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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06:05
Red Alert? Major Hurricane Rafael is really weird & no one knows where it will go.
Added 75 Views / 0 LikesMerry Christmas & Happy holidays!stay alert gulf coasters.God bless everyone. Thttps://www.paypal.me/THORnewshttps://venmo.com/TEric-Lewisonhttps://www.patreon.com/thornews
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01:06
Small asteroid impacted Earth in Oct. 2024! See an orbit animation
Added 75 Views / 0 LikesAsteroid 2024 UQ impacted Earth above the Pacific Ocean on Oct. 22, 2024. The space rock was aobut 3 feet (1 meter) wide. It was detected by the ATLAS survey on the day it struck Earth. Credit: Space.com | animation: ESA | edited by [Steve Spaleta](https:
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01:41
How Do Astronauts Practice Self-Care in Space?
Added 75 Views / 0 LikesEveryone needs a little self-care. But what’s that look like for astronauts orbiting 250 miles above Earth? See how crew members may turn to music, movies, and more to unwind and recharge.Learn more about the ongoing research exploring human health in spa
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08:42
Blastoff! SpaceX launches Starlink batch from California to complete doubleheader
Added 74 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX launched 20 Starlink satellites from from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Station in California at 8:47 p.m PT on June 23, 2024. Thirteen of the satellites have Direct to Cell capabilities. SpaceX launched another bat
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00:30
Pan video of Messier 106
Added 74 Views / 0 LikesFeatured in this new image from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope is Messier 106, also known as NGC 4258. This is a nearby spiral galaxy that resides roughly 23 million light-years away in the constellation Canes Venatici, practically a neighbou
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00:30
Pan: IC 3430
Added 74 Views / 0 LikesThe Hubble Picture of the Week this week reveals the subtle glow of the galaxy named IC 3430, located 45 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Virgo. It is part of the Virgo cluster, a rich collection of galaxies both large and small, many o
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09:07
Blastoff! SpaceX launches European navigation satellites, nails landing
Added 74 Views / 0 LikesA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched two Galileo constellation satellites on Sept. 17, 2024 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The first stage of the rocket landed on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean shortly after separation. Credit: Space
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06:33
RED ALERT! Hurricane Helene could make landfall in Florida as a Category 4 or 5 Monster storm!
Added 74 Views / 0 LikesThis is a very serious situation.Please plan and prepare accordingly.God bless everyone,T
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03:46
Space to Ground: Business Trip: Sept. 27, 2024
Added 74 Views / 0 LikesNASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station. Got a question or comment? Use #AskNASA to talk to us.Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:https://www.nasa.gov/iss-scien
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01:08
Sun unleashes massive X7.1-class flare, solar storm incoming
Added 74 Views / 0 LikesSunspot AR3842 erupted with an X7.1-class solar flare on Oct. 1, 2024. NASA models predict that the coronal mass ejection created by the flare is Earth directed. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured the fireworks. Footage courtesy: NASA / SDO and th
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00:45
Annular Solar Eclipse peaks! #timelapse #space #shorts
Added 74 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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02:56
Category 5 Hurricane Milton seen from space station
Added 74 Views / 0 LikesExternal cameras aboard the International Space Station captured views of Hurricane Milton over the Gulf of Mexico on Oct. 7, 2024. Credit: Space,com | footage courtesy: NASA | edited by Steve Spaleta (https://x.com/stevespaleta)
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04:46
WTF. 180+ MPH Winds Cat 5 Hurricane Milton! 2.1 X-Class Solar Flare & 2 Near Earth Asteroids today!
Added 74 Views / 0 LikesNHC is calling this potentially one of the most damaging Hurricanes in Florida history. Prayers up for all in the path of the storm.God bless everyone,T
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01:07
Sun blasts powerful X3.3-class solar flare - See stunning spacecraft views
Added 74 Views / 0 LikesSunspot AR3869 erupted with an X3.3-class solar flare on Oct. 24, 2024. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured the fireworks. Footage courtesy: NASA / SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams, helioviewer.org | edited by Space.com's [Steve Spaleta]
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00:18
Time-lapse: Evolution of R Aquarii (2014 to 2023)
Added 74 Views / 0 LikesThis video features five frames spanning from 2014 to 2023 of R Aquarii, a symbiotic binary star that lies only roughly 1,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Aquarius. This is a type of binary star system consisting of a white dwarf and a red
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07:13
RED ALERT? October Surprise* Hurricane Oscar to hit Cuba & then WTF will it go? & New Mexico Danger!
Added 74 Views / 0 LikesOctober surprise hurricane wut.stay aware cuba and florida.God bless everyone,Thttps://www.paypal.me/THORnewshttps://venmo.com/TEric-Lewisonhttps://www.patreon.com/thornews
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17:11
Monster Hurricane to hit Florida on Election day? maybe*.
Added 74 Views / 0 Likesthank you for being awesome, y'all.Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays.God bless everyone,T
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02:55
Space to Ground: The Return of Crew-8: Oct. 25, 2024
Added 74 Views / 0 LikesNASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station. Got a question or comment? Use #AskNASA to talk to us.Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:https://www.nasa.gov/iss-scien
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00:30
Pan: NGC 4414
Added 74 Views / 0 LikesThis image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope unbarred spiral galaxy roughly 51 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation Coma Berenices.You can see an old image of NGC 4414 that features Hubble data from 1995 and 1999 here, which was
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01:08
Hurricane Rafael makes landfall in Cuba, barrels into the Gulf in satellite time-lapse
Added 74 Views / 0 LikesNOAA's GOES-East satellite captured Hurricane Rafael from Nov. 5-7, 2024. Credit: Space.com | footage: CIRA/NOAA | edited by [Steve Spaleta](https://x.com/stevespaleta)