Description
Atlanta, Georgia
All the charming grace, style, and beauty of the traditional American South can be found in Atlanta, Georgia. As the 9th largest city in the U.S., Atlanta was burned to the ground during the Civil War, but the large, ornate homes that survived are still there to this day for people to enjoy. Atlanta has the largest aquarium in the U.S., featuring a whale shark. The lush forests just outside of Atlanta, as well as the incredible shopping experiences, make Atlanta one of the most outstanding cities in the Southern U.S. to explore.
Amazon River Cruises, Peru
What does 55 gallons of water per second look like? The Amazon River, that’s what! The Amazon is THE largest body of freshwater river in the world. The Amazon snakes through many countries, but the largest portion is in Peru, which is in South America. When exploring the Amazon River, you’re likely to see brightly colored birds, such as parrots and macaws, as well as towering trees, exotic flowers, and some of the most unusual wildlife to be found on the planet.
South Pole
The South Pole is one of just two points on the Earth where the axis of rotation interacts with the surface of the planet. It is the southernmost point of the entire planet and is directly opposite of the North Pole. The South Pole is located on a plateau of ice in Antarctica that is over nine thousand feet thick.
Deep Sea Vents, Atlantic Ocean
The Deep-Sea Vents are often referred to as hydrothermal vents. They are giant underwater structures shaped like chimneys. The vents release clouds of scalding water, which turn a black color because of all the minerals mixed in with it. The water can reach temperatures of 700 degrees. Despite the hot temperatures, there are still many underwater species that make their homes around the vents.
The Dead Sea
The Dead Sea is a salt lake in Asia that borders Israel, the West Bank, and Jordan. The banks of the lake are more than 400 meters below sea level, and because of the salty water, floating is very easy in the Dead Sea. It is surrounded with black mud that is rich in minerals and is used in spas and resorts for therapeutic and cosmetic treatments. The Dead Sea is an oasis surrounded by desert.
Caribbean Islands
The Caribbean Islands are a set of islands that either surround the Caribbean Sea or just border it. The region is made up of thousands of different individual islands. Some of the more well-known islands include beautiful vacation destinations such as Antigua, Aruba, Barbados, and Honduras. All the islands are known for having crisp blue water and bright beaches with white sand.
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a part of the Indian Ocean that flows between Africa and Asia. The Red Sea covers a vast area, roughly one hundred and seventy thousand square miles. The deepest points descend nearly seven thousand feet. The sea features many shallow parts as well, which contain both soft and hard corals.
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a specially designed satellite that was created to be habitable, meaning that it can support life. The space station rests in low orbit, which is a region of space that is just outside of the Earth. The components to build the space station were launched into orbit through space shuttles. The station is meant to be used by scientists to live in while conducting research.
Moeraki Boulders, New Zealand
The Moeraki boulders are located along the coast of New Zealand. They can be found between Moeraki and Hampden. The rocks are not only huge, but many of them are perfectly round. The rocks are often compared to eggs in shape or sometimes even alien pods. Today, the boulders are protected in a scientific reserve to keep them from being damaged because of coastal erosion from the nearby waters.
Rings of Saturn
Outer Space is filled with many splendors, but one of the most impressive is the Rings of Saturn. Scientists believe that the rings are constructed out of ice as well as some sort of rocky material that must be native to the planet. They are the biggest rings in the solar system that scientists are currently able to observe. Galileo was the first one to observe the rings back in 1610.
Asteroid Belt
The Asteroid belt is the region of the solar system that hosts most of the space asteroids. There are four large asteroids on the belt, namely, Pallas, Vesta, Ceres, and Hygiea. These four asteroids form more than half of the Asteroid belt’s density, which hosts other billions of asteroids. Ceres is the only dwarf planet to the sun on the belt. It has a diameter of about 950 kilometers, and it is located between Mars and Jupiter.
Hollywood, California
Hollywood is known for its historic film studios and is the home of major motion-picture companies. It has been nicknamed Tinsel Town due to the glittering image of the film industry. The Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street has over 2,600 stars embedded in the sidewalks to commemorate notable members of the entertainment industry.
Mars
Mars is referred to as the “Red Planet” due to the iron oxide on the surface, which gives it a reddish tone. Mars is the fourth planet from the sun and only about half the diameter of the Earth. The low atmospheric pressure of the planet means water cannot exist there, yet there is evidence that Mars once had water. One Martian year is the equivalent of about two years on Earth.
Uranus
Uranus is a blue planet that is the seventh planet from the sun in our solar system. Scientists call this planet an Ice Giant because they have a frozen surface. Uranus is the coldest place in the Solar system, with temperatures as low as −224 °C. Uranus has a ring system and many moons. It is named for the Greek skygod Ouranos.
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest lake on planet Earth, but due to its salt content is often called a “sea.” Located between Asia and Europe, it is east of the Caucasus Mountains. The Caspian Sea is named for a tribe of people who no longer exist. No one knows what happened to them, but their name lives on in the Caspian Sea. Many scientists believe that the Caspian Sea is the last remaining part of an ancient sea called the Paratethys, which all but disappeared 5.5 million years ago.
Jupiter
As the largest planet in the solar system, Jupiter is named after the king of the Roman gods. It was Jupiter that ancient scientists first telescoped and began mankind’s quest to see beyond the Earth. Jupiter is so large that it could hold over 1,000 Earths.
Neptune
Neptune is considered a “gas giant,” which means it is full of gases such as hydrogen and helium. It takes 165 Earth years to go once around the Sun. Neptune is named for the Roman god of the sea because of its very blue color, and it is the 8th planet from the Sun. Like Earth, Neptune has a moon, actually 13 of them. All its moons are named after other sea gods, such as Triton or Nereid. It is beautiful to look at, but you wouldn’t want to visit. It is -353 F (3214 C) on the surface.
Venus
As the second planet from the Sun, Venus is one that can be seen easily from the Earth. Oddly, it rotates in the opposite direction than all the other planets and has no moons. It is named after the Roman goddess of love. Though it is often called Earth’s sister, it really is nothing like Earth as it has the densest atmosphere of any of the terrestrial planets and is almost completely made up of carbon dioxide.
Mercury
Of all the planets in our Solar System, Mercury is the closest to the Sun and spins the fastest. Because it spins so fast, it was named after the Roman god, Mercury, who had super speed. Mercury is also very hot and has an average temperature of 840 degrees Fahrenheit. Mercury is also very small and is just a little larger than Earth’s moon.
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and is the only planet in our Solar System known to support life. Earth is home to a wide variety of life forms, many of which are still being discovered to this day. The planet is also suffering from predation and pollution from a variety of sources. Many who live there attempt to reverse the damage caused by this pollution. Earth takes 24 hours to complete one spin as it slowly circles the Sun. It can take 365 days to make one trip around the Sun.
Sun
The Sun is considered to be a giant star by scientists, and it is the largest object in our Solar System. The Sun is so bright and warm because it is composed of hydrogen, helium, and various metals. Conditions on the surface of the Sun are harsh, with temperatures of 5800k and more than 15,600,000k at the core. The Sun is thought to be approximately 4.5 billion years old.
Pluto
Pluto was once known as the smallest planet in the solar system. It is now referred to as a dwarf planet due to its size. It is smaller than the Earth’s moon and several other moons in the solar system. Pluto was first discovered in 1930 at Lowell Observatory by Clyde W. Tombaugh. Its name was suggested by a student in Oxford, England. The name is based on a later name for the Greek god of the underworld, who is better known as Hades.
Solar System
The Solar System is approximately 4.6 billion years old. It consists of the sun and eight planets. The four innermost planets are primarily made of metal and rock, including Earth. The four outer planets are primarily made up of gases. There are also several dwarf planets in the Solar System, including Pluto, which used to be classified as the ninth planet. There are many comets, moons, and asteroids throughout the Solar System as well.
Moon
The moon is the only natural satellite circling the Earth. It takes 27.3 days to fully circle the Earth. There are many impact craters on the moon from comets and asteroids. They have been preserved because the moon has no weather to erode them as the Earth does. The side of the moon closest to the Earth also features many solidified lava pools formed in ancient times.