KING OF THE PLANETS

 Jupiter 

Large enough to fit every other planet inside, it’s no surprise Jupiter holds the title of “King of the planets”.

Last year the European Space Agency sent the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE for short) on the long journey towards the planet, and this October NASA will launch the Europa Clipper to join it on its way. The trip will take five and a half years, because Jupiter lies around 484 million miles from the Sun – five times further away than Earth.

With its century-long storms, deadly radiation and a glittering assortment of moons, the solar system’s largest planet is a fascinating – and deadly – place to visit.

A giant gassy ball: Jupiter is around 86,881 miles wide and it contains more than twice as much mass as every other planet put together. The more material a planet has, the stronger its gravity. So, if you stood on a set of scales on Jupiter you would be nearly two and a half times heavier than you are on Earth. You wouldn’t be any bigger – the planet is just pulling down on you more.

You’d have a tough time standing anywhere on Jupiter though, because it’s a gas giant. The solar system’s inner planets – Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars – are mostly made of rock, but Jupiter is entirely made of its atmosphere.

The planet is about 90% hydrogen gas, the lightest known element in the universe. Most of the remaining 10% is helium, the gas used to fill balloons so they float. There are also trace amounts of other chemicals, such as water and ammonia (which is used on Earth to make plant fertilisers), which form Jupiter’s clouds.

Jupiter’s outer atmosphere is about 30 miles thick. Below this, there is a layer of hydrogen and helium 13,000 miles thick, which changes from gas to liquid as the depth and pressure increase. Under this lies a deep sea – 25,000 miles deep – of liquid metallic hydrogen.

Scientists don’t yet know if a solid surface exists on Jupiter, but if there is one, you wouldn’t be able to walk on it.

Stormy weather: If you looked at Jupiter through a large enough telescope, you’d see the planet has alternating brown and white stripes running from side to side. These are bands of swirling clouds, moving around the planet in opposite directions. The cream coloured stripes are known as “zones”, while the darker ones are called “belts”.

The belts and zones are created because Jupiter spins incredibly quickly. Pinning down exactly how long the gas giant takes to rotate – and the length of its day – is surprisingly complicated. Because it isn’t solid, different parts of the planet rotate at different speeds. While the equator zips around in just nine hours and 50 minutes, material at the poles takes six minutes longer to catch up. This rapid spinning creates strong currents in the atmosphere, which help create the planet’s distinctive belts and zones.

Dotted among these stripes are bright spots that are white or red. These are immense storms, which can last from a few days to decades. The biggest of them is called the Great Red Spot, and it has been a permanent fixture on the face of Jupiter for over 190 years.

Today, the Spot is 8,700 miles across, wide enough to swallow Earth whole. Violent winds roar at 425 miles per hour, more than double a Category 5 hurricane. The fastest winds, though, are at the poles, where storms whip gusts at over 900 miles per hour.

Jupiter’s most dangerous feature (to spacecraft, at least) is its magnetic field. Around 20,000 times stronger than Earth’s, the field traps charged particles and accelerates them towards the planet. When they strike the atmosphere they make it glow, creating beautiful aurorae (northern and southern lights), that ring the poles like a crown.

Visiting Jupiter: 

The trapped particles also create deadly radiation around the planet. The first spacecraft to visit Jupiter in the 1970s – Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 – avoided this by blazing past the planet at 78,000 miles per hour. They found the radiation was 100 times stronger than expected, and it fried several onboard instruments. The next visitors – Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 – in 1979, fared much better. They took 33,000 pictures of Jupiter and its moons, found the planet had a thin ring around its waist like Saturn, and also spotted a volcano erupting on one of Jupiter’s moons, Io.

Other spacecraft have passed the planet on their journeys elsewhere, such as New Horizons on its way to Pluto. Only two have stayed longer, surviving the radiation by spending most of their time at a safe distance from Jupiter and occasionally swinging in for a short visit.

The Galileo spacecraft orbited Jupiter from 1995 to 2003. It spotted bright flashes that turned out to be lightning strikes leaping between the clouds. It even dropped off a probe that fell through the planet’s atmosphere for 58 minutes before it was crushed by the intense pressure. Juno arrived in 2016 and is still watching over the mighty gas giant today. The spacecraft has been mapping out the strength of size of States.

Jupiter’s gravity and magnetic field, hoping to reveal more about what the planet looks like underneath the clouds. It also found evidence of helium rain falling through the layers deep in the atmosphere, where the pressure is so high that hydrogen and helium act like liquids.

A new hope for alien life: When JUICE and Europa Clipper arrive at Jupiter in the 2030s, however, their main focus will be on Jupiter’s moons, rather than the planet itself. Jupiter has 95 moons (that we know of, as new ones are still being discovered), but both missions will focus their attention on three – Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. Mostly made of water ice, each moon is thought to hide a liquid water ocean beneath its surface. On Earth, wherever there’s water there’s life, so the icy moons are great places to look for life beyond Earth.

Neither JUICE nor Europa Clipper are directly searching for alien lifeforms, but they will be looking for signs that the moons could be habitable (possible to live there). In doing so, astrobiologists (scientists who study the origins of life in the universe) hope to understand more about how life might have begun on our own planet and elsewhere in the galaxy.

Jupiter may be the King of the Solar System, but its moons are set to shine in the coming years. Will alien life be finally found in our solar system, hiding on one of Jupiter’s many moons? Watch this space!

Europa Clipper - a journey to an ocean world: NASA's Europa Clipper is set to launch in October 2024 and arrive at Jupiter in April 2030. The spacecraft hopes to unlock some of the secrets of the planet's icy moon Europa and find out if it is capable of hosting alien life. Here are five mysteries the mission is seeking to solve:

1 Salty ocean

The key question scientists want to answer is whether Europa has an ocean of salty water hidden beneath its icy surface, and if so, how big it is. Europa Clipper will use radar to survey under the moon's surface.

2 Ingredients for life

Although scientists are almost certain that a vast ocean lies under Europa's surface, they want to know if it has other essential ingredients for life. The spacecraft will search for these, and investigate whether they come from Europa's icy shell or from the moon's rocky interior.

3 Plumes of water

Water jets have been seen shooting into space from Europa's surface. Europa Clipper will search for these and attempt to fly through one of them to give scientists a glimpse into the ocean beneath.

4 Smooth surface

Europa's surface is the smoothest object in the solar system, with no impact craters. The spacecraft will study the moon's surface to understand what is keeping it so fresh-faced, and whether volcanoes or Jupiter's gravity could provide the energy for life.

5 Landing site

Future missions to Europa might want to land on the surface to study its ocean. During its mission, Europa Clipper will aim to map the moon's surface in detail, allowing NASA to locate the best landing spot.

THE FOLKTALE FROM MYANMAR

The Magic Powder

 

Once upon a time, in a little village on the banks of the Irrawaddy river, there lived a young woman called Thuza. She was very happily married to handsome young Theingi.

But there was one problem that nagged Thuza – her husband believed he was an alchemist and would spend all his time dreaming about ways to turn dirt into gold.

All day, and for days on end, Theingi spent his time in experiments, searching for a breakthrough. Soon, all their money was over, and young Thuza had to struggle to buy food for the two of them. She became very worried. 

“You should find a job soon,” she pleaded with her husband. “We cannot continue like this!”

But Theingi wouldn’t listen. 

“I’m on the verge of a breakthrough! Why do I have to work when we will be rich beyond our wildest dreams? We will soon be able to turn all the dirt we find into gold!”

Disheartened, Thuza approached her father, wise old Thet, for a solution. Thet was surprised when he heard that his son-in-law was an alchemist. He thought for a while and asked to see Theingi. Thuza returned home happily that day, for she knew her wise father would have a solution.

The next day, Theingi arrived at his father-in-law’s house, fully prepared for a scolding. He was taken by surprise when Thet took him aside and whispered, “When I was young like you, I was an alchemist too!”

The two of them spent the whole afternoon discussing Theingi’s work. Finally, the old man stood up and said, “Why Theingi, you’ve done everything exactly like I did when I was your age! You are definitely on the verge of a breakthrough! Congratulations! But you seem to be lacking one very important ingredient in your experiments. You will need this when you finally turn dirt to gold. Only recently did I discover this. But I am too old for this task. It requires enormous effort…”

“Then let me do it for you, Father!” cried Theingi. He was really excited. All his efforts would pay off at last. “Tell me what the ingredient is!”

“Good, you are excited!” said Thet. 

He leaned closer and whispered, “Son, the secret ingredient is a silver powder that is found only on banana leaves. You will have to plant the bananas yourself and cast certain spells on them. Then, as the plants grow, the powder on the leaves will gain magical powers.”

“How much of this powder will we need, Father?” asked Theingi excitedly.

“A kilo,” replied Thet.

“A kilo!” cried Theingi. “That would require hundreds of banana plants!”

“I’m afraid so, Son,” said the old man. “That is why I can’t complete the task myself…”

“Don’t lose heart, Father!” said Theingi. “I shall!”

Later that evening, the old man taught his son-in-law the magic spells and loaned him the money to start the work.

The very next day, Theingi bought a small field near his home and cleared it. Just as he had been instructed, he dug the ground himself and planted the saplings after carefully chanting the magic spells. Every day he went to the field and examined the saplings. He kept the weeds and pests away diligently. When the plants grew and bore fruit, he carefully collected the silver powder from the leaves and kept it safely in a box.

There was hardly any powder on each leaf, so Theingi had to buy more land and grow more bananas. But he was determined to do what was needed. It took him several years, but at the end of it all, he had managed to collect enough of the magic powder. He rushed to his father-in-law, excited as never before. He would soon be able to make gold from mere dirt!

“Father, finally… here is the kilo of magic powder!” he cried. The old man was filled with joy. “Wonderful!’’ he said. “Wonderful! You’ve done well, Theingi. I’m proud of you. Now I will show you how to turn dirt into gold. But first, let’s get Thuza. We need her help.” Theingi was a little puzzled, but without losing any time, he ran to his wife and was soon back with her.

“Thuza,” asked the old man, “what did you do with the bananas when your husband was collecting the powder?”

“Why, I sold them, Father,” replied Thuza. “That’s how we earned a living.”

“Then you must have been able to save some money too. Theingi grew more than enough bananas…” the old man continued.

“Yes, I did,” replied Thuza.

“Can we see it?” asked Thet.

“Of course, I have kept it safely at home,” beamed Thuza.

The three of them went to Theingi’s house where Thuza produced several bags from the loft where she had kept them safely. Thet opened one of the bags, peered inside, and smiled. He then emptied one of the bags on the table. Gold coins tinkled as they fell in a huge, shiny heap. Then he went to the field and came back with a handful of dirt, which he placed next to the heap of gold. 

“You see, Theingi,” he said, turning to his son-in-law, “you have changed dirt into gold!”

Never after that day did Theingi collect any more magic powder from the leaves. But he continued to grow bananas. His “alchemist” father-in-law had taught him the best way to turn dirt into gold, after all. He didn’t need the magic powder any more.

ON COMPLETING 112 YEARS

 Our National Anthem 

The sense of solidarity it embodies cuts through all geographical boundaries across the globe and across all ages and socio-economic peripheries - the national anthem of India exudes an intrinsic essence of unity through diversity binding all Indians the world over. As the year celebrates the hundred-year anniversary of the Indian National Anthem, this is a tribute to the historical proceedings that went into making it an important aspect of the largest democracy of the world.

The journey of the song unfolds an interesting history. Written by Nobel Laureate, poet, litterateur and artist Rabindranath Tagore the song is a Brahmo hymn composed in highly sankritised Bengali. It was first sung at the session of the Indian National Congress on December 27, 1911 and eventually adopted as the Indian National Anthem by the Indian Constitution when it came into force in 1950. Originally of five stanzas, the formal rendition however, was finally decided to be ideally of 52 seconds by the constitution of India, and so includes only the first stanza. Praising the God Almighty, the song also beautifully represents message of ‘unity in diversity’- a concept that portrays the very essence of the socio-cultural ethos of the nation of India. Sung proudly by Indians all across the globe, the song has also been translated into various local dialects for better understanding over the ages and is available in libraries across the nation. A handwritten translation in English named The Morning Song of India is available for free over the Internet. The version is not only popular for its lyrical splendour, but reminds one of the original ethoses of the beauty of manuscripts and the cursive appeal or the pen.

Down the course of history, the song has stood against several tests of time, including the much debatable question regarding the essence of the song, which many claimed was originally written in salutation to King George V on the occasion of the Delhi Durbar on December 15, 1911. However, another song in Hindi was sung at the same occasion titled- Badshah Humara written by Rambhuj Chaudhary. Many historians debate that the British Indian press misrepresented the song which was sung at the December conference of the Indian National Congress, when both songs were sung at the same event and the matter came into limelight only when it was finally adopted as the National Anthem of the nation in 1950. 

An article titled Coronation Durbar, dated December 15, 1911 which appeared in the Indian English daily ‘The Statesman’, specifically mentions the event that took place a century back in Delhi. Referring to the visit of the king to the Royal Pavilion on the Polo grounds for conferring of medals to men in uniform, the event was preceded by the song, which is mentioned as- “On the arrival of the King-Emperor inside the entrance of the parade ground, the military guard-of-honour presented arms and the band played the National Anthem.” 

In support of his arguments against this debate, Rabindranath Tagore wrote a few letters, which were later published (the original letter in Bengali is present in Tagore’s biography Ravindrajivani, volume II page 339 by Prabhatkumar Mukherjee). On November 10, 1937, Tagore in a letter to Pulin Bihari Sen mentioned about the controversy, “A certain high official in His Majesty’s service, who was also my friend, had requested that I write a song of felicitation towards the Emperor. The request simply amazed me. It caused a great stir in my heart. In response to that great mental turmoil, I pronounced the victory in Jana Gana Mana of that Bhagya Vidhata [God of Destiny] of India who has from age after age held steadfast the reins of India’s chariot through rise and fall, through the straight path and the curved. That Lord of Destiny, that Reader of the Collective Mind of India, that Perennial Guide, could never be George V, George VI, or any other George. Even my official friend understood this about the song. After all, even if his admiration for the crown was excessive, he was not lacking in simple common sense.” In another letter dated March 19, 1939, Tagore also mentioned, “I should only insult myself if I cared to answer those who consider me capable of such unbounded stupidity as to sing in praise of George the Fourth or George the Fifth as the Eternal Charioteer leading the pilgrims on their journey through countless ages of the timeless history of mankind.” (quote from Bengali book by Rabindranath Tagore Purvasa, Phalgun, 1354, p738- the book was published in the Bengali year 1354 also known as bangabda). Recognised as a patriot himself, who renounced knighthood in protest against the Jallianwallah Bagh massacre and whose poem and song Ekla chalo re inspired Gandhiji in his work and determination, the statements of Tagore in support of his creation has a special place of mention. The debate however continues amidst historians with divided opinions regarding the actual reason for the creation of the song. 

Several years later, the song was once again brought under critical limelight in 2005 with reference to a demand for a change in its verse which was mentioned in a petition at the Supreme Court. The petition demanded an inclusion of the word Kashmir in the song and an exclusion of the word Sindh as the latter is placed geographically in the present country of Pakistan after the independence of India. However, the song maintained its sanctity, as the Supreme Court ruled against the petition mentioning the National Anthem as expressing patriotic sentiments or feelings and not defining the geographical territory of a nation. Today, yet again is a demand for inclusion of other states from the North-East and the controversies continue…

A hundred years later, in the land of the birthplace of the song, the occasion was marked by a special event at the same location where it was sung a hundred years ago- the Town Hall in Kolkata. Through an initiative of the state government and in the presence of the Governor of West Bengal, Mr MK Naryanan and chief minister Ms Mamata Banerjee, the song was sung at the Kolkata Town Hall, accompanied by a programme on special cinematography, stage performance and narration, orchestrated by filmmaker and actor Rituparno Ghosh. 

Thus, travelling far and wide through the passage of time, the National Anthem of India witnesses history being made at several occasions as men and women of all ages across the globe stand, often moist-eyed and with heavy hearts, singing the song and gazing upon the fluttering of the tricolour flag- whose hoisting emboldens the national sentiment of the song and the sacrosanct feeling associated with it. The song binds one and all, irrespective of geographical, socio-cultural, political and religious diversities.

DO YOU KNOW

Q. Ants don’t get hurt when they fall. Why?

A: The fall of a body is controlled mainly by the gravitational attraction of the earth. The strength of the gravitational force depends on the mass of the falling object. A heavier object is thus “attracted” more than a lighter object. This attractive force is opposed by an upward thrust, or resistance, that is offered by air on the falling body. The strength of the resistance depends among other things on the surface area of the object. If the surface area is greater, so is the resistance. When any object falls through the air, these two forces compete with each other. In the case of an ant, the force of gravity is almost completely balanced by the resistance offered by the air. Thus the ant is able to land safely. In fact, if there is a wind blowing, the ants may just float away. But if a cluster of ants or a sufficiently large ant is forcibly hurled at the ground, they will get hurt. This is how much we know from the laws and theories of physics about how ants fall through the air. Whether the ant actually gets hurt is another question entirely — and probably one that hasn’t been answered so far.

THE ULTIMATE BOOK OF ACHIEVEMENTS

Guinness Book of World Records 

Have you ever heard of the longest pizza in the world, a person who can eat the most hot dogs in 10 minutes or the tallest man to ever walk the earth? All these incredible feats, and many more, are part of the Guinness World Records, a book filled with astonishing achievements from around the globe, where people push the limits of what’s possible.

The idea for the Guinness World Records began back in 1951 when Sir Hugh Beaver, the managing director of the Guinness Brewery in Ireland, had a debate while out hunting. He and his friends were arguing over - which game bird was the fastest - but they couldn’t find the answer anywhere. This sparked the idea of creating a book that could settle all kinds of quirky arguments like this. He brought the idea to Norris and Ross McWhirter, who were twin brothers and fact-checkers. Together, they created the first edition of the Guinness Book of Records, which was published in 1955.

It became an instant hit! Originally created as a free giveaway for the Guinness Brewery, the book soon gained popularity worldwide. People loved reading about the weird and wonderful records, from the longest fingernails to the most pogo stick jumps. What began as a fact-checking book quickly transformed into a global sensation, with millions of copies sold every year.

Today, the book features thousands of records across a wide range of categories, including sports, animals, human body records and even the wackiest things you can imagine. 

For example, do you know that the world’s longest pizza measured over 6,333 feet long? 

Or that the heaviest onion ever grown weighed 18 pounds? These are just a few of the extraordinary records you’ll find inside.

What’s fascinating is that Guinness World Records has grown beyond just a book. Now, there are TV shows, live events and even a website where people can submit their own attempts at breaking records. There are official rules and judges to make sure each record is accurate and fair. Once verified, the record is entered into the book for everyone to see.

For young readers like you, this book isn’t just about outrageous achievements; it’s a reminder that anyone can push their limits and set a record of their own. With determination, practice and creativity, even the most unexpected things can become world records.

So, the next time you’re looking for some mind-blowing inspiration, grab a copy of the Guinness World Records. Maybe one day, your name will be among the world’s greatest achievers! 

STORY TIME

The wise farmer and the magic pot

Once upon a time in a small village, there lived a poor but wise farmer. One day, while working in the field, he found a strange pot buried in the ground. To his surprise, the pot had magical powers. Whatever he placed inside it would double! The farmer used the pot wisely, placing seeds, grains and even money inside and soon he became prosperous. 

However, the farmer never let greed take over. He continued to help his neighbours and shared his newfound wealth with the village. Hearing about the pot, a greedy man from the village tried to steal it, but when he placed his hand inside, his greed caused the pot to trap him. The wise farmer, seeing this, warned everyone that greed leads to downfall. 

Moral: Use your blessings wisely and never let greed take over, for it can lead to your ruin. 

PRECIOUS METAL

Silver

Silver is found as crystals and usually occurs as massive or as thick wiry aggregates. Silver has been the most popular precious metal since ancient times. Silver mining is done only in a few countries like Mexico, Peru, Australia, China, Chile, Bolivia and Russia among others. It is used mainly as an Industrial byproduct in the world.

In medieval times, silver was more valuable than gold. It was the main metal used for money as coins, and for fine metal works. Today too, this precious metal is very expensive and is used as bullion, for investment, in jewellery and utensil making. 

Metallic silver is used for silver plating in electronic and photographic industry.

Odisha’s famous filigree work is based on silver. Silver is useful because like gold it is also soft and easy to work with and is difficult to destroy. It is popular for business investment and as social security because it’s easy to store in big chunks and can be sold easily in difficult financial situations.

Now it has been scientifically proven by some doctors that silver is good for health too; something our forefathers always believed in and that is why eating and drinking in silver utensils was encouraged. A book entitled “The Most Precious Metal” by Dr. Gordon Pedersen, Medical Director of the Silver Health Institute, and co-authored by Dr. Bryan Frank, has almost surprised everyone in the Western world as they describe in 90 pages how silver helps to fight germs and is good for health. Silver is ingrained in the psyche of Indians with the precious metal being used in religious ceremonies, festivals, weddings and many other cultural events. 

Even the name of the Indian currency ‘Rupee’ is derived from the Sanskrit word for silver, which is ‘Rupya’. 

In India, foods can be found decorated with a thin layer of silver, known as ‘Varak.’ 

Silver in India is valued next only to gold for making ornaments due to its softness and attractive white colour. It had been an important currency metal in several parts of the world. It is also used in the manufacture of chemicals, electroplating, photography and for colouring glass, etc.

It is found mixed with several other metals such as copper, lead, gold, zinc, etc. India is not a major producer of silver. Our major production comes from Zawar mines in Udaipur district of Rajasthan. Here, silver is obtained as a by-product during the concentration and smelting of galena ore in Hindustan Zinc Smelter. The silver content varies from 171.4 gm to 774.5 gm per tonne of zinc and lead concentrates respectively.

The Tundoo Lead Smelter in Dhanbad district of Jharkhand is another important producer of silver as a by-product of lead. Some silver is produced by Kolar Gold Fields and Hutti gold mines in Karnataka during refining of gold. The Hindustan Copper Ltd. at Maubhandar smelter in Singhbhum district of Jharkhand obtains silver from copper slimes. Silver is also produced by Vizag Zinc smelter in Andhra Pradesh from the lead concentrates. Traces of silver also occur in Hazaribag, Palamu, Ranchi and Singhbhum districts of Jharkhand; Cuddapah, Guntur and Kumool districts of Andhra Pradesh; Vadodara in Gujarat, Bellary district of Karnataka, Baramula.