Even at the dawn of human civilization, the phenomena of the surrounding nature aroused interest in man. In those distant times, they caused fear, and were explained with the help of various superstitions. But thanks to the works of scientists from different eras, today a person has knowledge of what their meaning is. What are some examples of astronomical and physical phenomena observed in the surrounding world?
Two categories of phenomena
Astronomical phenomena include events on a planetary scale - a solar eclipse, stellar wind, parallax, the rotation of the Earth around its axis. Physical phenomena are the evaporation of water, the refraction of light, lightning and other phenomena. For a long time they were studied by various researchers. Therefore, today a detailed description of physical and astronomical phenomena is available to everyone.
Rotation of the Earth
For several centuries, scientists have studied this phenomenon, and found that it has many interesting characteristics. The Earth makes one revolution around the Sun in 365.24 days, which explains the need for one extra day every four years (whenit's a leap year). The rotation speed of our planet is 108 thousand km / h. The distance from the Earth to the Sun is always different. Our planet is usually closest to the Sun on January 3rd and farthest on July 4th.
This astronomical phenomenon has been studied since ancient Greece. The period when the Earth is closest to the Sun is called perihelion, and the period when the Earth is closest to the Sun is called aphelion. However, the change of seasons is determined not by proximity to the star, but by the tilt of the earth's axis. The earth moves in an elliptical orbit. This picture was first described by Johannes Kepler.
Solar wind phenomenon
Few people think that magnetic storms and northern lights are directly related to such an astronomical phenomenon as the stellar wind. It also affects the planets of the solar system. The stellar wind is a stream of helium-hydrogen plasma. It starts in the corona of a star (in our case, the Sun), and moves at a gigantic speed, overcoming millions of kilometers of space.
The stellar wind flow consists of protons, alpha particles, and also electrons. Every second, millions of tons of matter are carried away from the surface of our star, spreading throughout the solar system. Scientists have noticed that there are places with different solar wind densities. These areas in our system move along with the Sun, being derivatives of its atmosphere. By speed, astronomers distinguish between slow and fast solar wind, as well as its high-speed winds.flows.
Solar Eclipse
This astronomical phenomenon in the past instilled in people awe and fear of the mysterious forces of nature. It was believed that during a solar eclipse someone was trying to extinguish the Sun, and therefore the luminary needed protection. People armed with spears and shields, and went "to war". As a rule, the solar eclipse soon ended, and people returned to the caves, satisfied that they were able to drive away the evil spirits. Now the meaning of this astronomical phenomenon is well studied by astronomers. It lies in the fact that the Moon overshadows our luminary for a certain period of time. When the Moon, Earth and Sun line up side by side, we can observe the phenomenon of a solar eclipse.
Astronomical events
Solar eclipse is one of the most interesting phenomena. This astronomical phenomenon in 2016 was observed on March 9th. This solar eclipse was best seen by the inhabitants of the Caroline Islands. It went on for 6 hours. And in 2017, a slightly different large-scale event is expected - on October 12, 2017, an asteroid TS4 will fly by near the Earth. And on October 12, 2017, the peak of the Perseid star shower is expected.
Zipper
Lightning belongs to the category of physical phenomena. This is one of the most mysterious phenomena. It can almost always be seen during a summer thunderstorm. Lightning is a giant spark. It has a truly gigantic length - several hundred kilometers. First we can see lightning, and only after that -"hear" her voice, thunder. Sound travels slower in air than light, so we hear thunder with a delay.
Lightning is born at high altitude, in a thundercloud. Usually such clouds appear during the heat, when the air heats up. In the place where lightning is born, an incalculable number of charged particles flock. Finally, when there are a lot of them, a giant spark flares up and lightning appears. Sometimes it can hit the Earth, and sometimes it breaks directly into a thundercloud. It depends on the type of lightning, of which there are more than 10.
Evaporation
Examples of physical and astronomical phenomena can be observed in everyday life - they are so familiar to man that sometimes they are simply not noticed. One such phenomenon is the evaporation of water. Everyone knows that if you hang clothes on a rope, then after a while the moisture will evaporate from it, and it will become dry. Evaporation is a process during which a liquid gradually turns into a gaseous state. Molecules of matter are subject to two forces. The first of these is the cohesive force that holds the particles together. The second is the thermal motion of molecules. This force makes them move in different directions. If these forces are balanced, the substance is a liquid. On the surface of the liquid, the particles move faster than at the bottom, and therefore overcome the cohesive forces faster. Molecules fly off the surface into the air - evaporation occurs.
Refraction of light
To give examples of astronomical phenomena, it is often necessary to refer to scientific sources of information, or to make observations with a telescope. Physical phenomena can be observed without leaving home. One of these phenomena is the refraction of light. Its meaning lies in the fact that a ray of light changes its direction to the boundary of two media. Part of the energy is always reflected from the surface of the second medium. In the event that the medium is transparent, the beam partially propagates through the boundary of the two media. This phenomenon is called refraction of light.
When observing this phenomenon, there is an illusion of changing the shape of objects, their location. You can verify this by placing a pencil at an angle in a glass of water. If you look at it from the side, it will seem that the part of the pencil, which is under water, is, as it were, pushed aside. This law was discovered in the days of Ancient Greece. Then it was established empirically in the 17th century and explained using Huygens' law.
