13 Discoveries That Will Surprise You About Outer Space
Get ready for some mind-blowing space facts! Outer space is like a scary movie – endless darkness and not so friendly to life. In simple terms, space is full of strange things. If you’re into getting intrigued, just gaze at the night sky and ponder the Earth’s size compared to the rest of the galaxy, or check out this list of seriously creepy space stuff. Among all the unsettling things about space, these might be the most unnerving. Ready to be intrigued?
To survive in space for a year, astronauts need to consume 730 liters of recycled sweat and urine.
In space, water is a scarce resource, leading astronauts to recycle their own waste. NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, during his yearlong mission, relied on approximately 730 liters of recycled urine and sweat for consumption.
Meteors have the potential to strike Earth without prior warning.
In 2013, a meteorite detonated over the Russian area of Chelyabinsk, leading to around 400 injuries, primarily from shattered glass caused by the explosion. Different accounts speculated whether the projectile was part of a meteor shower or a standalone meteorite.
Extended journeys in space can bring about changes in your DNA.
Upon returning from a year-long stint at the International Space Station in 2016, astronaut Scott Kelly discovered that he had grown two inches taller than his initial height. This physical discrepancy between Kelly and his identical twin brother, Mike, also an astronaut, raised eyebrows. Comparative analysis of their DNA revealed not only the height difference but also distinct gut bacteria in Kelly and altered gene expression.
Scientists attributed these changes to the “stresses of space travel, which can cause changes in a cell’s biological pathways.” While Kelly eventually reverted to his original height, other genetic alterations seemed irreversible, resulting in the brothers no longer being identical twins.
Billions of years from now, the universe might actually explode.
The “Big Rip” theory suggests that in a few billion years, a mysterious force called “dark energy” could become so strong that it might tear apart every bit of matter on Earth at the atomic level. Dartmouth physicist Dr. Robert Caldwell, along with professors from the California Institute of Technology, described this apocalyptic scenario in a research paper.
There Are Sounds In Space
Even though we usually think of space as empty, some parts have enough dust to carry sound waves. Humans can’t hear these sounds, but in space, there might be things like the hum of a huge black hole, the Earth’s crust shifting, or the leftover noise from the universe getting bigger.
Space has a unique smell.
Upon returning from space, astronauts typically bring with them a unique and distinctive smell. People who have experienced this scent often describe it as “sulfurous,” comparing it to the aromas of gunpowder, seared steak, hot metal, and welding fumes.
The Universe Cools As It Expands
In 2013, astronomers utilized molecules in a gas cloud from a distant galaxy to accurately measure the rate at which the universe is cooling. Using the CSIRO Australia Telescope Compact Array, an international team of researchers created a “fingerprint” of the universe’s cooling behavior.
Their findings revealed that when the universe was halfway to its present age, it had a temperature of –267.92, which is 2.35 degrees warmer than the current temperature of –270.27.
Free-Floating Planets May Outnumber The Stars
In 2011, astronomers identified several Jupiter-sized planets drifting independently without orbiting any star. The researchers suggested that these rogue planets were likely expelled from distant developing planetary systems. They estimated that the number of such free-floating planets might be twice as many as the total number of stars.
Additionally, there could be even more numerous free-floating planets smaller than Jupiter and Saturn, as their lower mass makes it easier for them to be ejected from their respective systems.
Water Can Start Fires In Space
In 2014, scientists conducted experiments with “supercritical” water, a state achieved by compressing water to a pressure of 217 atmospheres and heating it beyond 373 degrees Celsius. When combined with organic material, it forms a liquid-like gas that produces a burning effect, but without an actual flame.
Supercritical water is frequently utilized by astronauts as a method to dispose of waste in space.
The existence of extraterrestrials is mysterious and unlikely.
The Fermi Paradox talks about how we expect to find or hear from aliens, but we haven’t seen enough proof of their existence. A 2018 paper by Anders Sandberg, Eric Drexler, and Toby Ord suggests that we might be the only intelligent beings in our galaxy and possibly even in the whole observable universe, but they don’t firmly say there are no aliens.
Galaxies Can Eat Each Other
Galactic Cannibalism is like big galaxies eating smaller ones because of gravity, resulting in weird-shaped galaxies like the Whirlpool Galaxy or the Antennae Galaxies. It’s not the same as Galactic Collision, where galaxies bump into each other but don’t change their shapes.
Time On Earth Moves Faster Than Time In Space
When astronauts are in outer space, a concept called time dilation, from Einstein’s theory of relativity, makes them experience time a bit differently. Because of Earth’s spin, its orbit around the sun, and the solar system’s movement, they lose about one second every week. It’s a small change, but over a year, it adds up to almost a minute lost, and over a decade, it’s more than 8.5 minutes lost.
Tears Don’t Fall In Space
Astronauts can shed tears in space, but because of zero gravity, the tears don’t run down their faces. Instead, they gather around the eyeball and form into little balls.
