Astronomy

a highly energetic celestial object emitting powerful radiation from the center of a galaxy, often associated with a supermassive black hole

Astronomers observed a distant quasar, providing insights into the early universe.

a region beyond Neptune in the solar system containing icy objects like dwarf planets, asteroids, and comets

Pluto was once considered the ninth planet before its reclassification as a dwarf planet within the Kuiper Belt.

a distant, hypothetical region surrounding the solar system, thought to harbor icy bodies and comets

The Oort Cloud is a theorized reservoir of comets and icy bodies that extends far beyond the solar system.

the outer layer of the Sun's atmosphere, observable as a plasma halo during a solar eclipse

During a total solar eclipse, the corona of the Sun becomes visible as a radiant halo around the moon.

the apparent path that the Sun traces in the sky over the course of a year, which is also the plane of the Earth's orbit around the Sun

The ecliptic is the path along which the Sun appears to move through the sky over the course of a year.

the apparent displacement or difference in the apparent position of an object when viewed along two different lines of sight, often used in astronomy to measure the distance of nearby stars

Astronomers use stellar parallax to measure the distances to nearby stars by observing their apparent shift against more distant background stars.

an exploding star that as a result is emitting a very large amount of light, more than the sun

A supernova is a powerful explosion that occurs at the end of a massive star's life cycle.

a highly magnetized, rotating neutron star that emits beams of electromagnetic radiation from its magnetic poles

Pulsars were first discovered in 1967 by astronomers Jocelyn Bell Burnell and Antony Hewish.

the lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere, extending from the surface up to an average altitude of about 8-15 kilometers

The troposphere is where most weather phenomena, such as clouds, rain, and storms, occur.

the atmospheric layer above the troposphere, where temperature generally increases with altitude and the ozone layer is situated

The stratosphere contains the ozone layer, crucial for absorbing and blocking harmful ultraviolet radiation.

the atmospheric layer above the stratosphere, where temperatures decrease with altitude and it extends up to the mesopause

The mesosphere is the layer where meteorites burn up upon entering the Earth's atmosphere.

the atmospheric layer above the mesosphere, where temperatures increase with altitude and it extends to the exosphere

The thermosphere is where the International Space Station (ISS) and many satellites orbit the Earth.

a layer in the upper atmosphere containing ions and free electrons, affecting radio communication and contributing to auroras

The ionosphere reflects radio waves, allowing long-distance communication by bouncing signals off this atmospheric layer.

the outermost layer of Earth's atmosphere, transitioning to outer space, with extremely low gas densities

The exosphere marks the boundary between Earth's atmosphere and outer space.

the protective magnetic field region around a celestial body, shielding it from solar wind and charged particles

Earth's magnetosphere acts as a shield, deflecting charged particles from the solar wind.