Falling stars are small solid bodies that move in space and at times enter the Earth’s atmosphere. These falling stars are known as meteors. Some meteors are very small while some may weigh in tonnes. They travel in any path. At time, they appear as a dense group of stars travelling in the sky. When […]
The Milky Way is a galaxy. It has a vast collection of stars, planets and other heavenly bodies. It is made up of at least a 100 billion stars, as well as dust and gas. It is spiral in shape. Our solar system is a tiny part of this huge galaxy. Ancient people named it
A constellation is a group of stars arranged in a specific pattern. The pattern could resemble an animal, certain letters or some other familiar figure. The constellations were named long ago after animals, kings, queens. etc. Some of the examples are Hercules, Ursa Major, and the Great Bear. Till date, around 88 constellations have been
The Earth is a spherical planet whose surface is covered with hard rocks and soil. It is found that the Earth is composed of three layers. The outer layer is the crust. The middle layer of the Earth is mantle. It is composed of solid rock with certain portion of molten rocks called magma. The
Eclipse takes place when one heavenly body hides another, completely or partially, while rotating in the sky. Eclipse of the Sun, also known as solar eclipse, is one such event. We all know that the Sun is a stationary body, while the Earth rotates around it on an orbit. The Moon is the Earth’s natural
Our universe is huge in size. It has millions of galaxies in it. The solar system is situated in the Milky Way galaxy. It formed around 4.6 billion years ago. The solar system is a group of planets rotating around a central stationary body, called the Sun. The other members of this system include things
Vatican City is the smallest country in the world. It is located in Europe. This country is spread in an area of only 0.44 sq. km. Vatican City is situated on the western side of River Tiber. It was established as an independent country in 1929. The head of the Roman Catholic Church, the Pope,
Easter is the oldest and the most important festival in Christianity. It is also the oldest Christian holiday. Easter celebrates the restoration of life to Jesus Christ after crucifixion. In Western Christianity, Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after Paschal full moon, sometime between March 22 and April 25. Easter celebration has many age-old
Hard water is water that has a large amount of minerals like salts of magnesium and calcium in it. It is formed when the water stream passes through limestone and chalk deposits made up of calcium and magnesium carbonates. When hard water is boiled, it leaves a coating of lime on the inner side of
Gladiators were a group of fighters in Ancient Rome. They were slaves who were made to fight one another during funeral ceremonies. Later on, fight between gladiators became a chief mode of amusement. Its popularity led to its use in ever more lavish and costly games. Schools of gladiators were established where people were trained
Mermaids are imaginary creatures that exist in legends and folk tales. They are half human and half fish and are believed to be living in deep oceans and seas. According to Greek mythology, mermaids cause the death of sailors. Some German folk tales also mention mermaids; they denote them as Rhine Maidens who live in
Civilization is related to the evolution of man and man’s lifestyle. The early man used to live like an animal. Slowly, he invented fire and made crude tools. He started hunting animals and cooking. Eventually, groups of people started living together. Tribes developed various modes of communication and cultural customs. They started farming and taming
Niagara Falls is connected with the Niagara River. This river flows out of Lake Erie into Lake Ontario. According to geologists, these falls are not more than 10,000–15,000 years old. During the Ice Age, the Niagara region was covered by glaciers. Slowly, the glaciers melted and Lake Erie was formed. Eventually, Lake Erie water overflowed
• Common name : Angel Wings, Elephant Ear • Scientific name : Caladium bicolor • Family : Araceae • Native land : Northern South America Caladiums are tuber-rooted tropical flowering perennials. They have no stems. Arrowhead-shaped leaves are of various shades, ranging from green mottled and blotched with pink, red, white or combinations thereof often
• Common name : Poor-man’s Asparagus • Scientific name : Blitum bonus-henricus • Family : Amaranthaceae/Chenopodiaceae • Native land : Central and Southern Europe Good King Henry is an annual or perennial plant. It is a dark-green, succulent plant, which grows up to 2 feet. The leaves are broad, triangular to diamond-shaped, with a pair