Have you ever heard about these astronomy facts before?
Space has always been full of mystery, and when it comes to astronomy facts, it seems like there are always new ones to learn. We all remember just how fascinating the space lessons have been in school, with a lot of us dreaming when we were little of becoming astronauts and going into space. However, over the years, the astronomy facts we learned back then have either gotten an update or have changed, and if we haven’t kept in touch with all things astronomy-related, we cannot know them!
Yet, the thirst for knowledge is always present, and here at Science in the World, we know just how fun and exciting astronomy facts can get. This is why we have gathered some of the most amazing astronomy facts that have been discovered in the last few years and brought them to you in a way that is going to be easily understandable by everyone.
From amazing astronomy facts about planets to some concepts that have been discovered recently, we have a fact for everyone, and we guarantee that some of them are going to surprise you.
Did you know these astronomy facts before? Are there any other ones you want to share with our community? Leave them in the comments below!
Stargazing is akin to taking a glimpse at the past!
It may sound like something said just to sound fancy or interesting, but it is a true astronomy fact that still boggles most of us! It takes a long time for the light to start reaching the Earth, so when you are looking at the sky decorated with a lot of stars, it may happen that the star you have been admiring may actually be long dead.
A good example of this astronomy fact is that people have been admiring the Pillars of Creation pictures made by the Hubble Telescope since 1995. However, these impressive pillar-looking clouds of gas and dusk are located in Eagle Nebune, which is 7,000 light years away. The pictures taken by the telescope are real, but these images are just refractions. The Pillars were destroyed by a supernova about 6,000 years ago, and the image we managed to capture here on Earth is actually what they used to look like 7,000 years ago!
The good news about this looking into the past fact is that most stars that we are seeing in the sky today are intact: there are very few “already dead” ones, and the ones we are seeing will be around for probably another billion years!
Indeed, time is going slower!
You may have caught yourself thinking that time seems to be going faster and that time goes by way easier than it once did. While our perception is way more accelerated than what is actually happening, time is actually slower, and there is an astronomical fact that can explain this phenomenon easily!
The rotation of the Earth ends up slowing every century by about two milliseconds. This means that all the way back when dinosaurs were roaming the Earth, the day was only 23 hours long! The standard 24 hours that we have now were actually accurate on the dot back in 1820, according to NASA’s research.
These days, the rotation of the Earth has slowed down by about 2.5 milliseconds, which is not enough to make anything too noticeable, and we cannot blame our poor planet—even Earth ends up slowing down slowly as it ages! And those two seconds of extra daylight are not something for anyone to be weary of!
Did you know there is a bar in the sky?
This is one of the astronomy facts that will definitely elicit some laughs and giggles when you share it during a party, and it is definitely amazing when it comes to winning at a trivia game. If you’re passionate about bartending, this is definitely one of those things that could entertain you or make you feel like it’s a nightmare, but there is such a thing as a “bar in the sky”.
While it is just a funny nickname given to the gas cloud, this formation is way beyond the atmosphere and away from us, but it is made entirely from alcohol, and it is huge: we are talking about our entire solar system’s diameter times 1,000!
To put it into perspective, that is enough alcohol to give every person on earth 300,000 pints of beer daily for a billion years! The number of pints is in the 400-septilion range, which means 400 followed by 24 zeroes! It’s insane!
If you would like to get deeper into astronautics and understand how people can go into space, we recommend that you read more on the topic. Understanding Space: An Introduction to Astronautics is an amazing book that will explain all there is to know about it!
Yes, space trash is a thing!
You may be focused on trying to reduce your plastic consumption or finding more eco-friendly ways to exist so that we can reduce pollution and trash production on Earth. However, did you know that there is such a thing as space trash and that it has been done by us as well?
This astronomy fact is a bit sad, but the reality is that there are over a million pieces of garbage all around the Earth’s orbit, and it has ended up becoming a real problem that we will have to solve sooner rather than later. This is because the size of this trash does not really matter, as even a small piece the size of a paper clip can end up creating a problem with the satellite systems.
If these satellites stop working properly, you can see all types of repercussions, from serious ones like problems with the national security system all the way to more trivial ones like losing Netflix for a period of time. While scientists are focused on trying to find a solution to this problem, we currently have no way of cleaning up all this trash from space.
Uranus is not like your other planets!
We’re going to end our list of fun astronomy facts with one about one of the planets. Uranus is the only planet that has managed to baffle scientists ever since it was discovered, as it is the only planet that rotates on its side!
The fun thing about this astronomy fact is that scientists have yet to truly pinpoint why that is. The final theory includes the possibility that the planet has been hit in a titanic collision by another planet or asteroid, which made it change its orientation. Yet, nothing is certain, and let’s be honest, this planet takes the cake when it comes to being the quickie oddball of our solar system!
And as weird as space can be, weird rotation is the most normal thing out there!
Have you heard about hot ice?
We all know about dry ice here on Earth, but this astronomy fact deals with another type of ice that is going to blow your mind. About 33 light years away from us, there is an exoplanet named Gliese 436b. This planet is special because it is made from an array of water elements, which lead to the formation of burning ice! The ice on the planet keeps its shape because of the pressure on it, but since the surface temperature is about 570° F, it just makes the water superheat and become steam.
You could definitely keep your coffee hot with this type of ice!
This amazing astronomy fact makes up one of the most impressive space discoveries we have made in the past decade!
Space is full of wonders, and these astronomy facts are great to keep in mind, but just as amazing as they are, they can also be the cause of our doom! If you are curious, make sure you read the article about outer space things that can destroy Earth!
