Top 10 Facts About Space

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Space is a harsh and vast place. However, at the same time it is extremely beautiful, complex, and mysterious. Everyone knows it is there, but very few know a lot of space facts. Check out below for the top 10 facts about space and learn a little bit more about the stars above us!

#10: The Entirety of Space Is Quiet

One of the most amazing space facts is that despite many different celestial activities happening in space, there is no sound. This is because sound waves require a medium in order to travel. Space is a vacuum and thus does not have anything to help the sound waves travel. This means you could scream as loud as you want right next to someone and they wouldn’t hear a thing! But if space is completely silent, how do astronauts communicate with one another? The use radio waves which are capable of traveling through space. This type of “wave” is a a type of electromagnetic radiation that can travel almost at the speed of light even in an empty space.((Northwestern – Communications System))

#9: The Number of Stars in the Sky Is Uncountable and Infinite

One of the most amazing outer space facts is that we have absolutely no idea how many stars are in the universe. Scientists have estimated how many stars are on the milky way which is in our own galaxy. However, not even NASA knows exactly how many stars are out there. They have thrown numbers around including zillions, but everything is just a guess. In addition, the Australian National University also attempted to estimate how many stars where in the universe. Their estimate wasd 70 Sextillion stars in the outer space. In other words, there guess was 70,000 million million million. A better way to describe it is just a guess.((CNN – Star survey reaches 70 sextillion))

#8: The Astronauts’ Footprints on the Moon Will Stay There For at Least 100 Million Years

The astronauts in the Apollo program have gone down as some of the most significant figures in human history. Their events will be something that won’t be forgotten anytime soon. In fact, scientists believe that the footprints they left when they stepped on the moon will remain there for at least 100 million years. This is due to the fact that there is no wind or water to erode and wash the footprints away. Even the footprints left by their spaceships and rovers will remain preserved on the moon. Despite the absence of wind and water, the moon remains a dynamic environment. Therefore, the prints left on the surface will not stay forever. The moon is constantly bombarded by small meteorites which which cause minor erosion over time.((NASA – Why does the Moon have craters?))

#7: The Sun Makes Up 99% of Our Entire Solar System

One of the most incredible space facts is that our sun is so huge that it accounts for 99% of the mass of our entire solar system. Due to its massive size, the sun dominates the entire solar system’s gravitation. In fact, the sun is so big more than 1 million Earths would be required to fill up the sun.((Universe Today – HOW MANY EARTHS CAN FIT IN THE SUN?))

The sun has so much hydrogen that converts through fusion approximately 600 million tons of it into helium every second. As a byproduct of this reaction, the sun gives off 4 million tons of energy every second. While the amount of matter is enormous, it is not infinite. When the sun dies, it will turn to a red giant that will envelope and destroy the Earth. But don’t worry, this will take billions of years before this happens.((Astronomy – WHY DOES THE SUN SHINE?))

#6: You Get Taller in Space

If you go into space, you will get taller. This is due to the fact that in space you will experience some micro-gravitational changes that cause your spine to lengthen. Without gravity, you spin is not being pushed down and will stretch out. In fact, astronauts who have stayed in the international space station have grown almost 2 inches taller during their stay.

Due to the micro gravity environment of space, water also behave in unexpected manners. In fact, if you cry in space, your tears will not fall down. Additionally, in the space station, water normally flows like spheres and bubbles. Whenever the water hits a surface, it will tend to cling to that surface until it is physically dislodged. This can lead to some pretty fun experiments that you can do with water. However, it also brings up a big danger. Mainly, if water leaks out into your space suit’s helmet, there is the possibility that it can cover your eyes, ears, and mouth. Potentially leading you do die due to drowning while out in space.

#5: The sun’s energy that hits Earth every hour is more energy than humanity needs for an entire year

The amount of energy coming from the sun is almost unimaginable. In fact, one of the most amazing space facts is that there is so much energy hitting the earth, that if we could harness just one hour of the total energy, we would have enough energy to power everything in the world for an entire year. Unfortunately, solar energy still accounts for less than a tenth of global energy use. There are several factors that cause this. One is the total area of land that would be required to build enough solar panels. Second, currently the technology is quite expensive. Third, varying weather conditions make it more difficult to get steady supplies of energy from solar. Fortunately, despite all the challenges in harnessing energy from the sun, the use of solar energy has increased sharply by more than 20% in the last 15 years.((National Geographic – Solar Energy))

#4: Metals stick together in space

One of the most astonishing space facts is that metals will always stick together when they touch each other in space. The main reason behind this is because outer space is a vacuum. Engineers and astronauts refer to this process as “cold welding”. It is very important for astronauts to take this fact into account. However, engineers have helped solve the problem by covering all of their metal tools with Nitric Oxide.((Cool Science Facts – #6 Metal)) We do not observe this process on Earth because of the presence of oxygen. Interestingly, xold welding is used on Earth during some manufacturing processes.

#3: On the space station, astronauts have grown food using dirty underwear and tissue paper

One of the most interesting space facts is that you can actually grow crops like tomato, basil, and potato in a space station. Astronauts do this by folding a pair of underwear into the shape of a sphere. They then stitch some toilet paper to it in order to create a warmer environment for the plant to grow. Just like socks, the underwear planting environment for the plants must be changed every 3-4 days in order to help the plant to grow.((NASA – Astronauts’ Dirty Laundry))

#2: The biggest asteroid ever recorded in space measures 600 meters in diameter

Ceres is the the biggest space rock  in our solar system. It measures a whopping 587 miles (945 kilometers) and accounted for a third of the entire mass of the asteroid belt. When measured, the surface of the asteroid is equivalent to the entire land area of Argentina and India combined. The asteroid is so big that it is often referred to as a dwarf planet. One other interesting thing that was recorded about Ceres is that some water was found on its surface.((The Guardian – Ceres, the largest asteroid in the solar system, lets off steam))

#1: The hottest planet is not the closest one to the sun

Despite what many people may think as logical, the hottest planet in our solar system is not the one that is closest to the sun, Mercury. The reason why Mercury is not the hottest is that it has no atmosphere. This means Mercury only hot on the face towards the sun. On the sun facing side, temperatures on Mercury can rise above 425 degrees Celsius. On the opposite side, temperatures can drop to -180 degrees Celsius. The hottest planet in our solar system is Venus. It is the hottest due to the thick cloud covering atmosphere which can trap heat. Temperature on Venus can reach a whopping 500 degrees Celsius.((Space – Planet Venus Facts: A Hot, Hellish & Volcanic Planet))