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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01:18
Partial solar eclipse over UK, Denmark and more! See a time-lapse
Added 93 Views / 0 LikesA partial solar eclipse occurred on March 29, 2025. Credit: Timeanddate.com | time-lapse by Space.com
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05:15
UFO whistleblower: 'Non-human biologics' found on crashed craft
Added 92 Views / 0 LikesDuring a congressional hearing on July 26, 2023, David Grusch a former combat officer and veteran of the Pentagon's intelligence community, testified that "biologics" found a crashed craft were "non-human," in response to a question from Rep. Nancy Mace (
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00:30
Pan of UGC 8091
Added 92 Views / 0 LikesTo celebrate the holiday season, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has captured the galaxy known as UGC 8091, which resembles a sparkling festive snow globe. With a dazzling array of wavelengths of light captured by filters on Hubble's premier scientifi
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02:24
NASA to record how the X59 supersonic plane sounds from 30 ground recording stations
Added 92 Views / 0 LikesNASA will use 30 ground recording stations to monitor the sound produced by the X-59 QueSST experimental aircraft. Learn more about the equipment they will be using here. Credit: NASA
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02:05
Space Sparks Episode 14: First of its kind detection made in striking new Webb image
Added 92 Views / 0 LikesFor the first time, a phenomenon astronomers have long hoped to image directly has been captured by the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope’s Near-InfraRed Camera (NIRCam). In this stunning image of the Serpens Nebula, the discovery lies in the northe
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04:56
RED ALERT! Texas & Mexico Hurricane & Shark Attack Watch! & Erupting Volcanoes in MX & Italy!
Added 92 Views / 0 LikesHappy 4th of July, y'all.God bless everyone,Thttps://www.paypal.me/THORnewshttps://venmo.com/TEric-Lewison$THORnews on CashApphttps://www.patreon.com/thornews
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double? RED ALERT! Hurricane Peak Season is about to be LIT! Strange Eclipse Season 2024 ahead!
Added 92 Views / 0 Likeswarning: i might have opinions you do not agree with.HAPPY LABOR DAY WEEKEND.Stay cool.God bless everyone,Thttps://www.paypal.me/THORnewshttps://venmo.com/TEric-Lewison$THORnews on CashApphttps://www.patreon.com/thornews
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Through Astronaut Eyes: How Virtual Reality is Shaping Gateway Lunar Space Station
Added 92 Views / 0 LikesEver wondered what it’s like to live and work aboard Gateway, humanity’s first space station around the Moon? At NASA’s Johnson Space Center, astronauts are stepping into the future with immersive VR simulations. With headsets on, they're not just seeing
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How can we achieve the sharpest-ever black hole image?
Added 92 Views / 0 LikesThe Event Horizon Telescope collaboration managed to capture the 1st image of the Milky Way's black hole in what was a groundbreaking moment for astronomy. Now, they want to snap an even clearer view of the incredible object.credit: ESO
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00:51
Polaris Dawn EVA Animation
Added 92 Views / 0 LikesA live webcast of the Polaris Dawn EVA will begin about one hour prior to the beginning of the spacewalk on Thursday, September 12, which you can watch on X @SpaceX. You can also watch the webcast on the new X TV app. The four-hour window opens at 3:23 a.
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00:30
Pan of Digel Cloud 2S
Added 92 Views / 0 LikesThe NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has observed the outskirts of our Milky Way galaxy. Known as the Extreme Outer Galaxy, this region is located more than 58 000 light-years from the Galactic centre.To learn more about how a local environment aff
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01:06
Sun blasts massive X4.5-class solar flare - See spacecraft views!
Added 92 Views / 0 LikesNASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured an X4.5-class solar flare on Sept. 14, 2024. See views in multiple wavelengths here. Footage courtesy: NASA / SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams, helioviewer.org | edited by Space.com's [Steve Spaleta](h
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10:05
Massive Hurricane Helene seen from the International Space Station
Added 92 Views / 0 LikesCategory 2 Hurricane Helene was visible from the International Space Station on Sept. 26, 2024. [Full Story](https://www.space.com/hurricane-helene-video-from-space-station-nasa-livestream)Major impacts from inland flooding is expected along the path of H
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10:02
Annular solar eclipse peaks! See the 'ring of fire' from Easter Island
Added 92 Views / 0 LikesTimeanddate.com has delivered a view of the peak of the annular solar eclipse from Easter Island in the Pacific Ocean.Credit: Timeanddate.comMusic: Analog Dreams by Blue Saga / courtesy of http://www.epidemicsound.com
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08:25
Blastoff! Vulcan Centaur rocket launches on 2nd test flight
Added 92 Views / 0 LikesThe United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur rocket launched from Space Launch Complex-41 (SLC-41) at Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Oct. 4, 2024. "The Cert-2 mission is the second flight of Vulcan Centaur after January's Cert-1, which sen
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08:24
Splashdown! SpaceX Dragon with Crew-8 returns to Earth after 235 days in space
Added 92 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX Crew-8 astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt and Jeanette Epps all with NASA and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida on Friday (Oct. 25) at 3:29 a.m. EDT (0729 GMT).
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09:17
Red Alert. Hurricane Watch. Severe Weather Watch. Near Earth Asteroid Watch. & Sun diving Comet!
Added 92 Views / 0 Likeswhoa.Have a great day!God bless everyone,Thttps://www.paypal.me/THORnewshttps://venmo.com/TEric-Lewisonhttps://www.patreon.com/thornews
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10:18:28
China's Shenzhou 19 crew speaks at introduction event
Added 92 Views / 0 LikesChina's Long March 2F rocket is scheduled to launch the Shenzhou 19 crew to the Tiangong space station from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Oct. 29, 2024. Credit: China Central Television (CCTV)
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00:30
Pan video: NGC 2207 (Webb MIRI image)
Added 92 Views / 0 LikesThe James Webb Space Telescope’s mid-infrared image of galaxies IC 2163 and NGC 2207 recalls the iciness of long-dead bones mixed with eerie vapours. Two large luminous ‘eyes’ lie at the galaxies’ cores, and gauzy spiral arms reach out into the vast dista
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Watch live! China's Shenzhou 18 crew returns to Earth
Added 92 Views / 0 LikesThe Shenzhou 18 crew, Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu, are returning to Earth on around 12pm ET on Nov. 3, 2024 after near (1:00am Beijing time - Nov. 4). Watch them land at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.