Could planets with 99% oxygen exist in space?
We actually already have one of those! Though it’s a moon, not a planet. And it only qualifies because of a loophole. This is Europa. It’s a moon…
If you poured water into space, would it freeze or evaporate first?
Why should it freeze? Contrary to popular misconception, space is not cold. Being a near-perfect vacuum, space itself has no temperature at all. If a given object is in space…
If we could travel 1 billion times faster than the speed of light, will we reach other galaxies in seconds, or what would happen?
Here’s the thing, If you travel to the next galaxy at the speed of light YOU will arrive instantaneously If you travelled FASTER than light .. if were…
Scientists say the universe is 14 billion years old. What if it has always been here and never had a beginning?
That was the thought a long time ago until this guy noticed something: George Lemaitre. Astronomer, mathematician, physicist and priest. He noticed something interesting. Objects were moving away…
Was Yuri Gargarin actually the first man in space or just the first man to go into space and return alive?
During the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Union was not very forthcoming about their mistakes and failures. Before Colonel Gagarin’s flight, there were rumors of a…
What was the brightest stellar event ever recorded?
On April 17, in the year 1006, a new light suddenly appeared within what is now the constellation of Lupus. Observers from all over the world recorded the…
If the Earth were a grain of sand, then how big would the rest of the universe be in comparison?
Let’s make earth be a largish grain of sand, about 1.27 mm in diameter. This gives us a scale of 10^10 or ten billion to one. Fairly easy…
What is the largest size a planet can be?
320 light years away is a star called HD 100546. In 2014, the discovery of a new exoplanet around it was announced. Creatively, it was named “HD 100546…
Why is Uranus the only planet without interesting features on it?
You may be thinking of this picture: taken in the visible spectrum by Voyager 2 as it passed the planet in 1986. And I would agree with you:…
What will the universe be like in 100 trillion years?
In 100 trillion years, galaxies will contain fascinating astronomical objects that we cannot encounter now, and overall, the Universe will be a different and relatively unfamiliar place. We…