- Is the 3 dimensional area, 100km above the earth’s surface where objects like planets and stars have a specific position and direction
Another characteristic of outer space is that space is a vacuum
Does not carry any sound
The molecules are not close enough to transmit sound waves
Also there is no light in space because unlike here on earth, space is infinitely large and there is no bright source of light
This is also the reason why in the day time our sky is blue
The light from the sun scatters due to earth's atmosphere
You might hear people say that there is 0 gravity in space, but that is actually a misconception
Space has microgravity
Micro- small, there is very little amount of gravity but it does not mean that there is 0 gravity
Vacuum of space has a unique property
All objects fall at the same rate
If there is also no air, then they fall at the same acceleration
This is why people seem to be floating but actually they are in free fall
A common misconception is that space is empty
Which isn’t true
The more crowded regions of space consist of galaxies, star clusters and solar systems like ours
But the less crowded regions also consist of gas, dust, debris and also many mysterious particles such as dark matter and dark energy
But interestingly, space also has radiation
Mainly 3 types
Trapped Radiation
Charges ions and electrons that cause disruptions in earth's magnetic flux. At an increased rate they can affect electronic devices
Solar Flare
An increase in the brightness of a star which causes .disruptions of various waves through electromagnetic radiation and cause geomagnetic storms
Galactic Cosmic Rays
Rays of energy that come into our solar system through an external source
It can affect the electrons in our atmosphere causing radiative transfer which is an important contribution to climate change
Many people probably already know that space is huge
But another interesting fact is that space is continually expanding
The Big Bang Theory is the most widely accepted theory considering the start of the universe
It states that the universe began at a singularity and continually expanded over 13.8 billion years
Additionally it suggests that under the mass of the universe the expansion rate has slowed down but is continually expanding.
Considering all the information you had learned so far, you would think that we humans know a lot about space and the universe
But the fact is, scientists have only explored 4 percent of the visible universe and we still have 96% yet to explore
This leads us into another important question
Why is space important?
In my opinion, Space is the future
In the future, the amount of natural resources on planet earth is far limited
So next we look towards space because there is an abundance of natural resources and possible many new elements and resources
Global warming is heavily affecting our planet and soon it might not be habitable
Which is an important reason for discovering earth-like planets where conditions are habitable
Last but not least
Centuries of innovation and discovery has been driven by this unique trait given to humanity
CURIOSITY
Our curiosity to explore the rest of the universe is a significant reason why space is important to us
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Source:
https://www.space.com/24870-what-is-space.html https://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/questions/question52.html https://www.space.com/25126-big-bang-theory.html https://www.space.com/52-the-expanding-universe-from-the-big-bang-to-today.html
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