🌌Space Curiosity🌌

A galaxy is a huge ocean of space consist of gas, dust, stars, planets, black hole, and many more that are held together with the force of gravity. We live on planet Earth which is a tiny part of the Milky Way galaxy. Our planet Earth is part of the solar system which is also a small part of the Milky Way Galaxy. There are so many galaxies in our universe that we can’t even count but according to astronomers, there are about 125 billion galaxies in the observable universe. Similar to other galaxies, our Milky Way galaxy is

The sunspot is formed due to the varying magnetic field on the surface of the sun. The strong magnetic force in the sunspot region creates its own pressure. Therefore, the gases in these regions have to exert less pressure to maintain equilibrium. As the gas pressure decreases, their temperature also decreases which creates a temperature difference in the sunspot and its surrounding area. This temperature difference of about 2000 K makes them cooler than the rest of the surface and hence the sunspot appears dark. What is a sunspot? Sunspots are the temporary dark regions that are observed on

Shooting stars are small pieces of dust and rock called a meteoroid, which falls into the Earth’s atmosphere and leave a trail of light behind them. We also call them meteors, and scientists believe that they are broken fragments of comets, which still move about in space when the comet itself does so no longer. We see them when they enter our atmosphere because they leave a trail of light behind them, caused by the friction of the air on their surfaces.

Lightning sprites are large scale electrical discharges that occur high above the thunderstorm, about 50 miles (80 km) high in the sky. These red sprites can range from 25-30 miles (40-50 km) with a lifetime of a couple of tenths of a second. The first images of a lightning sprite or red sprite were accidentally taken in 1989 by some scientists from the University of Minnesota. These reddish-orange luminous flashes are categorized into three types of sprites – Jellyfish sprite, Column sprite, and Carrot sprite due to their visual appearance which resembles Jellyfish, Column, and carrot.

A comparative planetology study revealed that the Martian and lunar lava tubes are so massive and have high roof stability. In comparison to lava tubes present in Hawaii, the Canary Islands, Australia, and Iceland, these lava tubes are 1 to 3 orders of magnitude more voluminous. Researchers believe that most of the lunar lava tubes could withstand the collapses triggered by impacts/tectonics. They can also act as shields against cosmic and solar radiation. Due to these protected and stable environments of lava tubes, it is suitable for exploration and potential settlement.

Aurora and airglow are the upper atmospheric phenomena produced by different physical processes. Nighttime airglow or nightglow effect is produced due to the chemical interactions of gas molecules such as oxygen and nitrogen present in the upper atmosphere. While the aurora phenomenon is produced due to the interaction of solar energy and the magnetic field of Earth. The above amazing picture is clicked by an astronaut from the International Space Station, which shows the intersection of wavy green, red-topped wisps of aurora with a muted red-yellow band of airglow.

A black dwarf is a theoretical stellar remnant when a white dwarf star has cooled down and it no longer emits heat or light but retains mass. According to M E Caplan, the theoretical physicist from Illinois State University, in the far future long after the star formation has ceased the universe will be populated by white dwarfs, and these white dwarfs will eventually cool down and freeze solid into black dwarfs. It will take 10 ^1100 years for black dwarfs to have supernova (a powerful and luminous stellar explosion) that will end our universe.

Yes, we always see the same side of the moon because the time taken by the moon to rotate about its axis is the same as the time it takes to orbit the earth. Some people also have a misconception that the moon does not spin on its axis because the moon keeps the same face towards the earth. But it is not true Moon does spin and takes about 27.3 days to complete one rotation which is the same time to orbit Earth.

Betelgeuse is a red supergiant star, 10 times more than the mass of our sun. According to scientists, Betelgeuse star is ejecting a dense and hot cloud material into space, which cools down to form a dust cloud. These dust particles in the space are blocking the view from the earth by shielding the star’s light. Scientists have determined the cause of dramatic dimming of massive star Betelgeuse which is 725 light-years away using the Hubble Space Telescope rotating in the earth’s low orbit.

Astronomers have spotted a galaxy (called SPT0418-47) similar to Milky Way which is 12 billion light-years away from earth. This extremely distant galaxy was discovered with the help of a telescope called Atacama Large Millimeter Array Radio Telescope located in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The similarities between our galaxy Milky Way and SPT0418-47 will help to get new insights about the formation and evolution of galaxies after the Big Bang. It looks like a perfect ring of light with a galactic bulge having a tightly packed group of stars in close proximity towards the center.