Read All About Celestial Bodies

Overview

The heavenly bodies appearing in the sky like galaxies,stars,planets,satellites,comets etc. are called celestial bodies.They form a part of this vast universe and are very far from us.The term celestial body is as expansive as the entire universe, both known and unknown. By definition a celestial body is any natural body outside of the Earth’s atmosphere. Easy examples are the Moon, Sun, and the other planets of our solar system. But those are very limited examples. The Kuiper belt contains many celestial bodies. Any asteroid in space is a celestial body.Celestial bodies are also termed as heavenly bodies. These are the objects in our space like the sun, moon, planets, and many stars. These are forming a part of the vast universe in which we are living. The glorious night sky is having dotted appearance with such objects. When anyone observes them using the telescope, they look very fascinating. As these are so far away, we cannot see all of them using our naked eye. Thus we need the telescopes to study them.

Our universe contains an amazing collection of celestial objects or astronomical objects. Though most of the observable cosmos is composed of empty space. Still, this cold, dark void which is sparsely populated by the number of astronomical objects. These are ranging from the common to the bizarre. These are the stuff which is filled with the empty space of the universe.

We all are familiar with the stars, planets, and moons. But besides these, many celestial objects lie with an amazing collection of other sights. These are colorful nebulae, delicate star clusters as well as the massive galaxies. Pulsars and quasars are further adding to this mystery. Also, the black holes swallow up every bit of the matter which comes too close. This search is on to identify the mysterious, invisible objects termed as dark matter.

Galaxy

it is the largest group of stars which are bounded by the appreciable gravitational forces and hence also called continental universe. In a galaxy there are endless stars which are not visible but a few of them appear at night in the clear sky. The galaxy also contains dust particles and various gasses. Our galaxy is made up of 97% stars, 2% dust particles and 1% other gasses.Galaxies are meant for the large groups of stars, holding together through gravity. The sun and the solar system is the part of our galaxy, which is popular as the Milky Way. Other galaxies are usually so far away that these are looking like stars in the night sky. The Andromeda galaxy and the Large Magellanic Clouds are the galaxies which can be seen with the naked eye on a clear night.

Milky way(Our Galaxy): Our solar system is the member of a galaxy called as Milky way. This milky way is the member of group of 24 galaxies which is called a local group. Our galaxy milky way appears very fascinating like a river of flowing light in the sky which is composed of billions of twinkling stars.

Constellation

There are countless stars in the sky and most of them are not distinctly visible. Few shining stars form groups of specific sizes and shapes. These special groups of stars are called constellations. The various constellations in our galaxy are Ursa major-Great Bear, Ursa minor-little bear, Orion-Great hunter,Draeo-Dragon etc. near about 89 constellations have been identified till date and Centaurus is the largest consisting of 94 stars.

Stars

Stars are the giant balls of the hot gases which can produce their own light. They give out the energy by converting Hydrogen gas into Helium in their own cores. Stars are very gigantic in their size and are having an immense gravitational attraction. Our sun is a medium-sized star giving us energy and making our life possible on earth.The stars are those celestial bodies which have their own light and shine with it like the Sun which is a star. Most of the stars are composed of 70% Hydrogen, 28% helium, 1.5% carbon,Nitrogen and Neon, 0.5% iron and others by weight. There are 335 binary stars and 42% stars are found to be in groups the stars have various life spans , some of these are adults, some are of moderate life and some are in mortal stage. Thus, stars originate, emit energy and develop theirself in a mature stage an ultimately die.

Planets

Planets are large (almost) spherical objects that revolve around the sun. Planets move in fixed orbits around the sun. There are 8 planets in our solar system. Planets may be made of rocks, metals and gases like hydrogen, nitrogen and methane. The earth is also a planet and is the only known place in the universe which supports life. Planets that revolve around other stars are called exoplanets.These are those large spherical objects which are revolving around the sun. Planets are in motion in the fixed orbits around the sun. There are eight planets in our solar system. Planets may be made up of rocks, metals and gases such as hydrogen, nitrogen and methane. Our earth is also a planet and is the only known place in our universe having a life.

Satellites: Satellites are objects that revolve around planets. They form the essential part of the celestial bodies. These may be of natural origin or sent by humans. The moon is a natural satellite of the earth and revolves around it because it is bound by the Earth’s gravitational pull. Man has also placed artificial or man-made satellites around the earth and other planets to study them and for communication purposes.

Comets: These are small chunks of ice and rock that come from the outer edge of the solar system. When its orbit brings it closer to the sun, the ice on them vaporizes, creating a beautiful tail behind them.A comet is an icy object found in the Solar System that warms up and begins to leak gases as it approaches the Sun, a process known as outgassing. This results in a visible atmosphere or coma, as well as a tail in rare cases. The effects of solar radiation and the solar wind on the comet’s core are responsible for these events.

Comet cores are made up of loose collections of ice, dust, and small rocky particles that range in size from a few hundred metres to tens of kilometres across. The coma can be as large as 15 times the diameter of the Earth, while the tail can be as small as one astronomical unit. A comet can be observed from Earth without the need of a telescope if it is sufficiently brilliant, and it can cover an arc of 30° (60 Moons) in the sky. Many cultures have observed and recorded comets from prehistoric times.

Asteroids

These are small irregularly shaped rocks made up of metal or minerals that orbit the sun. Most of them are found between Mars and Jupiter in an area known as the asteroid belt.Asteroids are tiny planets that are found mostly in the inner Solar System. Planetoids are the names given to large asteroids. These terms have been used to describe any celestial body orbiting the Sun that does not resemble a planet and does not have the features of a lively comet, such as a tail. Small planets in the outer Solar System were discovered to have volatile-rich tops, similar to comets, as they were discovered. As a result, they became well-known as a result of objects discovered in the main asteroid belt. The term “asteroid” refers to the inner Solar System’s tiny planets.

Meteors and Meteorites

These are objects from space that enter our atmosphere as they are pulled by the earth’s gravity. Meteors usually are small and burn up in the atmosphere as they enter the earth. This creates streaks in the sky as though a star has fallen. They are commonly called shooting stars. If a meteor is large enough it can reach the ground and create a crater. Such objects are called meteorites.

Composition

The composition can be in hot gaseous form, elements, minerals, rocks, water, and any other variations. The planet (s) is alleyways spinning/orbiting around a star by the nature of its origin. It may also orbit around a stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity.

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