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What is the Moon?

The Moon (Latin: luna) is Earths satellite, and we can usually see it in the night sky

Our moon is about a quarter the size of the Earth. Because it is far away it looks small. The gravity on the moon is one-sixth of the Earth’s gravity. It means that something will be six times lighter on the Moon than on Earth. The Moon is a rocky and dusty place. The Moon drifts away from Earth at the rate of four centimeters each year.

The Moon is lit up by the sun as it goes around (or orbits) the Earth. This means sometimes people on Earth can see the whole Moon and other times only small parts of it. This is because the Moon does not send out its own light. People only see the parts that are being lit by sunlight. These different stages are called Phases of the Moon.

Humans finally landed on the Moon on 21 July, 1969.[8] Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, landed their lunar ship (the Eagle) on the surface of the moon. Then, as half the world watched him on television, Armstrong climbed down the ladder of the Eagle and was the first human to touch the Moon as he said, “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Source: Wikipedia

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What is Mars?

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System and the second-smallest solid planet

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System and the second-smallest solid planet. Mars is rocky and cold, with polar ice caps of frozen water and carbon dioxide. It has the largest volcano in the Solar System, and some very large impact craters. Mars is named after the mythological Roman god of war because it is a red planet, the colour of blood.

The planet Mars is made of rock. The ground there is red because of iron oxide (rust) in the rocks and dust.[7] The planet’s atmosphere is very thin and contains a lot of carbon dioxide and a very tiny amount of oxygen. The temperatures on Mars are colder than on Earth, because it is farther away from the Sun and has less air to keep warmth in. There is water ice and frozen carbon dioxide at the north and south poles. Mars does not have any liquid water on the surface now, but signs of run-off on the surface were probably caused by water. Mars has two small moons, called Phobos and Deimos.

Source: Wikipedia

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Winter solstice

What is winter solstice?

Winter solstice is an astronomical phenomenon marking the shortest day and the longest night of the year

Solstices happen twice a year – once around June 21 and again around December 21. In the Northern Hemisphere, the December Solstice is the winter solstice and the shortest day of the year. In the Southern Hemisphere, it is summer solstice and the longest day of the year, because equinoxes and solstices are opposite on opposite sides of the planet.

The term solstice comes from the Latin word solstitium which means: ‘the Sun stands still’. This is because on this day, the Sun reaches its southern-most position as seen from the Earth. The Sun seems to stand still at the Tropic of Capricorn and then reverses its direction. Another common name for solstice is the day the Sun turns around. The good thing about the winter solstice is of course the fact that the days get longer again.

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