It’s Raining Bongs: Our Water Cycle

bong in the cloudsNow it’s time to explore our own planet’s water cycle. As we’ve learned through Bong’s adventure on the Tiny Planet of Nature, the water cycle involves evaporation, condensation and, last but not least, rain.

On Earth, water evaporates from all kinds of bodies of water including lakes, rivers, seas, oceans, puddles and anyplace else that water collects.  When the sun heats the water up it turns into vapor and floats invisibly towards the sky.

Up in the sky, the temperature cools down and so does the water vapor. When this happens the water vapor turns back into a liquid and sticks together. This is called  condensation.  This condensed water forms clouds. Continue reading

Beware the Scorpion in the Sky

Scorpius Constellation

Scorpius as depicted in Urania's Mirror, a set of constellation cards published in London c.1825.

Have you ever wondered why the Orion Nebula has a sword and a belt? Hmm, who uses a sword? A warrior! But what could this warrior be fighting in the sky?

Orion is they mythological warrior and hunter who was friends with the goddess Artemis. They would hunt together and have many adventures. Pretty cool deal to go hunting with a goddess, huh?

Unfortunately for Orion, he developed a really bad attitude. He thought that since he was such a good hunter that he should go and kill every animal on earth! Not cool at all. Continue reading