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GEOGRAPHY
WORLD GEOGPRAHY
UNIVERSE l
Comets Made up of frozen gases.
They move around the Sun in
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The study of universe is known as elongated elliptical orbit with the tail
Cosmology. The universe is commonly always pointing away from the Sun.
defined as the totality of everything that l
Constellations The sky is divided into
exists including all physical matter and
units to enable the astronomers to
energy, the planets, stars, galaxies and
identify the position of the stars. These
the contents of intergalactic space.
units are called constellations. There
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Galaxy A galaxy is a vast system of are 88 known constellations.
billions of stars, dust and light gases l
Satellites are the heavenly bodies that
bound by their own gravity. There are 100
revolve around the planets. Moon is the
billion galaxies in the universe and each
natural satellite of the Earth.
galaxy has, on average, 100 billion stars.
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Our galaxy is Milky Way Galaxy (or the Facts about the Moon
Akash Ganga) formed after the Big Bang. Diameter 3476 km
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Andromeda is the nearest galaxy to the Average distance from 384365 km
Milky Way. Earth
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The Big Bang Theory Big Bang was an Rotation Speed 27 days, 7 h, 43
min and 11.47 sec
explosion of concentrated matter in the
universe that occurred 15 billion years Revolution Speed 27 days, 7 h, 43
min and 11.47 sec
ago, leading to the formation of galaxies of
Time taken by moonlight 1.3 sec
stars and other heavenly bodies. to reach the Earth
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It is believed that universe should be filled
with radiation called the “cosmic Solar System
microwave background.” NASA has
launched two mission to study these
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The solar system consists of the Sun,
radiation, i.e. the Cosmic Background eight planets and their satellites (or
Explorer (COBE) and the Wilkinson moons) and thousands of other smaller
Microwave Anistropy Probe (WMAP). heavenly bodies such as asteroids,
comets and meteors.
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Stars are heavenly bodies made up of hot Neptune
burning gases and they shine by emitting
their own light.
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Black Hole Stars having mass greater Saturn
than three times that of the Sun, have Uranus
Mars
very high gravitational power, so that even Venus

light can not escape from its gravity and Jupiter

Earth
hence called black hole. SUN
Mercury
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l
The Sun is at the centre of the solar system Meteors and Meteorites
and all these bodies revolve around it. It is
the nearest star to the Earth.
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Meteors are also called as shooting
stars.
Facts about the Sun l
Meteors are fragments of rocks
Average distance from 149598900 km coming towards the Earth.
the Earth l
They are formed due to collision
Diameter 1391980 km among the asteroids.
Temperature of the Core 15000000°C l
Meteors that do not burn up
Rotation Speed 25.38 days (with completely in Earth’s atmosphere and
respect to equator); land on the Earth, are called
33 days (with respect meteorites.
to poles) l
Meteorites are composed of various
Time taken by Sunlight 8 min and 16.6 sec proportions of a nickel-iron alloy (10%
to reach the Earth
nickel and 90% iron) and silicate
Important Facts about Universe minerals.
Biggest Planet Jupiter
Biggest Satellite Ganymede
Classification of Planets
(Jupiter) Inner Planets Include Mercury, Venus,
Blue Planet Earth Earth and Mars.
Green Planet Uranus Outer Planets Include Jupiter, Saturn,
Brightest Planet Venus Uranus and Neptune.
Brightest Planet outside Solar Sirius
System (Dog Star)
Inner Planet Outer Planet
Closest Star of Solar System Proxima They are called as They are called as
Centauri Terrestrial or Rocky Jovian or Gaseous
planets. planets.
Coldest Planet Neptune
Evening Star Venus They are nearer to They are far away
the Sun. from the Sun.
Farthest Planet from Sun Neptune
Planet with maximum number of Saturn Dwarf Planet According to
satellites (Overtaking International Astronomical Union (IAU),
Jupiter) it is a celestial body in direct orbit of the
Fastest revolution in Solar System Mercury Sun, that is massive enough that its shape
Hottest Planet Venus is controlled by gravitational forces, but has
Densest Planet Earth not cleared its neighbourhood. e.g., Pluto,
Fastest rotation in Solar System Jupiter Ceres, Eris, Makemake and Haumea.
Morning Star Venus
Nearest Planet to Earth Venus A is the distance light travels in
Nearest Planet to Sun Mercury one year at the speed of 3 × 10 8 m/s.
Red Planet Mars mean distance
Slowest Revolution in Solar Neptune between Earth and Sun.
System
Slowest Rotation in Solar System Venus Earth
Smallest Planet Mercury l
The Earth is an oblate spheroid. It is
Smallest Satellite Deimos almost spherical, flattened a little at
(Mars) the poles with a slight bulge at the
Earth’s Twin Venus centre (equator).
Only Satellite with an atmosphere Titan
like Earth
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Perihelion Nearest position of the
Earth to the Sun.
Aphelion Farthest position of the
Asteroids (or Planetoids)
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Earth from Sun.

Small planetary bodies that revolve around l
The Earth’s interior is composed of
the Sun and found in between the orbits of three major layers: the crust, the
Mars and Jupiter. Also known as minor mantle and the core.
planets.
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l
Eduard Suess has explained the interior of Longitudes (Meridians)
Earth on the basis of chemical l
Meridians are a series of semicircles
composition as SIAL, SIMA and NIFE.
that run from pole to pole passing
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SIAL (Silicon-Aluminium) Upper part of
through the equator.
the crust.
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Prime Meridian passes through
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SIMA (Silicon-Magnesium) Lower part of
the crust. Greenwich near London, divides the
Earth in Eastern and Western
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NIFE (Nickel-Iron) Outer part of the core.
hemisphere. Its value is 0°.
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Rotation of the Earth Earth spins on its l
Longitude has very important function
imaginary axis from West to East in one day.
i.e., it determines local time in relation
Result in causation of day and night, tides.
to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
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Revolution of the Earth Earth’s motion
in elliptical orbit around the Sun in one
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1° change of longitude corresponds to
year. Result in Change of seasons. 4 minutes difference in time.

Statistics Data of the Earth International Date Line (IDL)

Age 4550 million years It is the longitude where the date changes
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Mass 5.976 × 1024 kg by exactly one day when it is crossed.

Volume 1083
. × 1012 km 3 180°East and 180° West meridians is
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Mean Density 5.513 g/cm 3 the same line, which is called the
Total Surface Area 510 million sq km International Date Line.
Land Area 29.2% of the total surface Crossing Date line from West to East —
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area addition of 1 day

Water Area 70.8% of the total surface Crossing Date line from East to West —
area subtraction of 1 day
Rotation Speed 23 hr, 56 min and 4.100 sec Recently Samoa island decided to shift
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Revolution Speed 365 days, 5 hr and 45.51 itself on west side of IDL.
sec
Dates when days March 21 (Vernal Equinox); Indian Standard Time (IST)
and nights are equal 23rd September,
The Earth takes approximately 24 hours to
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(Autumnal Equinox)
complete one rotation i.e., it takes 24 hours
Longest day 21st June, (Summer
Solstice) Sun is vertically
to complete 360° of its rotation.
overhead at Tropic of Indian Standard Time is calculated on the
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Cancer basis of 82.5°E longitude which passes

Shortest night 22nd December, through Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh
(Winter Solstice) Sun is Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh.
vertically overhead at
Tropic of Capricorn
IST is 5 hr 30 min ahead of GMT.
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Escape velocity 11.2 km/sec

Mean surface 14°C
Eclipses
temperature When the light of the Sun or the Moon is
blocked by another body, the Sun or the
Latitudes Moon is said to be in eclipse.
Imaginary lines drawn on the Earth’s surface l
Solar Eclipse It is caused, when the
parallel to the equator. Equator (0°) is the Moon revolving around the Earth comes
biggest latitude that divides Earth in two in between the Earth and the Sun, thus
equal hemispheres (North and South). making a part or whole of the Sun
Tropic of Cancer 23.5°N invisible from a particular part of the
Tropic of Capricorn 23.5°S Earth. Thus, the eclipse can be partial
Arctic Circle 66.5°N or complete.
Antarctic Circle 66.5°S l
Lunar Eclipse When the Earth
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Each degree of latitude equals 111 km. comes between the Moon and the Sun,
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The most important line of latitude is the the shadow cast by the Earth on the
Equator. Moon results in a lunar eclipse.