Did You Know: Space – Why do stars twinkle? On a clear, dark night, you can see hundreds of stars shining in the sky. But stars don’t actually twinkle, they only appear to do so because we are viewing them through the thick layers of the Earth’s atmosphere. Star patterns Collections of stars in the … Read more
Did You Know: Space – What shape is the Milky Way? Our solar system is in the Milky Way galaxy. Galaxies, like planets and stars, are constantly spinning through space and hold many solar systems within them. The Milky Way is a spiral galaxy with arms that are made of clumps of stars. Bright arms … Read more
Did You Know: Space – What happens when stars die? Just like everything else in our universe, stars are born and eventually die. Some stars have very quiet deaths, and others end with massive explosions. Follow this diagram to see how different stars change throughout their lives. Average star An average star is a star … Read more
Did You Know: Space – What is a black hole? Black holes are among the most mysterious and incredible things in the universe. They aren’t real holes, but are areas where matter has been squashed into a tiny space. It is thought that black holes have strange powers… Keep your distance! Don’t get too close … Read more
Did You Know: Space – What is a light-year? A light-year is the distance light is able to travel in a year. In space, things are very far apart, so astronomers use light-years to measure how far away things are from each other. In one year, light can travel nearly 6.2 trillion miles (10 trillion … Read more
Did You Know: Space – Are all stars the same? Stars come in lots of different sizes and colors. Some are gigantic, many times bigger than the sun. Other stars are tiny and not very bright. Here are some of the types of star that have been discovered in the universe so far. Red supergiant … Read more
Did You Know: Space – Where do stars come from? Stars are big balls of gas that give off heat and light. They begin their lives in huge, cold clouds of gas and dust that are called nebulas. There are many different nebulas scattered throughout most galaxies. Eagle Nebula The Eagle Nebula is a region … Read more
Deep space is the universe beyond our Earth. Many amazing planets, stars, and galaxies are made and can be found there. Did You Know: Space – How many stars are there in the universe? From Earth, we can see thousands of stars in the night sky, but there are many more farther out in space. … Read more
Did You Know: Space – Could you live on Venus? Venus is roughly the same size and shape as Earth, but you wouldn’t want to live there. It has a thick, toxic atmosphere and temperatures can get as hot as 880ºF (471ºC). If an unprotected spacecraft landed on the surface of Venus, it would begin … Read more
Did You Know: Space – What are auroras? Auroras are naturally occurring light displays that can be seen near the north and south poles. Auroras are formed when particles from the sun enter the Earth’s atmosphere at high speed and hit the gases there. This creates colorful curtains of light that appear to float in … Read more
