The interior of Earth is very hot (the temperature of the core reaches more than 5,000 degrees Celsius) for two main reasons: The heat from when the planet formed, The heat from the decay of radioactive elements. The Earth was formed by the process of accretion. After the creation of […]
Earth and Space
How are Stars formed?
A star is a huge ball of bright, hot gases. Stars contain a great deal of hydrogen which is their main source of energy. They also contain many different chemical element such as helium, nitrogen, oxygen, iron, nickel and zinc. Stars come into existence in the vast clouds of dust […]
How fast does the Earth move?
The Earth has two motions – it spins on its axis and it moves in an orbit around the Sun. The period of rotation through 360 degrees (that is one complete turn of the earth) takes 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4.091 seconds. It was believed that the speed of […]
Why is Mars red in color?
Mars is known as the Red Planet because it is covered by a stony desert that contains lots of iron oxide, making it appear a rusty-red color. At one time, Mars had an atmosphere containing oxygen and valleys through which water may have flowed.
How does a Tornado Start?
A tornado is formed when huge masses of clouds moving in different directions meet. The air starts to spin in a spiral and a funnel of twisting air reaches out towards the ground. The low pressure inside the funnel sucks up the soil, dust and anything else it touches. Tornadoes […]
How does Earthquake occur?
The Earth’s crust is made up of about 30 huge plates, called tectonic plates, that float on the semi-liquid mantle surrounding the Earth’s core. There are currents and movements in the mantle, so these plates move very slowly in relation to each other. Earthquakes are evidence of this movement. Most […]
How does Pressure affect our weather?
Weather is simple what the air or atmosphere is like that at that time. No matter what the air is – cold, cool, warm, hot, calm, breezy, windy, dry, moist, or wet – that is still weather. Air pressure differs across all parts of the Earth’s surface and this difference […]
How does Rain fall?
When there is so much water vapor in the air, it only takes a tiny drop in temperature to make the vapor condense and form tiny droplets of water, and we say the air is saturated. So what happens when all these water droplets in a cloud meet a mass […]
How is a Rainbow formed?
Light changes speed as it moves from one medium to another (for example, from air into the glass of the prism). This speed change causes the light to be refracted (bending of light) and to enter the new medium at a different angle. The degree of bending of the light’s […]
How are volcanoes formed?
The reason volcanoes are formed is because the temperature under the surface of the Earth becomes hotter and hotter the deeper you go. At a depth of about 20 miles, it is hot enough to melt most rocks. When rock melts, it expands and needs a lot more space. The […]