Have you ever wondered what causes red rocks? Red rocks like those on the surface of Mars, the red planet, or the canyons of Utah. The answer to this question comes down to two common elements, iron and oxygen, which combine together to form the compound rust. Most people have heard of or seen rust. It’s that red crusty stuff that forms on the outside … Continue reading Red Rocks of Mars – The Science Behind Red Rocks

We’ve all wondered at some point whether we’re really alone in the universe. Over the 14 billion years since the beginning of the universe, how could we possibly be the only life-supporting planet out of this massive thing we call the universe? Many of us either avoid this question, simply assuming that if there really is extraterrestrial life-forms out there, they would have made contact … Continue reading Kepler 22b: Are We Really Alone?

All the Gas giants of our Solar System have rings, but the ones around Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune are relatively small. Saturn’s rings are magnificent. Discovery The first reference to Saturn’s rings appears to be from Galileo. In 1610 he looked at Saturn through his telescope. He was puzzled by what he saw. He described the rings variously as ears, handles and arms. He said … Continue reading The Rings of Saturn

In the beginning, as it were, there was no form or force to the universe. In fact, talking about the universe was meaningless because there was nowhere to talk about it. Space and time literally did not exist and neither did matter in any form. The universe simply was not; nothing was. Then suddenly there was an explosion of epic proportions. We can’t even say … Continue reading Protons, Neutrons, Electrons, and Energy

How could planets near to Neptune operate the way they had been? Astronomers knew there must have been a planet far away from our sun, so when Bouvard constructed the idea and Galle finally spotted the planet, a piece of our solar system’s puzzle fell into place. This gas giant planet takes its blue color the same way as Saturn, from a mix of hydrogen … Continue reading Cool Facts About Neptune