Science Discovery 10/5/14

I am doing my science discovery on a plant called the Marigold Flower (Tagetes spp.). They are originally from South America and Mexico but they can also be found in the United States in gardens and my dad planted some in his garden. At the end of every fall my dad picks the dead Marigolds and puts them in a newspaper so he can reuse the seeds in the spring. My dad plants French Marigolds. Marigolds can be orange, red, maroon, yellow or a mixed, yellow or orange being the most common colors. They can grow six to 48 inches tall with a spread of six to 36 inches wide.

Tagetes patula
Tagetes patula

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:French_marigold_Tagetes_patula.jpg


Science Discovery 10/14/14

I decided to do my science discovery on something that isn't a plant this time. Instead I am doing it on the Moon. The Moon was thought to form nearly 4.5 billion years ago, not long after Earth. The Moon is the only celestial body other than Earth that humans have currently set foot on. The first spacecraft to reach the moon was called Apollo 11. After the Apollo 17 mission in 1972, the Moon has been visited by only unmanned spacecrafts. Future manned missions to the Moon have been planned, including government as well as privately funded efforts. The Moon remains, under the Outer Space Treaty, free to all nations to explore for peaceful purposes.


external image 280px-FullMoon2010.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon



Science Discovery 10/20/14

This week I am doing my science discovery on volcanoes. A volcano is a rupture on the crust of a planetary mass object, such as the Earth, which permits hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to get out from a magma chamber below the ground. Earth's volcanoes happen because the planet's crust is broken into seventeen major, rigid tectonic plates that hover on a hotter, softer layer in the Earth's mantle. The largest volcano is called Mount St. Helens in Skamania County, Washington, U.S. It erupted on May 18, 1980, at 8:32 a.m PDT. Fifty-seven people were killed; 250 homes, 47 bridges, 15 miles of railways, and 185 miles of highway were destroyed.
Picture of Mount St. Helens
Picture of Mount St. Helens

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_St._Helens


Science Discovery 10/26/14
For my science discovery I am doing it on tornadoes. Tornadoes are a violent wind in the shape of narrow funnel. A tornado can have wind speeds from less than 110 mph to 300 mph. at 110 mph they can be around 250 feet across and at 300 mph they can be more than 2 miles across. Tornadoes have been spotted on every continent except Antarctica. The majority of tornadoes happen in the Tornado Ally region of the United States. Tornadoes can be spotted before they occur through the use of the Pulse-Doppler radar by recognizing patterns in velocity and reflectivity. The word tornado comes from the Spanish word tronada meaning thunderstorm.
external image 300px-Dszpics1.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornado