1. Neutron stars can spin 600 times per second.
Neutron stars are the densest and smallest stars in the known universe and although they may be extremely small (their radius is usually only around 10 km), they have a mass multiple times that of the Sun’s. Neutron stars are formed after core-collapse supernovae (dramatic explosions of giant stars at the end of their ‘lives’).
2. There could be a planet made out of diamonds.
Research scientists at Yale University suggest that of a rocky planet, 55 Cancri e. It could have a surface made up of graphite and diamond.
3. The footprints left on the Moon will remain there for 100 million years.
The Moon has no atmosphere, so there is no wind to erode the surface or water to wash away the footprints. This means that the Apollo astronauts’ footprints, as well as spacecraft prints, rover prints, and abandoned objects, will be there for millions of years.
4. There are more stars in our universe than all the grains of sand on Earth.
If we combined all the sand on the beaches and deserts in the world, there would still be 10 times more stars in the universe. It is estimated that there are 70 sextillion stars out there. This figure is 70 followed by 22 zeros or 70,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars!
5. Mars has a volcano bigger than all of Hawaii.
While Mars appears to be quiet now, huge volcanoes formerly dominated the planet’s surface. Olympus Mons is the largest volcano yet discovered in the solar system. The volcano is 374 miles (602 km) across, roughly the size of Arizona. It’s 16 miles (25 kilometers) tall, or three times the height of Mount Everest, the world’s tallest mountain. According to NASA, Olympus Mons is 100 times the size of Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano, the Earth’s largest volcano.
6. Spacecraft may bring contaminants to inhabitable (or inhabited) locations in our solar system.
As of yet scientists have found no evidence of life elsewhere in the solar system. However, as we learn more about how “extreme” bacteria exist in undersea volcanic vents or frozen conditions, ideas for where they can live on distant worlds emerge.
Microbial life on Mars is now thought to be possible enough that scientists take particular care to sterilise spacecraft traveling to the planet. NASA decided to crash the Galileo spacecraft into Jupiter rather than risk contaminating Europa’s potentially habitable oceans.
