91热爆

Could we eventually live on a different planet other than Earth with the technology we would have in the future?
BRITTANY AND ARIEL, AGE 12, CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA

Answer: The short answer is yes, I believe so. Experiments are being done right now inside things called bio-domes. They are just like big huge greenhouses where people, plants and animals live to see if they can survive without any help from the outside world.

Don't forget that a Russian astronaut has lived in a space station orbiting the Earth for two years, although food and supplies were regularly sent to him.

Hi, I'm doing a research on Ursa Major and I know the myths but, I was wondering, do you know how Ursa Major got its name, and why did they call it that?
DYLAN, AGE 12, CANADA

Answer: Like most of the constellations, Ursa Major got its name because of its shape. Take a look at the whole constellation and you can see that it looks like a four legged animal.

In the case of this constellation, astronomers from many hundreds of years ago thought it looked like a Great Bear and the Latin for this is Ursa Major.

How big is a star nursery?
ANNIKA, AGE 9, AUCKLAND

Answer: Star nurseries come in different sizes. There is one that can be seen without telescopes that is called the Orion Nebula.

It's so big that it takes light 30 years to travel from one side of it to the other. Light can travel 300,000 km in one second so you can see that its pretty big. See the picture below.

A star nursery

Hi Mark, what are radio telescopes and how do they help in observing?
NUPUR DESAI, MUMBA, INDIA

Answer: Light that we see with is just a small part of something called the electromagnetic spectrum! Radio waves are also part of this spectrum but our eyes cannot see the radio waves.

Radio telescopes help us to see objects in 'radio'. They can travel through cloud so we can use radio telescopes when it's cloudy and we can also still use them during the day.

By looking at objects in 'radio' we can learn lots of things that we would never learn by looking at them in normal light.

When making the sundial using your template will it tell the correct time regardless of where I live? Some sundials I have read about say it must be designed for the specific latitude of where I live. Is this correct?
JARED, ANTIGONISH, CANADA

Answer: The 91热爆 Norfolk sundial will only work if you live at a latitude of around 52 degrees. The central part of the sundial, called the Gnomon needs to be made to match your latitude. Click here to see the Sundial make

Is it best to be able to know the sky before stargazing?
DANIEL, AGE 16, SCUNTHORPE

Answer: It's not necessary to know the sky before you start observing. The best thing to do is to buy a planisphere or star map and get out under the stars and start to learn your way around.

Then as you begin to learn your way, you can think about getting binoculars or a telescope so you can start to see more detail. See the information in the Getting started section of this site for other tips to help you on your way.

What sort of size reflector telescope would you need to be able to see the stripes on Jupiter, like the fancy photos we see on telly?
ED, AGE 36, YORKSHIRE

Answer: It will be very hard to see the bands on Jupiter quite like the pictures on television because cameras record more information than the eye can see.

However, it is quite possible to see the bands on Jupiter with a 150mm diameter reflecting telescope.

How do you locate Saturn and Jupiter (with a telescope)?
HANNAH, AGE 15, WALES

Answer: Both Saturn and Jupiter can be seen in the sky now. They do move though so you need to know where to find the information about them.

Take a look at on the internet and it will show you where the planets are in the sky for any time of the year from your village. Alternatively look at the magazine called Astronomy Now.

On Thursday 17 March at about 10.02pm, I saw what to me looked like a rocket (firework) coming down from the sky at about 60 degrees. It had a tail like a shooting star, but was sparkly like a firework.

I was facing towards the north east from Beeston (PE32 2NF). I wondered if you might be able to tell me what I saw?
MIKE

Answer: From your description it sounds like you saw a fireball. Meteors are simply tiny pieces of rock or dust falling into our atmosphere. As they fall they burn up due to frictional forces which causes them to glow.

A fireball is just a big meteor. As they are larger pieces of rock, they will often break up on entry into the atmosphere giving them the sparkly effect you describe.

More answers 禄

Check out more astronomy stuff here 禄