Utopia Planitia is the largest recognized impact basin on planet Mars. Recent researches conducted by the Shallow Radar (SHARAD) instrument have discovered aqueous deposit underneath. The thickness of this deposit ranges from 80 metres to 170 metres below the surface of the planet. The content is spread in an area much greater than that of the seven sister states…
A solar eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when the moon obscures the sun for some time. There are different kinds of solar eclipse – total, annular, hybrid and partial. During a total solar eclipse, the moon completely blocks out the sun. In an annular eclipse, the moon obscures only the centre of the sun….
Sun, the pivotal element of the solar system, is a middle-aged star that is around 4.6 billion years old. This near-perfect sphere is made up of 70 per cent hydrogen and 28 per cent helium. With the amount of hydrogen left on it, it can survive for another 5 billion years. In the last stages…
On 7th December, 1972, the crew members of Apollo 17 spacecraft took a photograph of the Earth. This photograph, known as The Blue Marble, gives a clear idea as to why we know Earth as the Blue Planet. The earth’s surface contains more than 70 per cent water distributed in the oceans. Water molecules in…
Gravitational waves are vibrations that occur when highly dense cosmological elements like dwarf stars, neutron stars or black holes come together and collide or merge. The vibrations produced are commonly known as ‘ripples’, for they travel in a manner similar to the ripples formed when a stone is pelted in a pond or lake. The…
Andromeda, the galaxy closest to the Milky Way, is about 2.5 million light years away. To travel in space, we need to achieve the speed of light, which is about 3,00,000 kilometres per second. Even at that great speed, it will take us about 2 million years (not 2.5 million years due to an effect called…
