I love watching the moon and the stars at night as do many others. But does that make you wonder about the far and beyond? If yes, let us discuss some fun facts about space!
1. Space is Silent
The theory behind a silent space revolves around the absence of air. As a result, there is no medium for sound to travel and thus, space remains silent. Although sound cannot be transmitted, waves can be. Hence, radio waves are used for communication in space. This is one of the fun facts about space.
2. Age of the Solar System
Most scientists believe that it all started with a big bang. Hence, the solar system is 4.571 billion years old. Astronomers believe the formation of the sun with a solar nebula is nothing but interstellar gas and dust condensation. Moreover, the research involving carbon dating of a parent isotope revealed half-life, which in turn estimates the solar system to be 5 billion years old.
3. Moon Reflecting 90% of Sun’s light
One of the fun facts about space is Enceladus, also known as Saturn moon. It has an icy surface making it the brightest object in the Solar System. Researches have shown Enceladus is an active moon with an ocean beneath its crust which is salty in nature. This is another reason behind its reflective properties. (See What does it feel like to be in outer space?)
4. First Celestial Spiral Object
Researches have shown the Whirlpool Galaxy to be the first celestial object to be identified as a spiral. The Whirlpool galaxy is made of long lanes consisting of gases, stars, dust, and hydrogen. These elements are responsible for the creation of the spiral shape.
5. Width of Milky Way Galaxy
One of the other fun facts about space is the astounding width of the milky way to be 9.5 * 10 ^12 km, with a diameter of about 9.5 *10^17 km. Further, the galaxy is present across 100,000 light-years with a cluster of stellar contents. Moreover, it variates in temperature as a result of luminosity.
6. Highest Mountain in the Universe
Olympus Mons stands at the position of the highest mountain in the Universe. It is almost three times higher than Mount Everest in height viz 10 miles of Mount Everest are equal to 31 miles of Olympus Mons. (See What Is The Space Needle?)
7. Weight of the Sun
Another one of the fun facts about space is the weight of the Sun. Theories find the sun to be 109 times heavier than Earth. Moreover, the gigantic nature of the Sun can be understood by the fact that it comprises 99.85% of the mass of the solar system.
8. Next Sighting of Halley’s Comet
Halley’s comet was first observed in 1986 and is the first-ever comet whose trajectory was understood. The scientists claim that it would be observed again on Earth in the year 2061. It is the year when Halley’s comet would complete its regular 76-year journey from the sun. (See The History of Halley’s Comet)
9. Water in Space
Massive water clouds having trillions of gallons of water were found around 10 billion light-years away from Earth. This makes this the largest water discovery to date. However, the source could not be determined or verified yet.
10. Reason Behind Tides
Researchers found that the gravitational pull of the sun and the moon is the reason behind the tides that occur. The area experiencing tidal waves has the highest moon force. As a result, the wave tries to bulge towards the moon.
11. Hottest Planet is 450° C
Venus has a temperature of 450° C due to the planet being the second closest to the sun. Theoretically, Mercury should have been the warmest planet, but due to the absence of atmosphere, the temperature fluctuates drastically and regulation isn’t possible. (See What Is a Geode?)
12. Planet with Maximum Volcanoes
There are around 1600 Volcanoes on Venus along the 8km long stretch of Matt Mons. Though most of the volcanoes of the area are extinct now.
13. Number of Moons Orbiting Jupiter
Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system with seven moons revolving around it with the largest moon being Ganymede. Much to surprise, the size of Ganymede is bigger than that of Mercury.
14. Moon that Orbits Backward
Researchers found that Triton, Neptune moon orbits backward. The reason behind the retrograde orbit is still under investigation. However, due to its motion, it is eventually getting close to the planets. It orbits every 5.877 days which is similar to the revolution of Neptune and thus such movement pattern.
15. Size of Pluto
While comparing the size, it can be said that Pluto is smaller than USA such that its average size is around 2400 km and that of USA is 4700km in diameter. In other words, it would take much longer to travel from Ohio to Columbia than traveling around the entire planet of Pluto.
16. A Day in Pluto
6 days 9 hours and 36 minutes on Earth corresponds to a single day on Pluto. This phenomenon arises due to the planet’s slow rotation rate. Therefore, a day on Pluto is equivalent to almost a week here. (See Interstellar (2014) Movie Explained)
17. British Satellite with British Rocket
The Black Arrow is the only British satellite to have been launched with a British rocket to date. The launch took place in the late 1960s but the research has revealed the satellite was found at a crash-landing site in Scotland in 2019.
18. Visibility from Earth
The Universe that we observe from Earth is just 15 % of the entire universe. The reason lies in the dark energy and the dark matter that corresponds to 68% and 27% of the universe respectively.
