Although scientists have been studying the universe for many years, the universe still has not given up many of its secrets. However, as astronomers continue to explore, they keep learning more and more new things about planets, star and galaxies out in the great beyond. Here are a few amazing astro facts that will fascinate you:
· The Mysterious Dark Matter
Astronomers are forever on the hunt for dark matter. Dark matter can be defined as a type of matter that is not detected with the help of any normal means. Apparently, the matter that has been detected now comprises only five percent of the total matter present in the whole universe. The rest of the matter is believed to be comprised of dark matter.
· Different Dense Objects
In the earlier days, astronomers used to believe that dark matter could be found inside black holes. However, with evolving technology and new discoveries, it has been determined that a black hole has the ability to suck in anything that near it with the help of a huge amount of gravitational pull. Interestingly, when two black holes collide with one another, it results in the release of gravitational waves. In fact, neutron stars are also believed to collide with one another as per recent discoveries.
· The Sun
The sun is the closest star to the earth, giving scientists and astronomers a perfect chance to study it in detail. The sun glows so brightly because of the continuous process of hydrogen fusing together to create helium. This process releases energy that is equivalent to around a hundred billion nuclear bombs every single second. This energy is emitted in the form of heat and light and helps power the entire solar system. Scientists believe that other stars also go through the same process.
· Star Or Not?
A star can be described as a globe of superheated gas that has the ability to give off heat and light continuously. This is often due to some sort of fusion process taking place in the center of the star. Human beings often make the mistake of naming anything they see in the sky as a star. Nothing could be further from the truth. As shooting star is not exactly a star, it is actually small dust particles that are pulled towards the earth’s surface due to the gravitational pull and ends up getting burned as it enters the earth’s atmosphere.
· Venus Is Hotter Than Mercury
Although Mercury is closer to the Sun, it is considerably less hot than Venus because the atmosphere on Venus is extremely thick and does not allow the heat to escape quickly. Since Venus spins very slowly on its axis, this is also attributed with being one of the reasons why Venus is hotter than Mercury.
· Billions Of Galaxies
None of the astronomers or scientists who have studied the universe for years can accurately say how many galaxies exist in the Universe. In fact, some of the older galaxies even take over the smaller ones in time.
