Top 5 Facts: The solar system
The solar system formed about 4.6 billion years ago, when part of a giant molecular cloud experienced a gravitational collapse. The centre became the Sun, which comprises more than 99 per cent of the solar...
Category: Space
Solar eclipse 2015: The facts you need to know
On 20 March, the UK will experience one of nature’s most amazing spectacles, a solar eclipse. This happens when the Moon moves in front of the Sun for a few minutes, blocking its light and...
Top 5 Facts: Venus
1) Venus has phases like a moon When closest to the Earth, Venus appears bright and crescent-shaped. When it is further away, the planet is dim and round. 2) It rotates backwards Venus has a retrograde,...
Why are all the planets round?
Planets are basically round because of the way that gravity works – if you imagine all of a planet’s mass concentrated at its core, then it’s pulling with equal force in every direction. Provided...
What are hot Jupiters?
Learn about the gas giants that like to live dangerously close to their parent stars…
What did Felix Baumgartner see on his record-breaking jump?
Check out this amazing video courtesy of Baumgartner’s GoPro camera as he dived from 39km above Earth!
Are polar auroras stronger at the North Pole?
They are one of the most spectacular displays in nature, but where’s the best place to see them?
How do planets form?
Astrophysicist Eric Ford from Pennsylvania State University discusses our current understanding of planet origins
