Today, July 12th, 2024 marks the 2nd anniversary of the James Webb Space Telescope. 2 years ago today, James Webb released its first image of deep space. James Webb released the “Penguin and Egg” galaxies today as part of the 2nd anniversary special. James Webb Telescope was launched on December 25th, 2021. It was developed …
Continue reading “2nd Anniversary of the James Webb Space Telescope!”
Happy 4th of July and happy Independence Day for those living in the United States! This holiday is celebrated with lots of parades, barbecues, and fireworks! Aerial fireworks are the fireworks that you see launched into the sky! They are usually fired using rockets and mortars. These fireworks create a dazzling light show above us! …
The summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere is today, June 20th! What exactly is the summer solstice? The summer solstice is the longest day of the year. It marks the first day of astronomical summer. Even though it might be hot (especially with the recent heat waves) in your area, summer only officially starts today. …
You’ve probably noticed that some of the old pennies sitting in your piggy-bank are covered in dirt and this mysterious blue-green substance. That is copper oxide! Copper naturally turns green over time as it reacts with oxygen in the air. This chemical reaction is known as oxidation. The oxygen and some water in the atmosphere …
Last weekend, the aurora borealis, also known as the Northern Lights were visible over the US, Canada, and down south in places such as Georgia and Florida. 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 …
Continue reading “Northern Lights Visible in U.S. Last Weekend! May 2024”
Why are days longer in the summer? Right now, especially in the Northern Hemisphere, it may seem like the spring and summer days are dragging on with more daylight. Days are longer during the summer and shorter during the winter because of the Earth’s tilt. Earth is slightly tilted toward the Sun. As the Earth …
Senator Gaylord Nelson wanted to make a day where people could recognize and care for the environment! The first Earth Day began in 1970 and it grew even more! People plant trees and even have parades to honor the Earth, the blue orb we live on.Here are some things you can do to help the …
The “ring of fire” annular solar eclipse was earlier today! Check out yesterday’s post for more information. I watched the eclipse from where I live (with solar viewing glasses, of course). I couldn’t see the entire eclipse since I wasn’t in the path of it. It was truly a spectacular event! My question about solar …
A solar eclipse will be visible over parts of North and South America tomorrow, Saturday October 14th! This will be a partial solar eclipse in many areas of the U.S. Learn more by visiting NASA’s eclipse website: https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2023/ If you want to watch an eclipse, make sure to use appropriate eye protection (linked to NASA …
Graphite and diamonds are both made out of Carbon. Carbon is a very abundant element. But, why is diamond stronger than graphite if they are made out of the same material? It is all because of the arrangement of the atoms into molecules. Atoms are the microscopic building blocks of the universe. They make up …
Introducing… the all new Spectacular Science Fun Fact Generator! I have collected many science facts over the years and have put them on this fact generator website so you can experience the feelings of awe and wonder we get while looking at these mind-blowing facts! Visit facts.spectacularsci.com to check it out and generate awe-inspiring science …
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Check out this short video about Earth Day on the Spectacular Science YouTube Channel here! youtu.be/ti9OygNsEKI Gaylord Nelson. He wanted to make a day where people could recognize and care for the environment! The first Earth Day began in 1970 and it grew even more! People plant trees and even have parades to honor the …
You probably know the smell of freshly-mown grass. It is a very strong smell and, for some people, is relaxing. This smell comes from the cut grass and is made up of lots of chemicals that plants make. But, that soothing and very strong smell is actually a plant distress call!! Plants don’t have a …
A black hole is a place in space that is extremely dense and has a strong gravitational pull. This is because a lot of matter has been squeezed into a tiny space. This usually happens when a star is dying. When a star dies, sometimes it turns into a supernova. For a black hole to form, the dead star …
Happy New Year everyone! Welcome to 2023! Let’s see what science adventures we will go on this year on Spectacular Science!
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! The other condition is atmospheric lift. This is …
Tears are water that come from our eyes. But, there are actually different types of tears: basal, emotional, and reflex. Basal tears keep your eyes from drying out. They supply nutrients and water to the outer parts of the eye. When there is dust, hair, or other debris in your eyes, basal tears flush them …
Meteors are small bits of rock that enter Earth’s atmosphere and sometimes land on the ground. Meteors are also known as “shooting stars”. Meteor showers are caused by comets. 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 …
Continue reading “What Are Meteor Showers and How Do They Happen?”
Get ready, because tonight, a total lunar eclipse is visible over the United States! Check out our post about lunar eclipses to refresh yourself. While you’re watching the lunar eclipse, use our worksheet, Rate a Lunar Eclipse, to use the Danjon Scale to rate what color the Moon is an how bright it is! Spectacular …
Continue reading “Rate The Lunar Eclipse That Is Coming Up! November 8th, 2022”
Gravity is the force by which a planet or other body draws objects toward its center. The force of gravity keeps all of the planets in orbit around the Sun and also keeps us from floating into outer space. All objects have their own gravity. Anything that has mass also has gravity. Objects with more mass …
We breathe using our respiratory system and our lungs. Our lungs help humans breathe in Oxygen and breathe out Carbon dioxide. The lungs use tiny parts, called alveoli to help with this process. Alveoli, pronounced as alei-ve-oli, are tiny sacs inside of your lungs. They kind of look like grapes inside of your lungs! These …
Happy International Podcast Day! On September 30th, 2022, we recognize podcasts and podcasters of their work and spreading their stories with the world. I am so happy that my podcast has gotten so far and I really want to thank you, my listeners! My mission when starting this podcast was to spread the spectacular things …
Hurricanes are a group of storm clouds that create a very dangerous storm. If you see a hurricane from space, you will see a giant swirling cloud. Hurricanes can bring heavy rain, wind, and sometimes minor tornadoes. Hurricanes are formed when storm clouds form over warm water. As the storm clouds move, the warm water …
Fall is here in the Northern Hemisphere! In this post, you will learn about why leaves fall from trees during the fall! Trees are living things, just like us. They are called organisms. You’ve seen that some trees lose all of their leaves in the fall and go dormant or in a resting stage in …
Continue reading “First Day of Fall In The Northern Hemisphere!”
This is because the material inside of the wires is a conductor. Conductors are materials that electrons can travel through easily. Conductors are usually made out of metals. Conductors are used in the electrical wiring itself! Humans are also conductors of electricity (that is very dangerous) That is why humans should wear insulators to protect themselves from …
Atoms are the microscopic building blocks of the universe. They make up almost ANY material including solids, liquids, and gases! A human has more than 1 billion atoms! Atoms have specific parts. There is the nucleus, which is the center of the atom. Then, there are even smaller parts. They are protons, neutrons, and electrons! …
REM Sleep or Rapid Eye Movement Sleep is a very important stage for human health. REM Sleep is the stage when your brain is active, dreams occur, and your eyes move back and forth rapidly under your eyelids. During this stage, your brain is very active! The brain organizes information it learned the past day in a …
Chemical bonds are when two or more atoms bond or stick together to form molecules that make up all the things around us! If there were no bonds, everything would just be atoms that float around! There would be no visible things. There are two types of bonds: covalent and ionic bonds. Both of these …
Nitrogen is an element that very common on Earth. In fact, nitrogen makes up most of the air that we breathe in. This nitrogen actually cycles through different forms and stages over time. This cycle is kind of similar to the carbon cycle. The nitrogen cycle starts as nitrogen gas in the atmosphere. This gas …
Living things are also called organisms! Humans, plants, and even bacteria are great examples of living things. But, what determines that a thing is living? There are a few characteristics that make things living. One is that they are made out of cells. Living things are ALL made out of cells. Cells are tiny building …
Continue reading “What Are The Characteristics Of Living Things?”
Ocean currents are rivers of water that move around the world. There are deep ocean currents and surface currents. Deep ocean currents are caused by differences the water’s 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. …
Carbon is a very common element on Earth! It is found in living things and is also found in the ocean, the air, and in the ground. Carbon is able to change forms on Earth form animals to the air. Animals and plants have carbon in them. When animals breathe out, they release Carbon dioxide …
Electric stoves are now used in place of gas stoves because they can heat things more evenly. Electric stoves used electricity to heat up and cook food. When you turn the stove on, the electricity flows through metal coils that are either exposed or under the cooking surface (if you have a glass ceramic surface). …
Continue reading “Why Are Electric Stoves Better Than Gas Stoves?”
The main parts of a basic electric rice cooker are the outer pot, inner pot, the heating element, lid, and button controls. The outer pot contains the heating element. The inner pot, where the uncooked rice goes, fits inside of the outer pot. The heating element heats up metal coils in the outer pot to …
Continue reading “What Is The Difference Between Pressure and Electric Rice Cookers?”
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! The other condition is atmospheric lift. This is …
REM Sleep or Rapid Eye Movement Sleep is a very important stage for human health. REM Sleep is the stage when your brain is active, dreams occur, and your eyes move back and forth rapidly under your eyelids. During this stage, your brain is very active! The brain organizes information it learned the past day in a …
There are a few reasons why Earth is the only planet in the Solar System to support life. One is that Earth is located in the “Goldilocks Zone” from the Sun. The “Goldilocks Zone” is a specific distance from the Sun where it is not too hot or not too cold. It is just right! Earth is …
Airplanes are machines that can fly with engine or propeller power. They are able to use aerodynamics (how air and objects move) to fly. Airplanes make it so that we can travel around the world in just a few hours! Airplanes can coke in all shapes and sizes like the tiny airplanes that you see …
Continue reading “What Is The Difference Between Airplanes and Helicopters?”
They move thanks to convection currents. Convection currents all start with density. Density is how much “stuff” (atoms and molecules) that are packed into one thing. If something has a high density, all of the atoms and molecules are close together and will sink. If something has a low density, the atoms and molecules are …
Continue reading “What Causes The Continents On Earth To Move?”
When you talk about the North Pole, it can mean the North Magnetic Pole or the North Geographic Pole. In this post, we are going to focus on the North Geographic Pole. That is the point on Earth where all the lines of longitude meet to form a single point. The North Pole is located …
Planets are large objects that orbit or circle around a star, like the Sun! Planets can be made up of rocks and gases. Our Solar System is made out of 8 planets that are made up of either gas or rocks. Rocky planets are called terrestrial planets and gaseous planets are called gas giants. Planets …
You probably know the smell of freshly-mown grass. It is a very strong smell and, for some people, is relaxing. This smell comes from the cut grass and is made up of lots of chemicals that plants make. But, that soothing and very strong smell is actually a plant distress call!! Plants don’t have a …
Continue reading “Grass Alarm Smell! The Strong Smell of Mown Grass”
We live in the Milky Way galaxy!! Galaxies are large collections of stars, planets, asteroids, comets, and other space material like gases and dust held together by gravity. The Milky Way is the name of the galaxy that we live in. There are millions of more stars, planets, and other space debris in the Milky …
Reptiles are cold-blooded vertebrate (has a backbone) animals. Reptiles are ectothermic, meaning that they rely on the Sun’s energy to heat them up and match the temperature in the air around them. When it is cold outside, reptiles become more inactive in order to maintain a body temperature and are very active when it warms up! Most …
Continue reading “What Are The Differences Between Amphibians and Reptiles?”
Providence Canyon State Park in Georgia is home to Providence Canyon, also known as “The Little Grand Canyon”. This canyon formed because of clearcutting of trees and farming. The land’s history began millions of years ago when sediments were deposited under ancient seas and coastal beaches. These delicate ribbons of sand were protected by trees and …
Weathering is the breaking down of rock by many natural agents like water, wind, and gravity. Mechanical Weathering is when rocks are broken down without a chemical change. They are changing their physical properties. Mechanical weathering can split rocks in half and turn them into dust! Some examples of Mechanical Weathering are ice wedging (when water …
Copper naturally turns green over time as it reacts with Oxygen in the air. This chemical reaction is known as oxidation. The Oxygen and some water in the atmosphere react with the surface of the copper. That causes the copper and Oxygen atoms to bond to create copper oxide. That is the green or blue …
Recycling is the process of making used or old things into new things. Recycling usually happens with some plastics, glass, and paper. They melt/shred the materials and make new objects out of them. Recycling reuses the material and shapes it into new objects that can be used again! Recycling is very good for the Earth …
Green Energy means a way to make power without polluting the atmosphere. Most power plants today use coal and gasoline to generate electricity. When they burn coal and gasoline, it creates Carbon Dioxide (CO2) which is a Greenhouse Gas. This means that it traps the Sun’s energy in the atmosphere and makes the planet hotter. This causes …
It is all because of friction. Friction is a force that happens when two or more objects are rubbed together. This can break the object, generate heat, or make sounds. Friction is a force that blocks the movement. That is why remote control cars can’t drive well on carpet. When there is too much friction, …
Continue reading “What Causes Objects To Slow Down On Earth?”
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 …
Aerial fireworks are the fireworks that you see launched into the sky! They are usually fired using rockets and mortars. These fireworks create a dazzling light show above us! They all start with a paper tube. That tube is filled with small bits of metal, like iron or steel, colorants (made using gases/elements such as …
Continue reading “How Do Fireworks Explode And Create Dazzling Colors In The Sky?”
Air molecules around us push down on us all the time. The air from the atmosphere takes up space, so it has mass (weight). The more atmosphere above you, the more the air pressure. There is actually 14.7 pounds per square inch of your body pushing down on you right now!! That means that your …
Air molecules around us push down on us all the time. That is air pressure. In weather, there are two types of pressure systems: high and low pressure systems. In this post, we are focusing on high pressure systems. High pressure systems mean that a lot of air is pushing down on a certain area. …
Hair is a strand of string protein that grows out of hair follicles or tiny sacs in your skin. Hair is made up of keratin, the same material your fingernails are made out of. Hair grows through a process of cells dividing and getting pushed out of the follicle. This causes a strand of cells …
Cells are the makeup of every living thing! There are two types of cells: plant and animal cells. We are going to talk about Cells in general. Cells make energy by getting Carbon in the form of sugar. Depending on the organism, it make it’s own food or eat food to survive. Cells also make …
Sponges are used by humans every day, from washing the dishes to cleaning up a mess! Some sponges are natural, but others are artificially made. In this post, we will be focusing on the artificial or synthetic sponges. Sponges are able to absorb water because they retain or keep in water very well. This is …
Friction is a force that happens when two or more objects are rubbed together. This can break the object, generate heat, or make sounds. Friction is a force that blocks the movement. That is why remote control cars can’t drive well on carpet. When there is too much friction, the force builds up and gets …
Titan is the second-largest moon in the Solar System. Titan orbits around Saturn every 16 Earth days. Titan has entire oceans and seas of liquid Methane, a gas that is so cold that it turns into a liquid! Titan also has a lot of empty rivers that were carved out by a liquid millions of …
Meteors are small bits of rock that enter Earth’s atmosphere and sometimes land on the ground. Meteors are also known as “shooting stars”. Meteor showers are caused by comets. 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 …
Coral is often mistaken for a rock because of its hard surface! Many think it is a plant because it is rooted in the ground. Coral is a group of animals!! Different from rocks, coral is alive. Unlike plants, corals do not make their own food. A coral is actually made up of thousands of tiny …
The Visible light spectrum is the different colors in the white light that we see. The different colors are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. You can see these colors by bending light with a prism or with water. The sky is blue because the molecules (building blocks of the universe) in the …
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 …
Plants need sunlight because plants use the Sun to make food. Chlorophyll helps plants collect the sunlight. Chlorophyll is made up of even smaller parts called Chloroplasts. Chloroplasts have a green color to them. Leaves have Chloroplast because they help the plant or tree collect sunlight and turn it into sugar. That process is called …
Deforestation is when people cut down large areas of forests. These trees are cut down in a way called clearcutting. Clearcutting is when all of the trees in the area are completely gone. This can be done for new buildings, roads, logging, or farmland. Clearcutting and deforestation in general can be very bad for the …
Yes! There are different types of tears. Tears are water that come from our eyes. But, there are actually different types of tears: basal, emotional, and reflex. Basal tears keep your eyes from drying out. They supply nutrients and water to the outer parts of the eye. When there is dust, hair, or other debris …
Some of the coral in the ocean is actually losing its color! This is called coral bleaching and this happens when the oceans get too hot for the coral. Coral actually have algae living on them and those algae turn sunlight into food for the coral and also give the coral its color. But, when …
Plastic is a type of polymer. Polymers are certain materials that have atoms that are bonded together in a link pattern. Atoms are the tiny building blocks of all elements. When atoms bond together, like in polymers, they form molecules! Poly means many and mer or mers means units. Polymers means many units! A great example of a human-made polymer is …
A supermoon is an astronomical event when the Moon is in the closest point to Earth in its orbit. From Earth, the Moon looks bigger and brighter during a supermoon. The Moon will be 30% brighter and 14% bigger! The Moon’s orbit is not a perfect circle. It is actually a stretched-out oval or ellipse. …
Placebos are used in clinical trials. Placebos are fake medicines or vaccines that help researchers compare people who took the medicine with people who just got a fake medication. Placebos do nothing inside of a person’s body. Placebos for vaccines and tablets can be made out of salt, water, and sugar. These people, who took …
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. …
Hand sanitizer is a quick and easy way to disinfect your hands. It kills bacteria and viruses that might make you sick, right on your hands! But, hand sanitizer doesn’t get rid of all bacteria and viruses, so if there is a sink around, you should wash your hands instead of just going to hand …
Continue reading “Does Hand Sanitizer Get Rid Of All Germs?”
If you have not seen a hummingbird before, it is a tiny bird and it hovers in place like a helicopter! That is the hummingbird’s specialty! Hummingbirds can hover for two reasons. One is the bones that are in a hummingbird wing. Most birds have arm bones in their wings, but hummingbirds have hand bones …
Antarctica, a few million years ago, was a rainforest! Now, we see Antarctica as a giant deserts with just ice. How did this transformation happen? It all happened because of the continents moving. They move thanks to convection currents. Convection currents all start with density. Density is how much “stuff” (atoms and molecules) that are …
Continue reading “A Few Million Years Ago, Antarctica Was a Rainforest! How?”
A cheetah is a mammal that mostly lives in the African Savanna. It is covered in spots and has black markings under its eyes. Cheetahs are in the genus or family Acinonyx. They are unlike big cats like tigers or lions because they do not have retractable claws that they can pull in. Their claws are …
Continue reading “What Makes It Easy For Cheetahs To Run So Fast?”
Glass is a transparent material used in plates, cups, windows, and even art! Glass is made from natural raw materials such as sand and limestone. Those materials are melted down into molten material. That is done using a kiln which is super hot!! The molten glass is now cooling fast, so they reheat the glass …
A rocket is basically a vehicle that uses Newton’s Third Law to send things into space. Rockets are filled with fuel and when that fuel is lighted on fire, it produces lots of smoke and hot gas. That is actually what sends a rocket into space. According to Newton’s Third Law, “For every action, there …
Spectacular Science is now on YouTube! You can get experiment videos, episodes, and much more by subscribing to the Spectacular Science YouTube channel! Click here to Subscribe! By subscribing, you really encourage me to keep making more episodes! Thank you so much!
Glue is any liquids that can be applied to a surface and harden over time. Glue can be used for crafts, construction, or even surgery! Different types of glue are used for different purposes. Organic glue is made out of organic compounds, but we are going to focus on synthetic glue. Synthetic glue, which is …
Planets are large objects that orbit or circle around a star, like the Sun! Planets can be made up of rocks and gases. Our Solar System is made out of 8 planets that are made up of either gas or rocks. Rocky planets are called terrestrial planets and gaseous planets are called gas giants. Planets …
Rainbows are optical illusions that happen when light bends in water droplets and splits into different colors. Those colors are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. White light is made out of all these colors. When it rains, lots of water droplets are in the sky. The Sun shines through these water droplets. …
A circuit is a path that current electricity or electrons can flow through. Current electricity is a type of human-made electricity. A simple circuit is made out of four parts: the power source, wires, the load, and a switch. A simple circuit works by electrons, which are negatively charged, exit from the negative terminal of …
A circuit is a path that current electricity or electrons can flow through. Current electricity is a type of human-made electricity. A simple circuit is made out of four parts: the power source, wires, the load, and a switch! A simple circuit works by electrons, which are negatively charged, exit from the negative terminal of …
Electric cars work differently from regular gasoline-powered cars. Regular cars work using an Internal Combustion Engine that creates a small, controlled explosion inside of the engine. That moves a piston which is connected to a wheel. That wheel then moves while the piston is moving! That gasoline that you put into your car powers the …
Trees are large plants that have a long life cycle. That’s why they are so big. The parts of trees are roots, the trunk, branches, and leaves. The leaves take in Carbon dioxide and sunlight. The roots suck up water and nutrients. That is then turned into sugar and oxygen that the tree can feed …
Echolocation is when animals locate objects using sound. Bats, dolphins, and other animals use echolocation. First, the animal makes a sound, which is usually high pitched. This helps the sound travel farther and also give it more energy. Then, the sound reflects or bounces off of a surface or another animal. Then, the sound reflects back to …
Water, or H20, is a liquid that is found all over the Earth! Water can be in different states of matter: solids, liquids, and gases. Water vapor, or steam, is in the gas state of matter. When water is a liquid, the molecules in the water are flowing freely, but still have a definite size. …
Plastic is a type of polymer. Polymers are certain materials that have atoms that are bonded together in a link pattern. Atoms are the tiny building blocks of all elements. When atoms bond together, like in polymers, they form molecules! Poly means many and mer or mers means units. Polymers means many units! A great example of a human-made polymer is …
Sahara Dust is debris such as sand, smoke, soot, and dirt that comes from the Sahara Desert in Africa. The Sahara Desert takes up 3.552 million square miles!! The Saharan Air Layer (SAL) is an intensely dry, warm, and heavy dust layer that originates from this giant Sahara Desert! It travels over the ocean to reach North America, …
Flowers are an assortment of petals and pollen that a plant produces to reproduce. The pollen of a flower contains the genetic information to make seeds and new plants. Besides being pretty, flowers actually make fruits possible! A fruit is what is left after a flower dies and sugar is put into the dead flower bulb. Thank …
Continue reading “Why Do Flowers Wilt After They Have Been Taken Off The Plant?”
Inside of a leaf, there are passageways that water and nutrients can travel through, but the most important and dominant part of the leaves are the chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is made up of even smaller parts called chloroplasts. Chloroplasts have a green color to them. Leaves have chloroplast because they help the plant or tree collect …
You probably know the smell of freshly-mown grass. It is a very strong smell and, for some people, is relaxing. This smell comes from the cut grass and is made up of lots of chemicals that plants make. But, that soothing and very strong smell is actually a plant distress call!! Plants don’t have a …
Yesterday was a total lunar eclipse over the United States! I was very excited for this eclipse to happen! Just a refresher, a lunar eclipse is when Earth’s shadow is cast on the Moon. This causes the Moon to appear red because of the light being scattered on Earth. This is called the “Blood Moon”. Before the …
Get ready, because tonight, a total lunar eclipse is visible over the United States! Check out our post yesterday about lunar eclipses to refresh yourself. While you’re watching the lunar eclipse, use our worksheet, Rate a Lunar Eclipse, to use the Danjon Scale to rate what color the Moon is an how bright it is! …
Continue reading “Rate The Lunar Eclipse That Is Coming Up!”
This happens during Lunar Eclipses. A Lunar Eclipse is when the Moon moves into the Earth’s shadow. The Sun is shining on the Earth and the Moon is behind the Earth. The Moon can appear to change color sometimes when it is a total Lunar Eclipse. The Moon only appears to change color on Earth. …
If you have watched a 3D movie, you will have to wear special 3D viewing glasses. But, how do they work? In order for movies to appear in 3D, you must wear polarized, or 3D, glasses. Polarized means that the glasses filter the light based on how they are traveling. Light typically moves in a …
Seasons are different climate patterns that happen throughout different times in a year! Places on Earth experience seasons at different times. Some seasons are noticeable and others are not. We have seasons because the Earth is slightly tilted on its axis. An axis is an imaginary rod going from the top to the bottom where …
Pens work differently from pencils. Read more about pencils here! In this post, we are going to focus on the most common type of pen: the ballpoint pen. All pens use ink, but the cool thing here is how it draws the ink to the tip. In ballpoint pens, there is a small cartridge with pen …
Dogs are very playful animals! But, when they play a lot and get hot, you may notice that they start panting. Panting is when dogs inhale and exhale fast! Dogs also stick their tongues out while doing this! This is because dogs do not have an effective system of sweat glands like people do. They …
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!! Sound waves work like this: First, an object or person has to make a sound. A sound is made …
Let’s start with light. Light can be broken up into a few colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet! When we see white light coming from the Sun or a lightbulb, that white light is all of the rainbow colors together. When the white light hits an object it reflections, or bounces of …
Continue reading “How Do We See Things And Know What Color They Are?”
The Visible Light Spectrum is the different colors in the white light that we see. The different colors are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. You can see these colors by bending light with a prism or with water. The sky is blue because the molecules (building blocks of the universe) in the …
Our Moon is a natural satellite. This is a natural object that orbits or circles around a planet or star. The Moon is believed to have been an irregular piece of our planet that got knocked off by a comet. The Moon has different phases that we see here from Earth! There are different phases …
Coral is often mistaken for a rock because of its hard surface! Many think it is a plant because it is rooted in the ground. Coral is a group of animals!! Different from rocks, coral is alive. Unlike plants, corals do not make their own food. A coral is actually made up of thousands of tiny …
Hair is a strand of string protein that grows out of hair follicles or tiny sacs in your skin. Hair is made up of keratin, the same material your fingernails are made out of. Hair grows through a process of cells dividing and getting pushed out of the follicle. This causes a strand of cells …
Yesterday, I wrote about why Earth is the only planet (at least for now) in our Solar System that hosts life. One of the reasons was water! In this post, I am going to tell you why water is important for survival! Water is a substance that is found everywhere on Earth! It can be a …
There are a few reasons why Earth is the only planet in the Solar System to support life. One is that Earth is located in the “Goldilocks Zone” from the Sun. The “Goldilocks Zone” is a specific distance from the Sun where it is not too hot or not too cold. It is just right! …
Continue reading “Why Is Earth The Only Planet In Our Solar System That Supports Life?”
Asteroids are large pieces of rock floating in space. Most of the asteroids found in our Solar System are in the Asteroid Belt. The 3 main types of asteroids are C, S, and M type asteroids. The asteroids are put into these categories based on their composition or what they are made out of. Let’s start off …
A white dwarf is what stars become after they have used up their fuel. Near the end of its burning stage, this type of star releases most of its outer material, creating a planetary nebula. A nebula is leftover material from an old star. This is the place where new stars form! Only the hot …
Go to projects.spectacularsci.com/calculate-your-weight-on-planets to try out my new weight calculator on planets! This will tell you how much you will weigh if you are on another planet in the Solar System! If you try out the calculator, you might notice that your Earth weight differs from planet to planet! But, why does that happen? It …
Continue reading “Why Will Your Weight Change If You Are On Another Planet?”
Rubber is a natural product, produced by plants, and is used in many of the things we use every day! Rubber is a type of polymer. Polymers are certain materials that have atoms that are bonded together in a link pattern. Atoms are the tiny building blocks of all elements. When atoms bond together, like …
Planets are large objects that orbit or circle around a star, like the Sun! Planets can be made up of rocks and gases. Our Solar System is made out of 8 planets that are made up of either gas or rocks. Rocky planets are called terrestrial planets and gaseous planets are called gas giants. Planets …
A virus is infectious object that depends on living organisms’ cells to multiply. They are bad for living organisms and take over cells. Viruses infect a body and travel to a cell and inject it’s DNA code into the cell which will make the virus multiply and will destroy the cell. This is how viruses make us …
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Every April 22nd, we celebrate a day we call Earth Day. Earth Day is a day that we do good things for the environment. This holiday was created by Senator Gaylord Nelson. He wanted to make a day where people could recognize and care for the environment! The first Earth Day began in 1970 and …
A black hole is a place in space that is extremely dense and has a strong gravitational pull. This is because a lot of matter has been squeezed into a tiny space. This usually happens when a star is dying. Black holes can suck in entire stars and planets! Black holes can be from the size of a single atom to …
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The Kuiper Belt is a donut-shaped region of icy bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. Pluto is one of these objects found in the Kuiper Belt! There may be millions of these icy objects called Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs) or trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs). The Kuiper Belt is similar to the Asteroid Belt because it is pieces …
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a divergent tectonic plate boundary that is on the ocean floor. A divergent boundary is when two tectonic plates move apart from each other. In this case, the plates are the South American Plate and the African Plate. As those plates pull apart, magma from below the Earth’s crust rises up and cools …
Continue reading “What Caused The Formation of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge?”
Pens work differently from pencils. Read more about pencils here! In this post, we are going to focus on the most common type of pen: the ballpoint pen. All pens use ink, but the cool thing here is how it draws the ink to the tip. In ballpoint pens, there is a small cartridge with …
Pollen is a sticky substance that is found inside of most flowering plants. Pollen is in the middle of the flower of the plant. Pollen is attached to long structures called stamens and smaller structures called pistils. This pollen helps make new plants grow through a process called pollination. That is when pollen is transferred …
Continue reading “Why Does Pollen Give Some People Allergies?”
Density is the amount of “stuff” (molecules and atoms) that are packed into one space. Objects’ density can be found by dividing the mass (weight) of an object by the volume (space it takes up) of an object. Density is measured in grams per milliliter (g/mL). If something has to float on water, than the density …
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 …
Bees are important in a lot of ways, but the most important is pollination. Pollen is a sticky substance that is found inside of most flowering plants. Pollen is in the middle of the flower of the plant. Pollen is attached to long structures called stamens and smaller structures called pistils. This pollen helps make …
Chemical reactions are when two or more materials combine to make a new material! The two materials usually react with each other, producing that new material. This happens when molecular and atomic bonds are broken apart or connected. A great example is when you mix baking soda and vinegar to make Carbon dioxide gas! There …
Graphite and diamonds are both made out of Carbon. Carbon is a very abundant element. But, why is diamond stronger than graphite if they are made out of the same material? It is all because of the arrangement of the atoms into molecules. Atoms are the microscopic building blocks of the universe. They make up …
Pencil tips are made out of graphite. Graphite molecules are flat groups of carbon atoms that are stacked in layers. If you were to zoom in on the graphite, the graphite would be organized in flat sheets. Those flat sheets make the graphite weaker and makes the graphite break into tiny bits. When you write on a piece of …
Dwarf planets are similar to the planets we know, but they are still different. Dwarf planets have enough mass to clump themselves in to an almost-round shape, just like planets. Dwarf planets also orbit around the Sun, just like other planets. But, their orbital path is not cleared of asteroids and space dust, so they …
Run-off is when precipitation (snow, rain sleet, or hail) hits the ground and drains into rivers, lakes, and oceans. This run-off is what causes accumulations or build-ups of water. Run-off is also a cause of erosion, which can break down and carry rocks to different places. Millions of years ago, planet Earth did not really have rivers …
Density is the amount of “stuff” (molecules and atoms) that are packed into one space. Objects’ density can be found by dividing the mass (weight) of an object by the volume (space it takes up) of an object. Density is measured in grams per milliliter (g/mL). If something has to float on water, than the density …
Vascular plants are plants that have a series of tubes running through their stem/trunk to their leaves. These tubes or veins are what a plant uses to transport nutrients through it. A plant with roots is also considered a vascular plant because it roots are tubes that carry water and nutrients. HINT: Vascular Plants usually …
A stethoscope is a instrument used by doctors and other medical specialists. It is used to measure people’s heartbeat and their breathing. It is placed on the area where the heart is or on the back. A modern stethoscope is made up of a Y-shaped flexible plastic tube. An earpiece is attached to each end of the Y and a sound-detecting device at the other end. The sound-detecting device …
Neutron stars are formed when a massive star runs out of fuel and collapses in on itself. The core of the star collapses, crushing together ever proton and electron into neutrons. These newly-created neutrons can stop the collapse leaving behind a neutron star! This collapse leaves behind the most dense object known – an object …
Atoms are the microscopic building blocks of the universe. They make up almost ANY material including solids, liquids, and gases! A human has more than 1 billion atoms! Atoms have specific parts. There is the nucleus, which is the center of the atom. Then, there are even smaller parts. They are protons, neutrons, and electrons! …
Taste is one of our 5 senses. It is how we think food tastes in our mouth. There are a few types of tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and savory (umami). We taste these using taste buds that contain different cells that taste each of these tastes that I mentioned earlier. Taste buds have these …
Clouds are large collections of water droplets that can be frozen, but only sometimes. They form due to condensation, when water evaporates into a gas and cools down above the Earth. Then, the water drops attach to pieces of dust or dirt that are above the Earth. As more droplets attach to one piece of …
A constellation is a group of stars that have been associated with a shape. This helps humans recognize stars and groups of stars easier. Stars are giant burning balls of gas that can be over 800,000°F. Stars are the centers of Solar Systems and can be very bright! Stars provide the planets with light, heat, …
Weathering is when rocks get broken down into pieces. Weathering can happen in many different ways, from salt to clay to ice! We are going to focus on the 5 main ways: water, ice, salt crystallization, clay formation, and plant roots. To learn more about weathering, check out our episode about weathering! Weathering with water happens …
A supernova is a powerful explosion of a star when it dies. Stars are giant balls of gas in space. The stars are very hot! They can be up to 800,000 degrees Fahrenheit! Our own Sun is also a star. It supplies us with light and heat. Stars take millions of years to form. The …
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 …
Owls are nocturnal birds that live on every continent, except Antarctica. They are flying birds that eat small rodents and other small birds. Owls are carnivores, meaning that they ONLY eat meat. Owls are almost like superheroes! They have many amazing powers. They have very big eyes that help them see in the dark. This is because …
Planets are large objects that orbit or circle around a star, like the Sun! Planets can be made up of rocks and gases. Our Solar System is made out of 8 planets that are made up of either gas or rocks. Rocky planets are called terrestrial planets and gaseous planets are called gas giants. Planets …
Continue reading “How Did The Planets In The Solar System Form?”
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is a terrestrial planet which means it is made out of rocks and metals. It is named after the Roman God of War. The days and seasons on Mars are similar to the days and seasons on Earth. A year on Mars is 687 Earth days …
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun. It is a gas giant which means it is mostly made out of thick gases. Some of those gases are Hydrogen and Methane. It has about 62 moons and more waiting for confirmation. Saturn is the second most largest planet in the Solar System. It is the …
The nervous system is the collection of all the nerves in your body and its function is to receive and send information on what’s going with the body. The nervous system includes your brain and spinal cord. Your brain and spinal cord are the centers where the information is being sent and received. Without the …
Heat transfer is the spread of heat between objects. There are three types: conduction, radiation, and convection. Conduction is heat that is transferred through direct contact. Conductors are materials that allow heat to pass through them. An example of conduction is touching a hot pot on a stove (NEVER do that!). Then, there is radiation. …
A brain freeze is an informal term for Sphenopalatine Ganglion Neuralgia. It is when the blood vessels in your brain expand to cause a headache! This is all caused SPG nerves. These nerves are at the back of your mouth and are very sensitive to cold foods like ice cream. SPG nerves or the sphenopalatine …
They move thanks to convection currents. Convection currents all start with density. Density is how much “stuff” (atoms and molecules) that are packed into one thing. If something has a high density, all of the atoms and molecules are close together and will sink. If something has a low density, the atoms and molecules are …
Cumulonimbus clouds are storm clouds. Clouds are large collections of water droplets that can be frozen, but only sometimes. They form due to condensation, when water evaporates into a gas and cools down above the Earth. Then, the water drops attach to pieces of dust or dirt that are above the Earth. As more droplets …
Cumulus clouds are fluffy, white clouds that float high in the sky. They usually mean that the day is going to be sunny and there will be good weather. These clouds are the types of clouds you see in happy movies or T.V. shows! Cumulus clouds are condensed water that is still not ready to …
Air molecules around us push down on us all the time. The air from the atmosphere takes up space, so it has mass (weight). The more atmosphere above you, the more the air pressure. There is actually 14.7 pounds per square inch of your body pushing down on you right now!! That means that your …
Tornadoes are a rotating column of air that spins very fast. They are made up of a giant cloud that stretches from above to the ground. Tornadoes can have violent winds and lots of rain. Tornadoes can do lots of damage, so it is important to take shelter during a tornado. Tornadoes are usually formed …
Flowers are an assortment of petals and pollen that a plant produces to reproduce. The pollen of a flower contains the genetic information to make seeds and new plants. Besides being pretty, flowers actually make fruits possible! A fruit is what is left after a flower dies and sugar is put into the dead flower bulb. Thank …
Continue reading “What Are Flowers and What Is Their Purpose?”
There is so much pollen in the air because lots of flowers bloom in the Spring. Pollen is a sticky substance that is found inside of most flowering plants. Pollen is in the middle of the flower of the plant. Pollen is attached to long structures called stamens and smaller structures called pistils. This pollen …
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Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun. It comes after the Asteroid Belt. 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! Get ready for some big numbers! If you were to wrap a belt around …
Air molecules around us push down on us all the time. That is air pressure. In weather, there are two types of pressure systems: high and low pressure systems. In this post, we are focusing on high pressure systems. High pressure systems mean that a lot of air is pushing down on a certain area. …
Sand is just rock that has been eroded. Erosion is when wind, water, or other natural agent wears away at rock and takes it to a new place. This take millions of years to happen. As the wind or water etches away at the rock, the pieces of soil or rock that come off get …
During the Fall, leaves from trees fall to the ground and the trees become dormant. Over time, those leaves on the ground start to shrink and turn brown. Then, they dry up. Why? It is all because the leaf is not receiving or making water or nutrients. When a leaf is attached to a tree …
Continue reading “Why Do Leaves That Fall On The Ground Dry Up?”
Plants know when to grow because of the change in temperature. As spring approaches, there will be an increase in temperature because the Earth is tilted towards the Sun. The temperature change is very noticeable for animals and plants too! When the seed or dormant plant senses that the temperature is increasing, it starts sprouting …
Biofuel is a form of renewable fuel that is made from recently lifeless or now living biological material (living things). Humans can convert plants and animal waste into energy that we can use. Biofuel is considered a renewable resource because we can always grow more plants and trees! Crops, like corn and sugar cane, can …
Photosynthesis is the process of taking sunlight and Carbon dioxide and making it into Oxygen gas and sugar! The word “photo” means light. Photosynthesis is used by green plants, algae, and bacteria. That helps the bacteria, plants, or algae make food for themselves. Photosynthesis also made our Oxygen atmosphere! These organisms use a part of their …
A virus is infectious object that depends on living organisms’ cells to multiply. They are bad for living organisms and take over cells. Viruses infect a body and travel to a cell and inject it’s DNA code into the cell which will make the virus multiply and will destroy the cell. This is how viruses make us …
A solid has the atoms packed tightly together, without any gaps. Solids have a definite size and shape. The solid state of matter is very common in the universe. The atoms make the solid positively charged (more protons) or negatively charged (more electrons). Electrons and protons are even smaller parts of atoms. When solids heat …
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Sea-level rise is when the ice caps of the Earth make the ocean waters rise. The ice caps of the Earth are the North and South poles. Because of Climate Change, when the Earth gets hotter, the ice melts and flows into the ocean. When ice melts, it becomes water. When that extra water makes …
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 …
Nitrogen (N) is a gas that makes up 64% of the air that we breathe! Liquid Nitrogen is the Nitrogen gas that has been supercooled. That means that the gas got cold and turned into a liquid. When that happens, we get a boiling liquid that is – 196 °C (- 320 °F)! That is …
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When we cut onions, they make us produce tears. The onion has developed this defense to defend it from predators that might try to eat it! Each tiny cell of an onion has a sealed blob within it containing a chemical the onion makes. This chemical is called an enzyme. Enzymes are very useful, natural …
Dry ice is not just regular ice, it is special! Dry ice is the solid or frozen form of Carbon Dioxide. This means that the gas called Carbon Dioxide was frozen in sub-zero temperatures. It is almost 5 times colder than water ice! Dry ice can result in serious frostbite, so wear hand protection while handling …
Markers can be permanent, easily rubbed off, and even have lots of scents! Markers bring color to our world. But, all of the action is actually happening inside of the marker. Inside that plastic tube is an absorbent material. This holds the ink that gives each marker its color. The ink itself is made of a …
Tears are water that come from our eyes. But, there are actually different types of tears: basal, emotional, and reflex. Basal tears keep your eyes from drying out. They supply nutrients and water to the outer parts of the eye. When there is dust, hair, or other debris in your eyes, basal tears flush them …
Hair is a strand of string protein that grows out of hair follicles or tiny sacs in your skin. Hair is made up of keratin, the same material your fingernails are made out of. Hair grows through a process of cells dividing and getting pushed out of the follicle. This causes a strand of cells …
Popcorn is a delicious snack that is portable and customizable! But, how does popcorn actually pop? It is all because of pressure. Inside of a kernel of popcorn, there is a small amount of water. This is why popcorn needs to maintain a certain level of moisture. As the water in the kernel heats up, …
Just like an onion, there are many layers to a tree’s bark. The 5 main layers are the outer bark, inner bark (phloem), cambium cell layer, sapwood, and heartwood. The outer bark is the tree’s first line of defense from rain, extreme temperatures, and insects. It is always renewed by the inner bark, which is …
Glue is any liquids that can be applied to a surface and harden over time. Glue can be used for crafts, construction, or even surgery! Different types of glue are used for different purposes. Organic glue is made out of organic compounds, but we are going to focus on synthetic glue. Synthetic glue, which is …
They move thanks to convection currents. Convection currents all start with density. Density is how much “stuff” (atoms and molecules) that are packed into one thing. If something has a high density, all of the atoms and molecules are close together and will sink. If something has a low density, the atoms and molecules are …
Tides are when ocean water moves up and down the coast. There is high tide and low tide. High tide is when the water moves up the coast or advances. Low tide is when the water moves down the coast or recedes. Tides are caused by the Sun and the Moon, but mostly the Moon. …
Asteroids are small and rocky objects that orbit around the Sun. They are smaller than planets, but are pretty big. There are lots of asteroids in our solar system. Most of them live in the main asteroid belt, a region between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Asteroids are left over from the formation of the …
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a divergent tectonic plate boundary that is on the ocean floor. A divergent boundary is when two tectonic plates move apart from each other. In this case, the plates are the South American Plate and the African Plate. As those plates pull apart, magma from below the Earth’s crust rises up …
Hydroelectricity or hydropower is a way of harnessing water in order to make electricity! This is a renewable source of power. Renewable resources are resources that can be replaced and do not run out. Renewable means that we can constantly renew or make/get more of these resources. They can be replaced in a human lifetime …
Pencil tips are made out of graphite. Graphite molecules are flat groups of carbon atoms that are stacked in layers. If you were to zoom in on the graphite, the graphite would be organized in flat sheets. Those flat sheets make the graphite weaker and makes the graphite break into tiny bits. When you write …
Warm-blooded animals always have a fixed body temperature and is always different from the outside temperature. Most warm-blooded animals are vertebrates. Vertebrates are animals with a backbone. The backbone is also known as the vertebrate! The backbone is a row of connected bones that run down the back. Vertebrates animals make up only 5% of …
Cold-blooded animals are animals that rely on the outdoor temperature to determine their own body temperature. Most cold-blooded animals are invertebrates. Invertebrates are animals without a backbone. That means that they are the opposite of vertebrate animals. Invertebrates make up 95% if the Earth’s animals! Some invertebrates have a hard covering on the outside of …
Waves are created by energy passing through water, causing it to move in a circular motion. However, water does not actually travel in waves. Waves transmit energy, not water, across the ocean and if not obstructed by anything. Ocean waves are most commonly caused by wind. Wind-driven waves, or surface waves, are created by the friction …
Rubber is a natural product, produced by plants, and is used in many of the things we use every day! Rubber is a type of polymer. Polymers are certain materials that have atoms that are bonded together in a link pattern. Atoms are the tiny building blocks of all elements. When atoms bond together, like …
Instead of standing out in a crowd, some animals like to blend in with their surroundings. That is called camouflage! Camouflage is used by animals to hide from predators and to catch prey. There are different types of camouflage. The first is concealing color. This means that the animal is the same color as the …
A black hole is a place in space that is extremely dense and has a strong gravitational pull. This is because a lot of matter has been squeezed into a tiny space. This usually happens when a star is dying. Black holes can suck in entire stars and planets! Black holes can be from the …
Yeast is a eukaryote, a living thing, like us, and is a type of fungi. The cool thing about yeast is that it is a unicellular organism, or single-celled, but it has characteristics and can be compared to multicellular organisms like us humans. Yeast is definitely a living thing since it has the properties of …
Deforestation is when people cut down large areas of forests. These trees are cut down in a way called clearcutting. Clearcutting is when all of the trees in the area are completely gone. This can be done for new buildings, roads, logging, or farmland. Clearcutting and deforestation in general can be very bad for the …
Smog is a type of air pollution that usually blankets cities. The word smog comes from the mixture of smoke and fog. Smog usually happens when pollutants like Carbon dioxide and Nitrous oxide go into the atmosphere. These gases are not visible, but can still impact humans and plants. What makes smog visible is due …
Thunderstorms are storms with cumulonimbus or storm clouds. The clouds have water inside of them and the water pours down on the ground below. Thunderstorms can also have heavy winds. Lightning and thunder are the main things in thunderstorms. First, we have to start off with a storm cloud. Tiny pieces of ice, which are …
It is all because of friction. Friction is a force that happens when two or more objects are rubbed together. This can break the object, generate heat, or make sounds. Friction is a force that blocks the movement. That is why remote control cars can’t drive well on carpet. When there is too much friction, …
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. …
Land pollution is when humans spill or throw things that are not natural on the land. This can cause harm. Many people litter on land which can be toxic to plants and animals. Humans also dump toxic chemicals onto land. That means that other animals, plants, and even humans can get affected by it. Land …
Water pollution is when humans dump trash and harmful or toxic chemicals into waterways like oceans, streams, rivers, and ponds. This trash and chemicals can cause problems for marine life. This trash can also come back to humans! When humans drink water, the water may be polluted! This is also a very big problem in …
Air pollution is when humans put toxic chemicals or smoke into the air. This can make our air dirty. This can lead to breathing problems for humans and other animals. Plants can also be harmed because the air that they bring in is not clean. This is a very big problem in big cities and …
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! The other condition is atmospheric lift. This is …
Reptiles are cold-blooded vertebrate (has a backbone) animals. Reptiles are ectothermic, meaning that they rely on the Sun’s energy to heat them up and match the temperature in the air around them. When it is cold outside, reptiles become more inactive in order to maintain a body temperature and are very active when it warms …
Amphibians are a group of animals that live part of their lives in water and part on land! They are cold-blooded, small invertebrates that need water or a moist environment to survive. Amphibians include frogs, toads, newts, salamanders, and caecilians. They depend on the sun for warmth because they are ectothermic. Ectothermic means that they …
Mirrors are sheets of aluminum or silver that are coated in glass. Mirrors work using reflection. Reflection is a property of light. This is when light bounces off a surface. Did you know that every time you see something, light is reflecting off the thing you are looking at! Light can bounce off smooth surfaces …
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 …
Continue reading “What Is The Difference Between Air and Water Pressure?”
The four forces of flight are lift, drag, thrust, and weight. They all work together to help an airplane fly. Lift is when the air temperature and pressure differs on different sides of the wing. That causes the plane to lift into the air and fly! The force pulling the plane backwards is called drag. …
Evapotranspiration is the process of evaporation and transpiration combined. Evaporation is when water evaporates from the ground. This is when the sunlight heats the water and turns it into a gas called water vapor. As the sunlight heats up the water, the molecules get farther apart and start to turn into a gas or water …
Atoms are the microscopic building blocks of the universe. They make up almost ANY material including solids, liquids, and gases! A human has more than 1 billion atoms! Atoms have specific parts. There is the nucleus, which is the center of the atom. Then, there are even smaller parts. They are protons, neutrons, and electrons! …
Adhesion is a property that water has. Adhesion means that water molecules like to “stick” to other water molecules and other things. That is actually why water forms in round drops! Adhesion also makes water more vulnerable to pollution because water sticks to many materials. Adhesion also helps plant suck up water from the ground. …
The human sense of smell is really complex! It’s not just your nose: it is actually a combination of your brain and your nose cells working together. It all starts with air. The air has a lot of smell molecules floating in it. When the air enters your nose, the different molecules activate special smell …
Glass is a transparent material used in plates, cups, windows, and even art! Glass is made from natural raw materials such as sand and limestone. Those materials are melted down into molten material. That is done using a kiln which is super hot!! The molten glass is now cooling fast, so they reheat the glass …
Natural plastics are any natural material that has the polymer structure. That is a structure that has a chain of molecules. Natural plastics were used before human-made plastics were invented. Natural plastics are formed with the polymer structure. Examples of these natural plastics are rubber, skin, bones, and even DNA. Rubber from rubber trees were …
An orbit is a circular path around a bigger object. When a planet, like Earth orbits the Sun, it is going in circles. An orbit is caused by the gravitational pull of an object. A big object, like the Sun or other stars, have a stronger gravitational pull. Since there are smaller objects (planets) around …
Seasons are different climate patterns that happen throughout different times in a year! Places on Earth experience seasons at different times. Some seasons are noticeable and others are not. We have seasons because the Earth is slightly tilted on it’s axis. An axis is an imaginary rod going from the top to the bottom where …
The Sun rises and sets because of Earth’s rotation. The Earth and the planets orbit the Sun, but they also spin on their own axis,. The axis is the point from which the planet rotates on. Earth’s axis is tilted, which is what makes seasons! When the Earth spins, different sides of the planet experience …
Happy New Year! Welcome to 2022! Recycling is the process of making used or old things into new things. Recycling usually happens with some plastics, glass, and paper. They melt/shred the materials and make new objects out of them. Recycling reuses the material and shapes it into new objects that can be used again! Recycling …
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The first snow of the season is really exciting! The snow piles up on the ground, making so many possibilities for fun, from building snowmen to having a snowball fight!! But, if you look closely at the snow under your feet, you will see that it is made up of even smaller parts called snowflakes. …
In this blog post, you will be getting a sneak peek of what the Spectacular Science Membership members get every day! It is the Fact of the Day!! Start your day with a mind-blowing science fact that will make you say “WOW”! You can sign up for the free membership to get the Fact of …
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Located on the border of Tibet and Nepal, Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world. It reaches a height of 8,848 meters above sea level, which is equal to the height of 5.5 miles! Mount Everest was formed because of converging tectonic plates. Tectonic plates are giant slabs of rock that move. Tectonic plates make up the curst, the thinnest …
Glaciers are large moving rivers of ice. Glaciers form when snow is compressed into a large object that is made of ice. This only happens where the temperature doesn’t reach high enough for the snow and ice to melt completely. Glaciers take hundreds of years to form because the snow has to pile up over …
The Milky Way is a galaxy. Galaxies are large collections of stars, planets, asteroids, comets, and other space material like gases and dust held together by gravity. The Milky Way is the name of the galaxy that we live in. There are millions of more stars, planets, and other space debris in the Milky Way! …
Electric stoves are now used in place of gas stoves because they can heat things more evenly. Electric stoves used electricity to heat up and cook food. When you turn the stove on, the electricity flows through metal coils that are either exposed or under the cooking surface (if you have a glass ceramic surface). …
When you talk about the North Pole, it can mean the North Magnetic Pole or the North Geographic Pole. In this post, we are going to focus on the North Geographic Pole. That is the point on Earth where all the lines of longitude meet to form a single point. The North Pole is located …
Hand sanitizer is a quick and easy way to disinfect your hands. It kills bacteria and viruses that might make you sick, right on your hands! But, hand sanitizer doesn’t get rid of all bacteria and viruses, so if there is a sink around, you should wash your hands instead of just going to hand …
Plastic is a type of polymer, or a chain of atoms and molecules. That chain pattern gives plastic some amazing abilities! They are flexible because the chains of atoms can be twisted or turned in many different shapes, sometimes even when the object is a solid! It is moldable (or easy to twist into different …
This happens during Lunar Eclipses. A Lunar Eclipse is when the Moon moves into the Earth’s shadow. The Sun is shining on the Earth and the Moon is behind the Earth. The Moon can appear to change color sometimes when it is a total Lunar Eclipse. The Moon only APPEARS to change color on Earth. …
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 …
Incandescent lights were the first type of lightbulb to be created. They are different from LED Lights. Read our post about LED Lights to learn more! Incandescent lights work with using the heat and light that is produced when electricity flows through things. Inside of incandescent lights, there is a small part called a filament. …
Density is the amount of “stuff” (molecules and atoms) that are packed into one space. Objects’ density can be found by dividing the mass (weight) of an object by the volume (space it takes up) of an object. Density is measured in grams per milliliter (g/mL). If something has to float on water, than the density …
Convection currents are the movement of hot and cold things. Convection currents all start with density. Density is how much “stuff” (atoms and molecules) that are packed into one thing. If something has a high density, all of the atoms and molecules are close together and will sink. If something has a low density, the …
Oxygen or O2 is a chemical found in the universe. Humans need Oxygen to survive. Oxygen is in our atmosphere and the air that we breathe!! Oxygen helps the animals on this planet survive. Oxygen is a building block of so many elements like Water, or even Carbon Monoxide. Oxygen can be useful for things like …
Chemical reactions are when two or more materials combine to make a new material! The two materials usually react with each other, producing that new material. A great example is when you mix baking soda and vinegar to make Carbon dioxide gas! There are a few ways to tell if something is a chemical reactions. …
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 …
We use our eyes every day to see the world around us! Our eyes are the parts of our body that help us see. When we see things, what we’re actually seeing is the light that is being reflected by that object. For example, when you are looking at a yellow pencil, the yellow light …
Some animals, like lizards and snakes, can see in the dark! This is something that only a few animals can really do. These animals can see as well in the dark as they do during the day! They are able to do this because of the structure of their eyes. Eyes are made up of …
LED stands for Light-Emitting Diode! LED lights work because the jumping of electrons creates photons, or light. Electrons, which make up electricity, jump from an electron full side to an electron lacking side across a junction or connector. When the power is applied to the junction, the electron lacking side wants to be filled up …
REM Sleep or Rapid Eye Movement Sleep is a very important stage for human health. REM sleep is the stage when your brain is active, dreams occur, and your eyes move back and forth rapidly under your eyelids. During this stage, your brain is very active! The brain organizes information it learned the past day in a …
Blowing out birthday candles on a cake is an old tradition. But why does the candle go out when you blow on it? That happens for 3 different reasons. One is that your breath pushes away all of the Oxygen gas. Your breath is mostly made out of Carbon dioxide. The Carbon dioxide pushes away …
Rocks are collections of minerals and sediment. They can form in many different ways, but we are going to focus on three of the ways. The first is cooling magma. Magma from deep in Earth’s mantle flows up to the surface and solidifies as it cools down. That makes igneous rock. The next way rocks …
The heart is a part of your body that pumps blood around your body. This helps all of your other body parts like your brain function. The heart also regulates the Blood Pressure (BP). If the Blood Pressure is high, that means you are exercising a lot at the moment. If your Blood Pressure is …
Lead (pronounced l-e-d) contamination is when Lead, a poisonous chemical gets into the water that we drink or take baths in. Water can dissolve materials very easily. This is bad because Lead in our pipes leaks into the water. Some pipes that bring water into our homes are made out of Lead. Normally, that is …
Believe it or not, the Earth has layers just like an onion! Let’s start at the top. The part we walk on is called the crust. It is a thin layer that harbors life. Next, is the mantle. This layer is underneath the crust. Lot’s of minerals form in this area including diamonds and emeralds. …
Stars are giant balls of gas in space. The stars are very hot! They can be up to 800,000 degrees Fahrenheit! Our own Sun is also a star. It supplies us with light and heat. Stars take millions of years to form. We will explore the steps in which stars are formed! Scientists have observed …
Galaxies are large collections of stars, planets, asteroids, comets, and other space material like gases and dust. Stars are giant balls of gas in space. The stars are very hot! They can be up to 800,000 degrees Fahrenheit! Our own Sun is also a star. It supplies us with light and heat. Stars take millions …
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!! Sound Waves work like this: First, an object or person has to make a sound. A sound is made …
Pollen is a sticky substance that is found inside of most flowering plants. Pollen is in the middle of the flower of the plant. Pollen is attached to long structures called stamens and smaller structures called pistils. This pollen helps make new plants grow through a process called pollination. That is when pollen is transferred …
Continue reading “Why Do Some People Have Pollen Allergies?”
A circuit is a path that current electricity or electrons can flow through. Current electricity is a type of human-made electricity. A simple circuit is made out of four parts: the power source, wires, the load, and a switch A simple circuit works by electrons, which are negatively charged, exit from the negative terminal of …
Magnetism is an invisible force that attracts or repels certain objects. Magnets attract or repel things made out of iron, nickel, and cobalt. Objects are magnetic because the electrons, which spin around an atom’s nucleus, are spinning in the same direction (they are all lined up). The spinning electrons create an invisible magnetic field, which …
Earthquakes are energy that is released in the tectonic plate boundaries. Tectonic plates are giant slabs of rock that move around! The crust (outermost layer of the Earth) is made up of these tectonic plates. These tectonic plates can get stuck. When they do this, lots of pressure builds up. Kind of like when you …
Mountains are tall slabs of rock that pop up on the crust. Mountains can be very tall or very small, depending on how they are formed. Mountains can form because of magma cooling or tectonic plate movement. We are going to tell you about both! Mountains can form in two main ways: magma cooling and …
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! Light is one of the main sources of life on Earth! Light has …
Airplanes are machines that can fly with engine or propeller power. They are able to use aerodynamics (how air and objects move) to fly. Airplanes make it so that we can travel around the world in just a few hours! Airplanes can coke in all shapes and sizes like the tiny airplanes that you see …
Steam is the vapor that we see when water evaporates or turns from a liquid to a gas. When this happens, the molecules of water drift farther and farther apart from each other. That makes a gas. Steam, or water vapor, is only made up of tiny bits of water. The water boils and gets …
Soil is just rock that has been weathered. Weathering is when wind, water, or other natural agent wears away at rock. This take millions of years to happen. As the wind or water etches away at the rock, the pieces of soil or rock that come off get carried to someplace new. Soil is not …
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! Light is one of the main sources of life on Earth! Light has …
Molecules are connections or bonds between atoms. Atoms are the microscopic building blocks of the universe. They make up almost ANY material including solids, liquids, and gases! A human has more than 1 billion atoms! Atoms have specific parts. There is the nucleus, which is the center of the atom. Then, there are even smaller …
You might think that it only rains diamonds in fairy tales or movies, but it turns out that it actually rains diamonds on Uranus and Neptune! These diamonds fall towards the cores of these planets! These diamonds are not the size of ring diamonds, they are the size of BOULDERS!!!! How in the universe does …
Continue reading “How Does It Rain Diamonds On Uranus and Neptune?”
Sinkholes are large holes in the ground that form when water seeps into the ground. Limestone, a type of rock can dissolve very easily in water. As the water seeps into the cracks on the ground, it dissolves the limestone rock under the surface. The limestone becomes weak and creates a hole under all of …
Bird wings are shaped in a unique way, so that they create pressure differential or tiny tornadoes on their wings. When birds want to fly, the pressure is greater on the bottom of the wing and when the bird wants to land, the pressure above the wing is higher. This is kind of like how …
Hurricanes are a group of storm clouds that create a very dangerous storm. If you see a hurricane from space, you will see a giant swirling cloud. Hurricanes can bring heavy rain, wind, and sometimes minor tornadoes. Hurricanes are formed when storm clouds form over warm water. As the storm clouds move, the warm water …
Daniel Bernoulli was a famous scientist and discovered or property or principle of fluids and air. The thing that Bernoulli discovered that… Fast moving air creates an area of low pressure Bernoulli’s Principle Pressure is how much air is pushing down on an object. The area of low pressure means that the air will be …
Acid rain is rain that has pollutants in it. It usually has air pollutants inside of it. Air pollution is when humans put toxic chemicals or smoke into the air. This can make our air dirty. This can lead to breathing problems for humans and other animals. Plants can also be harmed because the air …
Today is Diwali, also known as The Festival of Lights! People light fireworks and sparklers to celebrate! In this post, we are looking at a specific type of firework: the aerial firework! Aerial fireworks are the fireworks that you see launched into the sky! They are usually fired using rockets and mortars. These fireworks create …
Bacteria are single-celled organisms or living things. They are also called microorganisms. They are called this because microorganisms are living things that can not be seen with the naked eye. Bacteria can be good for you or bad for you. We are going to learn about the good and bad about bacteria. Bacteria can help …
Precipitation is part of the water cycle. Precipitation is when the liquid water falls to the ground. This happens when a cloud becomes heavy and all the water will fall to the ground. There are three different types of precipitation. Rain, snow, sleet, and hail. We are going to talk about each of them! Rain is …
Thunder happens because of lightning. Here is how lightning happens: First, we have to start off with a storm cloud. Tiny pieces of ice, which are actually frozen water droplets, clash around inside of the storm cloud. This clashing makes an electric charge that is then stored inside of the cloud. The positively charged electricity …
Invertebrates are animals without a backbone. That means that they are the opposite of vertebrate animals. Invertebrates make up 95% if the Earth’s animals! Some invertebrates have a hard covering on the outside of their bodies called an exoskeleton. Besides that, invertebrates are usually creatures that do not have bones as a support. Invertebrates are …
Vertebrates (pronounced ver-ti-brates) are animals with a backbone. The backbone is also known as the vertebrate! The backbone is a row of connected bones that run down the back. Vertebrates animals make up only 5% of all of the animals on Earth. Besides having a backbone, vertebrate animals have a skeleton with bones as a …
Neon (Ne) is a colorless and odorless gas that makes up 18% of the air that we breathe! Neon is a noble gas, which means that it does not mix well with other elements. Neon has specific power. It produces light! Neon signs produce a red glow. The signs are still used today, but they …
Cars move thanks to the Internal Combustion Engine. The Internal Combustion Engine is a real mouthful to say. The Internal Combustion Engine is a mechanism found in trucks, cars, and some trains! The Internal Combustion engine, or I.C.E, helps the vehicle’s wheels move. First, a little bit of gasoline or diesel is put inside a …
Water, or H20, is a liquid that is found all over the Earth! Water can be in different states of matter: solids, liquids, and gases. Water vapor, or steam, is in the gas state of matter. When water is a liquid, the molecules in the water are flowing freely, but still have a definite size. …
Have you ever seen a picture of a desert? Did the picture have these sand “waves”? Those wavy hill structures are called Sand Dunes. Sand Dunes are big hill-like piles of sand or soil that get blown by the wind or can be impacted by other living animals. Sand Dunes form when a powerful wind …
A River Delta is a type of wetland where a river flows into a larger body of water like an ocean or lake. Deltas can be different sizes. They can be between a 100 feet to 500 miles!! Delatas are some of most Biodiverse landforms! Biodiverse means that there is a variety of animal and …
Asteroids are small rocky objects that orbit the Sun. Asteroids are NOT planets. Asteroids come in all shapes and sizes and have irregular shapes. Asteroids can be made up of metal, rock, space dust, or even Carbon! Asteroids can be the size of a pebble, to the size of 5 football fields! Asteroids mostly orbit …
A microphone is a device that makes sound waves into electrical signals. These electrical signals are stored inside of a computer or other recording device. I actually use a podcast microphone to record my podcast! The microphone’s signals can go to two places: (1) to a computer or other recording device or (2) a speaker …
Hail is a type of frozen precipitation. Precipitation is part of the water cycle. Precipitation is when the liquid water falls to the ground. This happens when a cloud becomes heavy and all the water will fall to the ground. There are three different types of precipitation. Rain, snow, sleet, and hail. We are going to …
Weathering is the breaking down of rock by many natural agents like water, wind, and gravity. There are two types of weathering: Mechanical and Chemical Weathering. Mechanical Weathering is when rocks are broken down WITHOUT a chemical change. They are changing their physical properties. Mechanical weathering can split rocks in half and turn them into dust! …
The Rock Cycle is the transformation of rocks over time. The different types of rock that are in the cycle are metamorphic, sedimentary, and igneous. Igneous rocks are formed by the cooling of lava or magma, which is melted rock. This can happen outside of or inside of Earth’s crust. Sedimentary rocks are tiny pieces …
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 …
A circuit is a path that current electricity or electrons can flow through. Current electricity is a type of human-made electricity. A simple circuit is made out of four parts: the power source, wires, the load, and a switch! A simple circuit works by electrons, which are negatively charged, exit from the negative terminal of …
Continue reading “What Happens When There Is A Short Circuit?”
Trees are living things, just like us. They are called organisms. You’ve seen that some trees lose all of their leaves in the fall and go dormant or in a resting stage in the winter. Only some trees do this weird behavior. We are going to find out why. Trees go dormant because the water …
Continue reading “Falling Leaves! Why Trees Loose Their Leaves and Go Dormant”
Magnetism is an invisible force that attracts or repels certain objects. Magnets attract or repel things made out of iron, nickel, and cobalt. Magnets have 2 poles: a North and South pole. Like poles repel and unlike poles attract each other. Magnetic domains in a metal make that metal magnetic. Magnetic domains are tiny arrangements …
This is because the material inside of the wires is a conductor. Conductors are materials that electrons can travel through easily. Conductors are usually made out of metals. Conductors are used in the electrical wiring itself! Humans are also conductors of electricity (that is very dangerous) That is why humans should wear insulators to protect themselves from …
Continue reading “How Do Electrical Wires Transport Electricity?”
Friction is a force that happens when two or more objects are rubbed together. This can break the object, generate heat, or make sounds. Friction is a force that blocks the movement. That is why remote control cars can’t drive well on carpet. When there is too much friction, the force builds up and gets …
A natural resource is any resource that occurs in nature that is used for survival, energy, or to make money for countries. Certain places on Earth have different types or different amounts of natural resources. These resources can be anything from coal to fruits to sunlight! These are only a few examples of natural resources …
Magnetism is an invisible force that attracts or repels certain objects. Magnets attract or repel things made out of iron, nickel, and cobalt. Objects are magnetic because the electrons, which spin around an atom’s nucleus, are spinning in the same direction (they are all lined up). The spinning electrons create an invisible magnetic field, which …
Tidal power is a type of energy source that uses renewable materials. Renewable means that the natural resources is always there or takes a short amount of time to replace. Tidal power uses water! Tidal power is when the ocean tide powers a generator to generate electricity. Tide is the rise and fall of water …
Wind is air that is moving at high speeds. It happens when warm and cool air rise and sink. That rising and sinking action makes the air move. Warm air rises and cold air sinks. There is this giant mass of air and wind called the Jet Stream. The Jet Stream is a system of …
Continue reading “How Do Wind Turbines Generate Electricity?”
Solar cells are a sheet filled with hundreds of tiny receptors that are sensitive to the Sun’s energy. The solar cells use these receptors (Photovoltaic Receptors) to create electricity with the Sun’s light. The photons in the Sun’s light knock off the electrons on existing atoms inside of the solar cell. That causes an electric …
Run-off is when precipitation (snow, rain sleet, or hail) hits the ground and drains into rivers, lakes, and oceans. This run-off is what causes accumulations or build-ups of water. Run-off is also a cause of erosion, which can break down and carry rocks to different places. Millions of years ago, planet Earth did not really have rivers …
Computers are all around us. From our laptops to our everyday smartphones. A computer is an electronic device that reads and processes data. The father of a computer was Charles Babbage. He came up with the idea but never built it. He called it a tabulating engine. It was designed to do arithmetic or math …
Fall or Autumn is a transition season between Summer and Winter. The temperature drops and the leaves on some trees fall off. That is why it is called the Fall season! During fall, the mornings can be cold and the evenings can be warmer. The temperatures do not drop below 0, but close to that …
Batteries provide portable, convenient sources of power without wires. It makes many mobile devices possible! Regular dry cell batteries are the most common, but lithium ion batteries are more reliable and rechargeable! That means that when the battery “dies”, you can recharge the battery! Lithium ion batteries work using the anode, cathode, and electrolyte. The anode …
Bacteria are single-celled organisms or living things. They are also called microorganisms. They are called this because microorganisms are living things that can not be seen with the naked eye. Bacteria can be good for you or bad for you. We are going to learn about the good and bad about bacteria. Bacteria can help …
Soil is just rock that has been eroded. Erosion is when wind, water, or other natural agent wears away at rock and takes it to a new place. This take millions of years to happen. As the wind or water etches away at the rock, the pieces of soil or rock that come off get …
Galaxies are large collections of stars, planets, asteroids, comets, and other space material like gases and dust. Stars are giant balls of gas in space. The stars are very hot! They can be up to 800,000 degrees Fahrenheit! Our own Sun is also a star. It supplies us with light and heat. Stars take millions …
Sand is just rock that has been eroded. Erosion is when wind, water, or other natural agent wears away at rock and takes it to a new place. This take millions of years to happen. As the wind or water etches away at the rock, the pieces of soil or rock that come off get …
Dissolution is when water or another liquid, known as a solvent, dissolves a material, called a solute. Liquids dissolve different materials because the liquids break down the materials and make them smaller. That’s why if you stir sugar in water, the sugar disappear. It doesn’t actually disappear, it just looks like it. The sugar is …
This blog post is another a debate showdown! We take topics and make them into a debate!! Today’s topic is…Dry Ice vs. Liquid Nitrogen! Remember, please send us what type of cooling agent you think is cooler by going to www.spectacularsci.com/debateform-dryice-vs-liquidnitrogen/ and fill out our poll. Dry Ice Dry ice is not just regular ice, it is special! …
Continue reading “Spectacular Science DEBATE POST!!: Dry Ice vs. Liquid Nitrogen”
A cheetah is a mammal that mostly lives in the African Savanna. It is covered in spots and has black markings under its eyes. Cheetahs are in the genus or family Acinonyx. They are unlike big cats like tigers or lions because they do not have retractable claws that they can pull in. Their claws are …
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. …
Planets are large objects that orbit or circle around a star, like the Sun! Planets can be made up of rocks and gases. Our Solar System is made out of 8 planets that are made up of either gas or rocks. Rocky planets are called terrestrial planets and gaseous planets are called gas giants. Planets …
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 a bunch of highly charged particles called electrons in …
Blowing out birthday candles on a cake is an old tradition. But why does the candle go out when you blow on it? That happens for 3 different reasons. One is that your breath pushes away all of the Oxygen gas. Your breath is mostly made out of Carbon dioxide. The Carbon dioxide pushes away …
Continue reading “Why Do Flames Go Out When You Blow On It?”
Sea-level rise is when the ice caps of the Earth make the ocean waters rise. The ice caps of the Earth are the North and South poles. Because of Climate Change, when the Earth gets hotter, the ice melts and flows into the ocean. When ice melts, it becomes water. When that extra water makes …
Weathering is when rocks get broken down into pieces. Weathering can happen in many different ways, from salt to clay to ice! We are going to focus on the 5 main ways: water, ice, salt crystallization, clay formation, and plant roots. To learn more about weathering, check out our episode about weathering! Weathering with water …
This blog post is another a debate showdown! We take topics and make them into a debate!! Today’s topic is…Mechanical Weathering vs. Chemical Weathering! Remember, please send us what type of weathering you think is cooler by going to www.spectacularsci.com/debateform and fill out our poll. What is Weathering? Weathering is the breaking down of rock by many natural …
Continue reading “Spectacular Science DEBATE POST!!: Mechanical Weathering vs. Chemical Weathering”
Hurricanes are a group of storm clouds that create a very dangerous storm. If you see a hurricane from space, you will see a giant swirling cloud. Hurricanes can bring heavy rain, wind, and sometimes minor tornadoes. Hurricanes are formed when storm clouds form over warm water. As the storm clouds move, the warm water …
The Internet is what you are using right NOW to read this blog post! The Internet is a series of computers that are linked together. Today, millions of computers are linked together around the world! Internet can be accessed everywhere from your house, to your school, to your local library! Servers are computers that store …
A natural resource is any resource that occurs in nature that is used for survival, energy, or to make money for countries. Certain places on Earth have different types or different amounts of natural resources. These resources can be anything from coal to fruits to sunlight! Read our post about natural resources to learn more! …
A natural resource is any resource that occurs in nature that is used for survival, energy, or to make money for countries. Certain places on Earth have different types or different amounts of natural resources. These resources can be anything from coal to fruits to sunlight! Read our post about natural resources to learn more! …
Fossil fuels are a liquid that is very easy to burn. They are there fuels found inside of the Earth. That means that fossil fuels are flammable. These fuels are formed by decaying plants and animals that have been underground for millions of years. Fossil fuels are organic or natural materials. Fossil fuels are created …
Continue reading “How Do Fuels From Inside The Earth Form Naturally?”
A natural resource is any resource that occurs in nature that is used for survival, energy, or to make money for countries. Certain places on Earth have different types or different amounts of natural resources. These resources can be anything from coal to fruits to sunlight! These are only a few examples of natural resources …
Neon (Ne) is a colorless and odorless gas that makes up 18% of the air that we breathe! Neon is a noble gas, which means that it does not mix well with other elements. Neon has specific power. It produces light! Neon signs produce a red glow. The signs are still used today, but they …
Stars are giant balls of gas in space. The stars are very hot! They can be up to 800,000 degrees Fahrenheit! Our own Sun is also a star. It supplies us with light and heat. Stars take millions of years to form. We will explore the steps in which stars are formed! Scientists have observed …
Electric rice cookers work in a similar way as a pressure cooker. Read about pressure cookers here! (spectacularsci.com/2021/01/pressure-cookers/) The main parts of a basic electric rice cooker are the outer pot, inner pot, the heating element, lid, and button controls. The outer pot contains the heating element. The inner pot, where the uncooked rice goes, …
Airplanes are machines that can fly with engine or propeller power. They are able to use aerodynamics (how air and objects move) to fly. Airplanes make it so that we can travel around the world in just a few hours! Airplanes can come in all shapes and sizes like the tiny airplanes that you see …
Continue reading “Lift, Drag, Thrust, and Weight: The Four Forces of Flight”
Hail is a type of frozen precipitation. Precipitation is part of the water cycle. Precipitation is when the liquid water falls to the ground. This happens when a cloud becomes heavy and all the water will fall to the ground. There are three different types of precipitation. Rain, snow, sleet, and hail. We are going to …
What is Acid Rain? Acid rain is rain that has pollutants in it. It usually has air pollutants inside of it. Air pollution is when humans put toxic chemicals or smoke into the air. This can make our air dirty. This can lead to breathing problems for humans and other animals. Plants can also be …
A vaccine is a weakened or dead virus or bacteria that gets injected in your body. Your immune system cells will fight the “virus” and you will not get sick. Then, as your immune system fights the virus, special cells will remember the virus. When the real virus shows up, your body will immediately fight …
Mountains are tall slabs of rock that pop up on the crust. Mountains can be very tall or very small, depending on how they are formed. Mountains can form because of magma cooling or tectonic plate movement. We are going to tell you about both! Mountains can form in two main ways: magma cooling and …
Smoke is usually produced when something is burned. Smoke is made up of bits of soot, and lots of other gases like Carbon dioxide. Smoke can have a variety of things that come from what the fire is burning and where the smoke is coming from. Smoke gets its color from the gases and materials …
A virus is infectious object that depends on living organisms’ cells to multiply. They are bad for living organisms and take over cells. Viruses infect a body and travel to a cell and inject its DNA code into the cell which will make the virus multiply and will destroy the cell. This is how viruses make us …
Plastic is a type of polymer. Polymers are certain materials that have atoms that are bonded together in a link pattern. Atoms are the tiny building blocks of all elements. When atoms bond together, like in polymers, they form molecules! Plastic is made when the oil is refined or cleaned up. Then, the oil goes …
The heart is a part of your body that pumps blood around your body. This helps all of your other body parts like your brain function. The heart also regulates the Blood Pressure (BP). If the Blood Pressure is high, that means you are exercising a lot at the moment. If your Blood Pressure is …
On Uranus & Neptune, it rains… diamonds?!?!! You might think that it only rains diamonds in fairy tales or movies, but it turns out that it actually rains diamonds on Uranus and Neptune! These diamonds fall towards the cores of these planets! These diamonds are not the size of ring diamonds, they are the size …
Owls are nocturnal birds that live on every continent, except Antarctica. They are flying birds that eat small rodents and other small birds. Owls are carnivores, meaning that they ONLY eat meat. Owls are almost like superheroes! They have many amazing powers. They have very big eyes that help them see in the dark. This is because …
Steam is the vapor that we see when water evaporates or turns from a liquid to a gas. When this happens, the molecules of water drift farther and farther apart from each other. That makes a gas. Steam, or water vapor, is only made up of tiny bits of water. The water boils and gets …
This blog post is another a debate showdown! We take topics and make them into a debate!! Today’s topic is… Batteries vs. Current Electricity! Remember, please send us what type of electricity you think is more useful by going to www.spectacularsci.com/debateform and fill out our form. Batteries Batteries provide portable, convenient sources of power without wires. It makes …
Continue reading “Spectacular Science DEBATE POST!: Batteries vs. Current Electricity!”
Invertebrates are animals without a backbone. That means that they are the opposite of vertebrate animals. Invertebrates make up 95% if the Earth’s animals! Some invertebrates have a hard covering on the outside of their bodies called an exoskeleton. Besides that, invertebrates are usually creatures that do not have bones as a support. Invertebrates are …
Plastic is a type of polymer. Polymers are certain materials that have atoms that are bonded together in a link pattern. Atoms are the tiny building blocks of all elements. When atoms bond together, like in polymers, they form molecules! Poly means many and mer or mers means units. Polymers means many units! A great example of a human-made polymer is …
Wind is air that is moving at high speeds. It happens when warm and cool air rise and sink. That rising and sinking action makes the air move. Warm air rises and cold air sinks. There is this giant mass of air and wind called the Jet Stream. The Jet Stream is a system of …
Continue reading “How Do Wind Turbines Convert Wind Into Electricity?”
We all are using soap a lot these days. But, how does it really work? Well, 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 with water and hydrophobic means that it is repelled by …
Bees are important in a lot of ways, but the most important is pollination. Pollen is a sticky substance that is found inside of most flowering plants. Pollen is in the middle of the flower of the plant. Pollen is attached to long structures called stamens and smaller structures called pistils. This pollen helps make …
Cells are the makeup of every living thing! There are two types of cells: plant and animal cells. We are going to talk about Cells in general. Cells make energy by getting Carbon in the form of sugar. Depending on the organism, it make it’s own food or eat food to survive. Cells also make …
Continue reading “What are Cells and Why are They Important?”
Plants and trees are all around us. They are the grass you run on and the trees that are towering above you. Trees are large plants that have a long life cycle. That’s why they are so big. The parts of trees are roots, the trunk, branches, and leaves. The leaves take in carbon dioxide …
This blog post is another a debate showdown! We take topics and make them into a debate!! Today’s topic is… Vertebrates vs. Invertebrates! Remember, please send us what type of animal you think is cooler by going to www.spectacularsci.com/debateform and fill out our form. Vertebrates! Vertebrates (pronounced ver-ti-brates) are animals with a backbone. The backbone is also known …
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Snow is a type of precipitation that is frozen. Precipitation is part of the water cycle. Precipitation is when liquid water falls to the ground. This happens when a cloud becomes heavy and all the water will fall to the ground. There are three different types of precipitation. Rain, snow, sleet, and hail. We are going …
The process of experimentation or the scientific method is a process that scientists use to conduct experiments. If you want to learn more about science and the scientific method, check out our episode with science teacher and television host, Mr. Steve Spangler! This is what the scientific method is: make a question/observation, make a hypothesis, …
The Arctic and Antarctic are known for the cold climate. This is due to the way the Earth orbits the Sun. The Earth’s orbit is not a perfect circle. There are some points in its orbit that the Earth is closer to the Sun or farther away from the Sun. That is one reason that …
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Sand is just rock that has been eroded. Erosion is when wind, water, or other natural agent wears away at rock and takes it to a new place. This take millions of years to happen. As the wind or water etches away at the rock, the pieces of soil or rock that come off get …
Sea-level rise is when the ice caps of the Earth make the ocean waters rise. The ice caps of the Earth are the North and South poles. Because of Climate Change, when the Earth gets hotter, the ice melts and flows into the ocean. When ice melts, it becomes water. When that extra water makes …
Flowers are an assortment of petals and pollen that a plant produces to reproduce. The pollen of a flower contains the genetic information to make seeds and new plants. Besides being pretty, flowers actually make fruits possible! Flowers are very important to plants and even us! Flowers help attract pollinators to the flowers so that an animal can spread …
A Refrigerator is a device that keeps food inside of it cool to preserve it. Here is how a Refrigerator works. First, a fluid called Refrigerant is pumped from a container in the back of the Fridge. This Refrigerant gets pumped through the pipes inside of the cooling compartment (where you put the stuff to …
Microwaves are a very complicated machine, but let me break it down for you. First, there is a device inside of the microwave called a Magnetron. This Magnetron produces microwaves, which are a low energy wave on the Visible Light Spectrum. The humming sound is actually the fan that keeps the Magnetron cool. When you …
Erosion is when wind, water, or other natural agent wears away at rock and takes it to a new place. This take millions of years to happen. As the wind or water etches away at the rock, the pieces of soil or rock that come off get carried to someplace new. Erosion can cause damage …
Clouds are large collections of water droplets that can be frozen, but only sometimes. They form due to condensation, when water evaporates into a gas and cools down above the Earth. Then, the water drops attach to pieces of dust or dirt that are above the Earth. As more droplets attach to one piece of …
You use paper just about everywhere you go! Paper was a revolutionary invention because it is used in a countless amount of things: from books, to masks! Paper is just old trees that have been mashed up and their fibers have been separated. Fibers are tiny hooks or barbs that keep things together. Once they …
What are Telescopes? 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. How Do Telescopes Work? Telescopes work using light. Light is …
Continue reading “The Amazing Telescopes! Changed Astronomy Forever”
You use paper just about everywhere you go! Paper was a revolutionary invention because it is used in a countless amount of things: from books, to masks! Paper is just old trees that have been mashed up and their fibers have been separated. Fibers are tiny hooks or barbs that keep things together. Once they …
Helium (He) is an element that is found all over the universe. It is the second most-abundant element in the universe! It is also the second lightest element in the universe. Helium is called a “Noble Gas”. This is because Helium can’t mix well with other elements. Scientists are predicting a Helium shortage in the …
Batteries provide portable, convenient sources of power without wires. It makes many mobile devices possible! The common type of battery is called the dry cell battery. There are three parts of a battery: the anode, the cathode, and the electrolyte. The anode (- side) and cathode (+ side) are two conductive materials. The electrolyte is …
Refraction is when light bends or slows down. 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! Light is one of the …
What are Fruits? 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 …
Continue reading “Why are Some Fruits Multi-Layered and Protected?”
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!! Sound Waves work like this: First, an object or person has to make a sound. A sound is made …
Chemical changes are changes in the molecular structure of a substance. Usually in a Chemical Change, a new substance is formed. There are a few indicators that tell you that a chemical change has happened: Gas is produced (bubbles seen) Light is produced Change in color Change is temperature Precipitate formed (leftover substance) Look for …
How Does Thunder Happen? Thunder happens because of lightning. Here is how lightning happens: First, we have to start off with a storm cloud. Tiny pieces of ice, which are actually frozen water droplets, clash around inside of the storm cloud. This clashing makes an electric charge that is then stored inside of the cloud. …
Continue reading “Why Does the Volume of a Thunderclap Vary or Change?”
Oobleck is a Non-Newtonian fluid. What is a Non-Newtonian Fluid? A Non-Newtonian fluid is a substance that behaves like a solid and a liquid! If force is applied to the fluid, it is turned into a solid and if force is taken off the fluid, it becomes a liquid. How do Non-Newtonian Fluids Work? The …
What is the Internet? The Internet is what you are using right NOW to read this blog post! The Internet is a series of computers that are linked together. Today, millions of computers are linked together around the world! Internet can be accessed everywhere from your house, to your school, to your local library! Servers …
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Air pollution is when humans put toxic chemicals or smoke into the air. This can make our air dirty. This can lead to breathing problems for humans and other animals. Plants can also be harmed because the air that they bring in is not clean. This is a very big problem in big cities and …
Mountains are tall slabs of rock that pop up on the crust. Mountains can be very tall or very small, depending on how they are formed. Mountains can form because of magma cooling or tectonic plate movement. We are going to tell you about both! Mountains can form in two main ways: magma cooling and …
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? Well, 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 …
We all are using soap a lot these days. But, how does it really work? Well, 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 with water and hydrophobic means that it is repelled by …
How Does Water Evaporate Into Water Vapor? Water, or H20, is a liquid that is found all over the Earth! Water can be in different states of matter: solids, liquids, and gases. Water vapor, or steam, is in the gas state of matter. When water is a liquid, the molecules in the water are flowing …
Continue reading “Evaporation!! A Big Part of the Water Cycle”
Bubbles pop easily in many situations. The first situation is when they come in contact with oil and dirt. Our hands have oil and dirt on them! A soap bubble pops when it touches oil and dirt because a bubble is just a thin film of soap and water filled with air. The thin film …
What is Climate Change? Climate Change is when the Earth’s temperature changes because of the environment. The temperature is changing because of Greenhouse Gases. These gases are produced whenever we burn stuff like gasoline for our cars. These gases trap the heat from the Sun in the atmosphere. This causes the planet to heat up. …
What is Wind and How is it Made? Wind is air that is moving at high speeds. It happens when warm and cool air rise and sink. That rising and sinking action makes the air move. Tornadoes are formed in the same way, but in a stronger way. Warm air rises and cold air sinks. …
How Do Birds Soar in the Air? Bird wings are shaped in a unique way, so that they create pressure differential or tiny tornadoes on their wings. That lifts them into the air. Birds don’t just fly because of their wings. Sure, wing help them get off of the ground and helps them steer, but …
What Makes a Metal Magnetic? Magnetism is an invisible force that attracts or repels certain objects. Magnets attract or repel things made out of iron, nickel, and cobalt. Magnets have 2 poles: a North and South pole. Like poles repel and unlike poles attract each other. Magnetic domains in a metal make that metal magnetic. …
Why Are Days Longer in the Summer, Than the Winter? Days are longer during the Summer and shorter during the Winter because of the Earth’s tilt. Earth is slightly tilted toward the Sun. As the Earth orbits, or circles around the Sun, different parts of the world get stronger or weaker amounts of sunlight. The …
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What is Water Pollution? Water pollution is when humans dump trash and harmful or toxic chemicals into waterways like oceans, streams, rivers, and ponds. This trash and chemicals can cause problems for marine life. This trash can also come back to humans! When humans drink water, the water MAY be polluted! This is also a …
How Do We See Colors? Let’s start with light. Light can be broken up into a few colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet! When we see white light coming from the Sun or a lightbulb, that white light is all of the rainbow colors together. When the white light hits an object …
Why Do Plants Need Sunlight? Plants need sunlight because plants use the Sun to make food. Chlorophyll helps plants collect the sunlight. Chlorophyll is made up of even smaller parts called Chloroplasts. Chloroplasts have a green color to them. Leaves have Chloroplast because they help the plant or tree collect sunlight and turn it into …
What Makes a Fruit, a Fruit? Fruits are piece 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 …
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! Light is one of the main sources of life on …
This website is all about science. The podcast is too. But, what is the scientific method that scientists use to conduct experiments! Read this post to find out! What is the Scientific Method? The scientific method is a series of steps that scientists use to collect data from experiments! The scientific method is what science …
What is Liquid Nitrogen? Nitrogen (N) is a gas that makes up 64% of the air that we breathe! Liquid Nitrogen is the Nitrogen gas that has been supercooled. That means that the gas got cold and turned into a liquid. When that happens, we get a boiling liquid that is – 196 °C (- …
What is Sea-Level Rise? Sea-level rise is when the ice caps of the Earth make the ocean waters rise. The ice caps of the Earth are the North and South poles. Because of Climate Change, when the Earth gets hotter, the ice melts and flows into the ocean. When ice melts, it becomes water. When …
Why is the Equator the Warmest Place on Earth? The Equator is the halfway point on Earth. Even though there are lots of other places on Earth that are hotter, the Equator has the warmest stable climate on Earth! Climate is what temperatures and precipitation a certain place experience during a long period of time. …
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What Happens During a Solar Eclipse? A Solar Eclipse is a natural phenomenon when the Moon blocks part of or the full Sun when viewed from Earth. Solar Eclipses only happen about 2-4 times every year. This includes from different parts of the world! Total Solar Eclipses are very rare. A Solar Eclipse happens in a specific …
What are Clouds? Clouds are large collections of water droplets that can be frozen, but only sometimes. They form due to condensation, when water evaporates into a gas and cools down above the Earth. Then, the water drops attach to pieces of dust or dirt that are above the Earth. As more droplets attach to …
What are Flowers? Flowers are an assortment of petals and pollen that a plant produces to reproduce. The pollen of a flower contains the genetic information to make seeds and new plants. Besides being pretty, flowers actually make fruits possible! Flowers are very important to plants and even us! Flowers help attract pollinators to the flowers so that an …
What is Dissolution? Dissolution is when water or another liquid, known as a solvent, dissolves a material, called a solute. Liquids dissolve different materials because the liquids break down the materials and make them smaller. That’s why if you stir sugar in water, the sugar disappear. It doesn’t actually disappear, it just looks like it. …
What are Physical Apperances/Changes? Physical appearances are what matter looks like or feels like. That can be a color, size, or texture. Physical changes are any change in physical properties. Some physical properties are size, shape, color, and texture. Physical Changes do NOT form a new substance. The substance stays the same, but it changes …
What are Chemical Reactions? Chemical reactions are when two or more materials combine to make a new material! A great example is when you mix baking soda and vinegar to make Carbon dioxide gas! There are a few ways to tell if something is a chemical reactions. One is that there is heat produced. Many …
Use the experiment video below to do this experiment yourself! Then, read the explanation below the video that tells you what happened. What Happened During the Experiment? When you poured the hot water into the soda can, the water vapor or steam pushed all of the gases, like Oxygen or Nitrogen, outside of the can. …
What Happens When Greenhouse Gases Collect in Earth’s Atmosphere? Greenhouse gases are special types of gases that can trap heat in Earth’s atmosphere. They are called Greenhouse gases because they trap the heat close to Earth, like how a greenhouse for plants can keep the plants warm during the winter. Some examples of Greenhouse gases …
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How Does Water Evaporate Into Water Vapor? Water, or H20, is a liquid that is found all over the Earth! Water can be in different states of matter: solids, liquids, and gases. Water vapor, or steam, is in the gas state of matter. When water is a liquid, the molecules in the water are flowing …
Continue reading “How Does Water Evaporate Into Water Vapor?”
How Does Water Freeze Into Ice? Water, or H20, is a liquid that is found all over the Earth! Water can be in different states of matter: solids, liquids, and gases. Ice is water that has been frozen into a solid. Water can be a solid! Water can be solid when the molecules in the …
What is Plastic? Plastic is a type of polymer. Polymers are certain materials that have atoms that are bonded together in a link pattern. Atoms are the tiny building blocks of all elements. When atoms bond together, like in polymers, they form molecules! Plastic is made when the oil is refined or cleaned up. Then, …
How is Wind Made? Wind is air that is moving at high speeds. It happens when warm and cool air rise and sink. That rising and sinking action makes the air move. Tornadoes are formed in the same way, but in a stronger way. Warm air rises and cold air sinks. There is this giant …
What is Oxygen? Oxygen or O2 is a chemical found in the universe. Humans need Oxygen to survive. Oxygen is in our atmosphere and the air that we breathe!! Oxygen helps the animals on this planet survive. Oxygen is a building block of so many elements like Water, or even Carbon Monoxide. Oxygen can be useful …
What are Lunar Eclipses? A Lunar Eclipse is when the Moon moves into the Earth’s shadow. The Sun is shining on the Earth and the Moon is behind the Earth. The Moon can appear to change color sometimes when it is a total Lunar Eclipse. How Does The Moon Appear to Change Colors? The Moon …
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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! Light is one of the main sources of life on …
Continue reading “Reflection, Refraction, and Absorption! The Properties of Light!”
Are Steam and Smoke the Same? The answer is no, they are not the same thing. Steam is the vapor that we see when water evaporates or turns from a liquid to a gas. When this happens, the molecules of water drift farther and farther apart from each other. That makes a gas. Steam, or …
What are Sound Waves? 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!! Sound Waves work like this: First, an object or person has to make a sound. …
What Impact Can Moons Have on Planets? A moon is a natural satellite that orbits around a larger object like a planet. Moons can have an impact on it’s planet. For one, if the planet is a gas planet, like Jupiter, the moon can pull on the gas and cause it to make wavy shapes. …
How Do Cars Move? Cars move thanks to the Internal Combustion Engine. The Internal Combustion Engine is a real mouthful to say. The Internal Combustion Engine is a mechanism found in trucks, cars, and some trains! The Internal Combustion engine, or I.C.E, helps the vehicle’s wheels move. How Does The Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) Work? …
What is Plastic? Plastic is a type of polymer. Polymers are certain materials that have atoms that are bonded together in a link pattern. Atoms are the tiny building blocks of all elements. When atoms bond together, like in polymers, they form molecules! Plastic is made when the oil is refined or cleaned up. Then, …
What are Stars? Stars are giant balls of gas in space. The stars are very hot! They can be up to 800,000 degrees fahrenheit! Our own Sun is also a star. It supplies us with light and heat. How do Stars Get So Hot? This is how stars get very hot. A star is filled …
What is Plastic? Plastic is a type of polymer. Polymers are certain materials that have atoms that are bonded together in a link pattern. Atoms are the tiny building blocks of all elements. When atoms bond together, like in polymers, they form molecules! Poly means many and mer or mers means units. Polymers means many units! Some examples of natural polymers …
This blog post is another a debate showdown! We take topics and make them into a debate!! Today’s topic is… Insulators vs. Conductors of Electricity! Remember, please send us what type of object you think is more useful by going to www.spectacularsci.com/debateform and fill out our form. Insulators Insulators and materials that do not let electrons flow through …
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What is a Moon? We have written about specific moons like Titan, Europa, and our own Moon! Please check those posts out! We have also done an episode about moons! 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 …
What is Magnetism? Magnetism is an invisible force that attracts or repels certain objects. Magnets attract or repel things made out of iron, nickel, and cobalt. Objects are magnetic because the electrons, which spin around an atom’s nucleus, are spinning in the same direction (they are all lined up). The spinning electrons create an invisible …
This blog post is another a debate showdown! We take topics and make them into a debate!! Today’s topic is… Europa vs. Titan! Europa is one of Jupiter’s moons. Remember, please send us what moon you think is cooler by going to www.spectacularsci.com/debateform and fill out our form. Europa! Europa is one of Jupiter’s moons. It takes 85 …
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This blog post is another a debate showdown! We take topics and make them into a debate!! Today’s topic is… Permanent Magnets vs. Electromagnets! Remember, please send us what side you think is more useful by going to www.spectacularsci.com/debateform and fill out our form. Permanent Magnets Magnetism is an invisible force that attracts or repels certain objects. Magnets …
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What are Fossil Fuels? Fossil fuels are a liquid that is very easy to burn. That means that fossil fuels are flammable. These fuels are formed by decaying plants and animals that have been underground for millions of years. Fossil fuels are organic or natural materials. Fossil fuels are created when dead plants get buried …
What are Polymers? Polymers are certain materials that have atoms that are bonded together in a link pattern. Atoms are the tiny building blocks of all elements. When atoms bond together, like in polymers, they form molecules! Poly means many and mer or mers means units. Polymers means many units! Some examples of natural polymers …
What is Magnetism? Magnetism is an invisible force that attracts or repels certain objects. Magnets attract or repel things made out of iron, nickel, and cobalt. Objects are magnetic because the electrons, which spin around an atom’s nucleus, are spinning in the same direction (they are all lined up). The spinning electrons create an invisible …
This blog post is another a debate showdown! We take topics and make them into a debate!! Today’s topic is… Vascular vs. Non-Vascular Plants! Remember, please send us what side you think is cooler by going to www.spectacularsci.com/debateform and fill out our form. Vascular Plants Vascular plants are plants that have a series of tubes running through their …
Continue reading “Spectacular Science DEBATE POST!!!: Vascular vs. Non-Vascular Plants!”
What is Magnetism? Magnetism is an invisible force that attracts or repels certain objects. Magnets attract or repel things made out of iron, nickel, and cobalt. Objects are magnetic because the electrons, which spin around an atom’s nucleus, are spinning in the same direction (they are all lined up). The spinning electrons create an invisible …
What are Severe Thunderstorms and What Do They Contain? Thunderstorms are storms with cumulonimbus or storm clouds. The clouds have water inside of them and the water pours down on the ground below. Thunderstorms can also have heavy winds. Lightning and thunder are the main things in thunderstorms. Here is how lightning happens: First, we …
What are Molecules? Molecules are connections or bonds between atoms. Atoms are the microscopic building blocks of the universe. They make up almost ANY material including solids, liquids, and gases! A human has more than 1 billion atoms! Atoms have specific parts. There is the nucleus, which is the center of the atom. Then, there …
What is Photosynthesis? Photosynthesis is the process of taking sunlight and Carbon dioxide and making it into Oxygen gas and sugar! The word “photo” means light. Photosynthesis is used by green plants, algae, and bacteria. That helps the bacteria, plants, or algae make food for themselves. Photosynthesis also made our Oxygen atmosphere! These organisms use …
What is Oxygen? Oxygen or O2 is a chemical found in the universe. Humans need Oxygen to survive. Oxygen is in our atmosphere and the air that we breathe!! Oxygen helps the animals on this planet survive. Oxygen is a building block of so many elements like Water, or even Carbon Monoxide. Oxygen can be useful …
Why are Leaves Green? Leaves are green because of a green part of the leaf called Chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is made up of even smaller parts called Chloroplasts. Chloroplasts have a green color to them. Leaves have Chloroplast because they help the plant or tree collect sunlight and turn it into sugar. That process is called …
This blog post is another a debate showdown! We take topics and make them into a debate!! Today’s topic is… Air Pressure vs. Water Pressure! Remember, please send us what side you think is cooler by going to www.spectacularsci.com/debateform and fill out our form. Air Pressure! Right now, as you are reading this, there are tons of air …
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What is an Electrical Circuit? A circuit is a path that current electricity or electrons can flow through. Current electricity is a type of human-made electricity. A simple circuit is made out of four parts: the power source, wires, the load, and a switch! A simple circuit works by electrons, which are negatively charged, exit …
Continue reading “Insulators and Conductors of Electricity!”
This blog post is another a debate showdown! We take topics and make them into a debate!! Today’s topic is… Newtonian Fluids vs. Non-Newtonian Fluids! Remember, please send us what side you agree with going to www.spectacularsci.com/debateform and fill out our form. Newtonian Fluids A Newtonian fluid is a fluid that has the same viscosity or thickness all …
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The short answer is no, Concrete is not the same as Cement. Here’s why: What is Concrete and What is Cement? Concrete is a mix of rocks, powders, chemicals, and water. When Concrete hardens, it becomes a very strong building material. Concrete actually is a human-made material. Concrete can be used to hold things together, …
What is an Electrical Circuit? A circuit is a path that current electricity or electrons can flow through. Current electricity is a type of human-made electricity. A simple circuit is made out of four parts: the power source, wires, the load, and a switch! A simple circuit works by electrons, which are negatively charged, exit …
Continue reading “Short Circuits! A Big Electrical Problem!!”
What is Earth Day? Every April 22nd, we celebrate a day we call Earth Day. Earth Day is a day that we do good things for the environment. This holiday was created by Senator Gaylord Nelson. He wanted to make a day where people could recognize and care for the environment! The first Earth Day …
This blog post is another a debate showdown! We take topics and make them into a debate!! Today’s topic is… Airplanes vs. Helicopters! Remember, please send us what side you agree with going to www.spectacularsci.com/debateform and fill out our form Airplanes Airplanes are machines that can fly with engine or propeller power. They are able to use aerodynamics …
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What is Matter? Matter is anything in the universe that is made out of atoms. Atoms are tiny building blocks of all things. Check out our post on atoms! Matter comes in three states: solids, liquids, and gases. We are going to write about each one of them in the next few days. Today, we …
What is Matter? Matter is anything in the universe that is made out of atoms. Atoms are tiny building blocks of all things. Check out our post on atoms! Matter comes in three states: solids, liquids, and gases. We are going to write about each one of them in the next few days. Today, we …
What is Matter? Matter is anything in the universe that is made out of atoms. Atoms are tiny building blocks of all things. Check out our post on atoms! Matter comes in three states: solids, liquids, and gases. We are going to write about each one of them in the next few days. Today, we …
What is a Circuit? A circuit is a path that current electricity or electrons can flow through. Current electricity is a type of human-made electricity. A simple circuit is made out of four parts: the power source, wires, the load, and a switch How Does a Simple Circuit Work? A simple circuit works by electrons, …
What are Atoms? Atoms are the microscopic building blocks of the universe. They make up almost ANY material including solids, liquids, and gases! A human has more than 1 billion atoms! Atoms have specific parts. There is the nucleus, which is the center of the atom. Then, there are even smaller parts. They are protons, …
Natural Electricity Natural electricity means that electricity is created in the natural world. Natural electricity can not be controlled by humans. This type of electricity happens naturally without any human interference. Some examples are lightning and static electricity. Static electricity happens in a big burst. Human-made Electricity Human-made electricity means that the electricity is produced …
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What is Static Electricity? Static electricity is naturally occurring electricity which is caused by the buildup of electrons. Electrons are the negatively charged parts of an atom. Atoms are the building blocks of everything. When enough charges build up, the charges can jump from one object to another. That is called an electron transfer. How …
What are Masks? Masks are a piece of cloth or paper that people wear to cover their noses and mouths. Wuh Lien-tuh was a Chinese doctor that invented masks in the early 1900’s. Wuh Lien-tuh invented layered masks because there was a virus outbreak. We are using masks right now! How Do Masks Work? Masks …
What is Pollen? Pollen is a sticky substance that is found inside of most flowering plants. Pollen is in the middle of the flower of the plant. Pollen is attached to long structures called stamens and smaller structures called pistils. This pollen helps make new plants grow through a process called pollination. That is when …
How Do Volcanoes Erupt? Just a quick note, if you want to learn more about volcanoes, check out our episode on this very topic! First we have to talk about the layer of the Earth called the Outer Core. The outer core is literally “liquid metal”!! It is full of magma, which is hotter than …
What is Bernoulli’s Principle? Daniel Bernoulli was a famous scientist and discovered or property or principle of fluids and air. The thing that Bernoulli discovered that… Fast moving fluids or air creates and area of low pressure Pressure is how much air is pushing down on an object. The area of low pressure means that …
NOTE: Check out the previous posts about Isaac Newton’s first law of motion and Isaac Newton’s second law of motion. What is Isaac Newton’s Third Law of Motion? Sir Isaac Newton’s first law of motion is basically an action that Sir Isaac Newton, a famous scientist and mathematician, observed in the universe. The word “law” …
NOTE: Check out the previous post about Isaac Newton’s first law of motion. What is Isaac Newton’s Second Law of Motion? Sir Isaac Newton’s first law of motion is basically an action that Sir Isaac Newton, a famous scientist and mathematician, observed in the universe. The word “law” just means that this statement applies to …
What is Isaac Newton’s First Law of Motion? Sir Isaac Newton’s first law of motion is basically an action that Sir Isaac Newton, a famous scientist and mathematician, observed in the universe. The word “law” just means that this statement applies to all things, not matter what size. The first law of motion states An …
What is a Vaccine? A vaccine is a weakened or dead virus or bacteria that gets injected in your body. Your immune system cells will fight the “virus” and you will not get sick. Then, as your immune system fights the virus, special cells will remember the virus. When the real virus shows up, your …
What is Precipitation? Precipitation is part of the water cycle. Precipitation is when the liquid water falls to the ground. This happens when a cloud becomes heavy and all the water will fall to the ground. There are three different types of precipitation. Rain, snow, sleet, and hail. We are going to talk about each …
What is Lead Contamination? Lead (pronounced l-e-d) contamination is when Lead, a poisonous chemical gets into the water that we drink or take baths in. Water can dissolve materials very easily. This is bad because Lead in our pipes leaks into the water. Some pipes that bring water into our homes are made out of …
What is the Internet? The Internet is what you are using right NOW to read this blog post! The Internet is a series of computers that are linked together. Today, millions of computers are linked together around the world! Internet can be accessed everywhere from your house, to your school, to your local library! Servers …
Naturally- Harnessed Electricity! Naturally- Harnessed electricity means that electricity is created in the natural world. Naturally-harnessed electricity can not be controlled by humans. This type of electricity happens naturally without any human interference. Some examples are lightning and static electricty. Human-Harnessed Electricity! Human-harnessed electricity means that the electricity is produced or made by humans. Humans …
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This blog post is another a debate showdown! We take topics and make them into a debate!! Today’s topic is… Tornadoes vs. Thunderstorms. Which one is more interesting or cooler? Please send us what side you agree with by going to www.spectacularsci.com/debateform and fill out our form! Tornadoes Tornadoes are a rotating column of air that spins …
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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). …
What is a Tornado? Tornadoes are a rotating column of air that spins very fast. They are made up of a giant cloud that stretches from above to the ground. Tornadoes can have violent winds and lots of rain. Tornadoes can do lots of damage, so it is important to take shelter during a tornado. …
This blog post is another a debate showdown! We take topics and make them into a debate!! Today’s topic is… Spring vs. Fall (Autumn)! Remember, please send us what side you agree with going to www.spectacularsci.com/debateform and fill out our form! Seasons Seasons are differences in the Earth’s orbit around the Sun. The Earth is slightly tilted. that …
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Plants Plants and trees are all around us. They are the grass you run on and the trees that are towering above you. Trees are large plants that have a long life cycle. That’s why they are so big. The parts of trees are roots, the trunk, branches, and leaves. The leaves take in carbon …
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This blog post is another a debate showdown! We take topics and make them into a debate!! Today’s topic is… Neon vs. Helium! This is a special debate because Neon and Helium are Noble Gases. They do not mix well with other elements. Remember, please send us what side you agree with going to www.spectacularsci.com/debateform and fill out …
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What are Seasons? Seasons are differences in the Earth’s orbit around the Sun. The Earth is slightly tilted. that is what causes the seasons! Places around the Earth experience the same seasons, but they might not all feel the same. Today, I am going to explain the main seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall (Autumn), and Winter. …
What is 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. How Can We …
This blog post is another a debate showdown! We take topics and make them into a debate!! Today’s topic is… Regular Birds vs. Hummingbirds! Hummingbirds and regular birds have some things that make them different. Remember, please send us what side you agree with going to www.spectacularsci.com/debateform and fill out our form! Birds (Examples: hawks, crows, sparrows) Birds …
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This blog post is another a debate showdown! We take topics and make them into a debate!! Today’s topic is… Solar Eclipses vs. Lunar Eclipses! Remember, please send us what side you agree with going to www.spectacularsci.com/debateform and fill out our form! Solar Eclipses A Solar Eclipse is a natural phenomenon when the Moon blocks part of or …
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Airplanes Airplanes are machines that can fly with engine or propeller power. They are able to use aerodynamics (how air and objects move) to fly. Airplanes make it so that we can travel around the world in just a few hours! Airplanes can coke in all shapes and sizes like the tiny airplanes that you …
This blog post is another a debate showdown! We take topics and make them into a debate!! Today’s topic is… Physical Changes vs. Chemical Changes! Remember, please send us what side you agree with going to www.spectacularsci.com/debateform and fill out our form! Chemical Changes! Chemical changes are changes in the molecular structure of a substance. Usually in a …
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People Try to Fly!! Birds have inspired humans with their ability to fly! Humans have been trying to attach man-made wings and have been trying to fly like birds. Even though we have airplanes and helicopters, we will not be able to flap wings to fly. How Do Birds Fly? Birds don’t just fly because …
How Do Hummingbirds Hover? If you have not seen a hummingbird before, it is a tiny bird and it… HOVERS in place like a helicopter!??!! That is the hummingbird’s specialty! Hummingbirds can hover for two reasons. One is the bones that are in a hummingbird wing. Most birds have arm bones in their wings, but …
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This blog post is another a debate showdown! We take topics and make them into a debate!! Today’s topic is… Solar Cells vs. Wind Turbines. Remember, please send us what side you agree with going to www.spectacularsci.com/debateform and fill out our form! Solar Cells Solar Cells are a sheet filled with hundreds of tiny receptors that are sensitive …
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Migration of Animals Migration is when an animal goes from one place to another to escape climate patterns, to escape seasonal predators, or to find more food. Migration is key to survival to some animals! Why Do Birds Migrate? There are 2 known reasons birds migrate. One is to find more food! Plants and insects …
What are Flowers? Flowers are an assortment of petals and pollen that a plant produces to reproduce. The pollen of a flower contains the genetic information to make seeds and new plants. Besides being pretty, flowers actually make fruits possible! A fruit is what is left after a flower dies and sugar is put into …
What is Run-Off? Run-off is when precipitation (snow, rain sleet, or hail) hits the ground and drains into rivers, lakes, and oceans. This run-off is what causes accumulations or build-ups of water. Run-off is also a cause of Erosion, which can break down and carry rocks to different places. How is Run-Off Benificial? Millions of …
What is Weathering? Weathering is the breaking down of rock by many natural agents like water, wind, and gravity. There are two types of weathering: Mechanical and Chemical Weathering. Mechanical Weathering: Mechanical Weathering is when rocks are broken down WITHOUT a chemical change. They are changing their physical properties. Mechanical weathering can split rocks in …
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What is Paper? You use paper just about everywhere you go! Paper has been around for thousands of years. Paper is just old trees that have been mashed up and their fibers have been separated. Fibers are tiny hooks or barbs that keep things together. Once they have the mixture of old trees, the join …
What are Sand Dunes? Have you ever seen a picture of a desert? Did the picture have these sand “waves”? Those wavy hill structures are called Sand Dunes. Sand Dunes are big hill-like piles of sand or soil that get blown by the wind or can be impacted by other living animals. How Do Sand …
What are Sinkholes? Sinkholes are large holes in the ground that form when water seeps into the ground. Limestone, a type of rock can dissolve very easily in water. As the water seeps into the cracks on the ground, it dissolves the limestone rock under the surface. The limestone becomes weak and creates a hole …
The three states of Matter are solids, liquids, and gases. This will cover how the molecules will look like when they are in these different forms. Solids The molecules in solids are very solid. They barely have room to move! Imagine a cluster of balls in a box squished together. The molecules are close to …
Solid Water can be a solid! Water can be solid when the molecules in the water are packed tightly together. This usually happens when the water gets cold. A great example of this is… ICE! Ice is water in its solid state. Liquid Water can be a liquid! That is what we usually think of …
To learn more, check out this article about the SPG nerves! What is a Brain Freeze? A brain freeze is an informal term for Sphenopalatine Ganglion Neuralgia. It is when the blood vessels in your brain expand to cause a headache! This is all caused SPG nerves. These nerves are at the back of your …
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What are Airplanes? Airplanes are machines that can fly with engine or propeller power. They are able to use aerodynamics (how air and objects move) to fly. Airplanes make it so that we can travel around the world in just a few hours! Airplanes can coke in all shapes and sizes like the tiny airplanes …
What are SPG Nerves? SPG nerves or the sphenopalatine ganglion are a bundle of nerves located on the roof of your mouth. These nerves are very sensitive to cold things. This is what causes a brain freeze. The SPG nerves can actually make your blood vessels in your brain expand when the nerves get cold! …
What are Earthquakes and How Do They Happen? Earthquakes are energy that is released in the tectonic plate boundaries. Tectonic plates are giant slabs of rock that move around! The crust (outermost layer of the Earth) is made up of these tectonic plates. These tectonic plates can get stuck. When they do this, lots of …
This blog post is another a debate showdown! We take topics and make them into a debate!! Today’s topic is… Viruses vs. Bacteria. Remember, please send us what side you agree with going to www.spectacularsci.com/debateform and fill out our form! Viruses! A virus is infectious object that depends on living organisms’ cells to multiply. They are bad for …
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What are Trees and How Do They Help The World? Trees are large plants that have a long life cycle. That’s why they are so big. The parts of trees are roots, the trunk, branches, and leaves. The leaves take in Carbon dioxide and sunlight. The roots suck up water and nutrients. That is then …
What is Our Solar System? The Solar System is a system of planets, comets, dwarf planets, dust, gas, and asteroids that orbit the Sun. The Solar System is a giant pancake of gases. What Does Our Solar System Contain? The Solar System contains the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. These planets …
What are Computers and Who Invented Them? Computers are all around us. From our laptops to our everyday smartphones. A computer is an electronic device that reads and processes data. The father of a computer was Charles Babbage. He came up with the idea but never built it. He called it a tabulating engine. It …
What is REM Sleep? REM Sleep or Rapid Eye Movement Sleep is a very important stage for human health. REM Sleep is the stage when your brain is active, dreams occur, and your eyes move back and forth rapidly under your eyelids. During this stage, your brain is very active! The brain organizes information it learned the …
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What are Fossil Fuels? Fossil fuels are a liquid that is very easy to burn. That means that fossil fuels are flammable. These fuels are formed by decaying plants and animals that have been underground for millions of years. Fossil fuels are organic or natural materials. How are Fossil Fuels Created? Fossil fuels are created …
What are Mountains? Mountains are tall slabs of rock that pop up on the crust. Mountains can be very tall or very small, depending on how they are formed. Mountains can form because of magma cooling or tectonic plate movement. We are going to tell you about both! How do Mountains Form? Mountains can form …
What is a River Delta? A River Delta is a type of wetland where a river flows into a larger body of water like an ocean or lake. Deltas can be different sizes. They can be between a 100 feet to 500 miles!! Delatas are some of most Biodiverse landforms! Biodiverse means that there is …
Visible Light Spectrum The Visible light spectrum is the different colors in the white light that we see. The different colors are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. You can see these colors by bending light with a prism or with water. The Blue Sky! The sky is blue because the molecules (building …
What is Neon? Neon (Ne) is a colorless and odorless gas that makes up 18% of the air that we breathe! Neon is a noble gas, which means that it does not mix well with other elements. Neon has specific power. It produces light! How Do Neon Signs Work? Neon signs produce a red glow. …
What is Helium? Helium (He) is an element that is found all over the universe. It is the second most-abundant element in the universe! It is also the second lightest element in the universe. It is lighter than the air that we breathe, so it always escapes from Earth’s atmosphere. Helium is called a “Noble …
What is Erosion? Erosion is when wind, water, or other natural agent wears away at rock and takes it to a new place. This take millions of years to happen. As the wind or water etches away agt the rock, the pieces of soil or rock that come off get carried to someplace new. Erosion …
What is a Microphone? A microphone is a device that makes sound waves into electrical signals. These electrical signals are stored inside of a computer or other recording device. FUN FACT: I actually use a podcast microphone to record my podcast! The microphone’s signals can go to two places: (1) to a computer or other …
What is Green Energy? Green Energy means a way to make power without polluting the atmosphere. Most power plants today use coal and gasoline to generate electricity. When they burn coal and gasoline, it creates Carbon Dioxide (CO2) which is a Greenhouse Gas. This means that it traps the Sun’s energy in the atmosphere and …
What is Pollution? Pollution is when humans and other animals cause harm to environment. They can spill harmful chemicals or throw waste everywhere. Pollution can cause harm to the living things on Earth. There are 3 main types of pollution: land pollution, water pollution, and air pollution. We are going to talk about each type. …
What is the Heart? The Heart is a part of your body that pumps blood around your body. This helps all of your other body parts like your brain function. The Heart also regulates the Blood Pressure (BP). If the Blood Pressure is high, that means you are exercising a lot at the moment. If …
What are Telescopes? 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. How Do Telescopes Work? Telescopes work using light. Light is …
What are Vascular Plants? Vascular plants are plants that have a series of tubes running through their stem/trunk to their leaves. These tubes or veins are what a plant uses to transport nutrients through it. A plant with roots is also considered a vascular plant because it roots are tubes that carry water and nutrients. …
REMEMBER, NEVER EVER use fire related products WITHOUT an ADULT’s help!!! 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 …
What are Clouds? Clouds are made up of frozen water droplets that float high in the air. They make the cloud’s fluffy coating. There actually different types of clouds that all bring different weather. Cumulus Clouds Cumulus clouds are fluffy, white clouds that float high in the sky. They usually mean that the day is …
Side Note!!: Roy G. Biv is the acronym for the colors of a rainbow! What are Rainbows? Rainbows are optical illusions that happen when light bends in water droplets and splits into different colors. Those colors are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. White light is made out of all these colors!! How …
What is Titan? Titan is the second-largest moon in the Solar System. Titan orbits around Saturn every 16 Earth days. Titan has entire oceans and seas of liquid Methane, a gas that is so cold that it turns into a liquid! Titan also has a lot of empty rivers that were carved out by a …
What is 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. Europa Water Mystery Scientists …
We are writing a special blog post that has 10 FUN Facts!! So without further ado, the FUN Fact session!! FUN Facts!!! Did you know that… if you stacked up all of the viruses in the world, it would be tall enough to reach the Moon!!! Did you know that… the Grand Canyon in Arizona …
What are Sound Waves? 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!! Sound Waves work like this: First, an object or person has to make …
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What is the Sun? The Sun is the center of the Solar System. The Sun is a star, just like all of the tiny glowing dots you see in the sky at night. The Sun is the closest star to Earth and all of the planets in the Solar System. Why is the Sun important …
This blog post is another a debate showdown! We take topics and make them into a debate!! Today’s topic is… Oxygen vs. Carbon Dioxide. Remember, please send us what side you agree with going to www.spectacularsci.com/debateform and fill out our form! Oxygen Oxygen or O2 is a chemical found in the universe. Humans need Oxygen …
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What is 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. Water gives living things …
What is Penicillin? Penicillin is a type of Fungus that was used to treat bacterial infections. Bacterial infections are when bacteria infect the cells in your body. Penicillin is also known as Penicillium Notatum. This is a type of mold that can stop the growth of bacteria! The discovery of this “mold juice” is what …
What are Cells? Cells are the makeup of every living thing! There are two types of cells: plant and animal cells. We are going to talk about Cells in general. Cells make energy by getting Carbon in the form of sugar. Depending on the organism, it make it’s own food or eat food to survive. …
What is Permafrost? Permafrost, also known as Permanent Frost, is a layer of ice that stays frozen all year round. The Permafrost is mostly found near the North and South Poles. This ice is made of Water and Methane (CH4). When Methane is cooled, it becomes very hard to melt. This is what Permafrost is. …
How Do Pressure Cookers Cook Food? Pressure cookers use the pressure of water vapor or steam trapped inside of a closed container to cook food like rice. As the water inside of the cooker starts to boil, it turns from liquid to a gas. This gas is called water vapor. As the water vapor rises, …
This blog post is a debate showdown! We take topics and make them into a debate!! Today’s topic is…Viruses – Are they alive or not? Viruses are Living! Viruses are living because they are able to reproduce, just like other living things. They reproduce by injecting their DNA and RNA makeup into a host cell. …
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What are Bacteria? Bacteria are single-celled organisms or living things. They are also called microorganisms. They are called this because microorganisms are living things that can not be seen with the naked eye. Bacteria can be good for you or bad for you. We are going to learn about the good and bad about bacteria. …
Check out our episode about Yeast!! What is Yeast? Yeast is a eukaryote, a living thing, like us, and is a type of fungi. The cool thing about yeast is that it is a unicellular organism, or single-celled, but it has characteristics and can be compared to multicellular organisms like us humans. Is Yeast Living?? …
The Greenhouse Effect is what climate change is caused by. This effect is when gases like Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and Methane (CH4) are released into the atmosphere. These gases, also known as greenhouse gases trap the heat that the Sun beams out inside of Earth’s atmosphere. This causes the Earth to get hotter and hotter. …
NOTE: Check out our episode about the Nervous System!! What is the Nervous System? The nervous system is the collection of all the nerves in your body and its function is to receive and send information on what’s going with the body. The nervous system includes your brain and spinal cord. Your brain and spinal …
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What are Auroras? 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!”. How do Auroras Happen? Auroras happen because of “solar winds”. The Sun releases a bunch …
NOTE: Check out our episode about Matter!! What is a Non-Newtonian Fluid? A Non-Newtonian fluid is a substance that behaves like a solid and a liquid! If force is applied to the fluid, it is turned into a solid and if force is taken off the fluid, it becomes a liquid. How do Non-Newtonian Fluids …
What are White Blood Cells? White Blood Cells are cells in your body that are part of the Immune System. The Immune System is your body’s inner defense system. They hunt down viruses and bacteria and help clean them up. What do White Blood Cells do? White Blood Cells hunt down and get rid of …
What are Sound Waves? 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!! How do Sound Waves Work? First, an object or person has to make …
On this post, you are going to learn what a group of specific animals are called (Ex. Cows is called a herd) A group of _____ is called… (Animals have been picked randomly) A group of… Cows: Herd A group of… Ants: Colony A group of… Spiders: Clutter or Clusters A group of… Hippos: Bloat …
NOTE: Check out our episode about Thunderstorms!! How Does Lightning Happen? First, we have to start off with a storm cloud. Tiny pieces of ice, which are actually frozen water droplets, clash around inside of the storm cloud. This clashing makes an electric charge that is then stored inside of the cloud. The positively charged …
The water cycle is like an amusement park ride for water. It is why it rains and why there is water in the ocean. Evaporation: Evaporation is when water evaporates from the ground. This is when the sunlight heats the water and turns it into a gas called water vapor. Condensation: Condensation is when the …
How Does A Refrigerator Work? A Refrigerator is a device that keeps food inside of it cool to preserve it. Here is how a Refrigerator works. First, a fluid called Refrigerant is pumped from a container in the back of the Fridge. This Refrigerant gets pumped through the pipes inside of the cooling compartment (where …
NOTE: To learn more, check out our episode about DNA!! What is DNA? Deoxyribonucleic acid or for short DNA is what tells the cells in our body what to do and how to function. DNA is in all of the cells in our body. Where is DNA found in cells? DNA lives inside chromosomes which are inside …
Since 2020 is almost over, this blog post is to honor all of the Space events that happened in 2020. Here is the list: Total Solar Eclipse could be visible over South America Lunar Eclipse over North America Lots of Meteor showers were visible all over the world Summer: Days get longer The Great Conjunction …
What are Tectonic Plates? Tectonic Plates are slabs of rock that are part of the crust, or the Earth’s outermost layer. Tectonic Plates helped form continents and mountains millions of years ago. Continents are still moving around the world!! This is because of Tectonic Plate movement. Earthquakes are also caused by Tectonic Plates. When the …
NOTE: Check out our episode about Climate Change to learn more! What is Climate Change? Climate Change is when the Earth’s temperature changes because of the environment. The temperature is changing because of Greenhouse Gases. These gases are produced whenever we burn stuff like gasoline for our cars. These gases trap the heat from the …
What is the Internal Combustion Engine? The Internal Combustion Engine is a real mouthful to say. The Internal Combustion Engine is a mechanism found in trucks, cars, and some trains! The Internal Combustion engine, or I.C.E, as I like to call it helps the vehicle’s wheels move. How Does The Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) Work? …
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NOTE: Check out our article about Plants and Trees!! Introduction Trees are living things, just like us. They are called organisms. You’ves seen that some trees lose all of their leaves in the Fall and go dormant or in a resting stage in the Winter. Only some trees do this weird behavior. We are going …
Even though we use microwaves in our kitchens every day, it is still very fascinating once you know how these machines work. How Do Microwaves Heat Up Food? Microwaves are a very complicated machine, but let me break it down for you. First, there is a device inside of the microwave called a Magnetron. This …
Reflection Reflection is the first property of light. This is when light bounces off a surface. Did you know that every time you see something, light is reflecting off the thing you are looking at! Light can bounce off smooth surfaces in a much orderly way and you can see your reflection on the surface, …
NOTE: Check out our episode about Planet Earth!! What are the layers of the Earth? Believe it or not, the Earth has layers just like an onion! Let’s start at the top. The part we walk on is called the crust. It is a thin layer that harbors life. Next, is the mantle. This layer …
December 2020’s Space Events The cosmic events will be listed below with the dates. If you get to see these events, send us pictures at spectacularsci.com/contact. December 13-14: The Geminids Meteor Shower will reach its maximum number of meteors December 14: A total Solar Eclipse will be visible in South America December 21-22: Ursids Meteor …
NOTE: This image has been zoomed in for maximum quality. What is the “Christmas Star”? The Christmas Star or the Great Conjunction is when Jupiter and Saturn get the closest in their orbit around the Sun. This only happens every 800 years, so this is a very rare event! The two planets look like a giant …
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NOTE: Check out this episode about Jupiter! What is Jupiter? Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun. It comes after the Asteroid Belt. 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 Giant Numbers of …
What is a virus? A virus is infectious object that depends on living organisms’ cells to multiply. They are bad for living organisms and take over cells. What do viruses do to make us sick? Viruses infect a body and travel to a cell and inject it’s DNA code into the cell which will make the virus …
NOTE: Check out our episode on Matter to learn more! NOTE: We have wrote about Physical Changes of Matter. Please check it out! Matter Matter is anything that takes up space in the universe. Everything is made of atoms, which are tiny packets of material. Matter comes in three states: solids, liquids, and gases. What …
NOTE: Check out our episode on Matter to learn more! NOTE: We are going to write about Chemical Changes of Matter tomorrow! Matter Matter is anything that takes up space in the universe. Everything is made of atoms, which are tiny packets of material. Matter comes in three states: solids, liquids, and gases. What are …
What is a Lunar Eclipse? A Lunar Eclipse is when the Moon moves into the Earth’s shadow. The Sun is shining on the Earth and the Moon is behind the Earth. This causes the Moon to appear like it has changed color! Does the Moon Really Change Color? No, the Moon does NOT change color. …
What is a Solar Eclipse? A Solar Eclipse is a natural phenomenon when the Moon blocks part of or the full Sun when viewed from Earth. Solar Eclipses only happen about 2-4 times every year. This includes from different parts of the world! Total Solar Eclipses are very rare. NOTE: Remember, Solar Eclipses and Lunar …
All About Saturn Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun. It is a gas giant which means it is mostly made out of thick gases. Some of those gases are Hydrogen and Methane. It has about 62 moons and more waiting for confirmation. Saturn is the second most largest planet in the Solar System. …
What are Stars? Stars are giant balls of gas in space. The stars are very hot! They can be up to 800,000 degrees fahrenheit! Our own Sun is also a star. It supplies us with light and heat. How do Stars Get So Hot? This is how stars get very hot. A star is filled …
Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is a terrestrial planet which means it is made out of rocks and metals. It is named after the Roman God of War. The days and seasons on Mars are similar to the days and seasons on Earth. A year on Mars is 687 Earth …
The Moon Our moon is a natural satellite. This is a natural object that orbits or circles around a planet or star. The moon is believed to have been an irregular piece of our planet that got knocked off by a comet. The moon has a very light atmosphere called an exosphere. The moon also …
What is dry ice? Dry ice is not just regular ice, it is special! Dry ice is the solid or frozen form of Carbon Dioxide. This means that the gas called Carbon Dioxide was frozen in sub-zero temperatures. It is almost 5 times colder than water ice! Dry ice can result in serious frostbite, so …
On Uranus & Neptune, it rains… diamonds?!?!! You might think that it only rains diamonds in fairy tales or movies, but it turns out that it actually rains diamonds on Uranus and Neptune! These diamonds fall towards the cores of these planets! These diamonds are not the size of ring diamonds, they are the size …
NOTE: Check out our blog post called Cloud Aliens on Venus!!! This is an update to that post. What Did Scientists Find That Made Them Say That Life Is On Venus??? Scientists thought earlier that the clouds of Venus contained a chemical called Phosphine. Phosphine is when one Phosphorus atom is bonded or connected to three Hydrogen atoms. …
What is a cheetah? A cheetah is a mammal that mostly lives in the African Savanna. It is covered in spots and has black markings under its eyes. Cheetahs are in the genus or family Panthera. They are related to big cats like tigers and lions. Cheetah Speed!!! Cheetahs are the fastest land animal on …
Owls? What are they? Owls are nocturnal birds that live on every continent, except Antarctica. They are flying birds that eat small rodents and other small birds. Owls are carnivores, meaning that they ONLY eat meat. The Superpowers of Owls!! Owls are almost like superheroes! They have many amazing powers. They have very big eyes …
Continue reading “The Wise Owls: All About the Amazing Owls!!!”
The radio telescope Event Horizon Telescope captured a image of a black hole!! The radio telescope (EHT) collected data about a black hole and the scientists decided that data and made it into an image!! It detected the X-ray light and Visible light from the Event Horizon of the black hole and scientists made that …
New Update On This Scientific Study! Read the post “Cloud Aliens on Venus? Maybe Not!” here! × Dismiss alert Believe it or not, there might be microbial life in the clouds on Venus! Scientists have found microbes, or tiny living organisms in the clouds of Venus. Scientists have detected phosphine. Phosphine is when one phosphorous …
We are going to learn about “the big red planet” called Mars! Introduction About Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is a terrestrial planet which means it is made out of rocks and metals. It is named after the Roman God of War. The days and seasons on Mars are similar …
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