5 Space Facts You Didn't Know

What are five space facts? This article will highlight some of the most fascinating facts about the universe. Neptune takes about 165 years to orbit the sun, the Earth slows down slightly as it orbits the sun, and Galaxies are elliptical or irregular in shape. Here are 5 facts about space that will amaze you and leave you wondering, "Wow, I didn't know that!"

Neptune takes 165 years to orbit the sun

The eighth planet in our Solar System, Neptune is located at a mean distance of 4.498 billion kilometers (2.795 billion miles) from the Sun. It was discovered in 1846 and is classified as an ice giant. Neptune is 49,244 km in diameter at its equator and is 17 times heavier than Earth. It rotates in approximately 16 hours and 7 minutes and takes 165 Earth years to orbit the Sun.

Earth's rotation slows slightly as it orbits the sun

Did you know that the Earth's rotation slows slightly as it circles the sun? Since the Neoproterozoic era, Earth's rotation has been slowing down, and it continues to do so. Every century, Earth's day length increases by 1.8 milliseconds. This is due to the gravitational pull of the Moon on Earth. Fortunately, it's still relatively fast compared to the sun's rotation.

Neutron stars are the densest stars in the known universe

As far as density goes, neutron stars are the densest objects in the universe. They contain more matter than the Sun and are packed into a space the size of a city. In fact, if we were to take a teaspoon of the material contained in a neutron star, it would be more dense than Mount Everest and all the human beings who have ever lived. Despite being extremely dense, neutron stars are highly magnetised and spin countless times a second. And they spit out rotating beams of radiation.

Galaxies are elliptical or irregular

When galaxies are categorized into elliptical and irregular types, the two main types are different. These types are different because elliptical galaxies are round and irregular in shape and have little to no central bulge. Their light is dominated by old, reddish stars, and they do not have any spiral arms. Galaxies in this category are generally the faintest and have a lower star mass.

International Space Station is the largest human-made object ever sent into space

The International Space Station is the world's largest man-made object, weighing more than 400 tonnes. It covers an area the size of a football field. Unlike other space stations, the ISS was not built on Earth or launched in one piece, but piece by tiny piece in orbit. It took more than forty missions to complete the construction of the ISS. Developed in collaboration between the United States, Europe and Japan, the ISS is now the largest science and technology programme ever completed.