Space
The Fermi Paradox Explained
Enrico Fermi asked, “Where is everybody?” referencing to the fact that, despite the high probability of intelligent alien life, we have never been visited.
What Is A White Dwarf?
Once a star forms, its days are numbered. What is a white dwarf and how does it form?
Do Black Holes Disappear?
Nothing in this universe lasts forever. Even stars, planets, and galaxies eventually cease to exist. But do black holes also cease to exist at some point?
What Is Atmospheric Distortion?
The twinkling of a star is not caused by the star itself, but rather, is caused by the distortion of the star’s light as it passes through our atmosphere.
The Farthest Picture Of Earth
Humanity has only had the ability to photograph the entire Earth from space since the late 1950s. Before then, no one had seen the Earth.
Is It Possible To Travel Faster Than Light?
The speed of light is the fastest known thing in the universe, clocking in at 186,000 miles per second (300,000 kilometres per second).
Why The Sun Isn’t Causing Climate Change
The sun is the primary driver of Earth’s climate, and so when the climate changes, it’s a good idea to find out if the sun is the cause.
How Big Is The Solar System?
The size of the solar system may seem like it has a simple answer, yet there is no universally agreed upon definition for where our solar system ends.
Which Planets And Moons Have Active Volcanoes?
Io became the first world other than Earth where active volcanoes were observed. In the following decades, scientists began finding active volcanoes on many other worlds.
Does The Sun Orbit Anything?
From our perspective here on Earth, the sun appears motionless, yet it is in fact speeding through the Milky Way Galaxy.
Is Space Getting Bigger?
The universe is unimaginably gigantic. The observable universe is estimated to be around 93 billion light years across.
Saturn’s Moon Enceladus
Enceladus orbits Saturn at an average distance of 148,000 miles (238,000 kilometres) and completes one orbit every 33 hours.
What Are The Brightest Objects In The Universe?
The brightest known objects in the universe are called quasars, and they can be up to 100,000 times brighter than the entirety of the Milky Way.
The Moons Of Mars
Earth and Mars are the only planets in the inner solar system that have moons. Earth has one moon and Mars has two.
Will The Milky Way Collide With Another Galaxy?
Will the Milky Way ever collide with another galaxy in the future? As it turns out, our nearest galactic neighbor, the Andromeda Galaxy, is speeding towards us
Will Saturn Ever Lose Its Rings?
The rings of Saturn are one of the most stunning sights in our solar system. As it turns out, we are very fortunate to live in a time when we can see the rings in all their glory.
The Different Types Of Stars
Stars that have a zero after their letter are the hottest stars in that letter group, and stars with a nine after their letter are the coldest in that letter group.
What Are Brown Dwarfs?
Brown dwarfs are basically failed stars. They are objects that had the potential to become a star, yet never became massive enough for nuclear fusion to occur within their core
The Volcanoes Of Io
Io is the innermost of the four Galilean Moons, orbiting Jupiter at an average distance of 262,000 miles (421,700 kilometres).
What Are Milankovitch Cycles?
hanges to the Earth’s orbit and axis tilt occur periodically over the course of many thousands of years. These changes occur in cycles called Milankovitch Cycles.
The Different Types Of Star Clusters
Star clusters come in two types: globular clusters and open clusters. What are these types of clusters and what makes them different?
How And When Were Galaxies Discovered?
If the distances to these objects could be determined, astronomers would know whether or not that distance stretched beyond the predicted boundaries of the Milky Way.
What Are Gravity Waves?
Detecting gravitational waves is a technological feat, yet their detection also offers scientists an entirely new way of looking at the universe.
The Different Types Of Nebulae
Nebulae are vast regions of star-forming material and generally the birthplaces of stars. However, not every nebula is a stellar nursery.
What Is A Hot Jupiter?
Pegasi b was an entirely new kind of planet that astronomers appropriately named “hot Jupiter.” Their discovery led to an entirely new model.
What Is The Habitable Zone?
What makes the Earth habitable? There are multiple factors, yet most relate to a single aspect of our world: it orbits the sun at just the proper distance.
How Do Planets Form?
It was once believed that the planet formation process was so rare that only the sun has planets, yet it is now understood that planets likely outnumber the stars.
How Did The Moon Form?
For most of human history, the moon was a mysterious object. As it turns out, the Earth and its moon have more in common than we could have imagined.
Why Is Venus The Hottest Planet?
Although Venus is not the closest planet to the sun, it has the hottest surface temperature of any planet in the solar system.
Will The Universe Ever End?
The universe has existed for 13.8 billion years, from the Big Bang until now. That may seem long, but the universe is still young compared to how long it will likely exist.
Can Life Exist On Saturn’s Moon, Titan?
Titan is the Saturn's largest moon and the second-largest moon in the solar system. With a diameter of 2,575 km, Titan is even larger than the planet Mercury.
What Is A Megamaser?
A maser is similar in nature to a laser, the difference being that a maser occurs in the microwave section of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Why Is Mars So Small?
The size of Mars is known as the Mars Problem, and as of yet, scientists do not have a complete model that explains the size of Mars.
The Echo Of The Big Bang
The Big Bang is a scientific model that describes the very earliest moments of the universe. Around 13.8 billion years ago, the universe burst into existence.
Did Life Come To Earth On Asteroids?
The force of the asteroid impact is sufficient to launch material at a velocity that exceeds Earth’s escape velocity and drifts into space.
What Happens When Galaxies Collide?
Galactic collisions are among the most spectacular events in the cosmos. Collisions between galaxies are commonplace among galaxies that coexist in the same cluster.
How Many Earth-Like Planets Are There In The Milky Way?
The Earth is generally viewed as a unique planet, and in terms of all the planets in our solar system, it most definitely is.
The Largest Volcano In The Solar System
Volcanic eruptions are a common occurrence on Earth, yet the presence of volcanoes is not unique to the Earth.