{"id":28723,"date":"2022-01-20T08:57:32","date_gmt":"2022-01-20T08:57:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/?p=48244"},"modified":"2022-01-20T11:00:33","modified_gmt":"2022-01-20T11:00:33","slug":"18-amazing-facts-about-space-and-astronomy","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/rss_feed\/18-amazing-facts-about-space-and-astronomy\/","title":{"rendered":"18 amazing facts about space and astronomy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Nicky Jenner\n \t\t<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Published: Thursday, 20 January 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n


\n
\n<\/p>\n

Space is vast, and filled with weird and wonderful things. Some of the bizarre inhabitants and phenomena of our Universe are more astounding than even the most extreme sci-fi or space movie<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This selection of some of the most mind-boggling facts about our cosmos takes a bite-sized look at our intriguing planet, Moon, Solar System, Galaxy and Universe.<\/p>\n

And if you\u2019d like more space oddities, read our guides to the weirdest stars<\/a>, 9 mind-blowing facts about the Universe<\/a>, or the biggest cosmic objects<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here are some of the most mindblowing facts about space and astronomy.<\/p>\n

18 facts about space<\/h2>\n
1<\/span>

<\/p>\n

The Moon is lemon-shaped<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
\""The\"<\/picture><\/div>\n

Despite its appearance in the night sky, our natural satellite is nowhere near round. In fact, the Moon is shaped like a lemon, with flattened poles and bulges on both the near and far side around its equator.<\/p>\n

This strange shape is thought to have been created during interactions with Earth soon after its formation.<\/p>\n

2<\/span>

<\/p>\n

Clouds at the centre of the Milky Way smell of rum, taste of raspberries and are packed with booze<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
\""Credit:\"<\/picture><\/div>\n

In 2009, astronomers exploring a giant <\/span>cloud of gas and dust at the centre of the Milky Way made a surprise discovery \u2013 the cloud was packed full of a chemical known as ethyl formate, which<\/span> has a couple of intriguing properties: it is responsible<\/span> for giving raspberries<\/span> their flavour, and has the smell of rum.<\/p>\n

Another nearby region is also notable<\/span> as it\u2019s full of ethyl alcohol, or ethanol, the type we use to make alcoholic beverages.<\/p>\n

It contains enough alcohol to supply every person on the planet with 300,000 pints of beer per day for the next billion years!<\/p>\n

If bottled at the source, the proof for this beer would be very low, with an alcohol content of less than one per cent, but as the cloud also contains plenty of other nasty chemicals, among them carbon monoxide<\/span> and hydrogen cyanide, it would still leave you with quite a headache the next morning.<\/p>\n

3<\/span>

<\/p>\n

On Mercury a day lasts twice as long as a year<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
\""Image\"<\/picture><\/div>\n
NASA\/JHUAPL<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n

Technically, one Mercurian day lasts 59 Earth days, while a year lasts 88.<\/p>\n

However, due to Mercury\u2019s very eccentric orbit and alignment with the Sun, the length of time from sunrise to sunrise, known as a \u2018solar day\u2019, is equal to 176 Earth days \u2014 twice as long as a Mercurian year.<\/p>\n

4<\/span>

<\/p>\n

If your spacesuit started leaking, you could survive for a couple of minutes<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
\""Astronaut\"<\/picture><\/div>\n

Although films such as Total Recall<\/i> show instant explosions and rapidly puffed-up spacesuits, the effects of being exposed to space are slightly less dramatic.<\/p>\n

Although it would definitely be unpleasant, you could survive for a couple of minutes.<\/p>\n

After around 10 seconds, you would lose consciousness. The lower pressure of the vacuum would cause your blood to boil, along with other body fluids (the moisture on your tongue, for example) \u2013 but this boiling alone would not be fatal due to the pressure maintained by our blood vessels themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n

Gas bubbles <\/span>would form in your bodily fluids, causing your body to swell up and bloat. The low humidity of space would cause you to cool down<\/span> rapidly, and your eyes may freeze over.<\/p>\n

Within one to two minutes, the lack of oxygen would be deadly.<\/p>\n

The stress of the situation may make these symptoms worse \u2013 you would become oxygen-deprived more quickly.<\/p>\n

A rapid decompression would cause damage to your lungs, eardrums and sinuses, along with bruising and bleeding from soft tissues.<\/p>\n

5<\/span>

<\/p>\n

One teaspoonful of neutron star would weigh the same as the entire human population<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
\""An\"<\/picture><\/div>\n

A neutron star<\/a>\u2019s density is mind-boggling. These stars are composed almost entirely of neutrons packed together in a tiny radius.<\/p>\n

Just a teaspoonful of this material would weigh over a trillion kilograms \u2014 more than the weight of the entire human population (which reaches a few hundred billion kilograms).<\/p>\n

To make something as dense as a neutron star, the whole of humanity would need to be crammed into a space the size of a sugar cube.<\/p>\n

6<\/span>

<\/p>\n

Gamma-ray bursts can release more energy in 10 seconds<\/span> than our Sun will in its entire life<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
\""An\"<\/picture><\/div>\n

Nothing in the Universe rivals the power unleashed<\/span> during a gamma-ray burst, a brief but incredibly intense flash of high-energy radiation.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are many types of GRB: some are thought to form when a massive star implodes; others<\/span> when two neutron stars merge together.<\/p>\n

7<\/span>

<\/p>\n

There are stars we will never be able to see<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
\""Twinkling\"<\/picture><\/div>\n

Ever since the Big Bang, most <\/span>objects in space have<\/span> been <\/span>moving away from one another. In fact, cosmic expansion is actually accelerating.<\/p>\n

As regions of space are whizzing away from one another at an ever-increasing rate, the first population<\/span> of stars to form in the Universe are<\/span> now too far away for us to ever hope of spying them \u2013 even using the best present or future telescope.<\/p>\n

Hope is not lost; we can attempt to spot them indirectly via the energetic bursts of radiation they emit at the end of their lives.<\/p>\n

8<\/span>

<\/p>\n

Black holes have theoretical opposites known as white holes<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
\""An\"<\/picture><\/div>\n

Black holes are known for their voracious appetites;<\/span> their influence is so strong that even light can\u2019t escape their gravity. But they have a theoretical converse \u2013 white holes.<\/p>\n

They are effectively the opposite of their dark relatives, spitting out light and matter instead of trapping it.<\/p>\n

So far, they are purely hypothetical objects; astronomers are contemplating how they could form in reality.<\/p>\n

9<\/span>

<\/p>\n

If Jupiter\u2019s magnetic field were visible, it would appear bigger than the Moon<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
\""An\"<\/picture><\/div>\n

The region of space in which a mass\u2019s magnetic field dominates is known as its magnetosphere. These regions surround planets, pulsars and even our Galaxy.<\/p>\n

The planets in our Solar System have magnetospheres that interact with and are shaped by the charged particles in the wind streaming from our Sun.<\/p>\n

The largest magnetosphere in our Solar System surrounds Jupiter. Jupiter rotates very fast and has a very strong magnetic field, and its magnetosphere is filled with plasma from its volcanically active moon, Io.<\/p>\n

These features, coupled with the fact that the solar wind is slower and less dense at Jupiter than at Earth, lead to a very sizeable Jovian magnetosphere.<\/p>\n

It is easily big enough to contain a body the size of our Sun and, if visible, would be larger than the Moon in our night sky; quite an achievement considering that it is over 1,500 times farther away.<\/p>\n

10<\/span>

<\/p>\n

Neptune has only completed one orbit around the Sun since its discovery<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
\""Hubble\"<\/picture><\/div>\n
NASA\/ESA<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n

Neptune takes a whopping 165 years to complete one full orbit around the Sun. Since it was discovered in 1846, Neptune only recently finished its first full post-discovery orbit in 2011.<\/p>\n

Demoted planet Pluto has yet to match this \u2013 it is not even close to completing one full, 248-year orbit since its discovery in 1930.<\/p>\n

11<\/span>

<\/p>\n

Planets can wander through space without a parent star<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
\""An\"<\/picture><\/div>\n

Not all planets form and stay around stars: astronomers estimate that there could be more than 200 billion of them floating free and drifting through our Galaxy.<\/p>\n

These \u2018rogue\u2019 planets were thought to have been kicked out of their home systems.<\/p>\n

While this is true for some, other planets may have formed completely independently of an accretion disc (as was the case for our Solar System) instead forming from the collapse of tiny, cold clouds known as globulettes.<\/p>\n

12<\/span>

<\/p>\n

The Sun loses a billion kilos per second<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
\""An\"<\/picture><\/div>\n

Particles in the Sun\u2019s upper atmosphere are so hot and energetic that<\/span> they speed out into space<\/span> as part of the solar wind.<\/span><\/p>\n

Our star sheds around 1.3 trillion trillion trillion particles<\/span> every second. This equates to roughly one billion kilograms of matter per<\/span> second, or one Earth every 185 million years.<\/p>\n

13<\/span>

<\/p>\n

Most Sun-like stars in our galaxy are in multiple star systems<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
\""Artist's\"<\/picture><\/div>\n

Our Sun may be a single star, but it is in the minority.<\/p>\n

Over half of the Sun-like stars in the Milky Way are part of multiple star systems, binaries or triplets, with stars orbiting around a common centre of mass.<\/p>\n

Most lower-mass stars like red dwarfs, however, live alone without a companion.<\/p>\n

14<\/span>

<\/p>\n

Vast amounts of water have been found in space<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
\""An\"<\/picture><\/div>\n

Earth\u2019s oceans may not be that unique. Three of Jupiter\u2019s moons (Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto) and two of Saturn\u2019s (Enceladus (pictured above) and Titan) are thought<\/span> to have underwater seas.<\/p>\n

Europa\u2019s ocean may contain over twice the volume of water found on Earth. However, the most water ever discovered surrounds a black hole some 12 billion lightyears away.<\/p>\n

This region contains vast amounts of water vapour, the equivalent of 140 trillion times the volume of water in Earth\u2019s oceans.<\/p>\n

15<\/span>

<\/p>\n

There is gravity on the ISS<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
\""Astronaut\"<\/picture><\/div>\n

Footage of astronauts on the ISS may give the impression of a gravity-free environment, but onboard gravity is actually only 10-11% weaker than it is on Earth\u2019s surface.<\/span><\/p>\n

Astronauts float freely due to the ISS\u2019s continual state of free-fall, the same effect experienced by skydivers.<\/span><\/p>\n

The difference with the ISS is that it also has horizontal motion. As <\/span>the ISS moves \u2018sideways\u2019 and falls towards Earth,<\/span> the horizon curves away beneath it at the same rate, keeping the ISS in orbit and simulating a <\/span>feeling of weightlessness for anyone on board.<\/span><\/p>\n

16<\/span>

<\/p>\n

Our days are getting longer<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
\""Look\"<\/picture><\/div>\n

Earth\u2019s spin speed is slowing: every year, it takes our planet a little longer to complete one full revolution on its axis.<\/span><\/p>\n

The change is miniscule, however.  <\/span>Every century, Earth slows<\/span> by 1\/500th of a second; 1,000 years from now, one day will be two hundredths of a second longer than today.<\/p>\n

17<\/span>

<\/p>\n

The Moon is getting farther away every year<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
\""Our\"<\/picture><\/div>\n

The Moon exerts a pull on Earth, causing our planet to be slightly egg-shaped.<\/p>\n

It affects water even more, creating tides and causing the oceans to pile up towards one side of the planet, forming a \u2018tidal bulge\u2019.<\/p>\n

This bulge is dragged around with the Moon as it orbits. As Earth rotates faster than the Moon \u2013 24 hours versus 27.3 days \u2013 the bulge moves slightly ahead of the Moon\u2019s position in orbit.<\/p>\n

The Moon pulls back on it, effectively trying to slow it down and causing Earth\u2019s rotation rate to gradually slow down over time as a result.<\/p>\n

As the two bodies interact through gravity, this tugging causes Earth to lose energy while the Moon gains energy.<\/p>\n

Because of this energy boost the Moon is slowly spiralling outwards, moving away from us by 3.8cm per year.<\/p>\n

18<\/span>

<\/p>\n

Heat from the Big Bang is still around today<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
\""A\"<\/picture><\/div>\n
A snapshot of the Cosmic Microwave Background \u2013 heat left over from the Big Bang \u2013 when the Universe was just 380,000 years old, as seen by the Planck Telescope. Credit: ESA and the Planck Collaboration<\/i><\/span><\/figcaption><\/span><\/i><\/div>\n

The early Universe consisted of a hot soup of ionised gas: a sort of opaque plasma.<\/p>\n

About 380,000 years after the Big Bang, this gas cooled sufficiently enough that atoms were able to form.<\/p>\n

Radiation left over from the Big Bang is still around us today, and is known as the cosmic microwave background<\/a> (CMB).<\/p>\n

It can\u2019t be seen with the naked eye, but various missions over the years have been able to study it in microwave light, including ESA\u2019s Planck satellite and the WMAP<\/a> mission.<\/p>\n

Nicky Jenner<\/a> is a science writer who works with the European Space Agency and the Hubble Space Telescope.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p><\/i>\n\n\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Nicky Jenner Published: Thursday, 20 January 2022 at 12:00 am Space is vast, and filled with weird and wonderful things. Some of the bizarre inhabitants and phenomena of our Universe are more astounding than even the most extreme sci-fi or space movie. This selection of some of the most mind-boggling facts about our cosmos […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":28724,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"11"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/01\/18-amazing-facts-about-space-and-astronomy.jpg",2000,1423,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/01\/18-amazing-facts-about-space-and-astronomy-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/01\/18-amazing-facts-about-space-and-astronomy-300x213.jpg",300,213,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/01\/18-amazing-facts-about-space-and-astronomy-768x546.jpg",768,546,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/01\/18-amazing-facts-about-space-and-astronomy-1024x729.jpg",800,570,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/01\/18-amazing-facts-about-space-and-astronomy-1536x1093.jpg",1536,1093,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/01\/18-amazing-facts-about-space-and-astronomy.jpg",2000,1423,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Nicky Jenner Published: Thursday, 20 January 2022 at 12:00 am Space is vast, and filled with weird and wonderful things. Some of the bizarre inhabitants and phenomena of our Universe are more astounding than even the most extreme sci-fi or space movie. This selection of some of the most mind-boggling facts about our cosmos…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/28723"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28724"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}