Science Trivia

1.Where do comets come from? There is a huge cloud of objects made of ice and rock
encircling our solar system, called the Oort Cloud. It lies beyond Pluto and extends half
way out to the next star. These objects occasionally bump into each other, sending one
in towards the sun to become a comet like the recent Hale-Bopp comet.

2.Someday you may go ice fishing on Jupiters moon, Europa. Evidence is being
constantly discovered that there is an ocean under the ice of Europa. The ice would
keep the ocean from evaporating and huge tides caused by Jupiter would keep the
ocean temperature above freezing. What kinds of life might there be in such a strange
ocean?

3.A giant game of cosmic pool was played when the solar system was first formed
billions of years ago. Neptune was hit by an asteroid so big it was knocked sideways on
its axis. It orbits with one pole pointed at the sun. Venus was hit so hard it is almost
upside down and is the only planet to spin backwards on its axis. And most astronomers
believe the Moon was formed when an asteroid almost the size of Mars hit Earth and
shot debris into orbit. I wonder who won the game and when is the next tournament?

4.When you think youre standing still remember this fact. Even though you dont feel it,
our entire local group of galaxies is moving at about one million miles per hour toward
another galaxy group called the Virgo Cluster.

5.Scientist believe that diamond rains occur on Neptune and Uranus. The heart of these
planets may be a layer of diamonds hundreds of miles thick.

6.Jupiters giant red spot is like a tornado and it is 3 times bigger than the earth.

7.The largest crater on the moon measures 183 miles across.

8.Astronomers know Mars is a backwards planet. Once a year, for several days, it
appears to move backwards in its orbit. This is actually an optical illusion when the
faster orbit of Earth races past Mars.

9.The farthest you can see with the naked eye is 2.4 million light years away!
(140,000,000,000,000,000,000 miles.) Thats the distance to the giant Andromeda
Galaxy. You can see it easily as a dim, large gray cloud almost directly overhead in a
clear night sky.

10.Jupiter is a planet made entirely of gases.

11.The first animal sent up to outer space was a dog.
12.If you could live on the planet Mercury, a year would only last 88 days.
Revolution of Earth
Did you know that the Earth really revolves 23 hours 56 minutes and 4 seconds, not really 24
hours?

Cataract
Sometimes, the crystalline lens of elderly people become milky and cloudy. This is called
cataract, and it causes partial or complete loss of vision.

Berry Interesting
Did you know that pineapple, orange, and tomatoes are actually berries?

Amazing Pure Gold

Pure gold is so soft that it can be molded by bare hands.

Real Life Dragon

The Komodo dragon is a renowned giant, with the average male measuring it at around 8 feet
long; some exceptional individuals do grow up to 10 feet long. Incidentally, the longest lizard of
all is not that Komodo but rather its much slimmer relative the Salvadori monitor from New
Guinea, although it must be noted that two-thirds of its 9 feet body length are made up of its tail.
The Komodo is the heaviest lizard of all, with an average weight of 130 Ibs. and some reaching
nearly 180 Ibs. Its also one of the most fearsome predators you could ever have the misfortune
of encountering anywhere on the planet.

It has large, sharp, serrated teeth for cutting and tearing prey, but its concealed weapon is its
bacteria laden saliva. Once bitten, the victim commonly escapes, but within a few days, the
effects of the bacteria take hold. All the while, the dragon is tracking it down using its acute
sense of smell, a sense that also makes it a very efficient scavenger.

That's So Nuclear
The word nuclear is related to the nucleus of an atom, it is often used to describe the energy
produced when a nucleus is split (fission) or joined with another (fusion).

He's Lost It
Did you know that a cockroach can live 9 days without its head before it starves to death?

He Said No
Did you know that Albert Einstein refused the job to be the president of Israel? Einstein was
asked to be the president when the Israeli president died in 1952.

The Old Guys

The earliest cockroach fossil is about 280 million years old -- 80 million years older than the first
dinosaurs.

Newts are Neat

Newts are actually members of the salamander family. They are found in North America,
Europe, and also in Asia.
A Little Lithium in Your 7-Up?
The original formula for 7-Up contained lithium citrate, a chemical used today as a treatment for
bipolar disorders. The ingredient was ultimately removed by 1950.

Soft as Cashmere
Cashmere comes from the wool of the Kashmir goat from the mountains around the Kashmir
region of India.

How Many Lightbulbs...

The tungsten filament inside an incandescent light bulb reaches a temperature of 4,664 degrees
Fahrenheit when turned on.

Blue as Turquoise
Traces of copper is what gives turquoise its distinctive blue color.

No Brains
Starfish (as with many radially symmetric animals) do not have brains.