Space is the expanse that starts outside the Earth and expands between the Earth and other celestial bodies.Although space may seem to be empty, it is not. Space is a hard vacuum that contains several low-density particles, which mostly contain plasma of hydrogen and helium.Apart from these particles, space also contains electromagnetic radiation, neutrinos, cosmic rays, space dust, and innumerable magnetic fields. The space above Earth does not begin at a certain specific point; rather, it opens up at different altitudes in different places. For the sake of space treaties, the Karman line is considered as the starting point of outer space, which is about 100 km (62.13 mi) above ground level. Space is a vacuum, which also means that there is no friction in space, which allows all the planets, moons, stars, and other celestial bodies to move freely in space. These are often controlled by the gravitational forces of neighboring planets and stars.Despite being farther away from the Sun compared to Mercury, Venus is the hottest planet of the solar system, with the surface temperature reaching 842 F (450 C). With the exception of the dwarf planet Ceres, all the other dwarf planets are found in the outer solar system.Another interesting fact is that the Sun accounts for almost 99.86% of the mass of our solar system.What is space? Does it exist outside of Earth? Can we travel there? Read on for some amazing space facts that will mesmerize you.After reading these 10 stellar facts, be sure to check out our fun facts about the all-female spacewalk and Apollo 13 space mission.Facts About Space ColoniesSpace colonies are hypothetical and imagined settlements outside of the boundaries of the Earth’s atmosphere. Space colonies are an imagined future of establishing human civilization in space or on other planets and celestial bodies. Let us look at some amazing facts about space colonies that you will certainly marvel at.As it is a dream for the future, there are no settled space colonies as of yet. The only living beings that we know of can be found on Earth and within the Earth’s atmosphere. Right now, creating a space colony would need high-level technology and self-sustaining infrastructure, which could control ecological life for an extended period of time for a large number of people. As of yet, we are far off from achieving such an accomplishment, yet this is a dream which is not seen as impossible to achieve. Currently, there are no plans for creating space colonies. Space exploration holds more importance compared to space colonization.Facts About Space CultureSpace culture describes a phenomenon or a group of people who believe in the technological advancement that will lead to human colonies in space. Here are some cool facts about space culture which will certainly intrigue you.These organizations study how the discovery of space gadgets helps us to change our perception about space and the universe and how this change affects us. This culture also conducts experiments regarding biological and behavioral effects which occur from space exploration. Space culture may gain more following in the future when the communities and organizations who create spacecraft are able to deploy people to live in space and develop technology that helps with spacefaring.Facts About Space BlanketsSpace blankets are heat-insulating blankets that are made from very low weight and low bulk plastic material. This thin plastic sheeting is typically used to cover the exterior surfaces of aircraft, which helps to control the thermal temperature of the aircraft.Space blankets are also used to keep warm, especially in very cold temperatures, as they help to reflect body heat and reduce heat loss by stopping it from escaping outside the blanket. This blanket is generally kept in first aid kits, as it provides warmth, is waterproof and windproof, extremely lightweight, and can be packed and folded into a very small size. The space blanket was developed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Centre in 1964 for the US Space Program.Facts About Black HolesSpace facts about black holes are really interesting. A black hole is a place in space with dense matter packed into such a tiny space. Its gravitational pull attracts everything nearby, so much so that even light cannot escape its gravitational force.As black holes pull all light towards themselves, this light disappears into their dense matter, making black holes invisible. This is why they are named black holes. A black hole is formed when a giant star explodes and collapses in on itself, gathering all the mass it had into a single dense point.Although black holes cannot be seen with the naked eye, scientists have caught a glimpse of a black hole recently. The picture went viral on the internet. Scientists estimate that there are millions of black holes in space, and they can be found in various sizes. The smallest black hole is about the size of an atom and packed with dense matter. The black holes that are a little bigger than the atom-sized ones are called stellar black holes, and they pack 20 times more mass than the Sun. Scientists believe that there are several such black holes in the Milky Way.The largest and the most famous category of black holes is the supermassive black hole, which is said to have a mass of a million times the Sun. Scientists estimate that all the galaxies, including our Milky Way, contain a supermassive black hole at their center. Likewise, the black hole which is said to be at the center of our own galaxy, the Milky Way, is named Sagittarius A and is said to have a mass equal to 4 million times that of our Sun.Facts About Space And The UniverseOne of the most interesting facts about space is its age. Scientists have estimated that the universe came into existence about 13.7 billion years ago in an event called the Big Bang.Since then, the universe has been expanding. Scientists believe that the speed of expansion has become a lot faster compared to the speed of expansion after the Big Bang event. This is because of dark matter, which is said to be the primary reason for the expansion of the universe.Scientists estimate that the observable part of the universe, which is visible to us and includes stars, moons, planets, and comets, only forms 4% of the universe. The other 96% is occupied by dark matter, which is not visible to us but is an extremely integral part of the mystery of the universe. Scientists also believe that there may be more than one universe.The Sun’s mass takes up to 99.86% of our solar system’s mass, which is a lot when you take all the planets and comets and asteroids into consideration. The size of the Sun is so big that it could fit almost one million Earths inside of it.Ever since Pluto was categorized as a dwarf planet, our solar system has only got eight planets, including Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus.Facts About Space And StarsA star is a hot, fiery sphere of plasma that is held together by gravity from a strong, metallic core. Most of the time, this core is so hot that the metal may well be at a boiling temperature. A constellation is formed when a group of stars comes together.A star is born when a gaseous nebula made primarily of hydrogen, helium and other elements collapses on itself. It will form a core where heat is trapped as hydrogen is turned to helium from the intense heat and pressure. This thermonuclear reaction at the nuclear core causes heat, light, and energy to be released into space.A supernova occurs when a star dies. It is an explosion, releasing all the energy which the star holds at its core into space. Sometimes, the gravitational pull of the core causes all the matter to collapse into the heart of the star to form neutron stars. These neutron stars are degenerated stars that are so affected by gravity that their electrons and protons merge to become neutrons. In other cases, if a star has a lot of mass, it forms a black hole after all the mass collapses on itself, which is said to happen in the case of a red giant star. If the mass cools down after a supernova, it forms a white dwarf star, which keeps burning weakly for millions of years, but its intensity is a lot lower compared to when it was a star.Facts About Space And AstronautsBecoming an astronaut or training to become one is a profession that requires a lot of discipline, patience, and strength to face the unknown and often very dangerous circumstances which you may face during excursions out in space.There are many scientists and astronauts who have visited space. They sometimes live in space in order to understand the workings of our universe.The term astronaut is derived from Greek words which translate in English to ‘space sailors’. Yuri Gagarin was the first person in history to enter space on April 12, 1961. Later, on July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first American astronauts to land on the moon. Their footprints on the moon were photographed and will stay on the moon for years to come. Today, Peggy Whitson holds the record for cumulative days spent living and working in space, which amounts to 665 days! She is the only person from NASA to have spent so much time living in space and set this record on September 2, 2017.Facts About Space ExplorationAlthough many astronauts are involved in space exploration today, it is a very hazardous job. Space is mostly a vacuum, which is completely silent. A lot of harmful radiation continuously passes through space which is emitted by the Sun and other cosmic phenomena.This radiation does not reach Earth due to the protective atmosphere, but it cannot be prevented in space for a long duration of time.Also, there is no gravity in space. People tend to float in the air like a helium balloon with no place to land. This phenomenon is called microgravity, which has harmful lasting effects on your body, like muscle atrophy and bone loss.Furthermore, the cost incurred by space exploration projects is a lot. It is an expensive process that also involves the lives of people who put themselves in danger for scientific study. The full NASA space suit which the astronomers wear to keep themselves safe from cold, radiation, and space itself is extremely expensive. The entire suit costs about $12 million!Facts About Space DebrisSpace debris is defined as artificial material which orbits around the Earth and is no longer of any use. Space debris is also known as space garbage, space pollution, space junk, space waste, and space trash.Space debris is a major threat to spaceships. When an object crashes into a spaceship at speed, it causes damage to the machinery and creates huge losses as it takes a lot of money to launch a spacecraft in the first place.Scientists estimate that there are almost 15,000 objects more than four in (10 cm) big which are free-flying in space and are capable of causing damage. When more and more objects collide with each other, it just adds to the space debris and causes space pollution. This is estimated to become a serious concern for the future generation if not controlled in time.Facts About Space DustSpace dust is made of fine particles found in space, which are as fine as grains of sand. Space dust particles come in various sizes, ranging from a few nanometers to a millimeter. These particles are what make up many galaxies, which appear to look like big clouds of colorful gases.These dust particles are affected by the gravity or winds of planets, and some are so small that even a photon of light is enough to move them.Another example is one of the moons of Saturn called Enceladus, which ejects icy dust particles into the air, kilometers away from the moon. Some are pulled back by gravity, while very small particles enter space and are known to be a major part of the E ring around the planet Saturn.Facts About Space DocumentariesThere are several documentaries which you can watch to understand space and its mysterious workings. Who knows, it might awake a budding scientist inside of you! Some of the famous space documentaries are as follows:‘Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey’ (2014) is hosted by famous astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, who was a student of Carl Sagan. This space documentary is one of the most famous of all time. It is a continuation of Carl Sagan’s Cosmos series, released in 1980.‘The Planets’ (2019) is a five-episode documentary series hosted by Brian Cox, who is an English Physicist.‘Alien Worlds’ (2020) is a documentary containing four episodes and goes into detail about the possibility of life on exoplanets. This documentary is available to watch on Netflix.‘Last Man on Moon’ (2014) is a documentary that goes into detail about the last man who walked on the moon, Gene Cernan. This documentary tells us the story of the astronaut and the hardships, sacrifices, and difficulties which a person has to go through to become an astronaut.‘The Mars Generation’ (2017) is a documentary about young students and space admirers who aspire to become astronauts from a young age. This documentary introduces us to a space camp where these children are being trained from a very young age. It explores how it shapes their lives and career.Facts About Space For PreschoolersHere are some stellar facts about space for very young minds.There are eight planets in our solar system: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. All of these planets in our solar system, along with countless asteroids and meteors, revolve in a circular or elliptical motion around the Sun.Planets like Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune are called gas giants because they are made of gases unlike Earth, Mars, and Venus which are terrestrial planets. This means they have solid land.Stars are balls of burning gas. The Sun is a star and is also the closest star to Earth. All the other stars are still there during the day, but they fade away because of the Sun’s light in the daytime.If you are wondering how many stars there are, the answer is almost 200-400 billion stars just in our galaxy, which is called the Milky Way. There are way more stars in the whole universe.The closest planet to Earth is Mars, although this distance keeps changing as the planets move around in their own orbits.Facts About Space For KindergartenHere are some cool facts for kindergarten kids about space.Mercury is known as the red planet because of the abundance of iron oxide on its surface, which makes it appear red even when viewed by the naked eye from Earth.Jupiter’s red spot, which is clearly visible through a telescope, is actually a storm that has been raging on the planet for millions of years. Some scientists speculate that it has been going on since the planet was created.The dwarf planet Ceres is the largest celestial body in the main asteroid belt.The Milky Way is a giant elliptical galaxy.The sunset on Mars appears blue.Saturn is a gas giant in our solar system, known for its rings. Saturn’s rings are made mainly of ice and dust particles which rotate around the planet due to its gravitational force.Did you know that space is completely silent? Space is a vacuum, meaning it does not have any air and sound waves need a medium like air to travel through. Hence, sound does not travel in space.Halley’s is a famous comet discovered by Edmond Halley, which passes close to Earth’s orbit every 86 years.Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system, and the planet rotates in the opposite direction compared to the Earth.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our 10 facts about space, then why not take a look at our articles about space trains or space rocks.
Space is the expanse that starts outside the Earth and expands between the Earth and other celestial bodies.
