Many people tend to believe the most implausible facts about our world. If earlier this state of affairs was caused by a lack of information, nowadays everything happens exactly the opposite: scraps of scientific data, outright charlatanism and incorrect interpretation of the material create information noise that prevents a person from believing only confirmed facts. For example, here are some of the most common misconceptions that have become reality for millions of people.
Sahara is the largest desert
Not all deserts have to be hot and filled with sand. Antarctica, for example, copes well with the status of a desert and does not have any sand at all - it is dry and inhospitable here. Antarctica is officially considered the largest desert on Earth, its size is 869,045 square kilometers.
Astrology foresees the future
A professional astrologer cannot even predict his own runny nose - what can we say about the personal lives of other people. Are you really ready to believe in the influence of planets and constellations, located millions of kilometers from the Earth, on a person?
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The sun is yellow
The atmosphere of the Earth, which is between your eyes and the Sun, distorts the true color of the star - white. This is due to the Rayleigh scattering, which also paints the sky blue and makes sunsets and sunrises blaze red.
Everest is the highest mountain in the world
Mount Everest is indeed the highest point on the planet above sea level. But this does not make it the tallest mountain in the world - such is Mauna Kea located in Hawaii. Most of Mauna Kea is hidden under the ocean, its total height is 10,000 meters.
Water conducts electricity
Pure or distilled water will not conduct electricity. The only reason why we get a discharge of current while standing in water is minerals dissolved in it, which can become conductors.
The moon is close to Earth
Many people tend to perceive the satellite of our planet as something that is not so far away. In part, this is because the Moon remains the only more or less studied area outside the Earth. In addition, sometimes the Moon looks so huge that it seems as if it has approached the Earth as close as possible. In fact, the distance to the Moon is 384,633 kilometers. A Boeing 747, for example, would fly there for 17 days.
It's always cold in space
If you are in complete darkness, away from the light of the stars, then the temperature of the vacuum around you will be really low, down to - 234 degrees Celsius. But in the rays of the Sun, not far from the Earth, the temperature can rise up to +112 degrees. This is why astronauts wear reflective white spacesuits.