NRSV:

Yours, O Lord, are the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens and on the earth is yours; yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.

1 Chronicles 29:11

NKJV:

I will lift up my eyes to the hills—

From whence comes my help?

My help comes from the Lord,

Who made heaven and earth.

Psalm 121:1-2

Deepest Oceans

The oceans are incredibly deep, but their depth is not the same everywhere.

The deepest part of the ocean discovered so far is the Mariana Trench, a deep crack in the floor of the Pacific Ocean. It reaches an astonishing depth of about 11,034 metres.

Even at such extreme depths, where sunlight cannot reach and pressure is immense, scientists have found signs of marine life. This shows that life can exist in some of the most unexpected places on Earth.

In 1960, explorers Dr Jacques Piccard and Lt Donald Walsh descended deep into the Mariana Trench in a vessel called Trieste, reaching about 10,911 metres below the surface.

Most of the world’s deepest ocean trenches are found in the Pacific Ocean, which contains nine of the ten deepest.

The only exception is the Puerto Rico Trench in the Atlantic Ocean, which reaches a depth of about 9,220 metres.

What Causes the Tides?

Tides are caused mainly by the gravitational pull of the Moon, with the Sun also having a smaller effect. The Moon’s gravity pulls the water in the Earth’s oceans, creating a bulge of water on the side of the Earth facing the Moon.

At the same time, another bulge forms on the opposite side of the Earth. These bulges are where high tides occur, while the areas in between experience low tides.

As the Earth rotates, different places move through these bulges, causing the regular rise and fall of sea levels. Most coastal areas experience two high tides and two low tides each day.

Because the Moon is also moving around the Earth, the timing of high tides shifts slightly, occurring about one hour later each day.

What are the Northern Lights?

The northern lights are beautiful displays of pale, flickering colours that can sometimes be seen in the night sky in far northern regions. Their scientific name is the aurora borealis, and a similar effect occurs in the far south, where it is called the aurora australis.

Auroras occur high above the Earth, between about 97 and 1,000 km above the surface. They are caused by electrically charged particles from the Sun that travel through space and collide with gases in the Earth’s atmosphere.

When these particles strike the atmosphere, they release energy in the form of light, creating glowing waves of green, red, and purple in the sky. Auroras are more common when there are many sunspots, as these increase the amount of energy and particles released by the Sun.

Why do We Have Time Zones?

Time zones exist because the Earth rotates, meaning different parts of the world experience daylight and darkness at different times. If everyone used the same clock, some places would have sunrise late at night and midday in the dark, which would be very confusing for daily life

In 1884, the world was divided into time zones based on a reference point called Greenwich in London, England. This system ensures that the time in each region roughly matches the position of the Sun in the sky

Each time zone is usually one hour apart from the next. As you travel east, the time becomes one hour later, and as you travel west, the time becomes one hour earlier. This keeps mornings, afternoons, and nights aligned with the natural cycle of daylight across the globe

Why Do We Have Coloured Sunsets

Coloured sunsets happen because of Rayleigh scattering

As the Sun sets, its light travels through more of Earth’s atmosphere, scattering away shorter blue and violet wavelengths

This allows longer red, orange, and yellow wavelengths to reach our eyes

Dust, water droplets, and clouds can make these colours even more vivid

🛰️ What Is a Space Station?

A space station is a large, habitable structure in orbit that allows astronauts to live and work in zero gravity for extended periods. Unlike cramped space capsules or the space shuttle, space stations provide enough space and life support for long-term missions.

Supplies such as air, food, and new crew members are delivered by rockets or space shuttles. Most space stations are made of multiple modules, launched separately and assembled in orbit.

Some stations, like the Russian Mir, stayed in space for many years, with crews living and working aboard for months at a time. Space stations essentially serve as laboratories and homes in space, enabling extended scientific research and exploration.

🔹 Key Features

Purpose: Space stations act as laboratories for studying biology, medicine, physics, materials science, and for observing Earth and space.

Habitation: They provide pressurized living areas with air, water, and power systems to sustain crews for extended missions.

Construction: Most stations, like the International Space Station (ISS), are modular — built by connecting pieces delivered by rockets and shuttles.

Orbit & Speed: To remain in orbit, space stations travel at extremely high speeds. The ISS, for example, orbits Earth every 90 minutes.

Energy: Large solar panels provide electricity by converting sunlight into power.

🛰️ How Do Satellites Stay in Orbit?

Satellites stay in orbit because they are launched at very high speeds. To remain above Earth, a satellite must travel at about 8 kilometers per second. At this speed, gravity pulls the satellite toward Earth while its forward motion keeps it moving around the planet instead of falling straight down.

If a satellite orbits too close to Earth (below about 200 km), thin traces of the atmosphere create drag that slowly slows it down. Eventually it loses height and can burn up or crash back to Earth.

Satellites placed much higher above Earth can remain in orbit for many years.

Some satellites are put into a special path called a geostationary orbit. In this orbit, the satellite moves at the same speed as Earth’s rotation, so it appears to stay fixed above the same point on Earth, making it ideal for communication and weather satellites. 🛰️

🌕 Why Does the Moon Shine?

The Moon is the brightest object in the night sky, but it does not produce its own light. Instead, it shines because it reflects sunlight

The Sun always lights up one half of the Moon. As the Moon orbits Earth, we see different portions of this sunlit side, which is why the Moon appears to change shape during the month

Although the Moon looks bright and silvery, its surface is actually dark, grey, and rocky, reflecting only about 7–12% of the sunlight that hits it. The rest of the light is absorbed by the dusty lunar surface

Even so, the reflected sunlight is strong enough for the Moon to glow in our night sky, and sometimes it can even be seen during the day. 🌙

Did you Know

The biggest butterfly in the world has a 31cm wingspan

With a wingspan as wide as a dinner plate, the Queen Alexandra’s birdwing truly earns its title as the largest butterfly on Earth.

🌑 What Is a Lunar Eclipse?

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth moves between the Sun and the Moon, causing the Earth’s shadow to fall on the Moon.

During this event, the Moon can darken and sometimes turn a deep reddish color, often called a "Blood Moon." This happens because Earth’s atmosphere bends and filters sunlight, allowing red light to reach the Moon.

Lunar eclipses only happen during a full moon and can last for several hours as the Moon slowly passes through Earth’s shadow.

Unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses are safe to watch with the naked eye and can be seen from anywhere on Earth where the Moon is visible.