A Real Life Ice Age On The Way?

A real life ice age?

Below is an article from the Yahoo News:

The Sun Has Just ‘Gone Blank’ – Could There Be An Ice Age On The Way? – By Rob Waugh

Don’t be alarmed, but our sun has just ‘gone blank’ – with a total lack of sunspots leaving the surface like a snooker ball.

It’s part of the sun’s cycles – a sign that the ‘solar minimum’ is approaching – and some experts have suggested a new ‘mini ice age’ might be on the way.

Meteorology expert Paul Dorian of Vencore Weather says, ‘For the second time this month, the sun has gone completely blank.

‘The blank sun is a sign that the next solar minimum is approaching and there will be an increasing number of spotless days over the next few years.

‘At first, the blankness will stretch for just a few days at a time, then it’ll continue for weeks at a time, and finally it should last for months at a time when the sunspot cycle reaches its nadir.  The next solar minimum phase is expected to take place around 2019 or 2020.’

Some experts predict that we could soon see a ‘Maunder minimum’ phase – a mini ice age similar to one which began in 1645.

During the ‘Maunder Minimum’, temperatures plunged so much that the Thames froze over.

Prof Valentina Zharkova of Northumbria University  predicts that there will be a sharp decline in solar activity between 2020 and 2050.

Zharkova said, last year, ‘I am absolutely confident in our research. It has good mathematical background and reliable data, which has been handled correctly. In fact, our results can be repeated by any researchers with the similar data available in many solar observatories, so they can derive their own evidence of upcoming Maunder Minimum in solar magnetic field and activity.’

From Kid To Kids: Too Much Sun Is Bad For Us

During the very hot weather, the direct heat from the sun can be bad for our health.

So, if it gets too hot, kids like you and me should not play in the sun for a long time.

And if you want to go out, it is wise to wear a cap or a hat to cover your head from the sun to avoid sun stroke.

Wide-brimmed hats in light colours are better because they help keep the sun from warming our head and neck.

Wear light clothing such as cotton in light colours, not only we’ll feel more comfortable but they also help to avoid our body temperature from raising too high.

In this weather, we must avoid doing heavy exercise during daylight hours especially in direct sunlight.

Please drink lots of liquids like water and juice because that is a good way to prevent ourselves from dehydration.

Yummy strawberry yoghurt drink looks as good as its taste. To learn how to make this tasty drink, please click: Delicious Strawberry Yoghurt Drink Recipe-With Pictures.

Anyway, please avoid drinking too much carbonated drinks that have lots of sugar and try to drink something healthier like fresh young coconut water and fresh fruit juice which are not only very good for us but are also very tasty.

Fresh coconut water fresh from the coconut is yummy and very good for us.

Lastly, please have a good rest and please get enough sleep.

The Sun

The Sun is one of the most important things for living things.

The gravity of the Sun is so strong that the sun can hold the planets in place.

The Sun is actually a small star and in fact it is smaller than normal stars.

Anyway we see the Sun bigger than stars because it is closer to our planet Earth.

Sometimes we cannot see the Sun or we can see only part of the Sun.

This rare phenomenon is called solar eclipse.

The below image shows how a solar eclipse happens …

This is how an eclipse happen. Click the picture for the news…

The ring is called corona.

DANGER NOTE: NEVER LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN EVEN THOUGH YOU USE A TELESCOPE OR A BINOCULARS. THE STRONG LIGHT WILL HURT YOUR EYES EVEN YOU DON’T FEEL IT!

The Moon or Lunar

On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first person who walked on the moon.

Do you ever wonder where did the moon went when at night we can’t see it or can only see a part of the moon?

I’ll explain…

The moon was not eaten or cut away.

It happened because the moon orbits the Earth.

The moon has no light and when we see the moon shines the light actually comes from the Sun.

Only half of the moon gets the light at one time.

The lighted portion of the moon that we see is called  phase of the moon.

This video might explain a lot…

Please click my posts below to learn more about lunar eclipse:

1. Total Lunar Eclipse – June 16, 2011

2. Partial Lunar Eclipse

Our Solar System

There used to be 9 planets and more than 170 moons in our solar system.

The 9 planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.

But in August 2006, the International Astronomical Union decided to re-classify Pluto as a “dwarf planet”, and not in the same category as the 8 planets.

So now there are 8 planets in the solar system.

Each planet goes around the Sun on its own path called orbit.

Anyway we cannot see the paths because they are invisible.

Earth takes about 365 days to orbit the Sun.

This is called one Earth year.

And each moons moves around its planet in its own orbit.

The size of the planet from the smallest to the biggest:

1. Mercury

2. Mars

3. Venus

4. Earth

5. Neptune

6. Uranus

7. Saturn

8. Jupiter

On April 12, 1961, Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin became the first person who went to space.

People travel to space in a spacecraft or spaceship.

Total Lunar Eclipse – June 16, 2011

INTO DARKNESS: The moon slowly being obscured by the earth's shadow — Pic: Angkasa.

Lunar means moon.

There was a total lunar eclipse on June 16, 2011.

Lunar eclipse happens when the Earth blocks the Moon from the Sun.

It happens when the Sun, the Earth and the Moon are in straight line or  almost; with the Earth in the middle.

Total lunar eclipse happens when the Earth blocks the whole moon.

If only about half Moon is blocked by the Earth, it will be a partial lunar eclipse.

This is a picture that I made using the Microsoft PowerPoint to show how lunar eclipse happens.

First I tried to watch the lunar eclipse at 12:56 a.m., but I can’t see anything because it was too cloudy.

Then I woke up early and went outside to watch the lunar eclipse at 6:05 a.m. and this time I can see the eclipse but it was still cloudy.

I waited and soon it was less cloudy and I can see the eclipse clearly.

Anyway I miss the total eclipse.

I hope that I’m not going to miss another total lunar eclipse next time.

Partial Lunar Eclipse

Lunar means moon.

There was a partial lunar eclipse early this morning.

Lunar eclipse happens when the Earth block the Moon from the Sun.

It happens when the Sun, the Earth and the Moon are in straight line or  almost; with the Earth in the middle.

Partial Lunar eclipse happens when only a part of the moon is blocked by the Earth.

If the whole Moon is blocked by the Earth, a total lunar eclipse happens.

This is a picture that I made using the Microsoft PowerPoint to show how lunar eclipse happens.

This lunar eclipse was very special because it happens on the first day of the new year and at the same time with the blue moon!

I watched the blue moon but I could not see the eclipse.

I went out side at 1:41 am and again at 2:00 am but I only saw the full moon in the sky.

I think I’ll to watch another lunar eclipse.

Solar Eclipse July 2009

A total solar eclipse can be seen in some places in India, China and Japan.

Solar means sun.

In Malaysia we can only see a partial solar eclipse.

This morning we saw the solar eclipse at the Tengku Tengah Zaharah Mosque, Kuala Terengganu.

I cannot see anything from the telescope but later we saw the solar eclipse from the TV.

The cloud was too thick so we cannot see the solar eclipse clearly.

Anyway we cannot stay long because we have to drive back to Kuala Lumpur.

Solar Eclipse In Malaysia

This evening I watched solar eclipse from my house in Ampang.

Solar is the sun.

It was a partial solar eclipse.

The solar eclipse started 4:36 PM.

Solar eclipse is when the moon hide the sun.

When the moon hide the sun, the sun will be hidden.

So it will be dark because we can’t see the sun.

I watched the solar eclipse on TV too.

I saw a total solar eclipse on TV.

Solar Eclipse