Thursday, July 12, 2007 — The universe is fascinating. I feel so humble just imagining how small our planet is in the scope of things. We're one planet in one solar system. There are billions of solar systems in our galaxy, called the Milky Way. And there are billions of galaxies in the universe!

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start small. How are you? I am well.

For the next two weeks I'm going to try and share my love of the cosmos with you all. I've gathered some cool facts and figures. But numbers aside, I hope to get everyone interested in the beauty and mystery of the universe.

As you may know, our planet Earth revolves around the Sun. It takes about 365 days (one Earth year) for the Earth to complete a full orbit around the Sun. The Earth itself is also spinning on an axis, and one full spin marks one day on Earth. So, when you're on the part of the Earth that is facing away from the sun, it's nighttime. As the planet rotates, we see the sun rising, as our part of the planet comes into the sun's view.

With me so far?

The other planets in our solar system also revolve around the Sun, but they are all very different from the Earth. Venus, for example, has a scorching surface temperature of about 880 degrees Fahrenheit! Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system, orbited by four moons the size of planets. To date, many new, smaller moons have been discovered orbiting this giant planet, bringing Jupiter's total moon count to 49. And don't get me started on Saturn and its rings...

But the most interesting celestial body to me is Pluto. In August 2006, the International Astrological Union announced that the ninth planet in our solar system will be classified as a dwarf planet, and that there are now only eight full planets in our solar system.

Since Pluto's discovery in 1930, astronomers have been puzzled by its strange orbit and relationship to other large objects in its vicinity. Most planets make a somewhat circular path as they orbit the Sun. Pluto's path is so oval that sometimes it is closer to the Sun than Neptune is.

In addition, Pluto is one of many icy masses in the Kuiper Belt (Kuiper rhymes with viper), a region of orbiting objects on the edge of our solar system. There is a planet-sized mass larger than Pluto in the Kuiper Belt, nicknamed Xena (pronounced: Zee-na). If Pluto is considered a planet, shouldn't Xena be too? The debate began.

In the end, the authorities decided Pluto would lose the status it has held for, well, our lifetimes. I'm still feeling a bit torn over the whole thing. But I'm sure as we learn more and more about our universe, so much of what we've long considered fact will change. After all, it wasn't so long ago that we thought the Earth was flat.

So, this concludes my first Gazette article ever. And there's so much more I want to share with you! I'd recommend a trip to the library if you want to learn more about our solar system. I'll be back next week with more interesting tidbits. And of course, I'll be out and about stargazing, waiting to give you my special puzzle pieces. Hope to see you soon!

Looking for a refreshing summer treat? Grab your favorite flavor of yogurt, some small paper cups, plastic wrap and wooden popsicle sticks. You're about to make some frozen yogurt pops!

Fill the cups almost to the top with yogurt, then stretch a piece of plastic wrap across the top of each cup. Poke the popsicle sticks through the plastic wrap so that the stick stands up straight in the cup.

Put your pops in the freezer and when the yogurt's frozen solid, just remove the plastic wrap, peel off the cup and enjoy!