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)
-
01:06
James Webb Space Telescope captures amazing view of 'cosmic crib' - See in 4K
Added 55 Views / 0 LikesThe James Webb Space Telescope's Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) has captured a stunning view of Herbig Haro object 797 (HH 797). “Herbig-Haro objects are luminous regions surrounding newborn stars (known as protostars),” according to NASA.Credit: Space.com
-
01:06
James Webb Space Telescope captures barred spiral galaxy NGC 1559 - See in 4K
Added 48 Views / 0 LikesNASA's James Webb Space Telescope has captured an amazing view of barred spiral galaxy NGC 1559. It is about 35 million light-years away in the southern constellation Reticulum. Credit: Space.com | ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, A. Leroy, J. Lee and the PHANGS Tea
-
01:14
James Webb Space Telescope captures Ring Nebula in stunning detail
Added 90 Views / 0 LikesTake a tour of the amazing Ring Nebula image captured by the James Webb Space Telescope. Full Story: https://www.space.com/james-webb-space-telescope-ring-nebula-dead-starCredit: NASA/ESA/CSA/Institute for Earth and Space Exploration/JWST Ring Nebula Imag
-
01:09
James Webb Space Telescope captures Saturn's changing season
Added 85 Views / 0 LikesImagery of Saturn captured by the James Webb Space Telescope in Nov. 2022 is superimposed over an image captured by Hubble. "Yellows represent bright and warm parts of Saturn’s atmosphere, while the purple areas are cooler and darker," according to NASA.
-
01:06
James Webb Space Telescope captures stunning view of Milky Way's heart - See in 4K
Added 58 Views / 0 LikesThe James Webb Space Telescope's Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) has revealed a stunning view of star-forming region Sagittarius C (Sgr C). It is "about 300 light-years from the Milky Way’s central supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A*," according to the
-
01:28
James Webb Space Telescope delivers amazing Horsehead Nebula imagery - See in 4K
Added 25 Views / 0 LikesTHe NASA/ESA James Webb Space Telescope has captured a stunning view of the Horsehead Nebula. It is the sharpest infrared imagery to date. The iconic nebula is about 1300 light-years away. Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, K. Misselt (University of Arizona) an
-
01:33
James Webb Space Telescope delivers stunning Cartwheel Galaxy views - See in 4K!
Added 140 Views / 0 LikesSee composite views of the Cartwheel Galaxy captured by the James Webb Space Telescope. The galaxy is 500 million light years away and has also been imaged by Hubble Space Telescope, comparison shown in the video. Credit: Space.com | footage courtesy: NAS
-
01:14
James Webb Space Telescope delivers stunning views of PHANGS galaxies - See in 4K
Added 85 Views / 0 LikesSee amazing views of the M74, NGC 7496, IC 5332, NGC 1365, and NGC 1433 galaxies captured using the James Webb Space Telescope.The Physics at High Angular resolution in Nearby Galaxies (PHANGS) collaboration is conducting a survey using Webb. Credit: NASA
-
01:07
James Webb Space Telescope detects 'coldest ices measured to date in a molecular cloud' - 4K
Added 95 Views / 0 LikesThe James Webb Space Telescope captured amazing imagery of the Chameleon I dark molecular cloud. It harbors the "deepest, coldest ices measured to date in a molecular cloud," according to ESA.Credit: Space.com | footage courtesy: ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, STSc
-
02:10
James Webb Space Telescope detects CO2 in an giant exoplanet's atmosphere
Added 117 Views / 0 LikesThe James Webb Space Telescope has measured carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of gas giant planet WASP-39 b. The planet orbits a "Sun-like star 700 light-years away," according to ESA.Credit: Directed by: Bethany Downer and Nico BartmannEditing: Nico Bartm
-
01:01
James Webb Space Telescope detects temperature on Trappist 1 b exoplanet
Added 84 Views / 0 LikesThe James Webb Space Telescope has set it sights on Trappist 1 system's innermost planet, Trappist 1 b. It has discovered that “the planet’s dayside has a temperature of about 500 kelvins (roughly 230°C), and suggests that it has no significant atmosphere
-
00:42
James Webb Space Telescope discovers water in planet-forming disk
Added 77 Views / 0 LikesThe James Webb Space Telescope has detected water in the PDS 70 star system. Zoom into imagery of the system captured by ALMA and SPHERE. Full Story: https://www.space.com/james-webb-space-telescope-water-center-protoplanetary-diskCredit: Thomas Müller (H
-
03:01
James Webb Space Telescope Facts You Need To Know | Video
Added 824 Views / 0 LikesJames Webb Space Telescope Facts You Need To Know | Video
-
03:44
James Webb Space Telescope first full color image unveiled by President Biden
Added 124 Views / 0 LikesOn Jun 11, 2022, President Joe Biden unveiled the first deep field image captured by the James Webb Space Telescope, galaxy cluster SMACS 0723. NASA administrator Bill Nelson explains the image. Credit: NASA
-
01:37
James Webb Space Telescope image features 'dragon-like' structure 'spitting out balls of hot gas'
Added 106 Views / 0 LikesThe James Webb Space Telescope captured NGC 346, a star-forming region about 210,000 light years away. One of the features of the region resembles a dragon. Learn more about it in this NASA tour. Full Story: https://www.space.com/james-webb-space-telescop
-
01:05
James Webb Space Telescope imagery is stunningly sharper than Spitzer's view of galaxy
Added 173 Views / 0 LikesA comparison of imagery between the James Webb Space Telescope and the Spitzer Space Telescope of the Large Magellanic Cloud shows a stunning contrast. Credit: Space.com | imagery courtesy: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ESA/CSA/STScI
-
02:11
James Webb Space Telescope sees remains of 'ancient cosmic clash' | 4K zoom-in
Added 86 Views / 0 LikesZoom into an amazing James Webb Space Telescope view of galaxy NGC 3256. It is " the wreckage of a head-on collision between two equally massive spiral galaxies," according to ESA/NASA. Full Story: https://www.space.com/webb-telescope-galactic-collision-i
-
01:08
James Webb Space Telescope sees ringed Charilklo asteroid occult star
Added 96 Views / 0 LikesThe James Webb Space Telescope captured asteroid 10199 Chariklo occult the star Gaia DR3 6873519665992128512. It was the "first asteroid found to have a ring system," according to NASA.Credit: Space.com | NASA, ESA, CSA, Nicolás Morales (IAA/CSIC) | edite
-
01:27
James Webb Space Telescope snaps 'dynamic star-forming region' - 4K zoom-in
Added 83 Views / 0 LikesThe James Webb Space Telescope captured imagery of dynamic star-forming region NCG 346 within the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). What makes it special?: https://esawebb.org/news/weic2301/?langCredit: ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, ESO, ESA/Hubble, Digitized Sky Surv
-
01:06
James Webb Space Telescope snaps 90,000 light-year 'wreath' - See in 4K
Added 90 Views / 0 LikesThe James Webb Space Telescope has captured imagery of spiral galaxy NGC 7469, which is 90,000 light-years in diameter. The galaxy is "roughly 220 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Pegasus," according to NASA/ESA. Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA