Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 12, 2026

Bringing the Visible Universe into Focus with Robo-AO
10:35

Bringing the Visible Universe into Focus with Robo-AO

Published on: February 12, 2013

Uranus should be NASA's top target, report finds.

Paul Voosen

    Science (New York, N.Y.)
    |April 21, 2022
    PubMed
    Summary

    A major space survey proposes a $4.2 billion flagship mission to study an ice giant planet. This influential recommendation prioritizes exploring these distant, enigmatic worlds.

    More Related Videos

    Scattering And Absorption of Light in Planetary Regoliths11:34

    Scattering And Absorption of Light in Planetary Regoliths

    Published on: July 1, 2019

    Simulating Imaging of Large Scale Radio Arrays on the Lunar Surface06:14

    Simulating Imaging of Large Scale Radio Arrays on the Lunar Surface

    Published on: July 30, 2020

    Related Concept Videos

    Rocket Propulsion in Empty Space - I01:13

    Rocket Propulsion in Empty Space - I

    The driving force for the motion of any vehicle is friction, but in the case of rocket propulsion in space, the friction force is not present. The motion of a rocket changes its velocity (and hence its momentum) by ejecting burned fuel gases, thus causing it to accelerate in the direction opposite to the velocity of the ejected fuel. In this situation, the mass and velocity of the rocket constantly change along with the total mass of ejected gases. Due to conservation of momentum, the rocket's...
    Rocket Propulsion in Gravitational Field - I01:20

    Rocket Propulsion in Gravitational Field - I

    Rockets range in size from small fireworks that ordinary people use to the enormous Saturn V that once propelled massive payloads toward the Moon. The propulsion of all rockets, jet engines, deflating balloons, and even squids and octopuses are explained by the same physical principle: Newton's third law of motion. The matter is forcefully ejected from a system, producing an equal and opposite reaction on what remains.
    The motion of a rocket in space changes its velocity (and hence its...
    Rocket Propulsion in Gravitational Field - II01:03

    Rocket Propulsion in Gravitational Field - II

    A rocket's velocity in the presence of a gravitational field is decreased by the amount of force exerted by Earth's gravitational field, which opposes the motion of the rocket. If we consider thrust, that is, the force exerted on a rocket by the exhaust gases, then a rocket's thrust is greater in outer space than in the atmosphere or on a launch pad. In fact, gases are easier to expel in a vacuum.
    A rocket's acceleration depends on three major factors, consistent with the equation for the...
    Acceleration due to Gravity on Other Planets01:24

    Acceleration due to Gravity on Other Planets

    The gravitational acceleration of an object near the Earth's surface is called the acceleration due to gravity. It can be measured by conducting simple experiments on Earth. However, such an experiment is impossible to conduct on the surface of other planets.
    Astronomical observations are thus used to measure the acceleration due to gravity on other planets. This can be determined by observing the effect of a planet's gravity on objects close to it. The crucial factor that helps in this...
    Circular Orbits and Critical Velocity for Satellites01:16

    Circular Orbits and Critical Velocity for Satellites

    The Moon orbits around the Earth. In turn, the Earth (and other planets) orbit the Sun. The space directly above our atmosphere is filled with artificial satellites in orbit. One can examine the circular orbit, the simplest kind of orbit, to understand the relationship between the speed and the period of planets and satellites with respect to their positions and the bodies that they orbit.
    Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) first suggested that the Earth and all other planets orbit the Sun in...
    Kepler's First Law of Planetary Motion01:10

    Kepler's First Law of Planetary Motion

    In the early 17th century, German astronomer and mathematician Johannes Kepler postulated three laws for the motion of planets in the solar system. He formulated his first two laws based on the observations of his forebears, Nikolaus Copernicus and Tycho Brahe.
    Polish astronomer Nikolaus Copernicus put forth a theory that stated a heliocentric model for the solar system. According to this heliocentric theory, all the planets, including Earth, orbit the Sun in circular orbits.
    On the other hand,...