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
Did You Know: Space – Can you see the Earth from other planets? Sometimes when you look up at the night sky, you can see some of the other planets in the solar system. If you could visit these planets, you’d be able to see the Earth in a similar way. Saturn In the corner … Read more
Did You Know: Space – What is the asteroid belt? The asteroid belt is a ring of big rocks, called asteroids, that orbit the sun. It is found between the planets Mars and Jupiter. There are hundreds of thousands of asteroids in the belt, and they come in many different shapes and sizes. Trojans These … Read more
Did You Know: Space – Why do comets have tails? Comets are made of gas, dust, and ice that was left over from when the solar system formed. Comets do not have tails all the time. When a comet passes close to the sun, it heats up, causing its surface to boil away and create … Read more
Did You Know: Space – What is a shooting star? A shooting star isn’t really a star, it is a meteor. This is a piece of rock or dust from space that enters the Earth’s atmosphere. As it moves through our atmosphere, it heats up and leaves a streak of hot gas behind it in … Read more
