... . They followed it year round, presumably following its path along the horizon as well. At "Chichen Itza", during sunset a sun serpent rises up the side of the stairway of the pyramid called El Castillo on the day of spring and Autumn Equinox. It tells us that the Maya noted, not only the extremes of the Sun at the Solstices, but also the Equinoxes when the Sun appeared to rise due East or due West. In addition ... to the Zenial Passages mentioned earlier, ecliptic observations must have been a major ... ...

• Word Count: 1413
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... we inhabit. Venus has a thick layer of constant cloud cover that reflects 85% of all the sunlight reaching the planet. This not only makes Venus the brightest object in the night sky (after the sun and moon), but also makes observational study very difficult, as we are unable to observe the surface from space. This has required many space missions with orbiters and probes to gather information ... studying Venus. Another interesting characteristic of Venus that has long puzzled scientists is the planet's unusual rotation. Like Uranus and Pluto, Venus rotates on its axis in the direction...

• Word Count: 2107
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: Undergraduate