HIYA EVERYONE..................

This is Rebecca Martin from Leicester High School and I'm doing work experience at Leicester University in the physics department. This is my new home page with loads of info about each of the planets in our solar system with loads of facts.

Here's a web page which you could visit about the current research at Leicester University.

FACTS ABOUT THE PLANETS IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM
The sites have many facts and figures about the dimensions of the planets and physical factors such as the density, gravity and the escape velocity for example.  Information about the atmosphere can also be called up which includes data about the surface densities and pressures for example.  To find out loads of data about Venus click Venus. Jupiter's facts and figures can be found out here. Saturn's ,  Mercury's, and  Mars's statistics are available too, as well as, Uranus ,  Neptune , and  Pluto. Information about the SUN can also be found here.  This includes a sun to earth comparison of physical factors and the sun's magnetic field as well as the solar atmosphere.  For a comparison of the basic facts about all of the planets click here .  More information about the circulation of  Jupiter's atmosphere  can also be found.

MORE FACTS
Information about  SATURN'S  surface conditions, voyages to Saturn and satellites orbiting and not forgetting it's rings can be found too.  Similar information about the conditions and atmosphere on  VENUS ,  NEPTUNE ,  and  also PLUTO  including data about it's moon called Charon.   URANUS ,  EARTH ,  MERCURY ,
 MARS ,  JUPITER  can also be found with loads of great facts and info.  To find out more about  SATURN'S RING SYSTEM  this site is great.    It explores the rings using images and artwork.  Or for information about Jupiter's rings and also it's satellites.

OUR SUN
Our local star, the  sun , is the energy supply for our life here on earth. Huge  sun spots  move across the surface of the  sun  expanding and contracting as they go and their nature can be observed here.   Winds of charged particles called  solar wind's  cause changes in the earths magnetic field. The upper atmosphere called the solar corona can be seen.   Find out about the SOHO mission here .

OUR MOON
Find out loads about the earth's satellite, the  moon  here or see some great pictures of the  earth and the moon  here or more pictures of the  moon  here.

PICTURES
 For some great pictures from the big planet Jupiter to the smallest planet pluto, there are impressions and images here!
 Mercury
 Venus    (or  here )
 Earth
 Mars (Or see a close encounter with mars from  hubble)
 Jupiter (Or view the ancient  storm  in the atmosphere of Jupiter)
 Saturn
 Uranus (or the bright colours of  Uranus )
 Neptune (Or view Neptune's  stormy  disposition)
 Pluto
See the earth's closest neighbour, the  moon , from the space telescope, Hubble.
More pictures of all of the planets in our solar system and information about each can be found at NASA'S PLANETARY PHOTO JOURNAL .  This is a great web site to find out information about any planet.

INTERIOR AND SURFACE OF THE PLANETS
More data and interesting facts can be found out about all of the planets which have comparisons to the earths statistics all at  this site .
The interior and surface of the planets can be explored here too:
 Mercury
 Venus
 Earth
 Mars
 Jupiter    ( More  about Jupiter)
 Saturn
Uranus
 Neptune
 Pluto
There is another web page with loads of  pictures and descriptions of the surface of  Venus and information about it's structure.

MISSIONS TO PLANETS AND THE SEARCH FOR LIFE
There have been many missions to other planets using probes  especially to  Mars .   However many probes have also been sent to  Venus such as the pioneer venus orbiter, and also to  Jupiter  and  there have been many spacecraft missions to  Jupiter .  The Cassini Huygens probe has also been sent to Saturn.
As mars the the planet the most like our own, the earth, there has been much interest in the search for life on mars.  There is a whole site by William Sheehan about the history of observation and discovery on Mars  and could there be  water  on mars?  However,  Jupiter's fourth largest satellite, Europa  has many clues to possible life which may lay buried in Antarctic ice.  Or, is there  ICE  on the moon?   Or how about  life on mars ?  See a photo of a real  meteor  from mars, or pictures of some of the many  mars meteorites  found on earth since 1815!   Could the meteors hold the answer to the search for  liquid water  on mars or even evidence for primitive life on early mars?
Voyager 2  was sent in 1977 past many of the planets gathering information about the atmosphere and magnetosphere for example.  Voyager 2 passed Jupiter ,  Saturn  Uranus , and  Neptune and pictures from voyager can be seen of  Jupiter ,  Saturn ,  Uranus  and Neptune .  In February 2007, a  Solar probe  will be sent to find out more about the sun.
Around 2010, a probe called the  Pluto-Kuiper Express will be sent to pluto to find out more about the cold planet .
Space now seems sweeter as scientists discover sugar  in space!  This could be a key finding into the understanding of how life evolved here on earth.   NASA  and NRAO  have both written accounts of this discovery.

MODELS OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM

For a scaled model of the solar system using photographs of models go to  THIS  site.  This site emphasizes the huge distances between all of the planets and how much of the universe is made up of empty space.
FAR AWAY PLANETS AND BROWN DWARFS

For some more recent information about giant planets orbiting far away stars look here! This site includes information on how planets were probably formed and the methods used to detect them at such great distances.  The  Kepler mission is a special mission proposed by NASA which will be able to detect earth sized planets and maybe in the future some sort of life?  And here's another about brown dwarfs and the research into them and low mass stars. Brown dwarfs explain some of the "missing mass" in the universe.

BLACK HOLES
Information on black holes including spinning stars and galactic bulges can be found  here!.  Find out about measuring  radiation  from matter entering black holes, or black holes that  blow  as well as suck! Find out loads of information about falling into a black hole  or view the  FAQ's  about the weird  black holes.  How would you  search  for black holes?  How do they  form ?

METEOROIDS
When a meteoroid hits the moon detectable optical flashes are produced.  On  18th November 1999 , the flux of meteoroids associated with the  Leonid meteor shower produced these flashes on colliding with the moon.

AMAZING PICTURES FROM HUBBLE
See a feasting  black hole blowing bubbles, or  peer into the heart of the Crab Nebula , or even see multiple  galaxy collisions .  Or see a lit up  supernova ring , a  cosmic magnifying glass ,  galactic silhouettes ,  or even the light and shadow in the Carina Nebula .   See  lone black holes  adrift in the galaxy,  dying stars,   star birth or  glittering stars in a nearby galaxy, an expanding  bubble  in space,  fireworks of  star formation ,  or a grazing encounter between  two galaxies .
 

                         

These are all images of planetary nebula which can be found at  this  site.