Thursday, February 19, 2009
What's Your Passion?
Not only have I been passionate about my family in my past and in the present, but I am also passionate about my future. I have dreamed my whole life about my future and how it will all plan out. I will get a full-time job to support my beautiful wife and children. I need to provide anything and everything for them, and I will do whatever it takes to keep them safe and provided with everything they need.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Rocky planets and plate activity
The Tharsis and Elysium regions of Mars were volcanically active over billions of years, that caldera eruptions were episodic but were especially numerous 100 to 200 million years ago, and that the most recent lava flows on Mars may be as young as two million years. The findings are consistent with previous studies of Mars Global Surveyor data as well as Martian shergottite meteorites that suggest intermittent magmatism from 165 to about 500 million years ago.
The analysis shows volcanic craters resurfaced as little as two million years ago, "suggesting that the volcanoes are potentially still active today." Some areas show activity as recently as 4 million years ago, which amounts to the most recent one per cent of the planet's history. Researchers dated the volcanic features by counting craters on the planet's surface. Since asteroids and other material from space bombard Mars at a known rate, scientists can estimate dates by looking at how the smooth lava becomes pock-marked with craters.
The surface appearance of the moon is largely craters and dark lunar maria. The mares seas were thought to be water from their dark and flat appearance. It was realized that these areas were upwelling lava flooding portions of the moon, leaving these dark areas. Interestingly the lunar far side has very little maria. There is no longer volcanic activity on the moon. This ended long ago when the moon, being a smaller body than the earth, cooled quickly after its formation. Internal heat is generally necessary for volcanic activity.
Tell me about comets
- The comet Haley's nucleus is like a potato with dimensions of 15 km long and 10 km wide.
- The soviet spacecraft vega 2 traveled through the comet's coma, within 8000 km of the nucleus.
- It orbits around the sun in 76 years.
- The well developed tail structure of the comet was captured in a image on March 5, 1986
- The head of the comet is much smaller than Earth.
