PECULIAR THINGS ABOUT THE UNIVERSE
Added on: 16th Nov 2016
THE SNOWMAN CRATERS
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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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