Black Dwarf

We've now learned that our Sun is a Yellow Dwarf,
after it burns for 10 billion years it will turn into a Red Giant,
and after it burns for another 1 billion years it will turn into a White Dwarf.

That white dwarf will burn slowly for a very very long time,
over 10 Undecillion years (One undecillion is a 1 with 36 zeroes after it!),
then it will cool down and turn into a Black Dwarf.

That's such a long time, that no actual black dwarfs exist!
Scientists are just pretty sure that's what is going to happen some day.


(from: wikipedia - outer space)

French - counting to eighty nine

We just learned how to count to 79 in French, let's keep going!

Just like seventy was really sixty-ten, eighty is also a little different.
The word for eighty is quatre-vingts which means four-twenties because 20 times 4 is 80!

80 quatre-vingts - sounds like cat-uh-ah vah-n /?/
81 quatre-vingts-un - sounds like cat-uh-ah vah-nt un /?/
82 quatre vingt deux - sounds like cat-uh-ah vah-n doo /?/
83 quatre vingt trois - sounds like cat-uh-ah vah-n twa /?/
84 quatre vingt quatre - sounds like cat-uh-ah vah-n cat-uh /?/
85 quatre vingt cinq - sounds like cat-uh-ah vah-n sahn /?/
86 quatre vingt six - sounds like cat-uh-ah vah-n see /?/
87 quatre vingt sept - sounds like cat-uh-ah vah-n set /?/
88 quatre vingt huit - sounds like cat-uh-ah vah-n oo-ee /?/
89 quatre vingt neuf - sounds like cat-uh-ah vah-n nef /?/


(from: wikipedia - OIF)

Electroluminescence

Electroluminescence is a pretty fancy sounding word,
but all it really means is a way that some things give off light
when you run electricity through them.

Electro - for electricity
luminescence - a fancy way to say light

Some of the best chemicals for making this kind of light are doped semiconductors,
which we learned before are just two kinds of chemicals mixed together.

When the electricity flows through them, the photons (which are tiny particles of light)
go shooting off of the chemicals and make it glow.

(from: wikipedia - electroluminescence)

Hedgehog

Hedgehogs look kind of like tiny little porcupines.

And just like porcupines, they have poky hairs on their back (called spines) made of keratin.

Their spines don't come out like a porcupine's quills, they are just sharp.


(from: wikipedia - hedgehog)

Hedgehogs also do a funny thing called anointing.
When they find something with a new smell in the wild,
they will lick and bite that thing, and then spit on their spines.

Scientists aren't totally sure why they do this,
but some think it is so they can hide their smell from other animals that want to eat them!

Calf Muscle

We just learned about the Quadriceps muscle.

The muscle on your leg below your knee is called your Triceps Surae muscle,
but most people just call it your Calf Muscle.

You are using your calf muscle when you move your ankle.

(from: wikipedia - triceps surae muscle)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Thoracic Cage

Austria

Let's keep learning about the countries in Europe!

Last time we learned about Romania.

Next up is Austria.

Austria is a country just East of Italy, and South of Germany.

(from: wikipedia - austria)

For dinner in Austria, you might have a Wiener Schnitzel,
which is a flat piece of meat covered in breading.

(from: wikipedia - austria)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart from Austria was one of the
most famous musical composers to ever live.

(from: wikipedia - wolfgang amadeus mozart)

A family of singers called the von Trapps were very famous through Austria,
and a movie called The Sound of Music was based on their life.


(from: wikipedia - maria von trapp)

Sigmund Freud from Austria is a very famous scientists who studied the way people think,
which is called psychology.


(from: wikipedia - austria)

Matthew

The first books of the New Testament are the four Gospels.
The word gospel means good news, and these books in the bible
all tell about Jesus and the miracles he performed.

The first gospel is the book of Matthew.

In the book of Matthew, he tells of 23 different miracles that Jesus performed.

He healed blind and sick people, walked on water, calmed a wild storm,
and fed thousands of people from just a basket of bread and fish.

He tells of the story of Jesus birth, tells of the wise men visiting baby Jesus.
He also tells of Jesus dying on the cross, and being resurrected three days later.

Matthew started off as a tax collector, but became one of Jesus followers.


(from: wikipedia - saint matthew)