This week’s chapters introduced the extreme temperatures out in space. The chart in Chapter 8 tells us that the moon gets much hotter and much colder than it ever gets here on Earth. Do you have a guess why that is? I knew that temperatures were extremely dangerous out in space, because our atmosphere here on Earth helps keep us about the same temperature all the time, but I didn’t know that it -454 degrees out in space! Do you think the astronauts are hot or cold when they go on their space walks? One other cool fact I know about temperature is that if you were to walk around on Mars, your feet would be hot, but your head would be freezing! I challenge you to find out which planet is the hottest and which one is the coldest! In chapter 9 Cosmos mentions that Pluto is no longer a planet. You may have heard something about this in the news or at school. When I was a kid, I learned that Pluto was our 9th planet. But over the last few years telescopes have gotten better, and now we can see that Pluto is not like the other planets. Look at the chart in Chapter 9 for more information about dwarf planets. We actually have at least 4 officially dwarf planets in our solar system now, including Pluto!
Keep Reading!
Jill
Wow—George has certainly gotten himself into trouble in these chapters! First he’s chased by the boys in his class, then he loses his house key while trying to escape, he almost gets beaten up, he’s rescued by “Astronaut Annie”….and he’s now jumped through a doorway leading to unknown territory in the Solar System! Was Annie telling the truth? Does she really go exploring the solar system on a regular basis? And what did Cosmos mean when he said “Don’t jump! It isn’t safe! Come ba-a-a-a-a-ck.”?
Laurie Duncan
Education Director
