Contrary to popular belief, the lengths of day and night aren’t exactly equal on the equinox. While the equinox is often celebrated as the day when daylight and darkness perfectly balance, this isn’t entirely accurate. The phenomenon that truly represents…
Artist and designer Josh Worth created an interactive website called “If the Moon Were Only 1 Pixel: A Tediously Accurate Map of the Solar System,” which I mentioned in this post. On Josh Worth’s amazing website, the scale is so…
In his poem “Strontium-90,” the great Turkish poet Nazım Hikmet says: “We are in a race with ourselves, my dear. Either we will take life to the dead stars, or death will descend upon our world.” Do you think that…
What if we could build a spaceship capable of leaving the solar system at the speed of light? How long would it take to reach interstellar space? Despite being small compared to our galaxy, let alone the entire universe, our…
Jupiter’s moon Ganymede is the largest and most massive of the Solar System’s moons. It has a mean radius of 2,634.1±0.3 km (about 1,636 miles, or 0.413 Earths). For comparison, our Moon‘s radius is 1,737.1 km (1,079 miles). Have you…
The Solar System is vast and complex, encompassing countless celestial bodies such as planets, dwarf planets, moons, asteroids, and comets. To visualize the vastness of our cosmic neighborhood, we often use maps and models that represent the planets and their…
Have you ever wondered why the night sky is dark? At first glance, it seems obvious. Nighttime means the Sun has set, and when you look up, the sky appears black, except for the twinkling stars scattered across it. But…
Amidst the vast, cold expanse of space, Earth stands out as a unique cradle of life. Our planet gem has harbored life for over 3.5 billion years and, barring unforeseen catastrophes, promises to continue for billions more. But, what makes…
As we go about our daily lives, it’s easy to forget that we’re all hurtling through space at incredible speeds. Earth is constantly in motion, rotating on its axis and orbiting around the sun. In fact, we’re all living on…
An interesting question: if you look up in the Earth’s sky with the naked eye, assuming you have healthy vision, how far away can you see? Could you see beyond the Milky Way galaxy, for example?
“How long is the Earth?” is an unusual question, but let’s explore a thought experiment to find an answer. Imagine cutting the Earth into Minecraft-sized 1-meter cubes and laying them in a line through space. How far would the Earth…
When you look up at the night sky in a place without light pollution, the view is magnificent: thousands of stars and the Milky Way galaxy offer a unique visual feast. But have you ever wondered how many stars you…