Interstellar Dreams

As a child, I often found myself pondering the origins of the universe and what it encompasses. However, my understanding was limited to the information provided in my school books, leaving these questions unanswered and lingering in my mind.

In today's digital age, the availability of information at our fingertips has significantly broadened knowledge horizons. Even kids now have access to a wealth of information, surpassing what most adults had during their childhood.

Living in India, we are fortunate to have ISRO, an aspirational organization that continually pushes the boundaries of space research. Their remarkable achievements, particularly highlighted by Chandrayaan-3, have sparked a newfound interest in space exploration among my children. Despite my concerns about screen time, I must admit that their passion for space is undeniable, often immersing themselves in space-related animation videos on YouTube.For me, this is a liberating experience, as the unaddressed questions from my own childhood are now finding resolution through my children's curiosity and exploration.

Recently, I recorded an audio clip of my 3-year-old enthusiastically singing a catchy space-related song he picked up from YouTube. It warmed my heart to see how much he has absorbed and how effortlessly he recites the names of celestial bodies and other cosmic wonders.

Here's a glimpse of what my kids have learned and are fascinated by:Dwarf planets like Ceres, Eris, and Makemake.Moons such as Titan and Europa.Stars like Arcturus, Antares, Vega, and UY Scuti.Constellations like Bootes and Sleeping Beauty.Nebulae like Cat's Eye and Horsehead.

It's incredible to witness their enthusiasm for space exploration at such a young age. It's a testament to the power of accessible knowledge and the wonder of the cosmos that captivates us all.

For the interested ones I am giving a brief description of each those celestial objects.

Dwarf Planets:

Ceres: Ceres is the largest object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It is considered a dwarf planet and was the first dwarf planet to be visited by a spacecraft, NASA's Dawn mission. Ceres is unique because it may have water ice beneath its surface and possibly even a subsurface ocean.

Eris: Eris is one of the most massive dwarf planets in our solar system and is located in the Kuiper Belt, a region beyond Neptune. It is known for its role in the reclassification of Pluto from a planet to a dwarf planet. Eris has a highly elliptical orbit and is quite distant from the Sun.

Makemake: Makemake is another dwarf planet in the Kuiper Belt. It is known for its reddish appearance and is one of the brightest and largest objects in the region. Like Pluto and Eris, Makemake has a relatively distant and eccentric orbit.

Moons:

Titan: Titan is Saturn's largest moon and the second-largest moon in the solar system. It is known for its thick atmosphere and is the only moon with a significant atmosphere. Titan's surface is covered in lakes and rivers of liquid methane and ethane, making it a fascinating destination for future exploration.

Europa: Europa is one of Jupiter's Galilean moons and is known for its icy surface and subsurface ocean. It is considered one of the best candidates for finding extraterrestrial life in our solar system due to the potential habitable conditions beneath its icy crust.

Stars:

Arcturus: Arcturus is a bright orange giant star located in the constellation Boötes. It is one of the brightest stars in the northern hemisphere's night sky and is relatively close to Earth in astronomical terms.

Antares: Antares is a red supergiant star located in the heart of the Scorpius constellation. It is one of the largest known stars in the Milky Way and is easily visible due to its reddish appearance.

Vega: Vega is a prominent star in the constellation Lyra. It is one of the brightest stars in the night sky and is known for its blue-white color. Vega is also a part of the Summer Triangle, a prominent asterism.

UY Scuti: UY Scuti is a red supergiant star in the constellation Scutum. It is one of the largest known stars in the universe, with a radius that dwarfs the orbit of Earth. Despite its enormous size, it is too faint to be seen with the naked eye.

Constellations:

Boötes: Boötes is a constellation in the northern hemisphere. It is often associated with a herdsman or a plowman and contains the bright star Arcturus. It is visible during the spring and early summer months.

Sleeping Beauty (also known as Ursa Major): Ursa Major, also referred to as the Great Bear or the Big Dipper, is a well-known constellation in the northern sky. It is often recognized for its distinctive shape, which resembles a saucepan or ladle. The "Sleeping Beauty" reference might be a regional or cultural variation of its name.

Nebulae:

Cat's Eye Nebula: The Cat's Eye Nebula is a planetary nebula located in the constellation Draco. It got its name because its appearance resembles a cat's eye. This nebula is created by the ejected outer layers of a dying star.

Horsehead Nebula: The Horsehead Nebula is a dark nebula located in the Orion constellation. It is famous for its distinctive shape, which looks like the silhouette of a horse's head. It is a region of dust and gas that obscures the light from the stars behind it and is often photographed in conjunction with the nearby Flame Nebula.

About the pic: Interstellar is my favorite movie and watched it multiple times. The first time I watched it I was spellbound with the concept of Miller's planet. Miller's planet is orbiting a supermassive black hole called Gargantua, which is shown to warp space-time so magnificently that they can see its entire accretion disk, all at once. The unique way it appears in the film was derived from equations that physicist Kip Thorne generated. After passing through the wormhole, Coop's team decide to land on Dr. Miller's ocean planet, orbiting Gargantua, Due to Gargantua's massive gravitational pull, “every hour on that planet is seven years on Earth”. 

Bonus Trivia: Did you know. in the movie, on Miller planet, the soundtrack in the background. has a prominent ticking noise? And these ticks happen every 1.25 second. Each tick you hear is a whole day passing on earth.