Saturday Silly!

Hello Blog Readers!

Welcome to Saturday Sillies!

LOLZ! 'I saw Uranus through my telescope.'

Now in honour of our fantastic astronomy assignment this month, I thought I would provide you with some interesting facts!







Just to refresh your memories....

Okay, Class, this month, Uranus is in opposition. The Uranus Opposition usually indicates major life changes (for Muggles as well as us). For example, a paradigm shift, a mid-life crisis, an event or series of events that drastically changes one’s life in some way. So, your assignment for this month:
Option 1: What change(s) is imminent in your life, or the life of someone close to you? Craft something to represent this change,OR change your craft or method of crafting for this assignment (Knitters, carry your yarn in the opposite hand; acid dyers, use Kool-Aid or natural dyes; spinners, try a new method of drafting; etc.).
Option 2: Sift through the stack of papers TDPO brought, and craft something representative of an aspect of Uranus that is known to Muggles. For example, dye yarn 27 different colors/shades! Knit or crochet lace to represent the gaseous nature of the planet, etc.
Option 3: Craft something inspired by Uranus. Anything goes, as long as you can sell it!


Summary: Craft something representative of change or by changing up your crafting, craft something related to what the Muggles know about Uranus, or craft anything, as long as you can sell how it’s related to Uranus.


I know, I had sooo many ideas (most of them, not suitable for PG friendly places!) but this assignment didn’t half make me laugh!

Apparently I wasn’t the only one! I can exclusively reveal that challenges and KAL’s have sprung up around the House-Cup.

U-NO-POO anyone?
Toilet roll Cozy KAL?
Foods that make you fart?

You name it, someone has said it! :D

And now, to return to interesting, here are some facts you may not have known about Uranus!

(courtesy of http://sse.jpl.nasa.gov/planetselector.cfm?Object=Uranus )



Say What?
Uranus is the only planet with a name sure to elicit giggles. The proper way to say the name is YOOR--un--nus. It was almost named 'Georgium Sidus' to honor an English king, but tradition prevailed and in 1850 the planet got its frequently mispronounced mythological name.

Sideswiped
Uranus' unique sideways rotation makes for weird seasons. The planet's north pole experiences 21 years of nighttime in winter, 21 years of daytime in summer and 42 years of day and night in the spring and fall. Scientists think the tilt may be the result of a collision with a planet-sized object.

Is That Planet Flirting?
Uranus' rings were discovered by accident. Two teams set up to watch a bright star pass behind Uranus - a way to peek at the planet's atmosphere - were surprised when the star unexpectedly blinked out. Nine of Uranus's rings caused the star to wink at them as each ring in turn blocked the light of the star.

Shakespearian Satellites
Uranus' moons get their names from classic literature, not mythology. Among the moons orbiting Uranus, you will find Shakespeare's star-crossed lover Juliet of ''Romeo and Juliet'', unfortunate Ophelia from ''Hamlet'' and that mischievous fairy Puck from ''A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Quick Study
Only one spacecraft has visited distant Uranus. After traveling more than 3,000,000,000 km (1,800,000,000 miles) in nine years, NASA's Voyager 2 gathered much of its critical information about the mysterious planet in a scant six hours.

Long Distance Upgrade
Think upgrading software your computer is a pain? Try doing it from billions of kilometers away. Voyager 2's mission controllers pulled off a long- distance upgrade in 1986 to enable the spacecraft to send back sharp pictures taken at high speed in faint sunlight - only 1/400th of the light we see on Earth.

MOONS
There are 27 known moons orbiting Uranus. There are probably more out there, but it's very difficult to spot the small, dark objects at such an extreme distance. Ten of the moons were discovered when Voyager 2 flew past in 1986. Miranda is the strangest Uranian moon. Miranda's chaotic jumble of terrain - photographed by Voyager 2 - is unparalleled elsewhere in the solar system and remains largely unexplained.



LOLZ! 'The noxious gases of Uranus could kill a man.'

How’s that for a Saturday Silly!?!

See you next week!