There is so much about the solar system that we have still yet to discover, so much we don't know about the incredible phenomenon. Space is boundless, and it boasts billions of stars and galaxies. Even though our own solar system is yet to be fully unraveled, explored and understood, scientists are on top of their game and their knowledge about space is constantly growing.
There are a bunch of interesting facts about the solar system that, in fact, have been discovered by our scientists and in this article we will break them down!
Here is a list of some cool stuff we know about space that we believe you will think are out of this world!
Facts About Outer Space
- The mass of the sun takes up the majority of the solar system
The sun has a mass that is around 330,000 times that of the planet that we live on and it takes up 99.86% of the mass of our solar system. ¾ of the Sun’s mass is made up of hydrogen while the rest of it is made out of helium. So if the Sun were to have a voice, would it be all squeaky and high-pitched because of the helium?
- There are more trees on our planet than there are stars in the Milky Way
The galaxy has about an estimated amount of 100-400 billion stars, while the planet Earth has nearly three trillion trees.
- A day on Venus
Due to the slow axis rotation that the planet Venus has, it takes 243 Earth days for it to complete a single day. An Earth year on Venus is only 18 days less than a day on Venus.
- The sunset on Mars
Similar to the extraordinary colors of the sunsets here on earth, NASA says that to a human observer, a sunset on Mars would appear in shades of blue. The fine dust on the planet makes the area of the sky that is near to the Sun appear much more striking.
- A planet made of diamonds
A planet that's twice as big as the size of the Earth, known as 55 Cancri e is made of diamonds. It is entirely covered in graphite and diamonds. To visit the fascinating planet would in all probability pay for the space suit need to get there that costs $12 million.
- How many Earths can fit inside the Sun?
The Sun is so large that it can fit around 1.3 million Earths if they were to be squashed. If the Earths were to maintain their spherical shape, then around 960,000 would fit within the size of the Sun.
- Space is completely silent
Space has no concept of an atmosphere, meaning that neither does sound have a medium nor does it have a way to travel in order to be heard.