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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01:05
See the SpaceX Crew-2 rocket on the pad in awesome drone video
Added 188 Views / 0 LikesThe SpaceX Falcon 9 that will launch the Crew-2 astronauts to the International Space Station is seen on the launch pad in Florida in this drone video footage. These 4 Crew-2 astronauts are ready to ride a SpaceX rocket into orbit: https://www.space.com/s
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02:10
See the start of Astronomical Spring from space!
Added 119 Views / 0 LikesNOAA's GOES 16 and 17 satellites captured the vernal equinox on March 20, 2022 at 11:33 a.m. EDT. Credit: NOAANASA Goddard Space Flight CenterCIRAMusic: “Sylvan Light,” by Andy Blythe [PRS] & Marten Joustra [PRS]; Flexitracks; Universal Production Music
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01:07
See the Super Flower Blood Moon is stunning "fisheye" time-lapse
Added 129 Views / 0 LikesAn all-sky camera at the Gemini Observatory captured an amazing fisheye view of the lunar eclipse on May 15-16, 2022. Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF | mash mix: Space.com
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01:26
See the Super Wolf Blood Moon in This Amazing Eclipse Time-Lapse
Added 374 Views / 0 LikesJon Talbot captured an amazing time-lapse of the entire eclipse of the Super Wolf Blood Moon on Jan. 20-21, 2019. Credit: Jon Talbot / mash mix: Space.com
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00:51
See the Tarantula Nebula in amazing visible, infrared & radio composite - Zoom-in!
Added 176 Views / 0 LikesNew Tarantula Nebula observations from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) are combined with imagery from ESO’s Very Large Telescope and the Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA). Credit: ESO/Digitized Sky Survey
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01:10
See the twisted 'Taffy Galaxies' in amazing Gemini North telescope image
Added 65 Views / 0 LikesThe NSF NOIRLab-operated Gemini North telescope captured stunning imagery of galaxies UGC 12914 and UGC 12915, aka 'Taffy Galaxies.' Their 'twisted appearance is the result of a head-on collision' according NOIRLab. Credit:Images and Videos: International
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00:26
See the View from SpaceX's Crew Access Arm at Launch Pad
Added 265 Views / 0 LikesSee the view from SpaceX's crew access arm at historic launch pad 39A in Cape Canaveral, Florida.Credit: SpaceX
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03:06
See the Whirlpool Galaxy Through the Eyes of NASA’s Great Observatories
Added 354 Views / 0 LikesThe Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes and Chandra X-ray Observatory has been used to study the Whirpool Galaxy. Visible, Infrared and X-ray views of the the galaxy reveal its amazing features. Visualization: Frank Summers, Joseph DePasquale, Dani Player
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00:58
See thermal images of Neptune captured over time by Very Large Telescope
Added 127 Views / 0 LikesSee thermal images of Neptune captured from 2006 to 2021 by ESO's Very Large Telescope. -- Neptune is cooling down and scientists don't know why: https://www.space.com/neptune-cooling-down-temperature-mysteryCredit:ESO/M. Roman
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01:08
See Tianzhou-4 cargo ship undock from the Tiangong space station
Added 90 Views / 0 LikesThe Tianzhou-4 cargo ship undocked from the Tiangong space station on Nov. 9, 2022. It was launched to China's orbital outpost in May 2022. Credit: Space.com | footage courtesy: China Central Television (CCTV) | edited by [Steve Spaleta](https://twitter.c
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01:08
See Tropical Storm Hilary from space in this 2-day satellite time-lapse
Added 60 Views / 0 LikesWatch Tropical Storm Hilary's progress from Aug. 19-21, 2023 in these views from NOAA's GOES-West satellite.Credit: CIRA/NOAA
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01:02
See Tropical Storm Nicole from space as it approaches Florida in time-lapse
Added 76 Views / 0 LikesNOAA's GOES-East satellite captured footage of Tropical Storm Nicole from Nov. 8-9, 2022. See the imagery time-lapsed here. NASA delays Artemis 1 moon launch to Nov. 16 due to Tropical Storm Nicole: https://www.space.com/artemis-1-moon-launch-delay-novemb
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01:05
See Ultima Thule in Color - 'Definitively Red'
Added 369 Views / 0 LikesThe New Horizons team has created a color image of Ultima Thule using imagery and data from the spacecraft.Credit: NASA
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00:34
See Uranus' seasonal changes in color! 168-year animated time-lapse
Added 39 Views / 0 Likes"Two Uranus years (one Uranus year is 84.02 Earth years), running from 1900 to 2068 and starting just before southern summer solstice, when Uranus’s south pole points almost directly towards the Sun," have been animated to show seasonal changes, according
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02:33
See Uranus, Neptune and Lots of Meteors - December 2014 Skywatching Video
Added 616 Views / 0 LikesSee Uranus, Neptune and Lots of Meteors - December 2014 Skywatching Video
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03:25
See Venus in these new Parker Solar Probe views
Added 151 Views / 0 LikesNASA's Parker Solar Probe's Wide-Field Imager (WISPR) recently captured new imagery of Venus.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
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15:54
See Virgin Galactic Unity 22 with Richard Branson soar to space and back!
Added 178 Views / 0 LikesSee Richard Branson and fellow mission specialists Sirisha Bandla, Colin Bennett and Beth Moses launch to suborbital space aboard Virgin Galactic Unity. Full Story: https://www.space.com/virgin-galactic-unity-22-branson-flight-successCredit: Virgin Galact
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03:14
See Virgin Galactic's Unity 22 crew in space! Sights & sounds highlight reel
Added 194 Views / 0 LikesVirgin Galactic founder Richard Branson and fellow mission specialists Sirisha Bandla, Colin Bennett and Beth Moses took off on a mission of a lifetime on July 11, 2021. See the highlights from powered descent and more! Full Story: https://www.space.com/v
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01:04
See water flow into ancient Mars' Jezero Crater in artist animation
Added 50 Views / 0 LikesJezero Crater on Mars was once home to a lake, delta and rivers. See an animation of what it could have looked like when water poured into the crater billions of years ago. Also, see what it looks like today. Credit: Space.com | animations: ESA/ @DLRde /
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02:41
See Webb Telescope's amazing Tarantula Nebula view in multiple wavelengths
Added 133 Views / 0 LikesThe James Webb Space Telescope has captured new imagery of stellar nursery 30 Doradus, nicknamed the Tarantula Nebula. The Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) and Mid-infrared Instrument (MIRI) instruments captured stunningly different views. Full Story: