My Science School

Venus and the planet Mercury are the only two planets that don't have a single natural moon orbiting them. Figuring out why is one question keeping astronomers busy as they study the Solar System.

Astronomers have three explanations about how planets get a moon or moons. Perhaps the moon was "captured" as it drifted by the planet, which is what some scientists think happened to Phobos and Deimos (near Mars). Maybe an object smashed into the planet and the fragments eventually coalesced into a moon, which is the leading theory for how Earth's Moon came together. Or maybe moons arose from general accretion of matter as the solar system was formed, similar to how planets came together.

Considering the amount of stuff flying around the Solar System early in its history, it's quite surprising to some astronomers that Venus does not have a moon today. Perhaps, though, it had one in the distant past. In 2006, California Institute of Technology researchers Alex Alemi and David Stevenson presented at the American Astronomical Society's division of planetary sciences meeting and said Venus could have been smacked by a large rock at least twice.

Credit : Phys.org 

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The UAE has selected two new Emiratis to be part of its astronaut corps, including the Arab world’s first female astronaut.

The 4,305 applicants were chosen based on age and educational background. A total of 2,099 candidates then passed the IQ, personality and technical assessments.

Only 122 made it to the interview round. Of these, 61 candidates took part in preliminary and advanced medical examinations.

Fourteen passed a final round of interviews and evaluations, which the UAE's first two astronauts and two female Nasa astronauts participated in.

Four candidates passed fitness, communications and teamwork tests, from whom the new astronauts were selected.

Salem Al Marri, head of the astronaut programme at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (Mbrsc), said the space centre's goal was pick the best out of the lot.

"The team at Mbrsc has worked tirelessly after receiving applications to evaluate them according to specific criteria and standards, and then conducted successive evaluations to ensure the selection of the best candidates, until we reached this point to announce the new astronauts," he said.

Credit : The National News

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Blue Origin is a private spaceflight company based in Kent, Washington that is working to send tourists to space on its reusable suborbital rocket called New Shepard. The company was created in 2000 by Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO of Amazon.com. 

In 2015, Blue Origin made history by successfully launching and landing a reusable rocket for the first time. The company is currently developing a lunar lander called Blue Moon that will make robotic cargo deliveries to the lunar surface, and it is partnering with SpaceX and Dynetics to develop a human-rated moon lander that will carry astronauts to the lunar surface in 2024 under NASA's Artemis Program.

Initially focused on suborbital spaceflight, the company has designed, built and flown multiple testbeds of its New Shepard vehicle at its facilities in Culberson County, Texas. Developmental test flights of the New Shepard, named after the first American in space Alan Shepard, began in April 2015, and flight testing is ongoing. Blue Origin has moved the date for first passengers back several times, with one recent planned timeframe being 2019 as of September 2018. In the event, it has not yet begun commercial passenger flights, nor announced a firm date for when they would begin. On nearly every one of the test flights since 2015, the uncrewed vehicle has reached a test altitude of more than 100 kilometers and achieved a top speed of more than Mach 3 (3,675 km/h), reaching space above the Karman line, with both the space capsule and its rocket booster successfully soft landing.

Blue Origin moved into the orbital spaceflight technology business in 2014, initially as a rocket engine supplier for others via a contractual agreement to build a new large rocket engine, the BE-4, for major US launch system operator United Launch Alliance (ULA). By 2015, Blue Origin had announced plans to also manufacture and fly its own orbital launch vehicle, known as the New Glenn, from the Florida Space Coast. BE-4 had been expected to complete engine qualification testing by late 2018, but the test program continued into 2019.

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Titan is the largest moon of Saturn, the seventh planet outward from our sun. It’s the only moon in our solar system known to have a thick atmosphere, and it’s the only known body in space, besides Earth, known to have stable bodies of surface liquid. Titan has a kind of hydrological cycle, much like Earth’s, with liquids falling from the sky and flowing across this moon’s surface before evaporating back into clouds. Some of the weather phenomena we’d be familiar with on Titan include dust storms and monsoonal rains. Earth’s atmosphere is 78% nitrogen; Titan’s is 98% nitrogen. Titan’s climate is driven by seasonal change. So you can see that, in some ways, the closest comparison to Titan’s atmosphere is the one we know best: Earth’s.

But there are also many differences between Earth and this distant Saturnian moon, showing how alien and strange it would be to experience the weather on Titan.

Titan is 10 times farther from the sun than Earth and receives 100 times less solar energy. It orbits roughly in the plane of Saturn’s equator, and its tilt relative to the plane of our solar system is about the same as Saturn’s. As on Earth, Saturn’s seasons – and Titan’s – are caused by their tilts, which cause the sun to strike the different hemispheres of these worlds more strongly or more weakly throughout Saturn’s year. Saturn takes 29 years to orbit the sun once; its year is 29 Earth-years long. Thus both Saturn and Titan have seasons lasting more than 7 Earth-years.

And so any given spot on Titan experiences a change in weather at a much slower pace than on Earth.

An equinox on Titan – when both hemispheres of this moon are receiving the sun’s rays about equally – occurs about every 15 years. The last Titan equinox was in 2009. We now know – thanks to the Cassini mission to Saturn, which arrived in 2004 and lasted until 2017 – that powerful wind storms roved across Titan around the time of its 2008 equinox, producing soot that fell like rain and creating dunes on Titan’s surface.

In general, it’s now thought that Titan’s winds flow in a pole-to-pole circulation for some 12 Earth years before taking a few years to transition to the opposite direction as winter changes to summer.

Credit : EarthSky 

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In a key milestone for NASA’s plan to return humans to the moon, the space agency today announced that SpaceX will build the vehicle that will land astronauts on the lunar surface. The current plan, known as Artemis, calls for astronauts to launch on NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, fly to lunar orbit on the space agency’s Orion space capsule, and then transfer to SpaceX’s Starship rocket to make the final descent to the surface.

The contract, worth $2.9 billion, will go toward developing a moon-ready version of the Starship rocket. The futuristic-looking vehicle is still in the prototype stage, with testing ongoing at a Texas facility. SpaceX beat out proposals from Jeff Bezos’ company Blue Origin—which has been working with defense contractors Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Draper—and Dynetics, a defense contractor based in Huntsville, Alabama.

Announced in 2017 under the Trump administration and named in 2019, the Artemis program aims to return U.S. astronauts to the lunar surface for the first time since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972, including landing the first woman and the first person of color on the moon.

The Biden administration has voiced support for the program, as well. But while Trump’s team pushed for a crewed mission to the moon’s surface in 2024, Congress has not provided the amount of funding for the program that NASA says would be needed for that time table. Due to a smaller budget than requested, and delays during the development of the SLS rocket and other parts of the program, NASA is reevaluating the soonest date that it could launch people on a lunar mission.

The Artemis I mission, which will launch no sooner than late 2021, will be an uncrewed test flight of Orion and SLS. Artemis II will follow, using SLS and Orion to fly a crew around the moon and back but not land, similar to 1968’s Apollo 8 mission. Then Artemis III will use SLS, Orion, and SpaceX’s Starship to complete the journey to the moon’s surface.

To fly the quarter-million miles to the moon, astronauts will travel on NASA’s SLS heavy-lift rocket and Orion deep-space spacecraft. The plan then calls for Orion to dock with a Human Landing System (HLS)—which is what NASA selected SpaceX’s Starship for. This spacecraft will wait in lunar orbit up to a hundred days before the astronauts arrive and then land them on the surface. To return to Earth, the crew will launch off the moon on Starship, transfer back to the waiting Orion spacecraft, and fly home.

Credit : National Geographic 

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My friend and I love the same boy. He's a mutual friend and knows about our feelings. At first, he said we are equal for him but gradually he fell in love with me. We are now in a relationship but my friend is hurt. Have I done the right thing by committing to him?

You are in a dilemma about whether you have done the right thing in committing to a boy who your friend has fallen for too. However, since you are already in a relationship with this boy, whether you have done 'the right thing' or not is a bit late to consider.

Your friend is naturally hurt and upset, and probably feels betrayed too. While both you and this boy care for each other and are free to choose each other; yet, since both are friends with this girl - who also has feelings for him - it is necessary to consider her feelings too.

What you can both do is individually connect with your friend and apologize for not being considerate about her feelings or talking things over with her earlier. If you felt awkward about it, do share that with her. If she expresses her feelings, let her.

Later, the three of you can talk if she is open to it. Ask her to suggest what kind of interaction would be comfortable for her going forward and put forth both your views too. She may choose to cut off with both of you either for a short while, or longer because of her feelings, or she may work to get over it and choose to come out occasionally as a friend. Either way, be prepared for it, or respect it. Good luck!

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I have a best friend since the past five years. Now she is angry with me just because I went out with another friend without her several times without telling her. I have tried to make up with her in different ways. I message her every day but she does not reply. I went over to her house to apologise but she ignored me and asked me to leave. I am really upset and don't want to lose this friendship. Please help me.

You are quite upset that your friend is not talking to you and feel regretful about what happened. While you may not have hurt her on purpose, from her point of view, it looks like she felt extremely hurt and insecure that you went out with someone else without telling her.

As an individual, you are free to meet whosoever you choose to, and do not need to inform anyone about what you do. That said, in a close friendship, we begin to have expectations of each other that as a basic courtesy, you simply say, 'Hey, I met up with 'xyz' and we plan to meet up again."

But what is done is done now. You did your best and tried to make up with your friend. Messaging her daily is like scratching a wound and not allowing it to heal. So, it is best to give her space to work out her feelings.

To gain closure for yourself, wait for a suitable time maybe two or three months then write her a short letter saying sorry, that while you didn't mean it. You do realize your mistake, and that you care for her. Let her know that you just wanted to share this and if she chooses to cut off the relationship, you respect her and wish her well. Then drop it. Accept that she may not respond. Good luck!

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I have a boyfriend and we love each other very much but the problem is that he thinks I'm stupid and silly, that every time he is right and I am wrong. It hurts me a lot. I feel very sad when he makes me feel this way. How can I show him that I'm not stupid?

You are feeling quite hurt and sad because you have been judged by someone you care for.

Looks like your boyfriend has the need to be seen as smarter than you. For this, he has to be right, and you have to be wrong, stupid and silly. Seems like this isn't about you; it is about him.

If you ask yourself: 'Am I really 'stupid' and 'silly'?" and 'What proof do I have?", your answer will certainly be 'No' and you will have examples to prove it. None of us are stupid and silly; we are all simply at different levels of growth and learning, and it's okay to be at whatever level we are. If another p judges your worth, it only shows that the person who judges feels insecure about his/her own worth. Is there any point then in trying to prove to that you are not what they call you?

Let your boyfriend know that it hurts you when he judges you this way and that if you are to be in a loving relationship, then you both need to accept each other unconditionally. If he does not respond positively, ask yourself: Is it eroding my confidence to be in this relationship? Do I feel resentful about this treatment? If yes, then it is time to love, appreciate and honour yourself, and consider moving on. If he does, then wonderful. Good luck!

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My father is a smoker who smokes several times a day. When we ask him not to do so he gets upset with us. We told him that we love him and are concerned for his health, and that he should stop this bad habit. But he got angry and stopped talking to us for a week and continued smoking. Please tell me what to do.

You are understandably concerned about your father's smoking habit, and it upsets you and your family that he won't stop even though you have tried to explain to him that it is for his own good.

By telling your dad that you love him and are concerned for his health, he may feel guilty for a short while. However, it looks like he sees it as 'nagging', and so probably feels defiant. Only he can decide whether he wants to quit or seek help to quit smoking and he will do this only when he realises the ill effects for himself.

From your side, set some boundaries and negotiate with your dad so that he at least does not smoke in your presence. For this, first research the effects of 'passive smoking'. Tell your dad that you want to work out an agreement with him that is satisfactory to both sides and ask for time to meet. Indicate that while you respect that it is his choice whether to smoke or not, you request him to smoke outside the house/in an area away from you all since passive smoking is dangerous. Share the ill-effects with him. In return, you will stop requesting him to quit. Also say that you hope that one day he will give up smoking and that if he needs any support, you all will be happy to help him. See how he responds. Good luck!

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The skin is the largest and most important sensory organ of our body. We need to take utmost care of it. But there are times, when due to various reasons, our care is not enough and we need to go to a specialist to ensure it heals and comes back to its natural self.

What's this career about?

Dermatology is a branch of medicine dealing with skin, hair and nail diseases. It covers both medical and surgical aspects. It can be sub divided into Core Dermatology (deals with skin diseases), Cosmetology (treatment of skin appearance), Trichology (study of hair disorders) and Dermato-surgery (practice of skin surgeries).

As "skin doctors", dermatologists are physicians who diagnose and treat diseases of the skin. Their job responsibility includes examining the patients, carrying out grafts, smears of the affected skin and perform laser treatments on the affected areas. Some of the more common skin diseases include: skin cancer, warts, fungal infections, psoriasis, hair loss or excessive hair growth. Apart from the skin, a dermatologist is also concerned with treating hair, scalp and nail diseases.

The practice of dermatology requires a great depth of clinical knowledge. Skin diseases are difficult to treat as they can arise due to multiple factors operating inside or outside the human body. Dermatologists need to know the numerous internal conditions that can cause skin symptoms. So a doctor needs to stay updated. One of the most amazing facts about dermatologists is that they can treat over 3,000 skin diseases.

Dermatology patients can be of any age, from babies to people who are more than 100 years old. The field gives flexibility of either practising clinical or cosmetic or both. But this is one of very few medical fields, where you can stick to your working hours as no emergency cases come under this.

How do I get there?

To enter into this field, one should go for a five and half year MBBS degree followed by three years of MD Dermatology course. Aspiring candidates can get admission to the MBBS course through National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET 2021) or All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), (AIIMS 2021. Other Universities/institutions may also conduct their own entrance examinations for providing admission. Basic eligibility is 10+2 with Physics, Chemistry and Biology.

After completion of the MBBS degree, the candidate has to appear in the Post Graduate Entrance examination. Selection in a branch depends on the rank. It provides training in cutaneous medicine and surgery. The emphasis is on topics, like clinical dermatology, modern therapeutics of the skin, including electro-surgical, surgical and cosmetic surgical techniques.

What key skills do I need?

Intelligent, hardworking and have patience to treat and study their patients.

Conscientiousness and strong communication skills

A high degree of motivation and self-discipline

Be able to deal with patients who may be upset, distressed or in pain

Strong desire to help the sick and the injured

Emotional stability and the capacity to make decisions in an emergency

Institutes

All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi

Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research (JIPMER), Puducherry

Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, Nashik

SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST), Kattankulathu

Maulana Azad Medical College, Delhi

Armed Force Medical College, Pune

Bharati Vidyapeeth's Medical College, Pune

Christian Medical College, Vellore

Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduation Medical Education and Research, Pondicherry

Institute of medical science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi

Pay package

Dermatologists are one of the highest paid medical specialties. They may start in the range of Rs 10 15 lakhs per year. Experience matters a lot in this profession. Private clinical practice in dermatology is also quite rewarding as people are becoming more and more beauty as well as health conscious.

Employment profile

A dermatologist can seek employment in hospitals, dispensaries, nursing homes, research institutions, clinical laboratories run by central and state governments, defence services, charitable institutions, industrial concerns, etc. Medical colleges and training institutions also employ them as teachers and drug manufacturers. Medical services of the army, navy, air force under the Ministry of Defence also offer a good number of employment opportunities to doctors. They may also work in specialized skin care centres or open their own clinic.

Lucrative career opportunities for dermatologists are available. Since the skin is the largest organ of our bodies, at some point almost everyone has a skin problem whether it's an itchy rash or a deadly form of skin cancer. It is estimated, that about 20 per cent of all the patients seeking medical advice suffer from skin diseases. Also, skin diseases are on the rise, with excessive use of synthetic drugs and antibiotics, coupled with the emergence of degenerative auto immune diseases. With increasing skin problems worldwide, the demand for dermatologists who can work on various skin treatment techniques has increased.

Credit : Dr. Vibha Gupta (The Teenager Today)

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I had a friend who was very close to me, but he stopped talking to me suddenly. This has gone on for three months. Now he has apologized to me for his behaviour. But I don't want to forgive him because when I really needed him, he was not there for me. Now, when I can support myself, he is back to me. What should I do?

Looks like you feel quite angry with this friend for abandoning you when you needed his support the most. Perhaps you might want to consider thanking him, for his absence made you grow as a person! You are now emotionally stronger, more self-reliant and you have moved from dependence to independence.

Each person is at his/her own level of growth, and we do what we know best at that moment – so did your friend do what he was capable of at that moment. There is nothing much you can do about it. Forgiving him is not so much for him, as it is for your own peace of mind.

It is your choice to hold on to resentment and slow the growth you have achieved so far or forgive him and accelerate your personal growth. And if you choose to forgive him, it is your choice whether you want to move on from the friendship or build a new relationship with him if you feel there is still a bond. You have also the choice to be at a new level – that of inter-dependence – where both are equal and share a "give and take" and can work through any ups and downs.

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I am a 16-year-old girl studying in Std X. I know that I need to work hard this year, but I'm unable to concentrate on my studies. My mother gets worried when she doesn't see me studying. I don't know how to make myself studious not only for my mother's sake but also to get good results. Whenever I sit down to study, I get lost in my own world. I never succeed to complete the things I set out to do; I find them boring and leave them there. How should I deal with this problem?

You don't seem to be enjoying the journey of learning and are finding it difficult to concentrate. Studies are not something you do to please your mother or anyone else. We want to complete our studies to make a career and life for ourselves. Surely you want a bright future. Studying in Class X needs two things: One is a routine - beginning with exercise, adequate sleep, and time for relaxation.

The second includes the formula 'Focus + Practice + Fun'. Instead of studying by reading your books for long hours, set aside 4 to 6 x 25-minute slots followed by 5 to 10-minutes relaxing breaks where you give yourself a reward. Your promise to yourself is to switch off every distraction and focus on your studies for 20 to 25 minutes only. Whatever you choose to learn during that time, make sure that you focus on how well you learn it, even if you don't finish every Use Rs of Active Learning - Read-Remember (w) Rite it in the form of notes, diagrams, graphic organizers, and more. Get up and walk while you learn, throw a ball, sing, make a cartoon! Make it fun, so that you remember. Solve lots of papers. Who said studies are so serious? Enjoy.

Enjoyment = taking an interest à changing your methods à better learning

Outcome Better retention, better scores à Self satisfaction à Everyone's satisfaction

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I have a crush on one of my classmates. I think she too has the same feeling towards me, but we are afraid to tell each other about it. She talks to me very nicely and her love for me reflects in her talk. I want to be in relationship with her, but I am afraid of my academic result which is already affected.

Seems like you are in a dilemma: You hold back for fear of what will happen if you tell her about your feelings, and yet you want to take some action. So, ease that pressure by actively cultivating your friendship with her as a starting point. Discover ways in which you can spend time together; for the more you get to know each other, the easier it is to "be in a relationship". It is not as important to say, "I love you" in a hurry, as it is to lay the foundation for a strong relationship. If you focus on building the bond, it becomes easy to say the three important words with full meaning.

If your time and energy is spent thinking about one thing, then obviously other key aspects of life will get neglected, and this decision has its consequences. Your studies lay the foundation for your career, which is equally important. You need to balance both.

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I am a 14-year-old boy studying in Std IX. I was in a relationship with a girl whom I liked and loved very much. We used to chat on social media and also meet outside. One day her mother found this out. We had to break up as her parents are very angry, and don't trust her. We still like each other; I feel totally messed up.

You are understandably despondent about your relationship being found out. It must have been quite a shock for both of you.

This is the time to distract your thoughts by focusing on different things. Seek support from your other buddies - they will help you to get through this difficult phase. Go out and play a team sport, if you can. Set up a routine and make sure you have enough to do. Fill your day with exercise, studies, and hobbies. Make new friends of both genders. You will find that the worst will pass quickly.

Any relationship that is kept secret risks being brought into the open suddenly. This causes much heartbreak and a loss of trust. Hence, it is always best to be open about what you do. It will take this girl time to regain her mother's trust. With time, if it becomes possible to renew your relationship with her as a friend, then do so, openly. A friendship is a beautiful relationship and is a great foundation for your future. If you are truly meant for each other, life will surely give you the opportunity to take your relationship to the next level with the blessings of your families. If not, you will have at least gained a wonderful friend.

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I'm quite upset because I don't know what I'm good at. At school, I never get good results despite studying hard. I don't have any friends even though I try to be friendly with everyone. All the others have something they are good at and enjoy doing, but not me. I feel confused and lonely.

You seem quite dejected that despite trying hard, you don't know what you're good at, and don't get good results or have any friends.

Be a bit patient with yourself. This is the age of changes and uncertainty. A good way to approach it would be to say, 'Things aren't working, so this is an opportunity to make changes!' Reframe your problem from 'I'm not good at..." to 'I want to know what I am good at; I want better results; I want good friends." Focus on attitude + knowledge + skill building. Commit to what you do, and don't give up. Even those who know their talents require coaching/training (knowledge), lots of practice (skill building) and discipline (attitude). Interest à Learning (Knowledge + Skill) à Enjoyment à Greater interest.... This is a cycle.

For anything that you want to do/learn, if you focus on 'how' to do it and enjoy participating in the process of doing it, the results will come. We often focus on results, and lose the joy of participation. If you enjoy learning the guitar and put in the effort, you will become better at it quickly. Similarly for studies - setting study goals, studying in 25-minute slots daily, using study skills, and practising through papers will lead to better results.

This applies to friendships, too. Use skills of listening and empathy, express interest in others, share your interests and build personal connections in addition to being 'pleasant'.

Success is dedication to learn something despite challenges. Try it and you will go far!

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