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PECULIAR THINGS ABOUT THE UNIVERSE

Added on: 16th Nov 2016

 

THE SNOWMAN CRATERS

Vesta_Snowman_craters_close

Three side-by-side craters on the asteroid Vesta, the second

most massive body in the asteroid belt and one of the

biggest contributors of meteorites which have landed on

Earth, have been said to resemble a snowman

on the rocky object.

 

 

THE UNIVERSE'S TIME CAPSULES

planetesimal - A_Distant_Planetary_System

Planetesimals, such as the objects making up the Oort cloud,

are solid objects that are likely the debris of planet formation.

Though their exteriors are bombarded with solar radiation,

thus changing their chemistry and structure, their insides

are believed to contain pure material that, if captured and

studied, will give scientists clues to the universe at

the time of our Solar System’s formation.

 

 

ORIGIN OF COMETS

oort cloud - Voyager_1_Goes_Interstellar

Most of the comets entering the inner Solar System likely come

from the Oort Cloud: a collection of trillions of pieces of

solid icy objects just outside our Solar System. Comets are

assumed to be dislodged by the gravitational interaction

of the Milky Way and passing stars, throwing the icy objects

towards the inner Solar System.

 

 

THE GOLDEN RECORD

Golden record - The_Sounds_of_Earth

Both the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 probes carry an audio-visual

gold-plated record disk with them. Bearing photos of Earth, its

lifeforms and even a greeting from the U.S. President and

Secretary-General of the U.N., the record was made in case

any other intelligent life forms find the space crafts.

 

 

SOUNDS IN SPACE

NASA debris disks planetesimals

Did you know the universe makes noises? In September 2013,

NASA released audio recordings of plasma waves, the first

sounds ever recorded in interstellar space.

 

 

COSMIC PURGATORY

Voyager_1_entering_heliosheath_region

Astronomers have termed a new region of space discovered

by the Voyager 1 probe as cosmic purgatory. Just outside of

the Solar System, this area sees the Solar System’s magnetic

field double as it creates a barrier to interstellar space.

Charged particles emitted from the Sun also slow their

course and turn back inward.

 

 

VOYAGER 2

voyager 2 probe

Since the Earth revolves around the Sun at a rate faster than

NASA’s Voyager 2 travels outward from the Earth, the distance

between Earth and the probe decreases at certain times

of year, such as springtime.

 

 

INEFFICIENT SOLAR FURNACES

Anole_Lizard_Hilo_Hawaii

Despite being our primary source of energy, the Sun is, volume

for volume speaking, grossly inefficient. To compare, an old light

bulb gave off 100 watts of energy. The Sun only about

276.5 watts per cubic metre. That’s about as much

as the metabolism of a lizard.

 


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