Outer Space & Universe
Outer Space & Universe
Space, also known as outer space, is the near-vacuum between celestial bodies. It is where everything (all of the planets, stars, galaxies and other objects) is found.
On Earth, space begins at the Kármán line (100 km above sea level). This is where Earth's atmosphere is said to stop and outer space begins. This is not a firm boundary but is a convention used by scientists and diplomats.
Items in space are free to move back and forth; up and down; and left and right. These three dimensions are what make 3D space. Items also move forward through time, which is sometimes called the fourth dimension.
The majority of space contains very little matter and so most of it is a vacuum. Scientists do not know how big space is but we do know that space is extremely big, and is always expanding.
According to the big bang theory, all matter and energy in the Universe was compressed into a very small space. Then it exploded and started expanding. Space is still growing in size today; this means the distance from one galaxy to distant galaxies is getting longer.
Gravity is the force that keeps the Moon in orbit around the Earth and the planets in orbit around the Sun. Gravity can stretch and bend space similar to how a heavy ball placed on a stretched sheet of rubber will cause the rubber to stretch. The scientist who discovered that space can bend is named Albert Einstein. How gravity bends space is part of his theory of general relativity.
Astronauts, Cosmonauts, Taikonauts and Spationauts
An astronaut is any person who is trained by NASA to travel and perform tasks in space. Although the space traveler may not necessarily be a United States citizen, each astronaut does go through a rigorous training regiment by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Other space travelers go by other names then astronaut depending on their country of origin.
In the United States, astronaut is derived from the Greek words ástron (star) and nautis (sailor). While, in Russia, a space traveler goes by the name космонавт (English: cosmonaut), which is derived from the Greek words kosmos (universe) and nautis (sailor). Westerners call a space traveler from China a taikonaut, based on the 1998 writings of Chiew Lee Yik and Chen Lan where the term tàikōng (great emptiness), Chinese for “space”. In China, the term yuháng yuán (universe navigator) is used for space traveler.
Only the United States of America (United States), Russia (earlier, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics), and the People’s Republic of China (China) have sent manned spacecraft into space. Other countries have assisted these countries by sending their own space travelers on space missions. For instance, a French space traveler is called a spationaut (from the French word spationaute), which is derived from the Latin spatium (space) and Greek nautis (sailor). (plural in Greek nautes = sailors)
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00:34
Pullout of aurora observations on Jupiter
Added 24 Views / 0 LikesThe NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has captured new details of the auroras on our Solar System’s largest planet. The dancing lights observed on Jupiter are hundreds of times brighter than those seen on Earth.These observations of Jupiter’s aurora
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Close-up observations of auroras on Jupiter (December 2023)
Added 24 Views / 0 LikesThe NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has captured new details of the auroras on our Solar System’s largest planet. The dancing lights observed on Jupiter are hundreds of times brighter than those seen on Earth.These observations of Jupiter’s aurora
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01:04
Sun blasts powerful X1.2-class solar flare - See spacecraft views
Added 29 Views / 0 LikesThe Sun unleashed an X1.2-class solar flare on May 13, 2025. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured the fireworks in multiple wavelengths. Footage courtesy: NASA / SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams, helioviewer.org | edited by Space.com's St
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09:00
Liftoff! SpaceX launches 26 Starlink satellites from California, nails landing
Added 25 Views / 0 LikesA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched 26 Starlink spacecraft from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on May 12, 2025 at 9:15 p.m. EDT (6:15 p.m. local California time; 0115 GMT on May 13). Full Story: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-sp
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09:04
Blastoff! SpaceX launches Starlink batch on booster's record-breaking 28th flight, nails landing
Added 16 Views / 0 LikesA SpaceX Falcon 9 launched 28 Starlink satellites from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 13, 2025 at 1:02 a.m. EDT (0502 GMT). Full Story: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-falcon-9-rocket-launches-28-starlink-
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01:14
Liftoff! China Long March-6 rocket launches remote sensing satellite group
Added 14 Views / 0 LikesChina Long March-6 rocket launches a group of remote sensing satellites from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center on May 11, 2025. The satellites "will be used to carry out electromagnetic environment detection and related technical tests," according to Ch
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01:14
Wow! Jupiter's auroras captured by the James Webb Space Telescope
Added 16 Views / 0 LikesJupiter's auroras were captured by the James Webb Space Telescope's Near-InfraRed Camera (NIRCam) on December 25, 2023. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Ricardo Hueso (UPV), Imke de Pater (UC Berkeley), Thierry Fouchet (Observatory of Paris), Leigh Fletcher
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02:14
Amazing views of Mars and its moons captured by Hera spacecraft during flyby
Added 19 Views / 0 LikesESA's Hera mission flew by Mars in March 2025. See views captured with its Asteroid Framing Cameras.Credit; ESA - European Space AgencyMusic: A New Beginning by Bruce Brus / courtesy of http://www.epidemicsound.com
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09:01
Blastoff! SpaceX launches Starlink satellites from California, nails landing at sea
Added 22 Views / 0 LikesA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched SpaceX's Starlink 15-3 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California obn May 9, 2025 at 8:19 p.m. EDT (5:19 p.m. local time; 0019 GMT on May 10). Full Story: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-space
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09:03
Blastoff! SpaceX launches 28 Starlink satellites from Florida, nails landing
Added 28 Views / 0 LikesA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched 28 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on May 10, 2025 at 2:28 a.m. EDT (0628 GMT). Full Story: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-launches-28-starlink-satellites-to
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10:18
Uncontrolled Reentry of 1972 Russian Venus Probe Kosmos 482 Happening* Now!?
Added 24 Views / 0 LikesOr 10 minutes ago? It might have just landed in the ocean OR it might not have landed yet. We still have no solid confirmation. Stay cool.God bless everyone,Thttps://www.paypal.me/THORnewshttps://venmo.com/TEric-Lewisonhttps://www.patreon.com/thornews
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05:45
Pray for Peace! Major Conflicts are escalating! 1 Billion people without Power!
Added 20 Views / 0 LikesStay cool.God bless everyone,T
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01:02
See Rocket Lab's 'hungry hippo' nose cone in action in qualification tests
Added 22 Views / 0 LikesRocket Lab has been conducting qualification tests for the Neutron rocket's reusuable 'hungry hippo' nose cone and fins. Credit: Rocket Lab
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04:55
Space to Ground: Spacewalk Selfie: May 09, 2025
Added 26 Views / 0 LikesNASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station. Got a question or comment? Use #AskNASA to talk to us.Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:https://www.nasa.gov/iss-scien
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01:38
Amazing 'Cosmic Cliffs' of the Carina Nebula Complex - 3D tour of Webb imagery
Added 24 Views / 0 LikesTake a 3D tour of James Webb Space Telescope's view of the 'Cosmic Cliffs' of the Gum 31 nebula (part of the Carina Nebula Complex). Credit:Producer: Greg Bacon & Frank Summers (STScI), NASA’s Universe of Learning, NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterVisual
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00:30
NASA's SPHEREx telescope begins mapping the entire sky
Added 20 Views / 0 LikesNASA has begun taking 3,600 unique images each day to create a new map of the cosmos with its newly-launched SPHEREx observatory.Credit: NASA
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01:18
ESA’s Biomass ‘umbrella’ unfurls in view from space
Added 25 Views / 0 LikesESA's Biomass spacecraft recenlty unfurled its antenna reflector. See footage from space and animation of the deployment. Credit: Space.com | footage & animation: ESA/ATG medialab | edited by [Steve Spaleta](https://x.com/stevespaleta)
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11:26
India delays crew launches as development on their human spaceflight program continues
Added 18 Views / 0 LikesISRO Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh talks about the major accomplishments towards launching crew aboard an Indian rocket. Credit: PIB
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09:10
Blastoff!! SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 28 Starlink satellites, nails landing
Added 32 Views / 0 LikesA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched 28 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) in Florida on May 6, 2025 at 9:17 p.m. EDT (0117 GMT on May 7). Full Story: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-starlin
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01:06
Sh2-46 nebula captured by the VLT Survey Telescope - 6,000 light years away!
Added 25 Views / 0 LikesThe Sh2-46 nebula has been captured by the VLT Survey Telescope (VST) at ESO’s Paranal Observatory in Chile. The nebula is 6000 light years away from Earth. Credit:ESO/VPHAS+ team. Music: Mylonite - BO Réflexion MéditationMusic: Atlantis by Audionautix is