Jupiter.
ii. Saturn49
1. Location: Saturn is located after the Jupiter
or the sixth planet from the sun and it is the
second largest planet in the solar system.
When perihelion the Saturn and the Sun is
1.4 billion km (839 million miles) meanwhile
the aphelion between the Saturn and the
Sun is 1.5 billion km (934 million miles).
2. Composition:
a. Planet, The planet is similar with
Jupiter is mostly made of hydrogen
and helium.
b. Ring, Composed mostly by water ice
and mixed with pieces of rocks and
this ring also have the thickness of 20
meters. The ring is also 270,000 km in
diameter.
3. Size:
a. Planet
i. Polar radius: 54,364 kilometers
ii. Equatorial radius: 60,268
kilometers
iii. Circumference of the equator:
272,946 Kilometers
iv. Ring: From the equator the
distance is 6,630 kilometers and
extend until 422,730 kilometers
4. Rotation: Rotation takes time about 10 1/2
hours
5. Revolution: The revolution that Saturn need
to orbit the sun is 29.46 Earth years. Which
mean roughly is 10,760.265 Earth days.
iii. Uranus
1. Location5051: Uranus is the seventh planet
that from the sun the perihelion is
2,735,560,000 kilometer or 2.75 billion km
meanwhile the aphelion between Uranus
and the Sun is 3,006,390,000 kilometer or 3
49 https://pds.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/special/saturn.htm
50 http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/ask/127-How-far-away-isUranus-from-the-Sun51 http://www.universetoday.com/44531/uranus-distance-from-thesun/

billion km. The difference of the perihelion

and aphelion is caused by the elliptical orbit
that Uranus and most planet have.
2. Composition52: Uranus have icy atmosphere.
And most of the planet is made of ice;
water, methane and ammonia with ice
become the majority composition of the
planet.
3. Size53:
a. Polar radius: 24,973 km
b. Equator radius: 23,973 km
c. Equator Circumference: 159,354 km
4. Rotation54: Rotation of the Planet is
clockwise with 17.9 Earth hours
5. Revolution55: 30,685 days or 84 Earth years
6. Fact: Uranus is a unique planet that is
sideways and the fact that Uranus rotates
clockwise, meanwhile most planets in our
solar system rotate counter clockwise.
iv. Neptune
1. Location56: Neptune is the eighth planet from
the sun this also means it is the farthest
planet in our solar system. The distance
between Neptune and sun: When perihelion
is 4.46 billion km meanwhile the aphelion is
4.54 billion km from the sun.
2. Composition57:
a. Atmosphere: The Neptune have icy
atmosphere that made of 74%
hydrogen and 25% helium.
b. Rings: The rings that Neptune has are
made of particles called ring arcs.
3. Size5859:
a. Polar radius: 24,341 km
b. Equator radius: 24,764 km
c. Equator Circumference: 154,705 km
4. Rotation: 19.1 Earth hours
5. Revolution: 60,190 Earth days or 164.8
Earth Years

52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59

http://www.space.com/18706-uranus-composition.html
http://www.space.com/18710-how-big-is-uranus.html
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Uranus
https://pds.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/special/uranus.htm
http://www.space.com/18923-neptune-distance.html
http://www.space.com/18920-neptune-composition.html
https://pds.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/special/neptune.htm
http://www.space.com/18924-how-big-is-neptune.html

6. Fact: When Pluto is still a planet, Neptune

sometimes becomes the 9th planet because
Pluto passes Neptune orbit.
3. Dwarf Planets, unlike normal planet dwarf planet have all
planet classification except that they didnt cleared debris
from its orbital neighborhood this mean that round objects
that orbit the sun from the keplar or asteroid belt is a dwarf
planet. Some Dwarf Planets:60
a. Pluto
i. Location: The Pluto when it is when perihelion is
4,436,820,000 km meanwhile when aphelion the
distance is 7,375,930,000 km. When it is
perihelion the Pluto is inside the Neptune orbit.
ii. Composition:
1. Atmosphere: Speculated methane and
nitrogen
2. Surface: Speculated methane ice
iii. Year of discovery: 1930
iv. Size:
1. Diameter: 2,302 Km
2. Circumference: 7,232 Km
v. Rotation: Pluto rotates clockwise with 6.39 days
for 1 rotation.
vi. Revolution: Pluto need 247.92 Earth years every
orbit through sun
vii. Fact: It was once a planet. At 2006, Pluto is
reclassified as a dwarf planet.
61
b. Eris
i. Location: Eris is the biggest dwarf planet and the
furthest from the sun with the distance of
10,120,000,000 km or 68.01 AU.
ii. Composition: The composition might unknown
however there are presence of methane ice in the
planet.62
iii. Year of discovery: January 5th 2005
iv. Diameter: 2,326 Km
v. Rotation: It takes 25.9 hours for Eris to rotate its
axis.
vi. Revolution: It takes 560.9 years for Eris to orbit
the sun.
vii. Moon: 1
4. Meteoroids, Small particles that orbit around the sun.
a. Asteroids, Asteroids are small, airless rocks that orbit
the sun and its too small to be called planets. Another
name for asteroids are planetoids or minor planets. Most
60 http://www.space.com/18584-dwarf-planets-solar-systeminfographic.html
61 http://space-facts.com/eris/
62 http://www.universetoday.com/37285/dwarf-planet-eris/

5.

6.

7.

8.

asteroids lie between the orbits of Mats and Jupiter

called the asteroid belt that holds 200 asteroids bigger
then 100 kilometers in the diameter. Most asteroids are
irregular shape however some could still be spherical.63
b. Comets, Comets are object that was made of ices and
dust that could only be visible when its close to the sun
(when the comets melt). Comets also has its own parts
and structure this include: 64
i. Nucleus
ii. Coma
iii. Hydrogen Cloud
iv. Dust Tail
v. Ion Tail
Meteors, Meteor is an object or asteroid that enters the
Earths atmosphere causing it to burn and vaporized. If the
meteors survive and doesnt vapor or burn completely and
lands on the surface it will be known as meteorite.65
Main Asteroid Belt: Inside this asteroid belt are mostly rocky
asteroid with small portion of iron and nickel metals. Some
asteroids are small yet some are pretty large. Largest
asteroids in the belt are included: Vesta, Pallas and Hygiea.
Main asteroid belt is mostly between Mars and Jupiter orbiting
the sun.66
Kuiper Belt or Edgeworth is a region of the Solar system.
Similar to asteroid belt there are small bodies like asteroid
however Kuiper Belt is so much larger then the Asteroid Belt
with 20 times wider then the Asteroid belt and 20 to 200 times
more massive then Asteroid belt.67
Natural Satellite is anything that orbits around larger object.
One of natural satellite is the moon because they orbit a
larger object or the planet. Our moon or Luna takes 27.3 days
to orbit the Earth once with the orbital speed of 1 km/s.68

63 http://www.space.com/51-asteroids-formation-discovery-andexploration.html
64 http://nineplanets.org/comets.html
65 http://www.livescience.com/27183-asteroid-meteorite-meteormeteoroid.html
66 http://www.space.com/16105-asteroid-belt.html
67 http://www.universetoday.com/107598/what-is-the-kuiper-belt/
68 http://sciencelearn.org.nz/Contexts/Satellites/Science-Ideas-andConcepts/Natural-satellites