Space holds many secrets. It contains places where human beings can be stretched into spaghetti shapes, or boiled, or frozen solid: that's why astronauts wear protective clothing in the space.
Welcome to a mysterious — and endlessly fascinating — world.
♦ What is space?
When people think of space, they think of:
♠ Weightlessness — everything floats as if there's no gravity.
♠ Nothingness — vast areas of space are completely empty.
♠ Stars — every star is a burning ball of gas. Our Sun is a star.
♠ Astronauts — people who explore the world beyond our Earth.
♠ Rockets and Satellites — These are what scientists use to explore space.
♠ Silence — there is no air in space, so there is absolutely no sound.
♦ Is that space?
On a cloudless night, you can see thousands of stars. Space is the name we give to the huge empty areas in between the atmospheres of stars and planets. Apart from the odd rock, space is sprinkled only with dust and gas.
♦ Why is space so dark?
Space is black because there is nothing there to reflect light. From space, Earth looks lit up because light from our Sun reflects off sea, and land, and the particles in our atmosphere.
♦ How the distance is measure in space?
The distance measure in space in light years. One light year is the distance light travels in one year: that's 10 million million km ( 6 million million miles ).
♦ Is anyone there?
• If there are aliens, it is unlikely they will speak the languages of Earth, so communication may be a problem. Coded signals have been sent into space. People are also listening for signals from space.
• SETI ( The search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence ) uses powerful radio telescopes to scan for alien signals. However, so far nothing has been found.
• Message into space:
In 1974,
astronomers at Arecibo, Puerto Rico, sent a radio message from us to the stars. It was sent towards
a cluster of stars called M13, where it will arrive in 25,000 years. We may then get a reply after another 25,000 years.( Is anyone there to read it ! )
The Arecibo message lasts three minutes. It is consists of 1,679 pulses, which when arranged from a pictogram. The pictogram explains the basis of life.
♦ Is a black hole may be a doorway to another universe?
Some people think a black hole may be a doorway to another universe. But it's all just speculation. Nobody really knows. However, it is doubtful someone could survive the journey through the hole to find out. An astronaut unfortunate enough to try would be stretched out like a piece of spaghetti...
“ Two Possibilities Exist: Either We Are Alone In The Universe Or We Not Both Are Equally Terrifying. ”— Arthur C. Clark.
