5 Facts About the Night Sky That Will Have You Spaced Out

Photo by Greg Rakozy

On Valentine’s day in 1990, the Voyager 1 space probe took a photo of earth from 6 billion kilometers away. The photo became known as the Pale Blue Dot, and it’s one of the most iconic photos from outer space of all time.

It was the first photo that many saw that helped them truly grasp how small we are in a massive, endless universe.

Hopefully, these stunning facts about astronomy will give you the same sense of aw and wonder.

1. The Natural State of the Universe Is Darkness

Everything that we experience is thanks only to our relatively close proximity to a massive ball of burning gas. Anything we see, all of light and warmth and heat, is thanks to the sun.

But if it wasn’t for these burning gas balls called stars (sun in our specific case) all of the universe would be dark.

While it’s common for planets to exist outside a star’s warmth, what about life? Could life even exist without a star? These scientists think so. They theorize that a planet with a few kilometers of ice protecting an ocean could be warm enough to sustain life. Albeit, this most likely wouldn’t be life forms any more advanced than microbes.

2. There Are Over 100 Billion Different Galaxies

The earth is part of a solar system that revolves around our sun. Our sun is one of the billions of stars in the Milky Way. The Milky Way is just one of over 100 billion different galaxies throughout the universe.

3. Complex Life Is Possible in Only About 10% of All Galaxies

But as we just established, that still leaves 10 billion galaxies with billions of planets in each one. Each of these galaxies could potentially host complex life, like humans. A thriving Star Wars-type intergalactic council could one day exist – there are enough universes and planets for it to be possible.

Even still, it’s so unlikely for our planet to be the perfect distance from a habitable sun that everything we experience is miraculous.

4. Humans Have Accomplished Flyby Visits to Every Planet

Since man started exploring space in 1957, we’ve sent spacecraft to get close up shots of every single planet in our solar system.

That’s Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune. We’ve even stopped by Pluto and another less known dwarf planet called Ceres.

5. Mercury is Shrinking

Mercury has tectonic plates like Earth does. But in Mercury’s case, the tectonic plates are working in a way that’s causing the planet to shrink.

Inspired? If you want the absolute best astronomy experience a civilian can get, you need to check out the Melbourne Star Observation Wheel.

These Facts About Astronomy Will Blow Your Mind

Space is a massive, amazing phenomenon. These facts hopefully blow your mind and make you a bit more curious about the great big universe around you.

Always keep learning, and share these facts about astronomy with your friends to blow their minds too.

KTVN has all the news you need to stay informed. Thanks for being a reader, and stay tuned for more great information.

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