What exactly is a galaxy? In simple words, a galaxy is a system of stars, stellar remnants, and other celestial objects, bound together by gravitational force. Galaxies can differ in shape, size and each revolve around their center of mass. Our...
The moon, being our closest celestial neighbor, has been subject to critical observation or scrutiny over the years. It was formed some 4.5 million years ago, about 60 million years after the solar system itself. It is the only natural satellite...
Planet X is a hypothetical planet that is located about 400 astronomical units (AU) away. It may take up to 20,000 Earth years to complete one full orbit around our Sun. The planet has not yet been observed, but mathematical calculations suggest...
The world’s first human-made satellite, Sputnik-1, was launched by the Soviets in 1957. Since then, more than almost 9,000 satellites have been launched into space by nearly 40 different nations. For decades, government and private space...
To gain new insight, astronomers plan to observe a spiral galaxy that hosts a supermassive black hole at its center. They will gather the data through NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, which is set to be launched in 2021. By evaluating...
Do you believe in the existence of extraterrestrial beings? If you do, then you must be intrigued about their whereabouts and why we haven’t heard for them yet? It’s not just you, the question has troubled scientists and astrophysicists...
According to the current planetary theory, the moon was created about 4.5 billion years ago after a massive collision between earth and a wandering celestial body, with a mass slightly less than that of Mars. The impact caused a chunk of debris to...
As per the latest measurement, our galaxy weighs in at approximately 1.5 trillion solar masses. This means the Milky Way has a mass of 2.98 x 1042 kilograms. Astronomers used ESA’s Gaia and NASA’s Hubble observations to obtain this...
Today, no matter where you are, you can access a plethora of space images right at your desktop and smartphone. Those colorful images of gigantic galaxies, nebulas, and mesmerizing gas clouds never fail to dazzle us. But does space really look like...
What actually is Pluto? Is it a planet or just another trans-Neptunian object (dwarf planet)? The uncertainty over Pluto’s planethood is, without a doubt, one of the most flaring issues among researchers and space fanatics. Scientists have...
According to the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (World Air Sports Federation), individuals who fly past the altitude of 100 kilometers (the Kármán line) are astronauts. In the criteria set by the United States, that distance, however, is...
Like almost everything in the universe, stars born, live their lives, and then die in the span of millions and sometimes billions of years. It took decades for researchers to identify and catalog the different types of stars, how they form, and...