NAME – RITKA JAIN

CLASS – X - A
CELESTIAL BODIES
 STARS
A star develops from a giant, slowly rotating cloud that is made up entirely or almost entirely of
hydrogen and helium. Due to its own gravitation pull, the cloud begins to collapse inward, and
as it shrinks, it spins more and more quickly, with the outer parts becoming a disk while the
innermost parts become a roughly spherical clump.
A star is any massive self-luminous celestial body of gas
that shines by radiation derived from its internal energy
sources. Of the tens of billions of trillions of stars in the
observable universe, only a very small percentage are
visible to the naked eye
There are seven main types of stars, and they are
grouped by a system called spectral classification. This
system organizes stars into groups by their temperature,
colour, and luminosity (brightness). These groups are
the O, B, A, F, G, K, and M-class stars.
Our universe consists of a multitude of celestial bodies including stars. You may think that all
stars are the same, but in fact, there are many different types of stars. Each type of star can
be classified into one of seven groups according to its properties, or spectral attributes. Some
of these properties are size, colour, temperature, and stage in their life cycle. All suns,
including our sun, are stars. It looks so much bigger than other stars because it is much closer
to Earth than all the other stars.
There are seven main types of stars, and they are grouped by a system called spectral
classification. This system organizes stars into groups by their temperature, colour, and
luminosity (brightness). These groups are the O, B, A, F, G, K, and M-class stars. The
hottest stars are the blue-coloured O-class stars, with an average temperature of more than
28,000 degrees Kelvin. The coolest stars are the red-coloured M-class stars with an average
temperature of fewer than 3,500 degrees Kelvin. M-class stars are still very hot, just not as
hot in comparison to O-class stars.
Stars can be classified by their size. Super giants are the
largest stars and dwarf stars are the smallest. In between
super giants and dwarf stars are the giant stars.
 PLANETS
The order of the planets in the solar system, starting nearest the sun and working outward is the
following: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and then the possible Planet
Nine.
The solar system extends from the sun, goes past the four inner planets, through the asteroid belt to the
four gas giants and on to the disk-shaped Kuiper Belt and far beyond to the teardrop-shaped
heliopause.
Scientists estimate that the edge of the solar system is about 9 billion miles (15 billion kilometers) from
the sun. Beyond the heliopause lies the giant, spherical Oort Cloud, which is thought to surround the
solar system.
Ever since the discovery of Pluto in 1930, kids grew up
learning that the solar system has nine planets. That all
changed in the late 1990s when astronomers started
arguing about whether Pluto was indeed a planet. In a
highly controversial decision, the International
Astronomical Union ultimately decided in 2006 to
designate Pluto as a "dwarf planet," reducing the list of
the solar system's true planets to just eight.
Astronomers, however, are still hunting for another possible planet in our solar system,
a true ninth planet, after mathematical evidence of its existence was revealed on Jan. 20,
2016. The alleged "Planet Nine," also called "Planet X," is believed to be about 10 times the
mass of Earth and 5,000 times the mass of Pluto.
The inner four planets closest to the sun — Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars — are often
called the "terrestrial planets" because their surfaces are rocky. Pluto also has a rocky,
albeit frozen, surface but has never been grouped with the four terrestrials.
The four large outer worlds — Jupiter, Saturn,
Uranus and Neptune — are sometimes called the
Jovian or "Jupiter-like" planets because of their
enormous size relative to the terrestrial planets.
They're also mostly made of gases like hydrogen,
helium and ammonia rather than of rocky surfaces,
although astronomers believe some or all of them
may have believe
Scientists solid cores .
planets begin to form when a dense cloud of dust and gas, called
a nebula, spins around a newly formed star. Gradually, gravity causes the bits
of matter in the nebula to clump together.
 SATELLITES OR ARTIFICIAL
A satellite is a moon, planet or machine that orbits a planet or star. For example, Earth is a
SATELLITE
satellite because it orbits the sun. Likewise, the moon is a satellite because it orbits Earth.
Usually, the word "satellite" refers to a machine that is launched into space and moves around
Earth or another body in space.
Earth and the moon are examples of natural satellites. Thousands of artificial, or man-made,
satellites orbit Earth. Some take pictures of the planet that help meteorologists predict
weather and track hurricanes. Some take pictures of other planets, the sun, black holes, dark
matter or faraway galaxies. These pictures help scientists better understand the solar system
and universe.
S. till other satellites are used mainly for communications,
such as beaming TV signals and phone calls around the
world. A group of more than 20 satellites make up the Global
Positioning System, or GPS. If you have a GPS receiver,
these satellites can help figure out your exact location.
The bird's-eye view that satellites have allows them to see large areas of Earth at one time.
This ability means satellites can collect more data, more quickly, than instruments on the
ground.
Satellites also can see into space better than telescopes at Earth's surface. That's because
satellites fly above the clouds, dust and molecules in the atmosphere that can block the view
from ground level.
Before satellites, TV signals didn't go very far. TV signals only travel in straight lines. So
they would quickly trail off into space instead of following Earth's curve. Sometimes
mountains or tall buildings would block them. Phone calls to faraway places were also a
problem. Setting up telephone wires over long distances or underwater is difficult and costs
a lot.
With satellites, TV signals and phone calls are sent upward
to a satellite. Then, almost instantly, the satellite can send
them back down to different locations on Earth.
As will be seen below, however, not all artificial satellites
are necessarily workable ones. Even a screw or a bit of
paint is considered an "artificial" satellite, even though
these are missing these parts.
 ASTERIODS
Asteroids, sometimes called minor planets, are rocky, airless remnants left over from the
early formation of our solar system about 4.6 billion years ago.
The current known asteroid count is: 1,297,705
Most of this ancient space rubble can be found orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter
within the main asteroid belt. Asteroids range in size from Vesta – the largest at about 329
miles (530 kilo meters) in diameter – to bodies that are less than 33 feet (10 meters) across.
The total mass of all the asteroids combined is less than that of Earth's Moon.
Many large asteroids have one or more small
companion moons. An example of this is
Didymos, a half-mile (780 meters) wide
asteroid that is orbited by the moonlet
Dimorphos which measures just 525 feet (160
m) across.
Asteroids are material left over from the formation of the solar system. One theory suggests
that they are the remains of a planet that was destroyed in a massive collision long ago. More
likely, asteroids are material that never coalesced into a planet. In fact, if the estimated total
mass of all asteroids was gathered into a single object, the object would be less than 1,500
kilo meters (932 miles) across -- less than half the diameter of our Moon.
Asteroids are rocky and metallic objects that orbit the Sun but are too small to be considered
planets. They are known as minor planets. Asteroids range in size from Ceres, which has a
diameter of about 1000 km, down to the size of pebbles. Sixteen asteroids have a diameter of
240 km or greater. They have been found inside Earth's orbit to beyond Saturn's orbit. Most,
however, are contained within a main belt that exists between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
Some have orbits that cross Earth's path and some have even hit the Earth in times past. One
of the best preserved examples is Barringer Meteor Crater near Winslow, Arizona.
From historical omens of doom to Hollywood blockbusters
about saving the world, comets and asteroids loom large in
fiction and folklore. And there’s a good reason: One of the
chunky rocks or balls of ice could eventually slam into Earth
and change the planet irreversibly. Such an impact 66 million
years ago is widely believed to have killed off the dinosaurs.
 METEOROIDS
They’re all related to the flashes of light called “shooting stars” sometimes seen streaking
across the sky. But we call the same object by different names, depending on where it is.
Meteoroids are objects in space that range in size from dust grains to small asteroids. Think of them
as “space rocks."
When meteoroids enter Earth’s atmosphere (or that of another planet, like Mars) at high speed and
burn up, the fireballs or “shooting stars” are called meteors.
When a meteoroid survives a trip through the atmosphere and hits the ground, it’s called
a meteorite.
Scientists estimate that about 48.5 tons (44 tonnes or
44,000 kilograms) of meteoritic material falls on the Earth
each day. Almost all the material is vaporized in Earth's
atmosphere, leaving a bright trail fondly called "shooting
stars." Several meteors per hour can usually be seen on
any given night. Sometimes the number increases
dramatically—these events are termed meteor showers.
Meteor showers occur annually or at regular intervals as the Earth passes through the trail of
dusty debris left by a comet. Meteor showers are usually named after a star or constellation
that is close to where the meteors appear in the sky. Perhaps the most famous are the
Perseids, which peak in August every year. Every Perseid meteor is a tiny piece of the comet
Swift-Tuttle, which swings by the Sun every 135 years.
Taking photographs of a meteor shower can be an exercise in patience as meteors streak
across the sky quickly and unannounced, but with these tips – and some good fortune –
you might be rewarded with a great photo.
These tips are meant for a DSLR or mirrorless camera, but some point-and-shoot
cameras with manual controls could be used as well.
The seasons on Earth change because the planet is slightly tilted
on its axis as it travels around the Sun. This means different points
on Earth receive more or less sunlight at different times of year. If
Earth were not tilted, the Sun would always appear to be directly
above the Equator, the amount of light a given location receives
would be fixed, and there would be no seasons. There also would
be no need to mark equinoxes or solstices.
 COMETS
Comets are cosmic snowballs of frozen gases, rock, and dust that orbit the Sun. When frozen,
they are the size of a small town. When a comet's orbit brings it close to the Sun, it heats up
and spews dust and gases into a giant glowing head larger than most planets. The dust and
gases form a tail that stretches away from the Sun for millions of miles. There are likely
billions of comets orbiting our Sun in the Kuiper Belt and even more distant Oort Cloud.
The current number of known comets is: 3,880
Comets are defined as icy bodies of frozen gases, rocks and
dust left over from the formation of the solar system about 4.6
billion years ago.
Comets are like dirty snowballs, made mainly of ice and frozen
carbon dioxide with some dust and organic molecules, left
over from the formation of the Solar System. They're like "time
capsules," telling us what conditions were like in our Solar
System 4.5 billion years ago, when the Sun and planets were
first forming.
Comets were born in the icy outer regions of our Solar System. Occasionally, one will make
its way in towards the Sun. As it starts to get close to the Sun, the comet warms up, and the
ice, carbon dioxide and dust that are trapped inside start to evaporate, bursting out of the
comet in bright jets.
The solid part of the comet is called the nucleus. As the nucleus starts to evaporate, a coma,
or cloud of this dust and gas, surrounds the nucleus. As more gas and dust are lost, the
comet then forms a tail that is pushed away from the Sun by the pressure of sunlight. This
dust tail is easily spotted with infrared telescopes, and it traces the comet's curved orbital
path.
Comet Siding Spring is a great example of this: the dusty tail glows in the infrared, curving
along its orbital path. The comet and its dust tail appear red because they are more than
ten times colder than the bright blue stars in the background.

About once every ten years, a comet comes with a tail so

bright that we can even see it with the naked eye.
Astronomers hope that Comet ISON, due to swing past the
Sun in late 2013, will put on a spectacular show.