Comets are giant balls of rocks and ice that orbit a star. They are made up of 3 main parts: the nucleus, the coma, and the tail. The nucleus of a comet is made up of ice, gas, dust, and rocks. It is found right at the head of a comet. The nucleus of a …
Category Archives: Articles
What is a Hydrothermal System?
Hydrothermal, broken down means water (hydro) and heat (thermal). That is exactly what it is! Hydrothermal systems are the movement of water underground and above ground due to heat. Hydrothermal systems consist of a heat source, reservoir, recharge region, and connecting pathways that allow water to move underground. The water can be heated by magma, …
What is Air Pressure?
Right now, as you are reading this, there are tons of air pushing down on you. That is air pressure. As you might know, the Earth is covered with a blanket of gases. That is called the atmosphere. The air from the atmosphere takes up space, so it has mass (weight). The more atmosphere above …
How Telescopes Work!
Telescopes are devices that let people see things that are far away. People at sea also use telescopes. Telescopes are most commonly used to look at space. The inventor of the telescopes was Galileo Galilei. He invented the telescope with eyeglass parts. Telescopes work using light. Light is everywhere! The telescope has two mirrors. They …
The Global Conveyor Belt!
The Global Conveyor Belt is a series of ocean currents that move water around the world! Currents are rivers of moving water that are caused by differences in density. Density is how close molecules are packed together in an object. The density of water is impacted by salinity (how much salt there is) and temperature. …
How Moons Form!
A moon is a natural satellite that orbits around a larger object like a planet. A natural satellite is different from a human made satellite because natural satellites are produced naturally. Moons usually have a stable orbit. This means that the rate of which the moon circles around the planet is just the right speed. …
All About Europa!
Europa is one of Jupiter’s moons. It takes 85 hours to orbit Jupiter. Europa is mostly made of rocks and ice. The part that really got scientists interested is water! This water bursts out of the surface of the moon like jets of water. These eruptions release water. Scientists think that Europa may have liquid …
How We Hear Sounds!
Sound waves are what sound travels in! They are little vibrations of air that travel through a medium or a material that it is travelling through. Sound waves are why you can hear a jackhammer or my podcast! First, an object or person has to make a sound. A sound is made by an object vibrating back …
What is Light?
Light is a type of energy that is made up of tiny particles called photons. These photons can zip around the universe at very high speeds! The speed of light is the ultimate universe speed limit, up to 180,000 miles per second! The regular light you see is actually made up of different colors of …
How Do Moons Form?
A moon is a natural satellite that orbits around a larger object like a planet. A natural satellite is different from a human made satellite because natural satellites are produced naturally. Moons usually have a stable orbit. This means that the rate of which the moon circles around the planet is just the right speed. …
How Auroras Happen!
Auroras are lights that are only found at the North Pole and the South Pole. They light up the night skies with red, blue, and pink colors! These are known as “The Greatest Light Show on Earth!”. Auroras happen because of solar winds. The Sun releases highly charged particles called electrons in a process called coronal-mass …
All About Jupiter!
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun. Jupiter is about 483.8 million miles away from the Sun. It is a gas giant which means it is mostly made out of gases like hydrogen and methane. Jupiter is the biggest planet in the Solar System! The surface of Jupiter is 23.71 billion sq. miles. If …
Why Fruits Have Peels and Shells!
Fruits are pieces of plants that have sugar inside of them. They don’t always have to be sweet to be a fruit! Fruits have either of these two things: seeds or come from flowering plants. The entire purpose of fruits is to help the plant reproduce. The seeds help the plants make more plants. If …
Colors and Heat Absorption Science!
Why do darker colors absorb more heat than lighter colors? This is because of the visible light spectrum. Regular white light is made of different wavelengths: red, orange, green, yellow, indigo, and violet. A darker colored object absorbs a lot wavelengths of light and converts them into heat, so the object gets warm. An example …
The Visible Light Spectrum!
The Visible Light Spectrum is all of the colors in white light! White light from the Sun and the lights in your house has all of the colors of the Rainbow! The Visible Light Spectrum contains the colors red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. The Visible Light Spectrum is not a thing you …
What Is The Fire Triangle?
The Fire Triangle is a visual that represents what a fire needs to burn. Things like stoves, campfires, and ovens use the Fire Triangle to make food or keep warm. We are going to talk about each side of the Fire Triangle. If one of the items on the Fire Triangle is taken away, the …
Why Does Soap Make Our Skin Dry?
Soap makes our skin feel dry and itchy because it cleans the natural oils that are produced by our skin. How does soap clean the natural oils? There are tiny pin-shaped molecules in soap. Those pin-shaped molecules have two parts to them: the hydrophilic head and the hydrophobic tail. Hydrophilic means that it bonds or mixes …
Absolute Zero Science!
Absolute zero is the lowest temperature theoretically possible. Absolute zero is 0 on the Kelvin scale, equivalent to –273.15°C or –459.67°F. At this temperatures, scientists predict that very weird things will happen. Since heat is caused by the movement of atoms, the extremely cold temperatures mean that all the atoms are at a complete standstill. …
What Are Memories?
Memories are a collection of neurons (brain cells) that store information about something that happened in the past. Memories can be remembering how to tie your shoes to a person’s name! Memories are made when a group of neurons come together and store sensory information. Sensory information is sight, sounds, smells, tastes, and things that …
What Are Vestigial Features?
Vestigial features are traits and characteristics leftover from evolution that are not useful for survival. Vestigial features are usually not important for the survival of the present-day animal, but may have been important for the ancestors of the animal. These features are left over due to evolution and will still be found in present day organisms. Over …
The Science of Snow!
The white, powdery precipitation called snow is a winter’s delight! It falls from the sky as snowflakes. One condition is the temperature. It has to be below freezing or below 32°F or 0°C. This freezing temperature makes the water in the atmosphere freeze and turn into snowflakes! Even if the temperature is cold, it may …
What Causes Tsunamis?
Tsunami (pronounced tsoo-nah-mee) is a combination of the Japanese words tsu, meaning harbor, and nami, meaning wave. Tsunamis are powerful waves that are caused by underwater volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and even rare meteors. Tsunamis form when the underwater eruptions or earthquakes release a large amount of energy. Just like a rock makes ripples in a …
Why Do We Need Water?
Water is a substance that is found everywhere on Earth! It can be a solid, liquid, or gas. It is necessary for life on Earth. It’s chemical compound is H2O. That means two Hydrogen (H2) atoms and one Oxygen (O₂) atom. This bond is called a Water Molecule. Because of water pollution, the freshwater in the world …
How Plant Fossils Are Formed
Plant fossils are imprints of plants that lived millions of years ago. Specific conditions have to be met for the plants to turn into fossils. One is that they have to die near a lake bed, tar, or clay. These specific materials will help preserve the plant during the fossilization process. Once the plants die …