Amazing Facts » Outer Space And Our Planetary System

More cool, strange, and funny facts, which even adults, might not be aware of. This information on outer space, earth, our planetary system, and Milky Way will capture the interest of the young minds immediately. These fun facts are presented in a wacky way and are sure to help the kids learn along the way.

It is not necessary that all stars are found within galaxies. Astronomers have made startling discoveries of stars moving between galaxies, which are millions of light years apart. It is possible that these stars could even have planets, probably with intelligent life on them. In the event that they do, the beings on these planets would only see a desolate sky with just one (i.e., its own particular sun) and a couple of faint galaxies located far, far away.

Where do comets originate? There is an enormous cloud of objects made up of rock and ice revolving our solar system and known as the Oort Cloud. It lies beyond and on the far side of Pluto and stretches out mostly out to the nearby star. These matter occasionally crash on to one another, sending one in towards our sun to turn into a comet like body.

Now for some fun facts on outer space…

Mars is considered by astronomers as a backwards planet. This is because Mars appears to move backwards in its orbit, once a year, which lasts for several days. This however is not true. It is actually an optical illusion caused when Earth races past Mars due to its faster orbit.

Did you know that the sun is about 300,000 times bigger than the earth? In simple terms, it can fit in 300,000 earths!

The last time Halley’s Comet raced past our Solar System was in 1986. It is again scheduled to make a visit sometime during 2061! Although, Mercury is the closest planet to the sun, it is actually Venus that is the hottest planet in the Solar System. It has surface temperatures close to 450 degree Celsius.

It is believed that an asteroid impact caused the extinction of dinosaurs and other primitive life. This is believed to have happened over sixty five million years ago.

Although we believe that Saturn is the only planet with rings, there are also other planets with rings as well. The other giant planets, Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune also have rings, but they are less conspicuous. It is funny that any footprints or tire tracks that are left on the moon will not be erased, as there is no wind or atmosphere there. It is mainly because the moon’s gravity is about six times less than that of the Earth. This means it cannot hold on to any air or atmosphere, with such a low gravitational pull. Therefore, most gases, except for real heavy gas, float into outer space.

Astronomers believe that the core of Uranus and Neptune is made up of diamonds, which could be over hundreds of miles thick… As a result, there could be diamond rains occurring in these planets.

Jupiter has a huge red spot, which is nearly three times the size of Earth.

The biggest crater on the moon is over 180 miles in diameter.

During 2006, Astronomers decided to review and revise the definition of a planet. This revision made the small and the outermost planet, Pluto to be termed as a dwarf planet.

An average with a weight of 200 pounds would weigh about 75 pounds on Mars. This is mainly due to its lower gravity

While Uranus rotates sideways like a barrel, Venus rotates backwards, unlike the other planets.

It has been observed that the speed of the fastest meteorite has been recorded at 26 miles per second… A bullet has an average of only 0.5 miles per second… Phew…

It was during 1957, when Sputnik, the first Russian satellite into outer space was launched.

What are the names of the four largest moons of Jupiter? They are Lo, Ganymede, Calisto, and Europa.

What causes low and high tides? Whenever the Sun, Moon, and Earth are aligned, high tides occur. This is because due to the additional gravitational pull of the sun and moon. Likewise, low tides occur, when the moon and sun are on the same side of the earth.

How far can you see with the naked eye…? Did you know it is close to two and a half million light years away? That is almost the distance between the Earth and the huge Andromeda Galaxy. You can see it easily on a clear night sky… Now for some teleportation!

Sometime in the future, you could go ice fishing on Jupiter’s moon, Europa. It has also been confirmed that there is a huge ocean under the ice of Europa. While the ice prevents the ocean from evaporating, the constant huge tides caused by Jupiter’s gravitational pull ensures that the ocean is maintained at a temperature above freezing. The amazing fact that one can imagine is that what kind of marine life exists in such an ocean.

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