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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08:04
SpaceX launches 21 Starlink satellites - See Max Q to booster landing
Added 39 Views / 0 LikesA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched 21 Starlink satellites lifted from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Jan. 21, 2025 at 12:24 a.m. EST (0524 GMT).The Falcon 9's first stage returned to Earth about eight minutes after liftoff as planned, touching d
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08:56
Blastoff! SpaceX launches 2 Firefly lunar landers to the moon, nails booster landing
Added 39 Views / 0 LikesA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket rocket launched two lunar landers — Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost and Resilience, built by the Japanese company ispace — from NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida on Jan.15, 2025.The first stage of the rocket touched down
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09:07
Texas Tornadoes Wednesday & Thursday? BIG ICE STORM USA next weekend? DEEPSEEK ripple effects!
Added 39 Views / 0 LikesYou are fantastic!Stay cool.God bless everyone,Thttps://www.paypal.me/THORnewshttps://venmo.com/TEric-Lewisonhttps://www.patreon.com/thornews
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09:16
Blastoff! SpaceX launches next-gen SpainSat NG I satellite from Florida
Added 39 Views / 0 LikesA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the SpainSat Next Generation 1 (SpainSat NG-1), a communications satellite for the European Space Agency (ESA) and Hisdesat communications, from Pad 39A of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Jan. 29, 2025 at 8:34 p
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01:02
ISS robotic arms transports astronaut Suni Williams during spacewalk
Added 39 Views / 0 LikesNASA astronaut Suni Williams is transported by the International Space Station's Canadarm2 during a spacewalk with Butch Wilmore on Jan. 30. 2025. Williams set spacewalk record: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/international-space-station/nasa-astr
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09:04
Blastoff! SpaceX launches 21 Starlink satellites from the Cape, nails landing
Added 39 Views / 0 LikesA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched 21 Starlink spacecraft, including 13 with direct-to-cell capability, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Feb. 8, 2025 at 2:18 p.m. EST (1918 GMT).The Falcon 9's first stage landed on the drone ship "A Sh
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38:26
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 Training Resource Reel
Added 39 Views / 0 LikesNASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission will carry four people to the International Space Station for a long-duration science expedition. NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, as well as JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi an
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04:00
Planets, lunar eclipse and the moon in March 2025 skywatching
Added 39 Views / 0 LikesFind out where Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Mercury will be this month. A total lunar eclipse will be visible in parts of the Americas on March 14. Also, learn about the new moon and more. Night sky: What you can see this month - https://www.space.com/16149-n
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01:05
See IM-2 'Athena' lander’s stunning views of the moon in time-lapses
Added 39 Views / 0 LikesThe Intuitive Machines IM-2 'Athena' lander has captured amazing views of the moon from lunar orbit. Credit: Space.com | footage: Intuitive Machines | edited by [Steve Spaleta](https://x.com/stevespaleta)Music: Brief Interlude by John Utah / courtesy of h
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01:09
Firefly's Blue Ghost lander captures amazing moon views after orbit maneuver
Added 39 Views / 0 LikesThe FIrefly Aerospace Blue Ghost lander captured stunning views of the moon after its second lunar orbit maneuver. Credit: Firefly Aerospace | edited by Space.com's [Steve Spaleta](https://x.com/stevespaleta)
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01:06
Firefly's Blue Ghost on moon seen by Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
Added 39 Views / 0 LikesThe Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost lander on the moon was captured by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. Credit: Space.com | imagery courtesy: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University / Firefly Aerospace | edited by Steve Spaleta (https://x.com/stevespaleta)
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09:02
Blastoff! SpaceX launches Starlink batch from Florida -- 3rd launch in 13 hours!
Added 39 Views / 0 LikesA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched 23 Starlink satellites, including 13 with Direct to Cell capabilities, from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on March 15, 2025 at 7:35 a.m. ET. Credit: SpaceX
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08:09
NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 enters space station after docking
Added 39 Views / 0 LikesSpaceX's Dragon spacecraft carrying NASA astronauts Anne McClain, commander; and Nichole Ayers, pilot; along with mission specialists JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov docked to the In
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08:35 New
Katy Perry kisses Earth after Blue Origin flight, talks love and more!
Added 39 Views / 0 LikesKaty Perry launched to space on Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket on April 14, 2025. See her post-flight reaction. Credit: Blue Origin | edited by Space.com's edited by Steve Spaleta (https://x.com/stevespaleta)
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01:28
Exoplanet WASP-127b has extreme supersonic winds
Added 38 Views / 0 LikesThe CRIRES+ instrument on the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT) has been used to measure the supersonic jet winds on gas giant exoplanet WASP-127b. Credit: ESO
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01:01
Doorbell cam captures meteorite crashing into Earth (video & audio)
Added 38 Views / 0 LikesA ring doorbell camera captured a meteor strike near a house in Canada's Prince Edward Island. Full Story: https://www.space.com/stargazing/meteors-showers/watch-and-hear-a-meteorite-impact-on-doorbell-camera-video-in-a-world-1stVideo credit: Joe Velaidum
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03:14
'Dazzling' Venus, Mars, Jupiter and the moon in Feb. 2025 skywatching
Added 38 Views / 0 LikesLearn where to see Venus, Mars, Jupiter and the moon in February 2025. Night sky: What you can see this month: https://www.space.com/16149-night-sky.html)Best night sky events this month - stargazing maps: https://www.space.com/33974-best-night-sky-events
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08:58
Blastoff! SpaceX launches Starlink batch with direct-to-cell capability, nails landing
Added 38 Views / 0 LikesA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched 21 Starlink satellites, including 13 with direct-to-cell capability, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Feb. 4, 2025 at 5:14 a.m. EDT (1014 GMT).The Falcon 9's first stage returned to Earth about eight
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01:20
Largest early Universe radio jet discovered! At least 200,000 light-years wide
Added 38 Views / 0 LikesAn early universe radio jet spanning an astonishing 200,000 light years has been discovered by the International Gemini Observatory and LOFAR. Credit: Images and Videos: LOFAR/DECaLS/DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys/LBNL/DOE/CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/M. Garlick/AS
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SpaceX Crew-9 on ISS, incl. Starliner astronauts, talk long-awaited return trip
Added 38 Views / 0 LikesNASA astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore, currently aboard the International Space Statioon, will talk about their Crew-9 ride home. Williams and Wilmore were added to NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 after their Starliner spacecraft was returned