Proud to be part of LJMU,
in partnership with the Dill Faulkes Educational Trust

 

X

Earth

Amira Hussein

Early Life

By the age of 23, Amira had achieved her bachelor's and master's degrees. They were both gained in the Space Science Field at Helwan University, Egypt. Her projects included studying space weather, the Earth's upper atmosphere and computer programming. 

Once she had graduated, Amira then spent a year at Helwan University working as a teaching assistant.

Year born: 1988

Research Areas: Aeronomy and Space Weather

 

 

The Moon

The Moon is the largest and brightest object we see in the night sky. 

Image of the Moon in its first quarter phase, showing the contrast between the illuminated and shadowed regions, with visible craters and lunar surface details. On the bottom left there is a photo of Liverpool Telescope pointing at the moon
This work by The Schools' Observatory is licensed under All rights reserved
The Moon at Last Quarter Phase

Magnetism

Since ancient times, people have known about some rocks that could attract iron. When these rocks were rubbed on other types of metal, they had the power to make them attractive too. These items could also push each other away, repelling each other.

A dark grey and brow rock with a textured surface. On this, three metal nails are sticking to it.
This work by James St. John is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
Lodestone, one of a  few minerals that are naturally magnetic.

Seasons

There are four seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Parts of the Earth experience each season once each year.

The image shows the Earth's orbit around the Sun with four key points labeled: March (MAR), June (JUN), September (SEP), and December (DEC). The Sun is at the center, and the Earth is depicted at each of these points in its orbit. The Earth's tilt is indicated by arrows pointing north and south. The path of the Earth's orbit is represented by a dotted line with arrows, and it is labeled "path of Earth's orbit."
This work by The Schools' Observatory is licensed under All rights reserved
Seasons in the Earth's Northern Hemisphere during 1 orbit of the Sun.

Life on Earth

Planet Earth was formed around 4.5 billion years ago.  The first signs of life began about 3.6 billion years ago, in the ocean. The water in the ocean protected organisms living there from the dangerous rays of the sun. 

An illustrated timeline of the evolution of life on Earth, starting with the ignition of the Sun and the formation of the Earth and Moon. The timeline tracks key events such as the appearance of prokaryotes, the development of photosynthesis, the rise of eukaryotes, and the Cambrian explosion. Further along the timeline, it shows the evolution of vertebrates, reptiles, mammals, birds, and humans, with markers for significant milestones such as fire, writing, and the appearance of Homo sapiens
This work by LadyofHats is licensed under Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal
The timeline of life evolving on Earth

Sky Coordinates

We use coordinate systems to find the position of a point on a surface. 

For example, Latitude and Longitude are used to locate a position on the Earth's surface. They are both measured as angles.

Two diagrams of the Earth showing lines of latitude and longitude. The left diagram displays the Western Hemisphere, while the right diagram focuses on the North Pole and surrounding areas
This work by Djexplo is licensed under Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal
Illustration of geographic latitude and longitude of the earth

Stargazing Glossary

Welcome to our stargazing glossary! 

Here, you'll find key terms that will help you better understand the wonders of the night sky. 

The image shows a person looking through a telescope silhouetted against a starry night sky, with a clear view of the Milky Way. On the right side, there is an icon of a book labeled "A-Z," indicating a glossary
This work by The Schools' Observatory is licensed under All rights reserved