Anybody out there?
Humans have been trying to learn more about space and the universe we live in for many generations. There’s still so much we don’t know about the space and planets around us however, through many years of research here are some facts about what we do know so far:
– Space is completely silent.
– Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system with a temperature of 450° C.
– Neutron stars can spin 600 times per second.
– Because the Moon has no atmosphere, and therefore no wind, the footprints on it made by the astronauts will be there for 100 million years.
– There is a volcano on Mars three times the size of Everest. It’s called Olympus Mons.
– The sunset on Mars appears blue.
– For years it was believed that Earth was the only planet in our solar system with liquid water. More recently, NASA revealed its strongest evidence yet that there is intermittent running water on Mars, too!
– You wouldn’t be able to walk on Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus or Neptune because they have no solid surface.
– Space junk is any human-made object orbiting Earth that no longer serves a useful purpose. Scientists estimate there are about 500,000 pieces of space junk today, including fragments from rockets and satellites, and everyday items like spanners dropped during construction of the International Space Station.
Titbit: Do you have trouble remembering the order of the planets? You could use a mnemonic to help you remember. While there are different ones you could use, or even make up your own, here’s a fairly simple one:
My Very Educated (or Eager) Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas
The first letter in every word represents a planet:
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto
Now here’s a fun game to play. Compare the two pictures below and spot the differences.
