Space is a harsh and vast place. However, at the same time it is extremely beautiful, complex, and mysterious. Everyone knows it is there, but very few know a lot of space facts. Check out below for the top 7 facts about space and learn a little bit more about the stars above us!
Metals stick together in space
One of the most astonishing space facts is that metals will always stick together when they touch each other in space. The main reason behind this is because outer space is a vacuum. Engineers and astronauts refer to this process as “cold welding”. It is very important for astronauts to take this fact into account. However, engineers have helped solve the problem by covering all of their metal tools with Nitric Oxide. We do not observe this process on Earth because of the presence of oxygen. Interestingly, xold welding is used on Earth during some manufacturing processes.
The Number of Stars in the Sky Is Uncountable and Infinite
One of the most amazing outer space facts is that we have absolutely no idea how many stars are in the universe. Scientists have estimated how many stars are on the milky way which is in our own galaxy. However, not even NASA knows exactly how many stars are out there. They have thrown numbers around including zillions, but everything is just a guess. In addition, the Australian National University also attempted to estimate how many stars where in the universe. Their estimate wasd 70 Sextillion stars in the outer space. In other words, there guess was 70,000 million million million.
The hottest planet is not the closest one to the sun
Despite what many people may think as logical, the hottest planet in our solar system is not the one that is closest to the sun, Mercury. The reason why Mercury is not the hottest is that it has no atmosphere. This means Mercury only hot on the face towards the sun. On the sun facing side, temperatures on Mercury can rise above 425 degrees Celsius. On the opposite side, temperatures can drop to -180 degrees Celsius. The hottest planet in our solar system is Venus. It is the hottest due to the thick cloud covering atmosphere which can trap heat. Temperature on Venus can reach a whopping 500 degrees Celsius.
The biggest asteroid ever recorded in space measures 600 meters in diameter
Ceres is the the biggest space rock in our solar system. It measures a whopping 587 miles (945 kilometers) and accounted for a third of the entire mass of the asteroid belt. When measured, the surface of the asteroid is equivalent to the entire land area of Argentina and India combined. The asteroid is so big that it is often referred to as a dwarf planet. One other interesting thing that was recorded about Ceres is that some water was found on its surface.
The Sun Makes Up 99% of Our Entire Solar System
One of the most incredible space facts is that our sun is so huge that it accounts for 99% of the mass of our entire solar system. Due to its massive size, the sun dominates the entire solar system’s gravitation. In fact, the sun is so big more than 1 million Earths would be required to fill up the sun. The sun has so much hydrogen that converts through fusion approximately 600 million tons of it into helium every second. As a byproduct of this reaction, the sun gives off 4 million tons of energy every second.
On the space station, astronauts have grown food using dirty underwear and tissue paper
One of the most interesting space facts is that you can actually grow crops like tomato, basil, and potato in a space station. Astronauts do this by folding a pair of underwear into the shape of a sphere. They then stitch some toilet paper to it in order to create a warmer environment for the plant to grow. Just like socks, the underwear planting environment for the plants must be changed every 3-4 days in order to help the plant to grow.
You Get Taller in Space
If you go into space, you will get taller. This is due to the fact that in space you will experience some micro-gravitational changes that cause your spine to lengthen. Without gravity, you spin is not being pushed down and will stretch out. In fact, astronauts who have stayed in the international space station have grown almost 2 inches taller during their stay.
