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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01:43
Hubble Space Telescope - Kill Or Save It? | Video
Added 859 Views / 0 LikesHubble Space Telescope - Kill Or Save It? | Video
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00:49
Comet's Tail Ripped Off By Sun's Fury
Added 858 Views / 0 LikesNASA's STEREO A satellite captured Comet Encke's tail being torn off by a coronal mass ejection in 2007. Magnetic field interactions are thought to be the culprit behind the comet losing its tail. Credit: NASA / Music: Atom Strange www.atomstrange.com
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05:12
Giant lucky Horse Shoe of Solar Tornadoes on the Sun
Added 856 Views / 0 LikesGiant lucky Horse Shoe of Solar Tornadoes on the Sun
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08:04
Horrible Floods in Malaysia as Prime Minister golfs with President in Hawaii
Added 856 Views / 0 LikesHorrible Floods in Malaysia as Prime Minister golfs with President in Hawaii
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09:14
WTF is this Asteroid Madness? January 2015 - Asteroid 2004 BL86
Added 853 Views / 0 LikesWTF is this Asteroid Madness? January 2015 - Asteroid 2004 BL86
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08:09
Blood Moon #4 is a Super Moon Total Lunar Eclipse with weirdos.
Added 853 Views / 0 LikesBlood Moon #4 is a Super Moon Total Lunar Eclipse with weirdos.
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02:21
Astronomers Peer Into Supermassive Black Hole Jets | Video
Added 851 Views / 0 LikesUsing the Atacama Large Millimeter/submilimeter Array in Chile, astronomers probed the supermassive black holes that are at the center of most galaxies, principally to analyze the molecular gas their massive gravity wells propel into powerful jets.
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01:54
Astronauts Drink Urine and Other Waste Water | Video
Added 849 Views / 0 LikesISS commander Chris Hadfield explains how astronauts stay hydrated and why Space Station must try to recycle everything. -- Life in Space: Astronaut Chris Hadfield's Video Guide: http://goo.gl/fdgcgU
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LeVar Burton On MAVEN: Star Trek Star Explains New Mars Mission | Video
Added 849 Views / 0 LikesIn a public service announcement, LaVar Burton (Geordi La Forge / Star Trek: The Next Generation) talks about the new mission that will study the Martian atmosphere.
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05:56
Brown Dwarfs in Eclipsing Binary systems
Added 848 Views / 0 LikesBrown Dwarfs in Eclipsing Binary systems
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03:47
Fruit Flies To Soar To Space Station For Deep Space Voyage Data | Video
Added 845 Views / 0 LikesFruit Flies To Soar To Space Station For Deep Space Voyage Data | Video
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The Strangest Story of 2014 - Only for Adults with a sense of Humor
Added 844 Views / 0 LikesThe Strangest Story of 2014 - Only for Adults with a sense of Humor
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The Big Nibiru Nasa Google Sky Monolith Wormwood Winged Planet X Reveal!
Added 844 Views / 0 LikesThe Big Nibiru Nasa Google Sky Monolith Wormwood Winged Planet X Reveal!
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01:01
Fast Moving Galaxy Leaves Behind A Trail Of Stars | Video
Added 840 Views / 0 LikesAs spiral galaxy ESO 137-001 zooms through the super hot gas of the Norma cluster, much of it's own gas is pulled away in a process called 'ram pressure stripping. The threads of gas left behind give birth to bright young stars, seen here in blue.
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10 years of EarthQuakes Animation & a good West Coast Question
Added 840 Views / 0 Likes10 years of EarthQuakes Animation & a good West Coast Question
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06:44
Mars, Venus and Moon Form 'Trio' In February 2015 Skywatching | Video
Added 840 Views / 0 LikesMars, Venus and Moon Form 'Trio' In February 2015 Skywatching | Video
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01:48
How To Barf, Puke, Vomit In Space | Video
Added 837 Views / 0 LikesHow do you upchuck if there is no up or down? ISS commander Chris Hadfield explains what astronauts do if they have to vomit. -- Life in Space: Astronaut Chris Hadfield's Video Guide: http://goo.gl/fdgcgU
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04:10
Temporal Distortion of Earth's Skies: Stunning Time-Lapse
Added 836 Views / 0 LikesThis mind-bending look at our day and night sky -- including some auroras -- was cut together by Randy Halverson (Dakotalapse.com). The score was composed by Bear McCreary (Battlestar Galactica, The Walking Dead, Eureka, etc.).
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07:36
Scientists find evidence of Planet X - a Giant planet on edge of our Solar System
Added 836 Views / 0 LikesScientists find evidence of Planet X - a Giant planet on edge of our Solar System
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01:41
Comet ISON's Ghost Seen By Two Spacecraft | Video
Added 833 Views / 0 LikesA wispy remnant of the comet survived its whip around the Sun, but is quickly starting to fade from sight. Imagery from NASA/ESA SOHO probe (Nov 30th - Dec 1st) and NASA's STEREO spacecraft (Nov 28th and 29th) are time-lapsed. All things ISON here: http:/