arguments concerning the size of our own galaxy. Early scientists M5 Orbits the Milky Way questioned whether our galaxy was the universe, or just an undistinguished part of a larger system. In many ways, this debate has been going on for centuries. Is the Earth the only large object in the universe? Is the solar system the largest part of the ...
Jan 9, 2025 · NASA’s real-time science encyclopedia of deep space exploration. Our scientists and far-ranging robots explore the wild frontiers of our solar system.
Although the space between stars in our galaxy appears to be completely empty of matter, there exists a very dilute gas even in “empty” space. This interstellar (meaning “between the stars”) medium varies in density (the amount of matter within a certain volume). Typical densities in the interstellar medium are
Europa’s surface is made of water ice and so it reflects 5.5 times the sunlight than our Moon does. Europa orbits Jupiter at about 417,000 miles (671,000 kilometers) from the planet, which itself orbits the Sun at a distance of roughly 500 million miles (780 million kilometers), or 5.2 astronomical units (AU).
Are we seeing a “naked core” of a young galaxy? Do most galaxies go through a quasar stage in their lives, or is there something unusual about quasar galaxies?
Oct 24, 2024 · In dark corners of the galaxy are worlds fit for creatures of the night. Explore the homes of Frankenstein’s monster, Dracula’s lair, the place where zombies roam, and more. Take a journey to these dark and sinister worlds
Jan 28, 2021 · Sending the first Artemis mission to the Moon in preparation for human missions, landing a new rover on Mars, and launching the James Webb Space Telescope into space, expanding our ability to see deep into the universe, are …
outshine the entire galaxy the star was part of. Stars generate energy in their cores by nuclear fusion: four hydrogen nuclei fuse to create helium. Stars are so enormous (our sun has a mass almost a million times that of the Earth!) that the weight of a star’s outer layer presses down on the core, raising the density
They are ejected and become frigid relics drifting among the stars for a very very long time. Even after the Sun has burned itself out, billions of years from now, vast numbers of our ejected comets will still be wandering our Milky Way Galaxy.
By actually totaling the masses of all visible stars in our galaxy and other galaxies, with some accuracy, the amount of bright (luminous) matter present is less than one percent of the amount required to halt the expansion of the universe.