When you think of the vast space above our planet, how does that make you feel? Excited? Terrified? Both at once?! There is so much we have learned about space and still so much yet to learn. Check out these cool facts, did you know all of them?
Space is mostly empty. It is estimated that the observable universe contains more than 100 billion galaxies, each consisting of billions to trillions of stars!
Speed of light travels at a tremendous speed of approximately 186,282 miles per second. In a car around your neighborhood, you're usually just going around 20 miles per HOUR! This means that light from the Sun takes about 8 minutes and 20 seconds to reach Earth.
The tallest mountain in the solar system is Olympus Mons, located on Mars. It is about 13.6 miles (22 kilometers) high, making it almost three times the height of Mount Everest.
Space experiences extreme temperatures. In direct sunlight, temperatures can reach highs of around 248 degrees Fahrenheit, while in darker areas, temperatures can drop as low as -238 degrees Fahrenheit!
Space is a vacuum, which means it is devoid of air and sound cannot travel through it. This is why astronauts use radio communication and wear specially designed spacesuits to survive.
Black holes are regions in space with very strong gravitational forces that can trap everything, including light. They are formed from the remnants of massive stars that collapse under their own gravity. Black holes have a singularity at their center, which is a point of infinite density.
Exoplanets are planets that orbit stars outside our solar system. Thousands of exoplanets have been discovered, and some may have conditions suitable for life.
The Sun is a star, and it is so big that about one million Earths could fit inside it.
Neptune has a beautiful blue color, which is due to the presence of methane gas in its atmosphere. The methane absorbs red light, reflecting the blue light back into space.
There is so much more to learn about space, we are just getting started. Keep exploring and asking questions, and who knows, maybe you'll become a future astronaut or astronomer and discoverer!