Unlocking
Word Meanings
Read
the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. orbit (v.) – to move or travel around a curved path
Example: Planets far from the
Sun orbit around it for years.
2. gaseous (adj.) – having the properties of gas or being in
the form of gas
Example: Students inside the
laboratory must protect themselves from inhaling gaseous substances.
3. phenomenon (n.)
– an event or happening that can be observed and proved scientifically
Example: Scientists tried to
explain the strange phenomenon
through an experiment.
4. wobble (v.) – to sway unsteadily from side to side.
Example: The weak foundation
of the building caused its wobble.
Article
Read the text below.
A scientific article from
the Nature journal recently reported that some planets outside
the solar system spin strangely in a direction different from that of the stars
they orbit.
This backward spinning,
referred to by scientists as ‘flipped orbits’, happens to gaseous planets like Jupiter
which are positioned far away from the sun. However, Frederic Rasio from
Northwestern University found out a much stranger fact: these backward spinning
gaseous planets are actually positioned near their stars.
This finding challenges
the common theory of astronomers that
most gaseous planets form far from their stars like in the case of our solar
system where planets like Jupiter are located million miles away from the Sun.
Rasio explained that this
strange planet behavior may have been caused by a phenomenon called
‘gravitational perturbation’. This happens when planets nearer a star
pull gaseous planets closer to the star, causing gaseous planets
to spin backwards.
Astronomers have been
observing planets outside our solar system since 1995, but they have seen only
around 500. The presence of these planets cannot be observed directly but only
through the wobbling of the
stars which happens as planets revolve around them.
Viewpoint
Discussion
Enjoy
a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion
A
·
Do
you believe in every fact that is supported by science? Why or why not?
·
Why
do you think some scientific facts are eventually proven wrong?
Discussion B
·
What
do you think is the importance of studying other planets in the universe?
·
How
does our knowledge of other planets help us protect our own planet?
