The Top 6 Spooky Space Facts

With Halloween looming, the universe is filled with strange phenomena and weird science. So to get into the ghostly vibe, here are some mysterious facts about space.

1. Vampire Stars in Space

NASA’s Kepler spacecraft observed a spooky space phenomenon where two stars were closely circling each other and one stars stronger gravitational pull, strips hydrogen fuel away from the second star, slowly sucking the life out of the star.

2. Ejections from the Sun can Shut Down Cities

Coronal Mass Ejections or CME’s are giant flares of gas coming from the Sun, containing billions of tons of charged particles. If a CME slams into Earths atmosphere, it disturbs our magnetic field, causing major disruption to satellites, power grids and telecommunications. Imagine your city completely shut down!

3. Space Travel Can Alter Your DNA

Stresses on the body from space travel cause changes in a cell’s biological pathways. This was proven when an astronaut returned to earth and was two inches taller than his identical twin brother. His gut bacteria and gene expression had also completely changed.

4. GRB's, the Most Powerful Explosions in the Universe
GRB’s or Gamma Ray Bursts occur from the core collapse of massive stars forming into blackholes. They produce the most powerful explosions ever discovered, generating as much energy in seconds as the sun will emit in its lifetime. Needless to say, they are capable of destroying entire planets!

5. Death by Spaghettification!
What happens if you fall into a Black Hole? Scientists use a fun term called spaghettification for objects that cross the event horizon. Known as tidal disruption, the black hole’s gravity pulls apart an object, stretching it out vertically and compressing it horizontally, just like spaghetti!

6. All Planets Can Fit Between the Earth and the Moon
This spooky measurement shows that all the planets could fit between the Earth and the Moon. The Moon does need to be at apogee, the farthest point from Earth, and this does leave approximately 8,000 kms of wiggle room. Perhaps enough to fit Pluto back into the solar system equation? Quite thought-provoking and bizarre.

Looking for an even better view?

So, with Dad’s Father’s Day pressie all sorted, why not take a breather, re-charge the batteries and go outside to look upon our marvellous starry skies. The views are breathtaking, particularly in #astrotourism country, and maybe stargazing and astronomy can become your hobby as well.