| We all have questions about the world around us. Here | | | | It depends where you go swimming. Some joke, huh? |
| are some common questions and current answers. | | | | "The average depth of the oceans is about five times |
| Why is the sky blue? | | | | the average elevation of the land. In general, the |
| "The blue color of the sky is due to Rayleigh scattering. | | | | continents stand about three miles above the ocean |
| As light moves through the atmosphere, most of the | | | | floor. According to the National Geographic Atlas, the |
| longer wavelengths pass straight through. Little of the | | | | deepest-known part of the ocean measures 10,924 |
| red, orange and yellow light is affected by the air. | | | | meters (35,839 feet), in the Marianas Trench near |
| "However, much of the shorter wavelength light is | | | | Guam. If the world's highest mountain, Mount Everest |
| absorbed by the gas molecules. The absorbed blue | | | | (29,141 feet), were to be placed into this trench, it would |
| light is then radiated in different directions. It gets | | | | be covered by over 1.25 miles of water." |
| scattered all around the sky. Whichever direction you | | | | Reference: edu/info/deepest-ocean.html |
| look, some of this scattered blue light reaches you. | | | | How was the moon formed? |
| Since you see the blue light from everywhere | | | | "Two new studies bolster the popular theory that the |
| overhead, the sky looks blue." | | | | moon formed from debris after a rogue planet |
| Reference: sciencemadesimple.com/sky_blue.html | | | | smacked into Earth about 4.5 billion years ago. " |
| Why does the sun look bigger in the morning and in the | | | | Hint: Read the reference carefully to see how scientist |
| evening? | | | | think on this subject. No scientific knowledge is needed |
| "It is well known that when a light of any kind shines | | | | to understand this article. |
| through a dense medium it appears larger, or rather | | | | Reference: space.com/scienceastronomy/planetearth |
| gives a greater "glare," at a given distance than when | | | | moonwhack_main_000901.html |
| it is seen through a lighter medium. This is more | | | | What is the Big Bang theory? |
| remarkable when the medium holds aqueous particles | | | | The theory is that the universe was formed or |
| or vapor in solution, as in a damp or foggy | | | | created in space time at a singularity of extreme |
| atmosphere. Anyone may be satisfied of this by | | | | density and energy. Dark energy detected at |
| standing within a few yards of an ordinary street lamp, | | | | microwave frequencies is evidence of such a great |
| and noticing the size of the flame; on going away to | | | | release of energy. (The universe was formed |
| many times the distance, the light or "glare" upon the | | | | everywhere at once from nothing according to a |
| atmosphere will appear considerably larger. | | | | contact I had with those who know best.) The center |
| "This phenomenon may be noticed, to a greater or | | | | of the universe does not exist and can not be |
| less degree, at all times; but when the air is moist and | | | | determined. So they say. The theory may never be |
| vapory it is more intense. It is evident that at sunrise, | | | | proved. Read the reference for a brief description. |
| and at sunset, the sun's light must shine through a | | | | Reference: liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/academy/universe |
| greater length of atmospheric air than at mid-day; | | | | b_bang.html |
| besides which, the air near the earth is both more | | | | What is the highest mountain in our solar system? |
| dense, and holds more watery particles in solution, than | | | | "The highest mountain and volcano in the solar system |
| the higher strata through which the sun shines at | | | | is on the planet Mars. It is called Olympus Mons and is |
| noonday; and hence the light must be dilated or | | | | 16 miles (24 kilometers) high which makes it about |
| magnified, as well as modified in colour. ...as the sun | | | | three times higher than Mt. Everest. In addition to being |
| recedes from the meridian, over a plane surface, the | | | | very tall, it is also very wide (340 miles or 550 |
| light, as it strikes the atmosphere, must give a larger | | | | kilometers) and covers an area larger than the entire |
| disc." | | | | chain of Hawaiian islands. Olympus Mons is a very flat |
| Hint: Take a pen light and shine it on a table top. First | | | | mountain which slopes by only 2 to 5 degrees. It is a |
| hold it directly above the surface like the sun at noon | | | | shield volcano built up by eruptions of lava." |
| day. See that the circle of the light beam is of a certain | | | | Hint: Go to the reference to see a pic of this monster. |
| size. Now shine the light on the surface at an angle like | | | | Reference: coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/cosmic_kids |
| when the sun goes down. Notice the size of the light | | | | AskKids/olympusmons.shtml |
| on the table. Is it bigger? The table top is like the | | | | Where are the world's highest tides? |
| atmosphere above the earth. The light hits it at an | | | | "The Bay of Fundy (New Brunswick, Canada) has the |
| angle and makes a larger image there. We see the | | | | world's highest tides. They average about 45 feet (14 |
| object (the sun) even though it isn't. (See a better | | | | meters) in the northern part of the bay, far surpassing |
| explanation of this in the reference where they are | | | | the world average of 2.5 feet (0.8 meters)." |
| allowed to show images. | | | | Hint: Use the search box at the reference to find |
| Reference: sacred-texts.com/earth/za/za28.htm | | | | answers to other science questions. |
| How deep is the ocean? | | | | Reference: enotes. |