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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James Webb Space Telescope's view of Pandora's Cluster is mind-boggling
Added 82 Views / 0 LikesJames Webb Space Telescope imagery of Pandora’s Cluster (Abell 2744) delivers "never-before-seen details," three galaxy clusters and so much more, according to the Space Telescope Science Institute. Take a tour of the view. VIDEO: STScI, Danielle Kirshenb
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James Webb Space Telescope's view of star-forming region NGC 604 is breathtaking in 4K
Added 33 Views / 0 LikesNASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope's NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) and MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) captured amazing views of star-forming region NGC 604. It is located about 2.73 million light-years away from Earth in the Triangulum Galaxy (M33).
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James Webb Space Telescope's views of a galactic mash-up are impressive
Added 87 Views / 0 LikesThe James Webb Space Telescope's Near-Infrared and Mid-Infrared instruments (NIRCam & MIRI) have delivered imagery of interacting galaxies IC 1623, located 270 million light-years from Earth. Credit: Space.com | footage courtesy: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, L.
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James Webb Space Telescope's views of barred spiral galaxy M83 are amazing in 4K
Added 57 Views / 0 LikesNASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope's NIRCam and MIRI instruments captured stunning views of barred spiral galaxy M83. Full Story: https://www.space.com/james-webb-space-telescope-gazes-m83-galaxyCredit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, A. Adamo (Stockholm Unive
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00:58
James Webb Space Telescope: Launch environment test complete
Added 269 Views / 0 LikesNASA's James Webb Space Telescope was run through its final environmental test before launch. Acoustic and sine vibration tests were conducted. [Full Story](https://www.space.com/james-webb-space-telescope-passes-environmental-tests)Credit: NASA Goddard S
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James Webb Space Telescope’s dazzling view of the N79 nebula! See in 4K
Added 44 Views / 0 LikesThe James Webb Space Telescope has captured a stunning view of the N79 nebula, located in the Large Magellanic Cloud. It's a " massive star-forming complex spanning roughly 1630 light-years," according to ESA.Credit: Space.com | imagery courtesy: ESA/Webb
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01:13
James Webb Space Telescope’s primary mirror alignment to take months
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04:22
James Webb Telescope's Marvelous Telescope Element Is Complete | Video
Added 675 Views / 0 LikesJames Webb Telescope's Marvelous Telescope Element Is Complete | Video
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08:50
James Woods' 'Futurescape' Promises Sci-Tech Prophecy | Video Interview
Added 667 Views / 0 LikesHow soon will people and machines become one? What are the ethical implications of living for hundreds or thousands of years? James Woods visits with LiveScience reporters @DavidSkyBrody and @JillScharr to explain his new Science Channel series.
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06:31
January 2014 Skywatching - When, Where&How Video
Added 760 Views / 0 LikesA crescent Venus, Jupiter at opposition, Taurus constellation and its Red-Giant 'eye' and the Quadrantid meteor shower makes for quite a skywatching show. In the market for a telescope? - Click the blue 'SHOP' link above.
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15:13
January is always a stressful American month during a Pandemic = Dark Winter part 2022.
Added 148 Views / 0 LikesStay cool, Play Defense & up your Prayer game.Venus & Mercury will both be retrograde for the 2nd half of January so that'll probably make things even more challenging.God bless everyone,T LEWISON5430 BIRDWOOD RD. #416HOUSTON TEXAS 77096https://www.paypal
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03:45
Japan aborts new H3 rocket launch after core stage ignites
Added 77 Views / 0 LikesJapan aborted the launch of the new H3 rocket on Feb. 16, 2023 when the side boosters failed to ignite. The rocket is carrying the Advanced Land Observing Satellite-3 (ALOS-3). Full Story: https://www.space.com/japan-h3-rocket-first-launch-attempt-abortCr
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02:06
Japan to launch SLIM lunar lander to moon! See the mission animation
Added 58 Views / 0 LikesJAXA in launching a small lunar landing demonstrator "SLIM " in late August 2023. See it travel to the moon's surface in this animated explainer. Credit: JAXA
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00:56
Japan's HTV-6 Makes Four Spacecraft Parked at the Station
Added 468 Views / 0 LikesJapan's HTV-6 Makes Four Spacecraft Parked at the Station
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01:20
Japan's HTV-8 Cargo Spacecraft Launches to Space Station
Added 327 Views / 0 LikesJAXA's HTV-8 cargo spacecraft launched to the International Space Station on Sept. 24, 2019.Credit: NASA
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01:09
Japan's HTV-9 cargo ship captured by space station
Added 405 Views / 0 LikesAn unpiloted Japanese cargo ship, designated HTV-9, was captured by the International Space Station's robotic arm on May 25, 2020. It launched atop a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries H-IIB rocket from Japan's Tanegashima Space Center on May 20. -- See the laun
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Japan's largest Volcano Erupts: Kyushu Islands
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08:24
Japan's SLIM lander appears to be on moon after descent but status unclear
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11:26
Japan's SLIM moon lander suffers solar array glitch after lunar landing
Added 40 Views / 0 LikesJapan's Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) completed a soft landing on the moon but suffered an glitch with its solar array. JAXA's president Yamakawa Hirosha and director general Hitoshi Kuninaka explain.Credit: JAXA
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01:04
Japanese Astronaut Sees Comet ISON from Space | Video
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