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Cosmic Explorations: A Beginner's Guide Through Space.
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items Let's discover more about the stars, planets and more! Back in fourth grade, I had the wonderful opportunity to visit a planetarium with my friends and I instantly fell in love with the branch of science known as astronomy. We got to watch a movie ab...
Sections
6
Unlock the Night Sky
Discover the Galaxies
The Solar System's Distinguished Planets.
Dancing Among Stars
Journey Through The Exoplanets
Pluto's Known Friends
Unlock the Night Sky
Before we dive into the vast astronomical of space, we have to make sure we have the right equipment to embark on this starry trip. Here are a few recommendations that'll help.
Let's start with a durable, easy to use and kid-friendly telescope. I picked this particular one as it's easy to carry and has all you need for your astronomical journey. Which is fully loaded with 2 eyepieces (K20mm and K9mm) with 30x-66x magnificat...
80mm 600mm Refractor Telescope for Adults
Star charts are great for navigating the night sky and identifying celestial bodies such as planets, constellations and stars.
Custom Star Map - Personalized Wall Art
And in case you'd like to consider other telescope options, here's a guide to help you pick out the perfect one for you.
Telescopes: Guides & Recommendations Archives
Here is an article that contains some of the best astronomy apps to lend a helping hand on your space journey.
The 20 Best Astronomy Apps in 2024 | AstroBackyard
An astronomy guidebook to help you with your backyard adventures.
Nat Geo Backyard Guide to the Night Sky
Having a pair of binoculars comes in handy when observing the night sky. Portable, handy, and comfortable to use for both kids and adults.
Occer 12x25 Compact Waterproof Binoculars
This is an article on planetariums all around on the world to aid in your space exploration.
15 Examples of Planeterium around the world
Discover the Galaxies
Let's start with knowing what galaxies are. Galaxies are huge systems composed of stars, planets and vast amounts of clouded gas and dust. They come in four main forms; spiral, elliptical, lenticular and irregular. Most are estimated to be between 10...
Here are a few basic things about galaxies including ours, the milky way galaxy.
Galaxies Basics - NASA Science
There are several types of galaxies like stated before and I found it fun learning about each one. There's the spiral, elliptic, irregular and lenticular, each with their unique characteristics and properties that can help keep them distinct from eac...
Types of Galaxies - NASA Science
Let's explore the phenomenon known as galactic cannibalism. Galactic cannibalism involves one galaxy (the bigger one) devouring a smaller galaxy. Here's a cute comic to help you understand it better!
What is Galactic Cannibalism? A Short Comic
This is a comprehensive article on the evolution of the galaxies. From the theories of its formation to the predictions of our milky way clashing with Andromeda, there's a lot of interesting facts to learn and to speculate as well.
Evolution - NASA Science
When it comes to learning about galaxies, one thing that made it all easier for me was watching short and comprehensive videos on the matter, just like this one.
What is a Galaxy? - A Short Comprehensive Video
If you are ready to take a deep dive into exploring how old our Milky Way Galaxy is then video is a good start.
Just How Old is the Milky Way Galaxy? | How the Universe Works | Science Channel - Video
The Solar System's Distinguished Planets.
Since most of the planets are known, I decided not to bring down the fun with just articles but with fun yet educative videos and some stories about our favorite planets including the one we inhabit.
Let’s commence with an overview of our planets. 8 in number, each with its own properties, and conditions. Did you know that there are diamonds found in the interior of both Saturn and Jupiter? Also, each of the planets in this article has 3D models ...
Planets - NASA Science
Here’s a fun, interesting, and yet educative compilation video on the planets and our solar system. I watch this on a daily with my sisters as I wish for them to be an astronomy geek like me (I’m failing at this mission sadly)
The Solar System - Compilation #1
Here’s an animated and fun-filled comic about the temperatures of the planets.
Planet Temperature
Ready to test your knowledge about space? I recommend taking this test by Britannica as it helps enrich your knowledge about the vast world of space.
Astronomy and Space Quiz | Britannica
Another compilation video filled with facts and fun-filled banter. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did.
The Solar System - Compilation #2
Dancing Among Stars
Next on our cosmic talent show we have….(dundundun)…THE STARS! So what are they? I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who thought stars were star shaped and of solid figure fixed in the night sky and I am definitely sure I'm not the only one who beli...
From birth to life and death, this article is a comprehensive view on the lifespan of a star. A perfect start to this starry adventure.
Stars Overview - NASA Science
Heard of pumpkin stars? Here's a short, fun and comedic comic to help you understand what these x-ray filled, fall themed stars are. PS I'm obsessed with these short comics.
Pumpkin Stars Comic
One of the topics I absolutely loved learn9ng about when I was younger was constellations. I always found it a thrill trying to spot them in the sky and getting excited whenever I actually did. Here’s a video that makes learning the types 0f constell...
Types of Constellations
Wanna learn about the myths tied to the stars? If you are as excited as I was to dive into this topic then this video is an interesting start.
Star Myths: The Stories of the Constellations
Did you know stars come in many colors but green? Here's a simple YouTube video from Crash Course ( a channel that saved my academics a lot back in high school) that explains it all!
Stars: Crash Course Astronomy #26
From red giants to brown dwarfs, this article covers them all. Plus, there are stargazing tips on how to spot these stars stated in here as well.
Types of Stars - NASA Science
Heard of OBAFGKM? Heard of the stellar classification? Here's a chance to boss up on your astronomy knowledge with the various ways in which stars are classified. From the biggest, brightest show offs to the silent conspicuous stunners.
Stellar Classification, Lifecycle, and Charts
The death of a star! Pretty dramatic, right? Not as dramatic as it's actual name: SUPERNOVA! Wondering how stars actually go kaboom? Wondering why it goes kaboom in the first place? This article has it all explained in very simple terms for easy understanding.
What Is a Supernova? | NASA Space Place – NASA
Journey Through The Exoplanets
The eight planets (plus Pluto) are the most known planets in our solar system but what about the other 5,500 confirmed planets, known as exoplanets, that orbit outside our solar system. Let's take a dive into a few of them and learn some facts.
Let's start strong with an overview of the 5,500 confirmed exoplanets surviving outside our solar system. From the 'Earth's cousin' to the ‘super-Earth’, there's a lot to discover, all simplified in this NASA article. Plus scroll down to try the 3D u...
Exoplanets + 3D Eyes on Exoplanet universe - NASA Science
So there are four types of exoplanets: Terrestrial, Super-Earth, Gas Giants and Neptune-Like. Each with their unique characteristics and properties. If this peaks your interest and you'd like to explore the various examples that fall under the types,...
Types of Exoplanets - NASA Science
This is a short comic on some of the hottest exoplanets orbiting outside our system.
The hottest Exoplanet
The first exoplanet we're going to explore is the Kepler-452 b. Discovered in 2015, this exoplanet is known as the “Earth's cousin,”. It is said that this exoplanet could potentially support life as it's in the habitable zone. It is 60% larger than t...
Kepler-452 b - NASA Science
This is the Proxima Centauri b and was discovered in 2016. This exoplanet is the closest star to our sun. It is a Super-Earth planet and is located in the habitable zone of Proxima Centauri.
Proxima Centauri b - NASA Science
This is a Terrestrial type of exoplanet. The TRAPPIST-1 e was discovered in 2017 and orbits an M-type star. This rocky planet lies in the habitable zone of a dim red dwarf star and is part of the famous TRAPPIST-1 system. You can view a 3D model of t...
TRAPPIST-1 e - NASA Science
HD 209458 b (Osiris) is one of the first exoplanets to be detected by the transit method. It is a Gas Giant planet that has extremely high temperatures and vaporization at its atmosphere.
HD 209458 b - NASA Science
Want to learn more about the TRAPPIST system? This animated comic by Jackie Moliner does just that. Hope you love reading it as much as I did
Trappist-1
Pluto's Known Friends
Let’s say it together everyone; We love Pluto. In this category, we’re going to explore exactly what the 5 known dwarf planets are and why they aren’t considered actual planets.
Let’s get the ball rolling with an overview of what a dwarf planet is.Dwarf planets are small, round celestial bodies that orbit the Sun but are not considered full planets because they haven't cleared their orbital path of other debris and are gener...
Dwarf Planets Overview - NASA Science
Here’s a 3D model of our favorite dwarf planet, Pluto as well as some interesting facts about it. It has a heart-shaped glacier, Tombaugh Regio which is a significant surface feature.
Pluto - NASA Science
Here’s a funny and yet insightful short comic where Pluto explains it’s formation to Charon.
Formation of Pluto
This oval-shaped dwarf planet was named after the Hawaiin goddess of fertility. One notable thing about it, is it’s cold temperature making it suitable for life. Here’s a 3D model of it, along with other interesting facts
Haumea - NASA Science
Ceres, a dwarf planet located in our inner solar system, was named after the Roman goddess of corn and harvest. This dwarf planet is the largest object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter and is likely to have salt deposits on it’s surface.
Ceres - NASA Science
Named after the Rapanui god of fertility, this dwarf planet has one known moon and shows no potential of supporting life. Here’s a NASA 3D model and more facts
Makemake - NASA Science
One can dare say Eris, one of the largest dwarf planets in our solar system came with all the ‘drama’ as there was a debate about it. Eris is named for the ancient Greek goddess of discord and strife, due this same debate. There's more information ab...
Eris - NASA Science