Ayami, PHS: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 8:55AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Dr. Fuller - in our homeschool science class we were talking about the Big Bang and I want to know - what was there before the Big Bang to go BANG ?? might there have been a universe before this universe ?

Ayami, PHS: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:00AM PST (-0800 GMT)
What is the difference between the cosmos and the universe - is it the same thing ? everything ?

Arrowhead Eagles: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:08AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Arrowhead Eagles are in and ready to go.

L.A.E. Coyotes: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:09AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Dear Dr. Fuller,What is your favvorite planet?

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:09AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Ayami - nobody knows what was before the big bang - that's a big quesioin. Secondly, the big bang wasn't an explosion, it was a time when the universe was compressed - very dense - and then the 'Big Bang' is the process of expanding from that high density.

Jen&Karen@L.A.E.: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:10AM PST (-0800 GMT)
are you friends with someone who works at nasa.

L.A.E. Coyotes: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:11AM PST (-0800 GMT)
How many miles away from the earth is the furthest star?

: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:11AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Dear Mr. Fuller, Where do you go at night to study the stars at night? Inside or outside?

Jen&Karen@L.A.E.: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:12AM PST (-0800 GMT)
What planet have you studied the most??

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:12AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Ayami - cosmos and universe are bascially the same thing - totality of known objects through out space.

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:13AM PST (-0800 GMT)
LAE - favorite planet is Mars - you can serach our web site to see a larger answer on that by searching "favorite planet ".

Steven L.A.E. Coyotes: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:14AM PST (-0800 GMT)
How many years have you been an astronomer?

Jen&Karen@L.A.E.: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:15AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Do you know what stars look like up close???

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:16AM PST (-0800 GMT)
LAE - we don't know how far the furthest star in the universe is,as we don't know the size of the universe. In our own galaxy - the furthest star is aprox 80,000 light years and we are 2/3s of the way from the center of the galaxy and the over all width is about 100,000 light years.

Steven L.A.E. Coyotes: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:16AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Which planets have you seen from earth?

Jen&Karen@L.A.E.: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:17AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Was your childhood dream to be an astranamer???

Marcy, Camp Internet: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:17AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Greetigns LAE - the RAAP people are working on their computer system today in their building and it will be up and down, so keep posting questions and they will get to them as soon as they can.

Starfreak, L.A.E. Coyotes: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:18AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Dear Mr. Fuller, Have you ever discovered a newborn star? If so, what did you name it?

Steven L.A.E. Coyotes: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:22AM PST (-0800 GMT)
What inspired you to become an astronomer?

Jen & Karen@L.A.E.: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:23AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Do you know anyone who has visited a planet? If so what is their name?

emenem@L.A.Ecoyoties: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:24AM PST (-0800 GMT)
What's your favorit planet to study?

Steven L.A.E. Coyotes: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:25AM PST (-0800 GMT)
What is the biggest comet/astriod ever recorded in history?How big was it?

Teeter Arrowhead Seals: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:25AM PST (-0800 GMT)
When do you think we will travel to other galaxies?

Starfreak, L.A.E. Coyotes: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:26AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Dear Mr. Fuller, How many comets or shooting stars have you seen in your life? What were their names? What was the first one you ever saw?

emenem@L.A.Ecoyoties: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:26AM PST (-0800 GMT)
do you have a favorit star, and have you named it???

Jessica L.A.E.: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:27AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Have you a star up close?

Teeter Arrowhead Seals: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:27AM PST (-0800 GMT)
What are Saturn's rings made out of and how did they form?

Marcy, Camp Internet: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:28AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Early this year, around January 4th, I looked out the window and say a HUGE GLOWING ball of light moving slowly across the sky over the mountains - it was orange-yeloow and white with a lonnnggg tail --- I thought it was UFO and was so amazed I could barely speak ..... then it seemed to pause, split into 4-5 sections that each the ncontinued on in the same path. this was REALLY other wordly. I tried to find out what it was for days ...

Jen & Karen@L.A.E.: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:29AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Do you think there is other life in the univiverse???

Jessica L.A.E.: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:29AM PST (-0800 GMT)
How long have you Studied space?

Jessica L.A.E.: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:31AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Have you found a new planet?

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:31AM PST (-0800 GMT)
LAE - bascially I am inside operating a computer that controls the telescope .... you want to go somepace youself outside where there isn't any light glaring in your face - Lake Arrowhead is a good place up in the mountains.

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:32AM PST (-0800 GMT)
My personal opinion is that there is likely to be other life ..... some people disagree, some agree

Steven L.A.E. Coyotes: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:32AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Why is Mars so red /orange?

Teeter Arrowhead Seals: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:32AM PST (-0800 GMT)
What is Jupiter's red spot on the lower part of the planet. I'm really interested in it.

Jessica L.A.E.: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:33AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Have you ever visited space?

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:33AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Planets studied most recently ? There was a class last week where we were measuring the moons of Jupiter and estimating the mass of the planet itself.

slim&him@L.A.Ecoyoties: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:34AM PST (-0800 GMT)
have you seen a metior bigger than you

Jen & Karen@L.A.E.: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:34AM PST (-0800 GMT)
are you still out there ??If so please answer our next question. Do yousee alot of photographs of space??

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:35AM PST (-0800 GMT)
How long have I studied space ? I have been interested in studying space since 1st grade when I got a model kit with rockets modeled after the US Space program ... and sent off to Congress for the report on the Space Program in 1959 ...

slim&him@L.A.Ecoyoties: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:35AM PST (-0800 GMT)
how hard would it be to live on mars

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:37AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Have I ever visited space ? EVERYDAY - I live on the planet earth and visit space with a telescope and use satellite communications by using the Internet. But the practical answer is that no, I have not visited space off this planet.

Jen & Karen@L.A.E.: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:39AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Why does the earth have gravity, & the other planets do not?? Karen??!!

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:40AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Meteors and comets - the biggest meteor thought to have hit the earth in theory was probably the size of Mars and formed the moon. I have seen comets and meteors with the naked eye and telescope - the biggest was a comet. Comets are visible from great distances and are thought to be larger than meteors .... and meteors are thought to be the dust left over from comets. The earth is traveling through the space where comets have traveled and that causes meteor showers.

slim&him@L.A.Ecoyoties: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:42AM PST (-0800 GMT)
HAVE YOU EVER SEEN SOMETHING EVEN MOVE ON ANOTHER PLANET ?

Starfreak, L.A.E. Coyotes: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:42AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Dear Mr. Fuller, Are Star Wars and Star Trek fully made up, or are they partly science-fiction?

slim&him@L.A.Ecoyoties: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:43AM PST (-0800 GMT)
=)

Arrowhead Eagles E and C: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:44AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Why does the universe spin?

Steven L.A.E. Coyotes: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:45AM PST (-0800 GMT)
How many kinds of galaxys are there? Name them.

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:46AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Karen - all planets have gravitational fields - anything with mass has gravity. The more mass the more gravitational force there is. The sun has gravity too - a very strong field. The sun and a planet have gravitational fields - both exert a force on each other - the same in both directions. You stand still because you are exerting a pressure on the earth and it is exerting the same pressure back on you.

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:49AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Starfreak - Star Wars and Star Trek have some imaginary and some real elements - theater has one foot in reality and one in the imagination to make it 'fly'. There is a book about Star Trek science you might want to read, the authors name is Krauss I think (also wrote a book on quintessence and a web search cna help you find it ).

Jen & Karen@L.A.E.: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:49AM PST (-0800 GMT)

slim&him@L.A.Ecoyoties: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:49AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Have you seen any alien like pictures on a rock or somthing?

slim&him@L.A.Ecoyoties: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:52AM PST (-0800 GMT)
How many stars have you studied

Steven L.A.E. Coyotes: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:53AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Have you seen a UFO?If so what did it look like?

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:53AM PST (-0800 GMT)
E and C - Why does the universe spin ? What makes you think the universe does spin ? Lots of things in the universe do spin but I am not aware of anyone suggesting that the universe as a whole is spinning.

valleyview,pedro: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:54AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Do you like to study the stars and planets

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:55AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Steven - I don't beleive I have ever seen a UFO.

Steven L.A.E. Coyotes: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:55AM PST (-0800 GMT)
How many rings does Saturn have?

slim&him@L.A.Ecoyoties: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:56AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Dear Dr. Fuller, how many stars have you studied

valleyview,pedro: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:56AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Do you like to study the stars and planets?

Steven L.A.E. Coyotes: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:57AM PST (-0800 GMT)
How come some planets have rings and others don't?

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:57AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Was my cildhood dream to be an astronomer ? I have been interested in Astronomy from a young age. I have been interested in lots of different things in life and at one point was fortunate to have the oportuntiy to work in astronomy. I have been working in astronomy since 1989 and with RAAP since 1995.

valleyview,pedro: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:57AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Do you like to study the stars and planets?

slim&him@L.A.Ecoyoties: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:58AM PST (-0800 GMT)
dear dr.Fuller have you seen an unidentified planet

valleyview,pedro: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 9:59AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Do you wish to go out to space.

valleyview,pedro: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:02AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Why is pluto the coldest and fartest from the sun

Steven L.A.E. Coyotes: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:02AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Have you ever found pieces of a meteorite/s?

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:03AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Steve - Saturn's rings have not yet been completely counted. People have measured different densities in the ring structure to try to determine the amount of rings. For a long time it was thought that Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune didn't have rings but it has been discovered by satellites that went up that they do have rings. Larger planets have such strong gravitational fields that they cause material close by them to break up into small pieces and stay in orbit around the planet.

Starfreak, L.A.E. Coyotes: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:03AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Dear Mr. Fuller, How big was the largest telescope you've ever used? How far could you see with it?

Slim&him@L.A: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:04AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Yes i would.

Valley View , eddie: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:04AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Have you ever went to Mars ?

crystal,valley view: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:05AM PST (-0800 GMT)
1. Woulld you like to be something else then an astronomer?

valleyview,pedro: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:05AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Whats hoter the sun or the earth's magma.

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:07AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Slim and Him - no I have never seen an unidentified planet. ..... About rock art - I have seen the Indian cave drawings but as far as aliens in the context of being different, I haven't seen anything I identify as being extra terestrial - good book on Indian cave paintings is by Campbell Grant ...... To Valley View Pedro - when I was a teenager I made a reservation to go to the moon and as far as I know, that reservation is still in place ....

valleyvchantel: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:07AM PST (-0800 GMT)
how old are you.

valleyvchantel: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:08AM PST (-0800 GMT)
how old are you?

crystal,valley view: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:08AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Do you get tired after doing our job

Robert: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:08AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Wyh is pluto is the coldest

valleyview,pedro: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:10AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Do you like being you?

bernicevalleyview: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:10AM PST (-0800 GMT)
1.Have you ever seen a live picture of the planet's?

Robert: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:10AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Why is pluto is the coldest

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:10AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Starfreak - the biggest telescope I have ever used is 3 meters in diameter at Lick Observatory - with it you can see quasars ( those are up to 10 billion light years from earth)

: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:10AM PST (-0800 GMT)

VallayView,Steve: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:11AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Why is Neptune and it's rings standing.

valleyview,pedro: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:11AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Why is pluto the coldest and fartest from the sun.

Steven L.A.E. Coyotes: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:11AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Dear Mr. Fuller,Thank you for answering most of my questions!

: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:12AM PST (-0800 GMT)

Mr. jones/Valley View: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:13AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Thanks for the chat. We enjoyed it. We have to go now.

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:13AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Pedro - the pressure is greater at the center of the sun than at the center of the earth, so it is hotter at the center of the sun than the earth. In fact, that is why the sun is a star and the earth is not. The pressure is so great at the center of the sun that is cuases nucelar fusion.

slim&him@L.A.Ecoyoties: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:13AM PST (-0800 GMT)
how long isa light-year in miles

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:14AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Pluto is fartherst from the source of heat which is the sun so its receives the least radiant energy (when its farther from the sun than Neptune).

Sara,Meghan,Jacob,Jon/Miramonte: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:16AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Good morning from Mrs.Glenn's class.

Cassandra: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:16AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Hello, how are you doing? My name is Cassandra, and I would like to see a picture of the face of Mars.

slim&him@L.A.Ecoyoties: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:17AM PST (-0800 GMT)
how big is a light-year in miles

Karla/Jason TMS: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:19AM PST (-0800 GMT)
I think that Astronomy is very important to our history, because we can discover new things to life and maybe find other beings or planets. It would be exciting to know about another planet to study its atmosphere and surface.

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:20AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Slim and Him - a light year is about 6 trillion miles (5.9999999 )

MArcy, Camp Internet: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:22AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Cassandra - I would suggest going to www.nasa.gov and searching for the mars face images they have ... and comments on what the image actually may be

Karla/Jason TMS: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:23AM PST (-0800 GMT)
I read a newspaper article about a black hole in space.It's gravitational pull was equal to ten suns.

Karla/Jason TMS: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:23AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Will be back!

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:24AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Karla and Jason TMS - you are right, we are very actively exploring another planet - Mars - where recent discoveries of land forms suggest there may have been water ....

Teeter Arrowhead Seals: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:25AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Which planet or moon excpt earth would best sustain human life? Why?

Marcy, Camp Internet: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:26AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Karla/Jason at TMS - CNN has an article about a possible lake bed sediment formation that implies there may have been water on Mars ... this is a very meaningful discovery - what do you think it may mean ?

Sara,Meghan,Jacob,Jon/Miramonte: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:32AM PST (-0800 GMT)
If the Big Bang really did happen how are the planets so round?

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:32AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Jen&Karen: I've seen magnified images of the surface of the Sun (a star). If you look for solar observations at the Kitt Peak McMath telescope, I'm sure you can find images of the Sun's surface.

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:35AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Steven L.A.E: I've seen all nine planets at one time or another, at least with a telescope, and all but Neptune and Pluto by eye. I'm not sure my eyes are good enough for Uranus anymore, without a telescope, but you might give it a try!

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:38AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Starfreak, L.A.E: I've not discovered a new star yet. The closest I've come to that is noticing a star in the telescope's field of view that did not appear on the finder chart, but later discovering that it was a red star and the finder chart was taken from a blue image. The red finder chart showed the star!

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:42AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Steven L.A.E: It's hard to say what one thing inspired me to study astronomy. Part of it is the beauty of the universe, and another part is that it gives me understanding of what I am (a very small) part of. It gives me the most secure context in which to understand life and how every- thing relates to everything else.

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:44AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Jen & Karen: To my knowledge, no human has yet visited another planet. Only about 14 men have visited the moon, and I have not personally met any of them.

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:47AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Teeter Arrowhead Seals: I cannot say when humans will travel to other galaxies, if ever. I can say that it is not practical to do so with current technology. Indeed, as we currently understand the universe, it would take millions of years, traveling at the speed of light, to reach the nearest galaxy, and we are unlikely to achieve even a significant fraction of the speed of light.

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:53AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Marcy, Camp Internet: The huge fireball you saw over the mountains was probably a bolid meteor, that broke up as a result of heating up from the friction of speeding through the atmosphere. It could also have been "space junk" (a satellite) re-entering the atmosphere.

Weston: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:55AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Hello, my name is Weston, what is your name? I wouid like apicture of the north star.

Marcy, Camp Internet: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:55AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Yes, I finally was given a San Diego newspaper who reported it was a meteor .. but from their description it wasn't seen down there until it was a smaller chunck .. it was astounding to say the least .... that huge ball breaking into the smaller pieces was unforgettable ...

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:56AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Steven L.A.E. Coyotes: It is thought that Mars takes its reddish color from abundant iron oxides in its surface soil.

Marcy, Camp Internet: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 10:57AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Tom - can you provide the links by imbedding their html into the chat message you post, that takes our viewers to the locations on the RAAP site where they can request a photo ? perhaps provide them with the exact coordinates as a test case ?

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 11:03AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Teeter Arrowhead Seals: I'm not sure that anyone knows why the red spot exists, much less why it appears in the lower part of the planet. I believe it's thought to be the result of a hot spot in the underlying material, similar to how hurricanes on Earth are fed by heat from the underlying ocean water. But no one has yet shown why it exists that I know of.

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 11:07AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Jen & Karen: I work with photographs from our telescope almost every day, but there are many other sources of astronomical photographs, particularly on NASA web sites. If you want to see more images, we have some links at this button . Otherwise you can go to NASA at this button .

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 11:11AM PST (-0800 GMT)
slim&him@L.A.Ecoyoties: Living on Mars might be very difficult. Mars' atmosphere is at about 1/1000th the pressure of Earth's, so you would need a "space suit", and a sealed living chamber. You would also need to house the entire ecosystem that would support your life in a similar chamber. This is partly the motivation for the Biosphere experiments that have been taking place in Arizona.

: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 11:14AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Arrowhead Eagles How hot is the sun?

: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 11:15AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Arrowhead Eagles How hot is the sun?

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 11:15AM PST (-0800 GMT)
slim&him@L.A.Ecoyoties: I don't think I've ever seen something move on another planet, in the sense of watching it change position and be conscious of it. I may have seen dust storms come and go on Mars, but only by looking at different times. We are so far away, that to see movement would require something really huge move really fast for us to perceive its motion in real-time. Oh! I did take video of the impacts of Shoemaker-Levy 9 on Jupiter, but even then it was difficult to get a sense of motion, and that was a BIG event!

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 11:22AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Steven L.A.E. Coyotes: In asking for the names of types of galaxies, you probably want a list, like: Elliptical, Spiral, Peculiar, Barred Spiral, Radio, etc. But these are just names we use to help us understand differences between objects that span a continuous range of change in several different ways. You could come up with your own way of naming galaxies. One way to do this is to ask yourself a question about galaxies that you really want to answer. Then use that question as the reason you use for naming different kinds of galaxies. This will help you more completely understand your question.

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 11:28AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Slim and Him - Correction! A light year is about 6 trillion miles (6,000,000,000,000 miles)

Arrowhead eagle RJ: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 11:34AM PST (-0800 GMT)
How many planets are there in all the galaxies?

Arrowhead eagle RJ: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 11:35AM PST (-0800 GMT)
How many planets are there in all the galaxies?

Arrowhead eagle RJ: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 11:36AM PST (-0800 GMT)
How many planets are there in all the galaxies?

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 11:39AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Teeter Arrowhead Seals: As I understand our knowledge about other planets and moons in our solar system, none of them is particularly well suited to human life. On the other hand there are places on Earth where it would be difficult for you to live. It may be too cold, too hot, too wet, too dry, too little atmosphere... If Saturn's moon Titan does have large amounts of water, as is thought, then that might be an advantage, but remember that it's a lot farther from the Sun, and is a lot colder than Earth!

Arrowhead eagle RJ: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 11:41AM PST (-0800 GMT)
We are leaving now.Bye!

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 11:46AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Sara,Meghan,Jacob,Jon/Miramonte: The roundness of planets isn't really related to "The Big Bang". Planets didn't exist just as the Big Bang began to unfold (it's still happening, by the way). One way to think about the big bang is to imagine an infinitely large kettle of steam. So large, you can't see the walls of the kettle, only the steam. If the kettle is not being heated, then the steam cools. As it cools it reaches a temperature at which the steam (a gas) changes into liquid water, first as little drops of mist, which then come together to form bigger drops, like RAIN! Raindrops are pretty round, and may serve as a useful analogy to the formation of planets from the condensing material from the Big Bang.

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 11:51AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Weston: Hello, Weston. My name is Tom. When you want the RAAP Remote Optical Telescope to take a picture for you, you need to give us some information about what you want by filling out a form on a web page. You can make a request at any time of day or night, but the picture will be taken at the next observing opportunity. At the very least, you need to tell us what the name of the object is, like "The North Star", "Jupiter", "Saturn", "Orion Nebula", "Sombrero Galaxy", or the star "Betelgeuse" (that's pronounced Beetle Juice!). Other information is required on the form, but if you don't know what to put, make up something that the form accepts, and tell us what you really want in the "comment" box. For example, if you don't know the Coordinates of your object, then say so in the comment, and RA = [00] hh [00] mm [00] ss, and Dec [00] dd [00] mm [00] ss If you don't know what exposure time to use, say so in the comment, and put in: Exposure Time [10] sec Just follow the directions on the form as best you can. You can click on the blue links to get directions. If you have problems, send e-mail to RAAP@rot.physics.ucsb.edu . You can find the Request Form at this button .

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 12:00AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Arrowhead Eagles: The temperature of the Sun varies from about 15 million degrees Kelvin at the center to about 6000 degrees Kelvin at the surface. The temperature of the Sun's "atmosphere" ranges from about 6000 degrees at the surface to a about a million degrees Kelvin 11,000 kilometers above the surface.

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 12:03AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Arrowhead Eagles: No one knows how many planets there are in all the galaxies. We don't even know how many galaxies there are in the universe.

UCSB RAAP: . . . . Thu, Dec 7, 12:06AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Thank you all for your questions. If you would like to know more about the Remote Access Astronomy Project, please visit our web site at this button .