Neil Armstrong was the first man on the Moon, and the first part of his body to touch the Moon (through his spacesuit, of course) was his left foot. This was the point at which he made his famous declaration: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind". Buzz Aldrin was also … Read more

There is no weather on the Moon, for the simple reason that there isn't really any atmosphere. In everyday terms, astronomers generally consider the Moon to be surrounded by a vacuum - space in other words. Because there is no weather, there is also no weathering, and the erosive properties of the wind and rain … Read more

The Moon has a roughly oval shape that scientists refer to as an oblate spheroid, but astronomers haven't yet been able to agree why the Moon has an eccentric shape!

There are several theories, though, with the following being the most popular:

• The Moon might have been locked into an oval orbit during … Read more

The Moon never goes anywhere at all, but when it is anything other than fully-illuminated by sunlight, it appears that at least a small part of it is missing. This can be explained by the way in which the relative positions of the Sun, Earth and Moon change over time, which is called the lunar … Read more

The distance between the two planets is one of the biggest problems we face when it comes to reaching Saturn!

A manned mission to Mars would be extremely expensive and difficult, and I expect it would face strong political opposition. However, there would be political benefits too, if it captured the public imagination. A Mission to Mars Would be an Opportunity for Investment It would take an enormous amount of funding to execute such a … Read more

Mars' axial rotation period is very similar to the Earth's 24-hour period. Mars takes only slightly longer at 24 hours, 37 minutes and 22 seconds. At the equator, Mars has a rotational speed of 868.22 kilometres an hour. Because of the similarity in daylight between Earth and Mars, researchers operating equipment on Mars switch to … Read more

The simple answer is that taken as an average, your weight on Saturn would be your own body weight, multiplied by 1.08. Therefore, if you weigh 100 pounds on Earth, you would weigh 108 pounds on Saturn.

The Effects of Gravitational Acceleration on Weight

Gravitational acceleration is the effect that mass has on … Read more

The average atmospheric temperature on Saturn is thought to be -140 degrees Celsius, although astronomers haven't been able to get a probe close enough to the planet to take actual readings. The Variation of Temperatures on Saturn As with all planets, the temperature can fluctuate with the time of day, and the season. However, Saturn … Read more

Yes, there is precipitation (rain) on Saturn. But it isn't made from water, like the rain on our planet - it's made from helium instead. What Causes the Rain on Saturn? The phenomenon of rain on Saturn is known as helium precipitation. This process works when helium condenses to a liquid in the upper layers … Read more

Saturn doesn't have a solid surface at all, and its atmosphere is made up of gas, (almost entirely composed of hydrogen and helium). When you travel far enough down through the atmosphere, you reach a point where those gases turn to liquids - which is due to the weight of the atmosphere bearing down upon … Read more

There are no landforms on Saturn. This planet is known as a gas giant because it's predominantly composed of hydrogen and helium. However, it does still have a fascinating outer surface, which I'll explain a little bit more about. The Chemical Composition of Saturn These constituent chemicals exist as gases in the atmosphere, and liquids … Read more

Saturn is predominantly made from hydrogen (approximately 96%), which is the most abundant element in the Universe. In terms of hydrogen's usefulness to humans, this is not something worth making the trip out there to collect. However, most of the remainder of Saturn's composition is accounted for by helium, which is now running scarce on … Read more

The atmosphere of Saturn is believed to be approximately 96% hydrogen, and completely lacks oxygen, so a human wouldn't be able to breathe. Even wearing breathing apparatus, the outer layers of the atmosphere are incredibly cold (-175 degrees Celsius) and are both stormy and full of ice. Also, it wouldn't be possible to stand on … Read more

It's very difficult to know the precise temperature of Saturn. This is because it's such a long way away, so it takes a long time for our probes to get there.

To my knowledge, the probes which have reached the planet haven't yet taken detailed temperature readings.

The Temperature of Saturn in … Read more

Jupiter rotates on its axis at a speed of 45,300 kilometres an hour at the equator, which is equivalent to 12.6 kilometres a second. Jupiter has the fastest rotational speed of all the planets in the Solar System, and this causes the planet to 'flatten', producing a bulge at the equator. In fact, the diameter … Read more

Besides being the largest planet in the Solar System, Jupiter also rotates faster than any other planet, achieving speeds of up to 45,300 kilometres an hour at the equator. This means that it has the shortest day of all the planets, taking only 9.925 hours. However, this is astronomy, and things aren't normally as simple … Read more

The chemical composition of Jupiter is dominated by hydrogen, which makes up almost 90% of the planet's mass, with helium making up most of the remainder. This exists as a gas in the atmosphere, and it's compressed down into a liquid by the force of gravity and atmospheric pressure, as you get closer to the … Read more

Jupiter has the fastest rotation of any planet in the Solar System. A day on Jupiter lasts for just 9.92 hours approximately. This is less than half of a day on Earth - if you divide a Jovian day by the number of hours in an Earth day, you get 0.41 Earth days to every … Read more

Jupiter is a huge planet, the largest in the Solar System. It is about five times farther from the Sun than our planet. It is this great distance, combined with Jupiter's inhospitable environment, that make it so difficult for scientists to take accurate measurements, even from within the outer atmosphere. With this in mind, you … Read more