Author: M. Özgür Nevres

I am a software developer and a science enthusiast. I was graduated from the Istanbul Technical University (ITU), Computer Engineering. In the past, I worked at the Istanbul Technical University Science Center as a science instructor. I write about the planet Earth and science on this website, ourplnt.com. I am also an animal lover! I take care of stray cats & dogs. This website's all income goes directly to our furry friends. Please consider supporting me on Patreon, so I can help more animals!

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Astronomy Solar System

10 amazing Uranus facts [the most underrated planet in the solar system]

Uranus photo by the Hubble Space Telescope (2004)
Taken with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph and the Advanced Camera for Surveys aboard NASA's Hubble Space Telescope this 2004 image reveals in natural colours Uranus's faint rings and several of its satellites. Credit: NASA/ESA and Erich Karkoschka, University of Arizona

Uranus looks like a featureless blue-green marble from space. Because of this, most people consider the gas giant “boring” and as a result, it receives the least attention from science enthusiasts. But, actually, the planets in our solar system are all fascinating in their own way, and each one has unique features that make it worth studying. Uranus has a number of interesting features and it is an important part of our solar system. It offers many opportunities for scientific discovery.

With a radius of 25,362±7 km (about 15,760 miles), Uranus is the third-largest planet in the solar system, after Jupiter and Saturn. It’s the fourth, behind Neptune, by mass, though.

Its average distance from the Sun is roughly 20 AU (3 billion km or 2 billion miles, see notes 1). 1 Uranus year is about 84 earth years. One day on Uranus takes about 17 hours and 14 minutes.

Here are the 10 amazing facts about Uranus, (probably) the most underrated planet in the solar system.

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Insects Life on Earth

10 Biggest Spiders in the World

Goliath birdeater (Theraphosa blondi) is the biggest spider in the world
The Goliath birdeater (Theraphosa blondi) is the biggest spider in the world in terms of mass and body length. Image source: Deposit Photos

Here are the top 10 biggest spiders in the world, based on leg span:

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Mars Space Exploration

Spirit Rover landed on Mars on January 4, 2004

Artist imagination of Spirit Rover on the Martian surface
Spirit was a robotic Mars exploration vehicle, and with its twin Opportunity, studied the history of climate and water at sites on Mars where conditions may once have been favorable to life. Operational from January 4, 2004, to March 22, 2010, Spirit far outlasted her planned 90-day mission. Image: Artist imagination of Spirit Rover on the Martian surface. Source: NASA

On January 4, 2004, NASA’s Spirit Rover landed on Mars. It was a robotic Mars exploration vehicle, and with its twin Opportunity, studied the history of climate and water at sites on Mars where conditions may once have been favorable to life. Operational from January 4, 2004, to March 22, 2010, Spirit far outlasted her planned 90-day mission.

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Moon Landing Space Exploration

The first soft landing on the far side of the Moon was performed on January 3, 2019, by China’s Chang’e 4

Panorama of the far side of the moon (cropped)
China National Space Agency's Chang’e-4 lunar rover took panoramic photos of its landing site, the Von Karman Crater, located in the Aitken Basin, in the South Pole region on the far side of the Moon. Chang'e4 lunar mission, the lander and the rover Yutu-2, landed in the crater on 3 January 2019, at 02:26 UTC (10:26 Beijing time). Communications with Earth are provided by the relay satellite Queqiao.

 On January 3, 2019, China’s lunar lander and rover Chang’e 4 achieved the first soft landing on the far side of the Moon in the history of humanity’s space exploration. It’s a space exploration success no nation or space agency (including NASA) has accomplished even as of January 2023.

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Categories
Animals Life on Earth Oceans

How Long do Great White Sharks Live?

Great White Shark
Great White Shark. Source: Deposit Photos

Great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) can live for a very long time, with an estimated lifespan of 70 years or more. However, it is difficult to determine the exact lifespan of the great whites because they are not easy to study in the wild. And they cannot be kept in captivity, they start to weaken when they are put in a pool or a tank – even a big one. They constantly run into the glass until they get exhausted and die.

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Categories
Environment Climate Global Warming People

Sponge City Concept can be an answer to increased flood and water crisis

Modern panoramic skyline of Chongqing, China, a sponge city
Chongqing, which has a population of over 16 million people can now rather greatly call itself one of China's leading sponge cities. Image source: Deposit Photos

Sponge City is a concept in urban planning and design that aims to make cities more resilient to flooding and other natural disasters by designing urban areas to absorb, store, and use water more efficiently. This can be achieved through a variety of strategies, including green infrastructure, permeable pavement, and rainwater harvesting systems.

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People Planet Earth

If every people jumped into the ocean at once, how much would the sea level rise?

If every person on Earth were to jump into the ocean at once, the sea level would rise only about 1.3 micrometers
If every person on Earth were to jump into the ocean at once, the sea level would rise only about 1.3 micrometers. For comparison, a human hair ranges in thickness from 17 to 181 micrometers. Image source: Deposit Photos

If every people on Earth were to jump into the ocean at once, the sea level would not rise significantly. The total volume of water added to the oceans by all the people on Earth jumping into them would be relatively small compared to the total volume of the oceans, which is about 1.35 billion cubic kilometers (about 320 million cubic miles).

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Categories
Mountains Geology Planet Earth

Why the Himalayas are so high? [Explained]

How do mountains form? Mount Everest.
Image: Mount Everest on Deposit Photos

The Himalayas are a mountain range in Asia that stretches for about 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) through parts of India, Nepal, and China. The Himalayas are the highest mountain range in the world, with many of its peaks reaching elevations of over 8,000 meters (26,000 feet).

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Categories
Environment People

What is the optimum human population for planet Earth?

Crowded Istiklal street, Istanbul
Photo: "People walking on Istiklal Street in Istanbul" on Deposit Photos.

It is difficult to determine an exact optimum human population for the earth, as there are many factors to consider and different perspectives on what constitutes an ideal population size. The earth’s carrying capacity, or the maximum number of people that the earth’s resources can sustainably support, is determined by a variety of factors, including the availability of resources such as food, water, and energy; the impact of human activities on the environment; and the level of technological development.

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Solar System Space Exploration This Day in Science, Technology, Astronomy, and Space Exploration History

The first soft landing on another planet (Venus) was performed by Venera 7 on December 15, 1970

Venera 7 on Venus (Artist imagination)
In 1970, Venera 7 made the first soft landing on Venus and returned 23 minutes of data. Image from Issue #3 of Astrobiology: The Story of our Search for Life in the Universe.

On December 15, 1970, the Soviet Union’s Venera 7 spacecraft landed on Venus’ surface and became the first spacecraft to perform a soft landing on another planet. It also transmitted information to Earth for 53 minutes, 23 minutes of them from the Venusian surface, another first in the history of space exploration (the first data transmission from another planet).

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