The ancients looked at the heavens and saw shapes of gods and animals in the stars. This was probably due to widespread drug abuse in ancient times. Nevertheless, we still use the names they gave the constellations.
The universe began five thousand years ago with the big bang. All the
matter in existence, which had been compacted in a tiny ball, explosively flew
apart. No one knows what caused it, but kids playing with matches is
suspected.
As the primordial matter spread out, it began to coalesce into the
celestial objects we know today - galaxies, stars, planets and dust bunnies.
TYPES OF GALAXIES
The Phenomenon of Red Shift | |
| Even today, the stars and galaxies continue to fly apart. This
produces a phenomenon called red shift. The further away a
celestial object is, the more it appears to astronomers on Earth to be
shifted toward the red end of the spectrum. Red shift shows increasing totalitarian domination of the outer reaches of the universe. Write your congressman! |
 |
Many theories had to be tried and discarded before our present
understanding of the solar system was achieved. Some primitive peoples, for
example, believed that the world was supported on the back of a tortoise, which
in turn rode on the back of an elephant, which in turn rode in the back of a '56
Chevy Bel Air.
Today we recognize that there are nine planets, each revolving
around the sun.
To understand the relative scale of the solar system, imagine
that the Earth is a tennis ball in the middle of Times Square. Venus, to the
same scale, would be a golf ball in Buffalo. Likewise, Mercury would be a
badminton bird in Pontiac, Michigan, and Mars a hockey puck in Calumet City,
Illinois.
The sun would be the size of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Fort
Lauderdale, Florida. 
The sun and the moon are the two most important heavenly bodies in
our daily lives.
The sun is the source of all Earth's energies. This is important because one
day we're going to get the bill. The surface of the sun sometimes erupts into
giant bursts of flame, or solar flares, which can disrupt radio and TV
communication on Earth. This is yet another of the sun's beneficial
effects.
Blemishes called sunspots also mar the sun's face. Sunspots
appear and disappear in a complex regular cycle. Statistical analyses of these
cycles have shown them to be significantly related to stock market fluctuations,
presidential elections and skirt lengths.
The moon
is our nearest neighbor in space. Its cold, airless surface is covered with
craters and broad seas called maria. This is the origin of the popular
lunar song "They Call the Maria Wind."
The moon can't fall down because it is in orbit. An orbit is the
interaction of a combination of forces - such as gravity, inertia, centrifugal
force and others - that result in a perfect balance.
Nevertheless, it is a
good idea to stay indoors as much as possible.
An eclipse of the moon occurs when the sun passes between the
Earth and the moon.
An eclipse of the sun occurs when the shadow of the Earth
falls on the sun.
An eclipse of the Earth occurs when you put your hands over
your eyes.
The Universe / Matter & Energy / The Earth / Evolution / The Descent of Man
Appendix / Glossary / Tables & Charts / Further Reading