Outer space has always been mysterious and distant, but with the development of technology, scientists began to study it, discover new planets, comets, learned more about black holes and that our solar system is far from the only such structure in the Universe. However, until now, space remains something mysterious and beckoning the minds of not only astronauts, but also those who like to discover new things. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, October 4, World Space Week officially kicks off, so we will try to find out more about what secrets the universe is hiding from us.
According to the official interpretation, space or outer space is relatively empty areas of the Universe that are outside the boundaries of the atmospheres of celestial bodies. However, space cannot be called completely empty, since it has a low density of some particles, mostly hydrogen, as well as electromagnetic radiation and interstellar matter. However, even science cannot explain all the features of outer space, at least not yet. Below are 20 amazing facts about space and the universe.
1. A lot of questions are caused by an energetic vacuum. In the understanding of a person, a vacuum is equal to a void that is not able to release energy. However, scientists argue that subatomic particles are constantly formed inside the vacuum, and then destroyed. According to one theory, it is the energy of the vacuum that moves the universe, forcing it to expand.
Another mystery is quasars, which are active galactic nuclei. Objects possess both the properties of stars and the properties of gaseous nebulae, while releasing much more energy than any other galaxy. This is due to the presence of a supermassive black hole, which, due to accretion, is capable of drawing in matter from the surrounding space, as a result, the mass of the hole grows and provokes powerful radiation.
2. Stories about UFOs and aliens have long agitated the minds of the masses, although actual evidence of the existence of life on other planets has not yet been found. Nevertheless, scientists admit the existence of an alien intelligence, since space has been studied rather poorly, and the likelihood that conditions for the origin of life have been created on some planet from a number of galaxies is very high. The latest theories say that aliens have been living on Earth for a long time and it was they who created ancient civilizations like the Maya, built pyramids in Egypt and had a hand in the development of technology. Moreover, ufologists are sure that the ESA and NASA agencies are deliberately hiding the facts of the existence of alien civilizations from humanity.
For some experts, the possibility of the existence of aliens on the contrary raises concerns. In their opinion, if aliens arrive on Earth, they will immediately want to colonize it, since it has impressive resources. Enthusiasts believe that in this case, humanity will lose its home.
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3. Scientists representing Harvard University, in the course of research were able to establish that 0.67% of all rocks on our planet are of Martian origin.
4. It turns out that the overwhelming proportion of heavy elements contained in the human body, such as calcium, iron and carbon, are in fact by-products of the explosion of a group of supernovae that initiated the formation of the solar system. In more romantic words, a person is made of stardust.
5. Venus is the only planet in the solar system that rotates counterclockwise around a natural star. Scientists explain this phenomenon by the fact that the cosmic body has a high density. The latter first slows down the rotation of the planet, and then completely "twists" the object in the opposite direction. However, there are experts who believe that this situation is associated with a significant number of large asteroids falling to the surface of Venus.
6. The weight of the Earth is not constant and changes regularly. Scientists noticed this phenomenon a long time ago, noting that on average the planet gains about 40 thousand tons during the year, while “losing weight” by 90 thousand tons. In total, in 12 months the Earth gets rid of 56 thousand tons.
7. The fastest spinning object in space is the "space whirligig", which is capable of making 500 thousand revolutions around its axis in just 1 second. It is noteworthy that these space objects have an enormous density, so a tablespoon of their constituent substance by weight will be about 10 billion tons.
8. The flight to the nearest galaxy Andromeda will take humanity at least 2.52 million years. According to scientists, the Milky Way and the nearest similar system are moving towards each other at an enormous speed. If this trend continues, then for 2.5-3 billion years these objects will collide.
9. In 2011, scientists discovered a unique planet, which is 92% made of diamond, which is a superdense crystalline carbon. The object is five times the volume of the Earth, and also heavier than Jupiter. Such a unique planet is located in the constellation Serpent, at a distance of 4 thousand light years from our planet.
10. The mass of the Sun is in the sum of about 99.86% of the mass of the entire solar system. This fact means that only 0.14% of space is occupied by planets, asteroids and space debris.
11. "Goba" is the largest meteorite that has ever hit the Earth. The object landed in Namibia, and its weight was about 60 million tons. 86% of the cosmic body was composed of iron, which makes the meteorite the largest piece of naturally occurring iron on the surface of our planet.
12. Earth, Neptune, Uranus, Jupiter and other boards of the solar system are not the only planets in the universe. In the last 20 years alone, scientists have managed to identify over a thousand such cosmic bodies. To date, there are about 1.8 thousand open planets.
13. The Milky Way helps dung beetles to navigate in space. People and some other animals often use stars to determine if they are moving in the right direction. As for dung beetles, for similar purposes they use an entire galaxy, which helps them understand that they are moving in a straight line.
14. Outer space is the perfect place to hide emotions. The reason for this lies in the absence of gravity, which does not allow even physically crying.
15. Space is an excellent welder. If two metal parts are connected together in open space, they will instantly weld to each other. On Earth, this process is impeded by oxides that arise on the surface of metals under the influence of the atmosphere. Therefore, agencies like NASA and ESA treat all metal parts of spacecraft with special oxidizing materials.
16. Lightning exists not only on Earth, since scientists have been able to observe this phenomenon also on Mars and Saturn. In the overwhelming majority of cases, "black holes" are to blame.
17. In the event that even a small amount of solar matter (for example, the size of an ordinary coin) falls on the surface of the Earth, it will begin to absorb oxygen at lightning speed. Already a second later, all living things within a radius of 160 kilometers would have been destroyed.
18. In space, a person “grows up” by almost 5 centimeters, since the spine is “unclenched”. At the same time, the human heart contracts, slightly decreasing in volume, while pumping less blood.
19. In theory, a person can live in outer space for about 90 seconds. True, this statement is true only if you exhale all the air before that. If even a small amount of gases remains in the lungs, then they will begin to expand, forming air bubbles. When injected into the blood, the latter provoke an embolism. When the lungs are filled with gases, they will simply burst. This will be followed by icing of the nasal cavity and larynx, loss of vision, blue skin, etc.
20. The Earth's atmosphere was formed by gases that were released during volcanic eruptions. It is noteworthy that the atmosphere on our planet is still the only one in which a person can breathe.
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