Issues in astronomy

ASTRONOMY

It is the study of celestial objects such as: stars, planets, comets, nebulae, star clusters, and galaxies, it is one of the oldest  sciences  and concerned  with the revolution physics, chemistry, meteorology, and motion of celestial objects, as well as the formation and development of the universe.ASTROPHYSICS refers to the branch of astronomy; is the study of the physical processes which control matter and energy in the universe. And it is also the study of physical universe beyond the Earth’s atmosphere including the process of mapping locations and properties of the matter and radiation of the universe.As what i have research ancients before watched stars and  memorized their positions and if there is a new star appeared they record it to their star map.Today astronomers used telescopes to study stars ,planets and galaxies. Astronomers are scientists who study all objects in the universe, they use ground-base telescope like, launch spaces probes that visits other planets in the solar system, and satellite into spaces to study the universe from up above the earth's atmosphere.They study  and analyses the radiation on earth or its vicinity from constituent part of the universe.

The invention of the optical telescope greatly enhanced our view of the night sky, revealing spectacular details of the Moon and planets, and masses of previously unseen stars and nebulae.Spacecraft carry telescopes and other astronomical instruments above the Earth's atmosphere, and to other planets in our solar system. This has created whole new branches of astronomy such as X-ray and Gamma-ray astronomy. These instruments that they invented had help us people a lot like for example the radio telescopes that detect radio objects that are extremely far away and are hard or impossible to see optically, Ultraviolet is used to learn the composition of stars, Infrared is the part of the near-optical spectrum we perceive as heat rays, and these are emitted by stellar objects such as the Sun and there is so much more like X-ray, gamma rays and neutrinos.This inventions help us a lot because it help us know what is beyond our planet, if the other planet can produce life and if we can able to live there.We can able to study the stars and comets, what are they made of. I just hope that this inventions will not be the one who will destroy the peoples life.

Planet in the Solar System

SOLAR SYSTEM

The ancients believe that there were just seven planets including the: Sun, Moon, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn and was believed that these planets were very important in the affairs of mankind. The astrological study of their positions among the stars at the moment of one’s birth was supposed to give information about his/her fate. The general character of a person was thought to be determined by which planet she/he was “born under” according to the calculations of astrologers, such superstitions continue in modern time.

As what i have studied and read, I conclude that there is more information behind the solar system that I read a while ago and part of it is the origin of the solar system. It began with a cloud of interstellar gas and or dust is disturbed and collapses under its own gravity. The disturbance could be, for example, the shock wave from a nearby supernova. And then as the cloud collapses, it heats up and compresses in the center. It heats enough for the dust to vaporize. The initial collapse is supposed to take less than 100,000 years.

        The Solar System is composed only of solid proto planetary bodies and gas giants. The gas cools off enough for the metal, rock and ice to condense out into tiny particles. The metals condense almost as soon as the accretion disk forms; the rock condenses a bit later. We all know that the solar system was composed of 8 planets, let’s all know first the inner planets, the nearest in the sun is Mercury the smallest planet, next to mercury is Venus which is the hottest planet, Earth is the largest and densest of the inner planets, and Mars is smaller than Earth and Venus, now let’s go to the outer planets which is Jupiter composed of largely of hydrogen and helium , Saturn second largest moon in the solar system, Uranus is the lightest of the outer planets, and Neptune smaller than Uranus. Now I have learned more about our solar system.

 

glaciers and icebergs

1.   glaciers -A huge mass of ice slowly flowing over a land mass, formed from compacted snow in an area where snow accumulation exceeds melting and sublimation.

   Glaciers are formed in high mountains or around the polar region. During the winter the snow piles up and the glacier grows. But during the summer some of the snow melts and evaporates. Year after year the snow piles up in layers. The increasing weight causes the snow crystals under the surface to become compact and turn into grainlike pellets called firn. At depths of 50 feet the firn is compressed further into dense crystals of glacial ice.
     As years pass the slab of ice gets bigger and grows thicker and becomes too big to stand still. The ice starts to move down the hill. When the ice moves it is called a glacier.
    During the summer some of the snow and ice melts but in some areas of the glacier the temperature doesn’t rise high enough to melt the snow and ice. Glaciers may also increase and decrease in size because of the changes in the climate around the glacier.

  icebergs- A massive floating body of ice broken away from a glacier. Only about 10 percent of its mass is above the surface of the water.

         Most icebergs come from glaciers that break off into the sea. Glaciers are formed in the polar regions where snow falls almost constantly. This snow does not get the chance to melt completely and the water that does melt turns into compacted ice. Most icebergs in the North Atlantic Sea are formed by the tidewater glaciers of Greenland. As the tide rises and falls it wears through the ice close to the sea and large chucks of ice break free and become icebergs. Some glaciers do not reach the ocean, but rather end in deep sided valleys known as fiords. Large pieces of ice break off the glacier into the fiords and travel down steam into the ocean. The largest icebergs on earth are found around Antarctica where huge chunks of ice as big as Rhode Island have been observed floating in the ocean around the continent. 

                                                                     Parts

The region near the head of the glacier where snow is converted to firn and then ice is called the zone of accumulation.  The region near the foot of the glacier is called the zone of ablation; this is where ice is lost by melting, evaporation or calving (to make icebergs).  Separating the accumulation zone from the ablation zone is the equilibrium line. The equilibrium line is located at the equilibrium line altitude (ELA).

                                                              Classification of glaciers

Glaciers are of four chief types. Valley, or mountain, glaciers are tongues of moving ice sent out by mountain snowfields following valleys originally formed by streams. In the Alps there are more than 1,200 valley glaciers. Piedmont glaciers, which occur only in high latitudes, are formed by the spreading of valley glaciers where they emerge from their valleys or by the confluence of several valley glaciers. Small ice sheets known as ice caps are flattened, somewhat dome-shaped glaciers spreading out horizontally in all directions and cover mountains and valleys. Continental glaciers are huge ice sheets whose margins may break off to form icebergs (see iceberg). The only existing continental glaciers are the ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica, but during glacial periods they were far more widespread. Glaciers may be classified as warm or cold depending on whether their temperatures are above or below -10°C (14°F). 

                                                             Classification of icebergs

Non-tabular:

• Dome: An iceberg with a rounded top.
• Pinnacle: An iceberg with one or more spires.
• Wedge: An iceberg with a steep edge on one side and a slope on the opposite side.
• Dry-Dock: An iceberg that has eroded to form a slot or channel.
• Blocky: An iceberg with steep, vertical sides and a flat top. It differs from tabular icebergs in that its shape is more like a block than a flat sheets                                                               

                                                                     Famous glaciers

1.The largest glacier in Europe is the Jostedal Glacier. It covers about 300 sq. miles (780 sq. kilometers). 

2.A notable glacier in Asia is the Muzart Glacier.  It covers 1,036,000 kilometers (400,000 sq. miles), the size equal to the Rocky Mountains in the United States. It has the length of about 2,414 kilometers (about 1,500 miles). It has the width of 320 to 480 kilometers (about 200 to 300 miles). Major glaciers also cover the region in North America.   

3.The largest and most famous glacier is Malaspina Glacier on Yakutat Bay in Alaska. It covers 2,176 kilometers (840 sq. miles). But the biggest glacier in the world is the ice sheet on Antarctica. This glacier covers 13 million sq. kilometers (about 5 million sq. miles). The second biggest glacier in the world is the ice sheet on Greenland. It covers 1.8 million sq. kilometers (about 700,000 sq. miles). It is over 2,700 meters in thickness (more than 9,000 feet). Right now a lot of the glaciers are shrinking because of global warming.

 

                                                                          Animals

Penguins

• Penguins are one of the more famous animals that live on glaciers and icebergs. The Emperor penguin lives on the ice in Antarctica, even though it spends a lot of time in the water. Penguins mate and raise their young on land but hunt for fish in the cold Antarctic seas. Their sleek bodies are perfectly suited to swimming, and they have many adaptations such as a dense layer of feathers to conserve their body heat.

Seals

• Seals are a sea mammal that lives on ice packs in the frozen seas in the Arctic. Like penguins, seals hunt in the cold seas but have their pups on top of the ice. Seals may gather on large icebergs or on the packed ice around land. Some species of seal such as the Weddell seal blows air under the ice to create air pockets to breathe from so that they can stay under the thick ice longer.

Polar Bears

• Polar bears are one of the few mammals that lives on glaciers and ice in arctic regions. The polar bear hunts seals, fish and other sea life. Their thick fur, fat deposits and wide paws make them ideally suited to living in ice and snow.

Importance of Coral reef and Mangroves

   

    The world under the sea is beautiful .As some of as know it contains of innumerable marine habitat and sustaining life of colorful aquatic living organism and one of the major aquatic life are coral reef.

   Coral Reef are often called the rain forest of the sea and termed as a type of  living, marine organism which secrete calcium carbonate, it can also reproduce either sexually or as. Like humans, coral reefs make their own ecosystems and also many organisms depend on coral reefs for life and shelter.Base on my own research coral reefs are important because it has so many uses , this can be the source of medicines that has not been discovered yet and there's so many creatures that live here like fish that we depend on for food.Coral Reef provides also income from tourist to the poor countries around the world.And I must say that it is important to protect our Coral Reef because it can't be replace and reefs are also formed by tiny animals called "coral".Each animal is tinier than your pinky nail and grows very slowly for only 1 centimeter a year. The coral reef that we have right now were formed 100s thousand of years and it would take us so many years to grow them back.

      Mangroves like coral reefs it is one of the coastal resource ecosystem found at the crossroad between land and seas,it is important because it protects our coastlines and coastal communities from waves, typhoons and tidal currents. As what i have read mangroves are very useful in some many ways, it provides nourishment and habitat,it also refresh our air through the production of oxygen and assimilation of carbon dioxide, absorb air and water pollution especially organic waste and provide wholesome shoreline landscape.Mangroves also serve as the nursery area of shrimps ,crustaceans, mollusk, fishes and especially birds.Mangroves can also be our source of wood, charcoal, alcohol and firewood.And now we know that this trees are very helpful to us, but not only to us humans also in all the living organisms that is needing it.
     I just hope that we all take good care of this and let us love and help our mother earth  and plant a mangrove in our coasts and river banks.Hope we will all see that this small things really give us big help so let us not destroy it instead let us care and love it.

Importance of the Earth's Hydrosphere

This refers to the portion of the earth that is composed of water. As far as we all know among the other planets only the earth have the right distance from the sun to have temperatures that are suitable for life to exist, this is the only planet that is able to support life. The earth is also called 'Blue Planet' because it is surrounded by water which make it very unique. The hydrosphere of the earth is composed of three(3) components (lithosphere)the water and continental crust, (atmosphere)the air that envelopes the planet, (biosphere)the land. All of us take for granted the earth's hydrosphere without knowing that it is what keeping us alive now. Hydrosphere is important because it provides animals a place where they can live in, it also provides food for them. This is also important for humans especially water ,because water has  so many purpose in human life ,maybe for drinking purpose, washing and cleaning. Water can also be used to generate electricity through hydro power. This is very important because it is where we all live. On earth water exist in the three(3) primary states of mater: liquid, solid and gas. The earth's hydrosphere is important it is because we all need water to live, all of the organisms need water to survive, especially us humans and all that may come out from the water can be really useful to us like fish, seaweeds and other that can be use for food.

As far as I have known the earth’s hydrosphere is not really all about the body of water of the earth, this includes the clouds, inland seas, lake , rivers, and underground waters; which is very important. We must put in our minds that the earth’s hydrosphere is important because if it’s not here then maybe life doesn’t exist and that all of this must put together or work as one  because if one is not or gone this might not work or function well. This is important because of its useful parts and as I have said before it is very helpful to us but then we all destroy it and take it for granted but then in the end it’s going to be us who’ll suffer I wish that we all realize that if all this will be gone then all of us will be gone too.

Importance of the Earth's Hydrosphere

This refers to the portion of the earth that is composed of water. As far as we all know among the other planets only the earth have the right distance from the sun to have temperatures that are suitable for life to exist, this is the only planet that is able to support life. The earth is also called 'Blue Planet' because it is surrounded by water which make it very unique. The hydrosphere of the earth is composed of three(3) components (lithosphere)the water and continental crust, (atmosphere)the air that envelopes the planet, (biosphere)the land. All of us take for granted the earth's hydrosphere without knowing that it is what keeping us alive now. Hydrosphere is important because it provides animals a place where they can live in, it also provides food for them. This is also important for humans especially water ,because water has  so many purpose in human life ,maybe for drinking purpose, washing and cleaning. Water can also be used to generate electricity through hydro power. This is very important because it is where we all live. On earth water exist in the three(3) primary states of mater: liquid, solid and gas. The earth's hydrosphere is important it is because we all need water to live, all of the organisms need water to survive, especially us humans and all that may come out from the water can be really useful to us like fish, seaweeds and other that can be use for food.

As far as I have known the earth’s hydrosphere is not really all about the body of water of the earth, this includes the clouds, inland seas, lake , rivers, and underground waters; which is very important. We must put in our minds that the earth’s hydrosphere is important because if it’s not here then maybe life doesn’t exist and that all of this must put together or work as one  because if one is not or gone this might not work or function well. This is important because of its useful parts and as I have said before it is very helpful to us but then we all destroy it and take it for granted but then in the end it’s going to be us who’ll suffer I wish that we all realize that if all this will be gone then all of us will be gone too.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Science and Technology

Science: this refers to a system of acquiring knowledge.It comes from the latin word 'Scientia"meaning knowledge.

Science had a branches.
a.) physical science 1.physics 2.astronomy 3.chemistry 4.earth science
b.) biological science 1.botany 2.zoology
Technology:this is the branch of knowledge that deals with mechanical arts or applied sciences comes from the greek word "technologia"

Advantages: Now a days science and technology are very helpful, it is because it makes our life more easy and it help us communicate with or loved one especially those in abroad,it helps us yo know how they were doing.There's do many ways to communicate to our loved one for example: the internet and  the cellphone. the internet has so many used, it can be for enjoyment,for fun,for research,and especially for communication.it makes life safer,makes people more happy, and makes life more comfortable.This make our life in work more easier because of the inventions that are now very helpful to us especially those who are working in the farm.And if not because of technology we will be now ignorant.the students now are very thankful because it make their life more better.

Disadvantages:Even though internet or computer has so many used,this can also destroy our life.Their so many people are now using this for bad intensions.And because of the games,many young people who are addicted to it because of this they don't want to go to school anymore they just want to play all day.Although computer is very helpful it can also destroy one's life.This is where they learned how to cut classes and to gamble and because of this they will not be able to finish their studies.They will not concentrate anymore to their studies but instead they will concentrate in playing games,gamble and not to attend their classes.We must also be concerned about our health,because too much playing computer games can damage our eyes,it is because of the radiation and we all know that our health is very important to us so we must take good care of our health.Science and technology are very helpful to us especially to the students but we must not take this for granted..The  major disadvantages now are the nuclear technology.Technology requires skills and capabilities therefore, their so many people now that are unemployed.