Humanity has reached great heights in space exploration. It is in a relentless search for undiscovered wonders, incredible riches and terrible secrets lurking in the depths of extraterrestrial canyons. The main goal was achieved in the 20th century: the first man flew into space.
In fact, space has more secrets than one might think. There are planets that look almost like Earth. There are also supermassive black holes that absorb galaxies and radio waves. They can contain ice and dirt. It seems that scientists will never be able to say with certainty that they really know and understand space. After all, much still remains unexplained.
The article presents 11 interesting new discoveries that prove that space remains unknown.
Two-headed flatworms
Scientists are fascinated with solving a highly disturbing question: Does space contain life? That's why they sent flatworms there. Flatworms are known for their regenerative abilities, and it was interesting to see how they behave in space.
When cut into pieces, flatworms can completely regenerate into full-fledged organisms. But in space they didn't just grow up: some of them were reborn with not one head, but two. This is an anomaly that many of us have never even heard of.
Promotional video:
We live in a cosmic desert
It doesn't seem at all strange that everything interesting is at a great distance from us. The galaxy is too vast and far away to explore! There seems to be reason to believe that there is a cosmic void, and our Milky Way is part of it.
The universe is like Swiss cheese. It has dense regions filled with galaxies and holes that are relatively empty. The KBC void, named after the three astronauts Keenan, Barger and Cowie who discovered it in 2013, is the largest ever observed. Its radius is over 1 billion light years.
Gravitational waves
Gravitational waves have existed for centuries, but no one could prove that they are real. Finally, in February, LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory) announced that they had finally been discovered. They contribute to the expansion and contraction of space. Gravitational waves carry unique information about space, objects and the events that create them. This information cannot be obtained in any other way!
LIGO has detected gravitational waves twice this year. They came from two colliding black holes that circled each other. These processes have been invisible for many years.
Earth supplies oxygen to the moon
Yes, we are losing air. Its quantity is no more than 90 metric tons, so there is nothing to worry about. It turns out that the small moon Moon receives most of this oxygen.
Some atoms and molecules in the upper part of our atmosphere are lost and go out into space. Some of them hit the lunar surface, and ultimately - in the particles of the lunar soil that the astronauts of the Apollo spacecraft brought to Earth. Scientists were confused by the fact that the isotopes of oxygen-18 and oxygen-17, which are found on Earth, were found on the moon. The mystery has now been revealed!
Planet Nine Hides Behind Pluto
Researchers seriously believe that there is a planet the size of Neptune. It is really very large and is hidden somewhere behind Pluto. Its orbit is probably quite distorted because it is nearly impossible to observe. Nevertheless, the so-called "planet nine" definitely affects the movement of other bodies in the outer part of our solar system. A massive celestial body is lurking somewhere out there, and scientists will soon discover it!
The sun has a lost twin
Recent research shows that most stars are born with at least one companion. The sun's closest neighbor, Alpha Centauri, harbors not one, but three stars! Scientists are now more confident than ever that our own sun once had a twin. It is conventionally called Nemesis.
Most likely, it was not a huge twin, it just scattered in the Milky Way, leaving no trace. Scientists believe that this is the fate of most binary stars that simply go their separate ways.
The beauty of Jupiter
NASA's Juno spacecraft recently reached Jupiter. This flight provided humanity with some of the most surreal and breathtaking images of the planet's giant formations. Although no major scientific discoveries have been made so far, the photographs taken by JunoCam prove that humans should not fly too far to enjoy the beauty of the universe. The shots taken from the ship "Juno" are simply amazing!
Huge ice sheet on Mars
Mars hides one of the largest ice deposits known to man. It is about the size of New Mexico and contains up to 85% water, with the rest of the contents being mostly dirt. The volume of this ice sheet is truly amazing - it surpasses Lake Superior, which contains more than 12,000 cubic kilometers of water.
Building block of life
Methyl isocyanate molecules have been found in the dust and gas that surrounds protostars. They are very similar to our sun at the beginning of its existence. It is believed that the Earth and other planets were formed from material left behind after the formation of our sun. Thus, by studying young stars, scientists are getting closer to understanding how life began on our planet! It's not the first time the ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter / sub-millimeter Array) community has noticed something interesting. Not so long ago, a group of astronomers made an interesting discovery: the gas that surrounds the young star contains real sugar molecules.
Proxima b - new earth
Proxima Centauri is a star that is just a stone's throw from Earth's sunlight. It will take 4.2 light years to reach it. Scientists have discovered the planet in the so-called habitable zone. Liquid water can exist on Proxima Centauri, which increases the chances of developing life on it.
Duplicated Proxima b is a newly discovered planet. It has a mass similar to that of the Earth. Breakthrough Foundation board members Mark Zuckerberg, Stephen Hawking and Yuri Milner have announced they will build a microchip-sized spacecraft to explore habitable worlds. The project was named Breakthrough Starshot.
With the discovery of Proxima b, it is likely that the planet will become a target for a new type of spacecraft.
Maya Muzashvili