Spectacular Space

Amazing Universe !! For the Uniworld Gardens Batch third class.


Universe can not be described as huge, enormous or gigantic. It is all that, and more. To our senses, it truly is infinite. The scale of everything in the universe is huge, as you will shortly see.

GRAVITY:
But first, we need to understand the single most important force in the Universe, Gravity. Gravity is what keeps us grounded to Earth. But not only Earth, every big object exerts Gravity. Bigger a body, greater the gravitational force. This force not only keeps us from flying off to space, but also keeps the satellites around the planets, planets around the Sun, the Sun around the center of our Galaxy , and so on.

SOLAR SYSTEM:

All the ‘things’ in space – planets, stars, moons, etc. – are all collectively called heavenly bodies. The one we know best? Our Earth! Isn’t Earth big? So much of land, and then three times of that water. Well, if you consider the Sun, and the Solar System, Earth would actually come across as quite tiny.

Our closest neighbour in space is moon, Earth’s natural satellite, and about a quarter its size. The solar System has 8 ( earlier 9 ) planets.








In order of their distances from the Sun, they are:

1. Mercury: Closest, No moons, No atmosphere, Rocky Planet.
2. Venus: Hottest Planet, Thick Atmosphere, No Moons, Rocky Planet.
3. Earth: Only known life sustaining planet, At just the right distance from Sun, 1 Moon, Rocky, blue Planet.
4. Mars: Mild, Earth like Temperatures, Frozen Polar Cap water, 2 Moons, Rocky Red Planet.
5. Jupiter: Biggest Planet, 63 Moons, Gaseous Planet.
6. Saturn: Beautiful, Thin, Wide Rings, 34 Moons including Titan, Gaseous Planet.
7. Uranus: Spins on its side, 27 moons.
8. Neptune : A lot like Uranus, 13 moons, Ice Planet.
9. Pluto: Dwarf Planet, 3 moons, Icy.

Remember them by using the mnemonic:
My Very Educated Mother Just Showed Us Nine Planets.

There are also Asteroids, Meteors, Meteorites: Rocks flying around the space.
Comets: Icy core, Long Dusty Tail, Hailey’s comet every 76 years. Tail can either be in front or back of the core.


GALAXY:

Galaxies are a group of stars- billions of stars, huddled together, revolving around the center of the galaxy.
Solar System forms a part of our galaxy, The Milky way, which is a spiral galaxy.


The Sun and The Stars.

Sun, or Sol, is our star. But it is not exceptional in any way if one considers the Universe. Sun is a medium-sized star on one of the arms of Milky Way. Stars can be much smaller, or much bigger than the Sun.
Space consists of a lot of empty space, and interstellar medium made mostly of a gas called Hydrogen. This ‘cloud’ of dust and gas is called a Nebula. When a portion in the Nebula compresses, the gases heat up immensely, and a rotating gas globule is born. This rotating globule finally settles into a central core (the Star) and surrounding planets, asteroids, etc.






Stars don’t live forever. When their fuel runs out, they die. According to their sizes, they can become a White dwarf or a neutron star/ Black Hole following a supernova explosion.

THE START:

How did it all start? With a big bang, literally. All the galaxies in Universe are moving away from each other, like dots on an inflating balloon. It must have all, therefore, started with a super-huge explosion, often called as The Big Bang.


THE EXPLORATION:

How do we know all this? Astronauts have only gone as far as the moon. Then, how we know all that we know about the Universe? The scientists use a lot of equipments to ‘see’ space. Unmanned spaceships, probes, and Telescopes, all help to enhance our understanding of the space. Hubble Space Telescope, for example, has sent invaluable data about the space.

Types of Government

For the second class of Uniworld Gardens Batch.
Click 'Read more' undrneath to, well, read more!


Types of Governments.

When a lot of people live together, they need a set of rules and a system to take care of their common needs and grievances. This is the basis of formation of a government. A government is a complex of political institution, laws and customs through which a country is governed.
Governments can be of many types. These are:
1. Monarchy: A government headed by a King or a Queen is called a monarchy. The King has complete authority, and exercises this authority through his officials. A Monarchy is an example of absolutism. However, a ‘token’ monarchy is also prevalent, where the King/Queen acts just as a constitutional head of the country, and the real power lies in the power of elected officers. Example, Gulf countries, U.K.
2. Dictatorship: This is another example of absolutism. The power here, lies not with a king, but the dictator, who is usually a military head. E.g. : Cuba, N. Korea.
3. Imperialism: Imperialism occurs when a stronger nation takes over a weaker nation, and starts dominating all economical, political and cultural decisions. E.g. The British rule over India till 1947.
4. Theocracy: This is a system in which religion plays a major role in the government. A religious organization or its officials control the government. E.g. Iran, Saudi Arabia.
5. Communism : Communism , as an idea, was introduced by Karl Marx. In a communist country, all land, factories etc. Are controlled directly by the government. Communists oppose capitalism, where people can own property and goods, supposedly in proportion to their merit. In a communist country, there is no private property and goods are owned and used by all, as needed. E.g. , China.
6. Democracy: The most popular of all political systems today, Democracy is literally, the rule of people. Citizens of a society come together, and decide everything among themselves using majority decisions. Direct democracy works well only in very small groups.
7. Republic: In a larger group of people, representative democracy, or Republic is required. People choose amongst themselves some specific persons as their representatives. These representatives then sit together and take the required decisions. The representatives are accountable to general public and can be changed when they fall out of the favour. Eg., India, USA.
8. Anarchy: It is a situation when there is no Government. This can happen in a country after a civil war, when a number of rival groups are trying to take control of the country. Anarchists are people who think government is a bad thing. E.g. Somalia.

What is a Constitution?
the basic principles and laws of a nation, state, or social group that determine the powers and duties of the government and guarantee certain rights to the people in it. It is a written instrument embodying the rules of a political or social organization