GALAXIES COLLIDING - and other space goings-on

The more we learn about everything around us, the more we learn about ourselves.

When I first read about the Antennae galaxies colliding, I was just thrilled to find out such a thing was happening. For most people, I suppose, hearing something new that occurs in outer space isn't all that important in day-to-day life but essentially, the importance is immeasurable.

François Schweizer first discovered galaxies colliding in the late 1970s, his theory of the newborn star clusters being the result of these collisions was not looked upon highly. Astronomers believed, at that time, that these star clusters had been around since the beginning of the universe and had not yet developed into anything substantial. With the launch of the Hubble Telescope in 1990, Schweizer was able to prove his theory. Fighting for time to use the telescope, Schweizer proved with the birth of 1000 new stars in the colliding Antennae galaxies, that stars were actually being formed from the collision. This way of thinking was almost unimaginable for astronomers but is now widely accepted. They now see galaxies in a whole new light as living creatures who "cannibalize each other, fade, flare, and change shape like Flubber."*

To fully understand how and why things are as they are in the Universe, or at the very least. in our galaxy, let us take a more detailed look into all of the components of our Milky Way.

The Sun with its beautiful light and loving heat contains approximately 99.8% of the solar system's total mass. Its core The Sun temperature is 15 million°C while the outer visible layer, known as the photosphere, is 6,000°C. The Sun has been active for 4.6 billion years and has a life expectancy of at least another 5 billion years although it is expected to double its luminosity between now and then. The Sun's composition is an amazing array of elements: hydrogen (92.1%), helium (7.8%), oxygen (0.061%), carbon (0.030%), nitrogen (0.0084%), neon (0.0076%), iron (0.0037%), silicon (0.0031%), magnesium (0.0024%), sulfur (0.0015%), and a few other elements (0.0015%). Sol's closest neighbor, Mercury, is second in density of the nine planets. It has an iron core and silicate crust similar to that of Earth's but has no continental plates and has no real evidence that any geological phenomena has taken place in quite some time. The maximum surface temperature reaches a staggering 427°C with a minimum surface temperature of -173°C. Mercury is 40% smaller than the Earth and 40% larger than the Moon. The planet is composed of helium (42%), sodium (42%), oxygen (15%), and other elements (1%). There is a possibility that ice is trapped in craters on the surface of the planet, that due to the rotation of the planet, never see the Sun. The water may be trapped below a layer of dust because it was outgassed from the planet or because of comet impacts from years past.

Earth's sister planet named after the goddess of beauty, Venus, has a deadly atmosphere composed mainly of Venus carbon dioxide and contains virtually no water vapor. The clouds that are seen from our planet are composed of sulfuric acid droplets. The surface temperature, which is hotter than that of Mercury's, is 482°C. The greenhouse effect created by the atmosphere trapping sunlight on the planet creates this unbearable warmth. A Venus day is equivalent to 243 Earth days and its year equals 225 days. The rotation of Venus goes from east to west meaning the sun rises in the west and sets in the east. Over 85% of the Venusian surface is covered with volcanic rock. The atmospheric composition of Venus is carbon dioxide(96%), nitrogen(3+%), with trace amounts of sulfur dioxide, water vapor, carbon monoxide, argon, helium, neon, hydrogen chloride, and hydrogen fluoride. I suppose Venus has become more of a deathtrap than a goddess but maybe it's only fitting that it should have such a name and such an atmosphere.

Earth is the only planet that has all of the right combinations for supporting life as we know it. Our atmosphere is incredibly thick, protecting all life from the intense heat of the sun and sheltering us from anything else that would likely slip onto the planet if the atmosphere wasn't there. We live on the most dense planet in the solar system and Earth is the only planet to have a tectonic system of moving plates. The atmospheric composition of Earth is nitrogen(77%), oxygen(21%), and a few other elements forming the other 2% of the atmosphere. The planet moves at an alarmingly quick rate of 108,000km/hr. The mean temperature is 15 degrees Celsius.

Because this planet has more mass than all of the other planets in the solar system combined, Jupiter is the largest planet. It has a single ring composed of dust particles which were probably formed by micrometeorite bombardment of the tiny moons orbiting within the ring. An intense radiation belt, trapped in Jupiter's magnetic field, extends 3 to 7 million kilometers toward the Sun and stretches at least as far as Saturn's orbit which is 750 million kilometers away. This magnetic environment is called the Jovian Magnetosphere.The ever visible Great Red Spot is a complex storm moving counter clockwise across the planet's surface. A year on Jupiter would be the equivalent to 4332.71 Earth days. The average cloud temperature is -121°C and the atmosphere is composed of 90% hydrogen and 10% helium. The satellites in Jupiter's orbit are Metis, Adrastea, Amalthea, Thebe, Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto, Leda, Himalia, Lysithea, Elara, Ananke, Carme, Pasiphae, and Sinope

The oceans of Earth make up the majority of the area(71%.) Our planet is an incredible entity in itself. To think that ours is the only planet that supports life in this Universe is naiveté at its best but what luck we have to be where we are, when we are. Until we find other intelligent life, it is difficult to remain non-self-centered.

Although the water content in the atmosphere of Mars contains only 1/1000th that of Earth, clouds still form on this beautiful planet of dirt and ice and in the Martian winter, a thin layer of frost covers the ground. Physical features resembling shorelines, rivers, and gorges provide evidence that in ages past the atmosphere of Mars may have been denser providing more water and possibly life.The average temperature on Mars is -63°C. The maximum temperature is 20°C and the minimum temperature is -140°C. The Martian day is 24.6229 hours and the Martian year is 686.98 days long. The atmosphere consists of carbon dioxide(95.32%), nitrogen(2.7%), argon(1.6%), oxygen(0.13%), water(0.03%), and neon(0.00025%). The Martian satellites are Phobos and Deimos.

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Saturn is 30% less dense than water. It is the only planet that would float if someone was able to find a body of water large enough to experiment with. Wind speeds reach 500 meters per second(1100 miles an hour) at the equator and it has an easterly flow to it. There are three main parts to the ring system of Saturn. The two main rings, discovered by and named for Cassini, appear to be large numbers of narrow ringlets formed when meteors and comets slammed into large moons orbiting around the planet. It is known that the rings hold a vast amount of water. A day on Saturn would last 10 hours and 30 minutes while the year would be 29.5 Earth years long. The average cloud temperature is -125°C and the atmosphere is mostly hydrogen rich (97%) with helium making up the last 3 %. cont...