12-12-2008, 07:49 PM
After I sent in the e-mail with space facts today, I figured I should start a thread on here with space facts, theories, and comparisons. I'm just now getting around to it.
Feel free to post any facts, theories, or anything else you know about space.
Here are some from the e-mail I sent in about a year ago, and from the e-mail today.
-The closest star to our own (Proxima Centauri) is 4.2 light years away. That would mean, the distance from Earth to Proxima Centauri would be approximately 24,689,699,219,583.3 miles. (24 trillion, 689 billion, 699 million, 219 thousand, 583 point 3)
-Our galaxy has over 1 billion stars by itself. It's estimated that there are over 200 billion galaxies, just in our observable universe. As far as I know, NASA already has 4 million galaxies logged. That's a VERY small amount of space, compared to the estimated whole universe.
-The farthest known galaxy, as of now, is approximately 13 billion light years away. Viewing it right now, is seeing the light it produced approximately 13 billion years ago, when it was almost only 5% it's age.
-A light year is the distant that light travels in one year. Light travels at 670,616,629.384mph (670 million, 616 thousand, 629 point 384 mph)
-Our galaxy has satellite galaxies that orbit ours. There are a total of 19 satellite galaxies that range in distance between 70,000 to 815,000 light years away.
-The closest galaxy to our own is the Andromeda galaxy. Which is approximately 2.5 million light years away. To extend further on this, the distance in miles is 14,695,428,696,412,946,000. (14 quintillion, 695 quadrillion, 428 trillion, 696 billion, 412 million, 946 thousand, 000 miles)
-The largest star we know of, VY Canis Majoris, is more than 2,100 times the size of our own sun. If it were placed where our sun is now, it's surface would extend past the orbit of Saturn. It takes a more than 8 hours for light to cross its circumference. This hypergiant star is about 5,000 light years away from Earth.
-The current largest known black hole in the universe has a mass of about 18 billion suns, basically equal to the mass of a small galaxy. It's located 3.5 billion light years away at the heart of a quasar called OJ287. (A quasar is an extremely bright object where matter spiraling into a giant black hole emits copious amounts of radiation, therefore making it light up.)
-The universe is so vast in relation to the matter it contains that it can be compared in the following way: A building 20 miles long, 20 miles wide and 20 miles high that contains 1 grain of sand. The grain of sand, being a galaxy.
If it isn't obvious already, I know a little bit about space. Well, the floor is open. :o
Feel free to post any facts, theories, or anything else you know about space.
Here are some from the e-mail I sent in about a year ago, and from the e-mail today.
-The closest star to our own (Proxima Centauri) is 4.2 light years away. That would mean, the distance from Earth to Proxima Centauri would be approximately 24,689,699,219,583.3 miles. (24 trillion, 689 billion, 699 million, 219 thousand, 583 point 3)
-Our galaxy has over 1 billion stars by itself. It's estimated that there are over 200 billion galaxies, just in our observable universe. As far as I know, NASA already has 4 million galaxies logged. That's a VERY small amount of space, compared to the estimated whole universe.
-The farthest known galaxy, as of now, is approximately 13 billion light years away. Viewing it right now, is seeing the light it produced approximately 13 billion years ago, when it was almost only 5% it's age.
-A light year is the distant that light travels in one year. Light travels at 670,616,629.384mph (670 million, 616 thousand, 629 point 384 mph)
-Our galaxy has satellite galaxies that orbit ours. There are a total of 19 satellite galaxies that range in distance between 70,000 to 815,000 light years away.
-The closest galaxy to our own is the Andromeda galaxy. Which is approximately 2.5 million light years away. To extend further on this, the distance in miles is 14,695,428,696,412,946,000. (14 quintillion, 695 quadrillion, 428 trillion, 696 billion, 412 million, 946 thousand, 000 miles)
-The largest star we know of, VY Canis Majoris, is more than 2,100 times the size of our own sun. If it were placed where our sun is now, it's surface would extend past the orbit of Saturn. It takes a more than 8 hours for light to cross its circumference. This hypergiant star is about 5,000 light years away from Earth.
-The current largest known black hole in the universe has a mass of about 18 billion suns, basically equal to the mass of a small galaxy. It's located 3.5 billion light years away at the heart of a quasar called OJ287. (A quasar is an extremely bright object where matter spiraling into a giant black hole emits copious amounts of radiation, therefore making it light up.)
-The universe is so vast in relation to the matter it contains that it can be compared in the following way: A building 20 miles long, 20 miles wide and 20 miles high that contains 1 grain of sand. The grain of sand, being a galaxy.
If it isn't obvious already, I know a little bit about space. Well, the floor is open. :o