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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01:06
See SpaceX fire up Starship's flight 4 Super Heavy booster in real-time and slow motion
Added 17 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX test fired a Super Heavy booster in preparation for Starship's 4th test flight. See real-time and slow motion views of the test which occurred on April 5, 2024 at Starbase site in South Texas. Credit: Space.om | SpaceX | edited by [Steve Spaleta](h
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00:30 New
Transition video: Webb's two new views of the Horsehead Nebula
Added 17 Views / 0 LikesThe NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has captured the sharpest infrared images to date of one of the most distinctive objects in our skies, the Horsehead Nebula. These observations show a part of the iconic nebula in a whole new light, capturing it
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01:54 New
Space Sparks Episode 13: Webb captures iconic Horsehead Nebula in unprecedented detail
Added 17 Views / 0 LikesThe NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has captured the sharpest infrared images to date of one of the most distinctive objects in our skies, the Horsehead Nebula.More information and download options: http://esawebb.org/videos/weic2411a/Credit:Editi
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02:51 New
MAYDAY 2024
Added 17 Views / 0 LikesThank you all for being awesome.Stay Cool.God bless everyone,Thttps://www.paypal.me/THORnewshttps://venmo.com/TEric-Lewison$THORnews on CashApphttps://www.patreon.com/thornews
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02:13
Watch Boeing Starliner fly to space in ascent profile animation
Added 16 Views / 0 LikesThis animation shows Boeing Starliner launching to space on board a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Starliner is one of two spacecraft built to carry astronauts to and from the International Space Station.Credit: Boeing
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00:30 New
Pan: Horsehead Nebula (NIRCam image)
Added 16 Views / 0 LikesThe NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has captured the sharpest infrared images to date of one of the most distinctive objects in our skies, the Horsehead Nebula. These observations show a part of the iconic nebula in a whole new light, capturing it
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04:17 New
Planets, Eta Aquarid meteors and an occultation in May 2024 skywatching
Added 16 Views / 0 LikesFind out where to see Saturn, Mars, Mercury and Venus this month. The moon passes in front of the star Antares and the Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaks. Night sky: What you can see this month: https://www.space.com/16149-night-sky.html[Best night sky event
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03:00 New
Boeing Starliner stacked on Atlas V rocket to launch crew for first time
Added 16 Views / 0 LikesA United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket will launch Boeing Starliner's first crewed flight. See the spacecraft get stacked onto the rocket and more here. Credit: ULA
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02:17
Celebrate Earth Day with these views of our planet from NOAA satellites
Added 15 Views / 0 LikesNOAA satellites have kept their eyes on Earth and delivered invaluable data on our changing world. Celebrate Earth Day with these views. Credits:NOAANASACIRAAdditional imagery courtesy of CIMSS.Music: “A Serious Man” by Kavin Hoo [ASCAP]; ELIAS Music; Uni
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01:12
Sympathetic solar flare! 4 regions on Sun erupt at nearly the same time
Added 15 Views / 0 LikesThree sunspots and a magnetic filament on the sun erupted at nearly the same time on April 23, 2024. This phenomena is known as a "sympathetic solar flare."NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured the fireworks in multiple wavelengths. Credit: Credit: S
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08:53
Blastoff! SpaceX launches Galileo L12 satellite on booster's record-tying 20th flight
Added 15 Views / 0 LikesA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the Galileo L12 fom NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida at 8:34 p.m. EDT (0034 GMT on April 28). It was the 20th launch for this Falcon 9 first stage. Full Story: https://www.space.com/spacex-galileo-l12-falcon-9
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01:28 New
James Webb Space Telescope delivers amazing Horsehead Nebula imagery - See in 4K
Added 15 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
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02:38 New
Touchdown! China’s Shenzhou 17 crew back on Earth after six months in space
Added 15 Views / 0 LikesChinese astronauts Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin touched down in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on April 30, 2024. The Shenzhou 17 crew spent 6 months working on the Tiangong space station.Credit: Space.com | footage courtesy
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00:30
Pan: Captured on glass
Added 14 Views / 0 LikesThis Hubble Picture of the Week depicts the spiral galaxy ESO 422-41, which lies about 34 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Columba. The patchy, star-filled structure of the galaxy’s spiral arms and the glow from its dense core are laid
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01:57
Space Sparks Episode 19 — Hubble celebrates its 34th anniversary
Added 14 Views / 0 LikesFor more than three decades the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has revolutionised modern astronomy, not only for astronomers but also by taking the public on a wondrous journey of exploration and discovery.Each year Hubble dedicates a small portion of it
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01:23
Zoom into Hubble’s view of Dumbbell Nebula for space telescope’s anniversary
Added 14 Views / 0 LikesThe Hubble Space Telescope is celebrating 34 years of service in 2024. See a new view of the Dumbbell Nebula to commemorate the anniversary. Credit: Space.com | NASA, ESA, STScI, A. Pagan (STScI) / Acknowledgment: D. Crowson, A. Fujii, Digitized Sky Surve
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03:49
See the Crab Nebula and Cassiopeia A in amazing time-lapses that 'span several decades'
Added 14 Views / 0 LikesOver 2 decades of Chandra X-ray Observatory views of the Crab Nebula and Cassiopeia A have been time-lapsed. The Chandra team explains here. Credit: NASA/CXC/A. Hobart
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10:57
very RED ALERT! 100* Hours of very SEVERE WEATHER USA! Hurricane Season to start Early? very FLOODY.
Added 14 Views / 0 Likeswowzers,you are cool.God bless everyone,Thttps://www.paypal.me/THORnewshttps://venmo.com/TEric-Lewison$THORnews on CashApphttps://www.patreon.com/thornews
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00:39
Rocket Lab Electron rocket launches NASA solar sail #timelapse #rocketlab
Added 14 Views / 0 LikesA Rocket Lab Electron rocket launched the NEONSAT-1 Earth-observation satellite and NASA's Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3) from New Zealand on April 23, 2024 at 6:14 p.m. EDT (2214 GMT; 10:14 a.m. on April 24 New Zealand time). Full Story: htt