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 Nebulae
A nebula is a localized cloud of
dust and gases (mostly hydrogen) in intergalactic
space. Nebulae are often responsible for star
formation. |
 Clyde
William Tombaugh was hired by the
Lowell Observatory after sending detailed
drawings of observations he had made of Mars and
Jupiter using a homemade telescope. It was at
Lowell where, in 1930, he discovered a planet
orbiting beyond Neptune; that planet was
subsequently named Pluto. |
 Palomar
Mountain Observatory is located
about 40 miles northeast of San Diego. Completed
in 1947, the observatory's main instrument is the
200-inch Hale Telescope, which is capable of
photographing objects several billion light-years
away. |
 Time Zones
were created to help railroads create and keep
more accurate schedules. In 1884, the Earth was
divided into 24 time zones, each 15 degrees of
longitude in width, with the longitude of
Greenwich, England, being designated as the
"Prime Meridian." |
 Pluto
is not only the smallest planet in the Solar
System, it is actually smaller in diameter than
seven of the system's moons. On August 24, 2006,
the International Astronomical Union reclassified
Pluto as a "dwarf planet." |
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