There is so much about space, our solar system, and the galaxy that we still don't know! Space is vast. With billions of galaxies and stars, and planets in our own solar system yet to be fully explored or understood, scientists' knowledge of space is always evolving. There are, however, some really cool things we know about space right now! We've compiled a list of what we think are ten stellar facts that we hope you'll think are out of this world!
1. Neutron stars can spin at a rate of 600 rotations per second.
Neutron stars are one of the possible evolutionary end-points of high mass stars. They're born in a core-collapse supernova star explosion and subsequently rotate extremely rapidly as a consequence of their physics. Neutron stars can rotate up to 60 times per second after born. Under special circumstances, this rate can increase to more than 600 times per second.
2. 99 percent of our solar system's mass is the sun.
Our star, the sun, is so dense that it accounts for a whopping 99 percent of the mass of our entire solar system. That's what allows it to dominate all of the planets gravitationally.
Technically, our sun is a "G-type main-sequence star" which means that every second, it fuses approximately 600 million tons of hydrogen to helium. It also converts about 4 million tons of matter to energy as a byproduct.
When the sun dies, it will become a red giant and envelop the Earth and everything on it. But don't worry: That won't happen for another 5 billion years.
3. The Apollo astronauts' footprints on the moon will probably stay there for at least 100 million years
Since the moon doesn't have an atmosphere, there's no wind or water to erode or wash away the Apollo astronauts' mark on the moon. That means their footprints, roverprints, spaceship prints, and discarded materials will stay preserved on the moon for a very long time.They won't stay on there forever, though. The moon still a dynamic environment. It's actually being constantly bombarded with "micrometeorites," which means that erosion is still happening on the moon, just very slowly.
4. The position of the North Star will change over time.
Navigation will be weird when Polaris stops being the North Star in about 13,000 years. In case you didn't know, Earth's axis goes through a motion called "precession" which means that the planet's axis will change, and trace out the shape of a cone--even if it's slightly.
When this occurs, it takes around 26,000 years for the axis to trace out a complete cone shape. To add to this, Polaris, the Earth's current "North Star" will eventually begin to shift positions as the Earth undergoes precession.
In 3,000 B.C., it's believed that the North Star was the star Thuban, otherwise known as Alpha Draconis. In about 13,000 years, the star Vega will be the new North Star -- but in 26,000 years, Polaris will return in its original position as the Earth continues to go through precession.
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