Your space questions answered
Is your little one a budding space scientist with big questions about the Universe? Our resident space expert Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock is here to help you answer them and give you ideas to keep on exploring.
How far away is the Moon?
The Moon is the Earth’s next-door neighbour. It takes around three days to travel there in a spacecraft.
To explore more: Go Moongazing! Twilight is one of the best times to look at the Moon with your little one. As it gets darker the Moon will get brighter so you’ll be able to see less detail on the surface. A pair of junior binoculars is a perfect starting point for looking at the craters more closely.
How big is Jupiter?
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Jupiter is the giant planet of our Solar System.
To explore more: Grab a football! Get your little one to imagine the football is Jupiter. Then show them a selection of round things - such as a grapefruit, a tennis ball and a cherry tomato. Ask your child to guess which object is the right size to be Earth next to football Jupiter? Answer: The cherry tomato.
Why has Saturn got rings?
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Saturn’s rings are made from billions of pieces of ice and rock.
To explore more: Visit Saturn’s photo album. Take a look with your little one at images taken by the spacecraft Cassini exploring Saturn.
How to get a job in space?
To explore more: The next time your little one plays at being an astronaut, challenge them to pretend to be an engineer and build a cardboard box rover to explore Mars or assemble a home made Mission Control so they can try out being a flight director. To find out more about space careers take a look at www.destinationspace.uk/meet-space-crew.