[cas_announce] CASKids | Comets | Sat Nov 2nd 6:30pm | CAS HQ
- From: Craig Niemi <craig_niemi@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: Announce CAS_ <cas_announce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 2 Nov 2013 07:02:57 -0700 (PDT)
Snowballs in Space
Yes the weather is changing but it’s a little too soon to
be thinking about winter’s cold weather and snow.
Unless you’re an astronomer.
Far out beyond the orbit of dwarf planet Pluto is a huge
collection of frozen leftovers from the formation of our solar system. More
than 100 million comets circle the Sun
and occasionally one will be knocked out of its orbit starting a long journey
to the inner solar system. Some like Comet Halley return again and again, some
crash into the sun or planets; others make one pass by the sun and are never
seen from again.
In the past people were amazed by, but also feared, these
mysterious “hairy” stars that from time to time appeared in the nighttime
skies. Comets, named from the Latin word for long haired, are not stars but
actually dirty snowballs of ice,
gas, rock and dust. Made up from this
mix of debris is the nucleus. If a comet comes close, enough the heat from the
sun will warm the nucleus releasing a mix of gas and dust creating the comet’s
coma. “Wind” from the sun pushes this gas and dust away from the nucleus
creating
the hairy star’s tail. Illuminated by reflected sunlight the best and brightest
comets have tails that stretch for millions of miles. Maybe once in a lifetime
a great comet will stretch across our night time sky. And our turn might be
coming up this winter with Comet ISON.
For our next installment of “CASKids”, Terry Endres from
Cincinnati State will help you explore the icy world of comets. With your help
we
might even make our own comet. Afterwards astronomers will be on hand to answer
all your spacey questions, show how telescopes work, and you’ll view the night
sky through our big telescopes. (Presentation held clear or cloudy.)
Have a telescope, big or small? Bring it along for expert help
exploring the night sky. We invite families, students, teachers and scouts -
anyone with a sense of wonder about our solar system, galaxy or the Universe.
* Saturday November 2
* Cincinnati Astronomical Society
* 5274 Zion Rd
* Cleves, OH 45002
* www.cinastro.org
* Program begins at 6:30pm.
* Stargazing follows (weather permitting)
* Admission: Donation Requested
* Open to all kids! Ideal for grades 1 through 6.
* No reservations required.
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- » [cas_announce] CASKids | Comets | Sat Nov 2nd 6:30pm | CAS HQ - Craig Niemi
