Scientists have discovered a strange mix of awe-inspiring, horrifying, and bizarre things about space. However, no one knows much about expanding and potentially limitless universe. Here are a few peculiarities in space that many people were unaware of.
A tent is seen between trees as the Milky Way appears in the sky in the Uruguayan countryside some 185 km north of Montevideo near Capilla del Sauce, Florida Department.
Fun, Bizarre Things You Should Know About Space
There's a lot to ponder when it comes to space. The truth is that we don't have all of the solutions. Here are the things you should know about space.
1. Space is Totally Silent
A medium is required for sound waves to move through. The world between stars will always remain eerily silent since there is no atmosphere in the vacuum of space. That's because NASA said there is no sound without air.
However, worlds with atmospheres and air pressure allow sound to travel, so there is so much noise on Earth and, most likely, on other planets.
2. Sun Takes Up Much Of Solar System's Mass and its Energy Hits Earth Every Hour
The sun is so heavy that it makes up 99 percent of the mass of our entire solar system, QuipoQuiz said. It can establish gravitational domination over all planets because of this factor.
The Ohio State University's astronomy department added that the sun fuses about 600 million tons of hydrogen to helium per second. It turns around 4 million tons of matter into energy as a byproduct.
When the sun dies, it will encompass the Earth and everything as a red giant. But don't worry, it won't happen for another 5 billion years.
For the past 15 years, solar energy has increased at 20% every year. According to Yale Environment 360, the world installed 30% more solar energy capacity in 2017, resulting in 98.9 gigawatts of solar energy.
Despite its seeming size, IFL Science said this amount of energy only represents 0.7 percent of global yearly electricity use.
3. Ceres, the Biggest Asteroid in Solar System
The asteroid, also known as a dwarf planet, has a diameter of over 600 miles. It's the largest asteroid in the Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter, accounting for a third of the belt's total mass. Ceres has a surface area roughly similar to that of India or Argentina.
NASA said Dawn, an unmanned spacecraft that orbited Ceres and helped us completely redefine our knowledge of the Earth, just completed its mission.
4. Apollo Astronauts' Footprints on the Moon Will Stay for 100 Million Years
The Apollo astronauts' footprint will not be obliterated or wiped away since the moon lacks an atmosphere. Hence, Space.com said footprints, overprints, spaceship prints, and abandoned goods will be maintained on the moon for a maximum of 100 million years.
They won't be there indefinitely, though. The moon is still a living organism. It is regularly pummeled with "micrometeorites," implying that erosion is still happening on the moon.
5. Neutron Stars Can Turn Up at 600 Rotations per Second
One of the possible evolutionary end-points for high mass stars is neutron stars. They are born in a core-collapse supernova star explosion and rotate extraordinarily quickly due to physics. The Swinburne University of Technology Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing said neutron stars can turn up to 60 times every second. This pace can reach more than 600 times per second in extreme circumstances.
RELATED ARTICLE: Top Science Times Stories 2021: Hot Issues, News That Made Headlines This Year
Check out more news and information on Space in Science Times.