Our solar system is an absolute marvel to behold, and there are plenty of fascinating facts about it that you may not know. If you want to know more about this group of planets that we live in, check out these 10 insane facts about our solar system and more!
Jupiter Is A Natural Garbage Disposal
Thanks to the powerful magnetic fields on Jupiter, any space debris will be attracted to the planet, helping to protect the other planets from damage.
SO MANY STARS!
It is believed that the Milky Way galaxy contains as many as 4,000 billion stars and probably an equal amount of planets. That’s a lot, right? Well, even crazier is that IC 1101, the largest galaxy known to man, has more than 100 trillion stars.
Bling, Bling
Saturn is known for its rings around the planet, but it’s not the only one who has rings. Jupiter, Neptune, and Uranus all have rings around them as well, they’re just harder to see than Saturn’s.
Crazy Weather
Uranus has some nasty weather, as does Jupiter. Even more, Jupiter has the Great Red Spot, which is a massive storm that has been raging on the planet’s surface for 300 years! The winds on Neptune can reach 1600 mph, and Venus can reach temperatures five times hotter than boiling water.
Feeling the Weight
The Sun accounts for 99.8% of the entire solar system’s mass. One teaspoon of the sun is said to weight 10 million tons.
The North Star Changes
In 3,000 B.C., the North Star was a star called Thuban, and in 13,000 years, it’s believed that the North Star will be a star called Vega. This is due to the rotation of the Earth, and how it changes the perspective of the stars.
Sizeable Issues
Earth is not the only planet with tectonic movements and changes; Mercury has been known to experience the same thing. The planet is actually shrinking right now, and looks like it will continue to contract for awhile.
The Origins of Astronaut
Astron is the Greek word for star, and nautues means sailor. This means that the word astronaut literally means a star sailor, which a lot cooler sounding, if you ask us.
Always an Individual
Venus has always liked doing things differently. When all other planets spin clockwise, she has spun counter-clockwise. Her spinning is also slowing down, though scientists are not sure why that is.
Our Own Spinning is Slowing
Earth has started to spin slower as well, meaning that in the future, beyond our lifetime, the days will be longer. In about 140 million years, the days could be 25 hours long!
The universe and space is an incredible thing, and we are constantly learning new things about it. With these ten facts, you are better-equipped to rock your next trivia night!
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