Guest Author - Barbara Melville
Fact – Saturn would float
Strange but true! Saturn is made up of gases that are less dense than water, including helium and hydrogen. However, Saturn is pretty big (120, 536 kilometers in diameter), so you’d need a huge body of water to try this out.
Myth – Light years are a unit of time
This is a very common mistake. They’re actually a unit of distance – the distance light travels in one year (around 9 trillion kilometers). For example, the Andromeda galaxy is 2.9 million light years away. When we look at Andromeda, we’re seeing how it was all those years ago.
Fact – The Moon is moving away
Although it’s not in a huge hurry to leave us, the Moon is gradually getting farther away from Earth – about 1.5 inches every year.
Myth – There is no gravity in space
In truth, there is always gravity, because all objects in space pull on each other all the time. Other planets and even stars are all pulling on us, but the effect is insignificant.
Fact – Space is silent (almost!)
Space is very, very, very nearly silent. Sound needs a medium in order to travel, such as air or water. It cannot travel in a vacuum, which makes up most of space. However, gas clouds called nebulae would allow sound to carry.
Myth – Summer occurs when the Earth is close to the Sun
Remember, when it’s summer on one side of the world, it’s winter on the other. The seasons are actually caused by the tilt of the Earth’s axis.
Fact – Venus spins backwards
Venus is the odd one out when it comes to spin – it spins in the opposite direction to the other planets in the Solar System. It also spins more slowly, so slowly in fact that a day on Venus is the same as 243 days on Earth. Jupiter’s spin is the fastest, with a day of approximately 9.9 Earth hours.
Myth – You can only balance an egg on its end at the equinox
The ability to balance an egg is often linked to the equinoxes, which occur in March and September. But you can balance an egg on its end at any time, if you have the skill and patience!
Fact – Comets’ tails aren’t always behind
A comet’s tail will always point away from the Sun, meaning they sometimes lead with their tails. This is because solar winds and radiation push the tails outwards.
Myth – asteroids are close together
If you were out flying your spaceship through the asteroid belt, you wouldn’t have to dodge asteroids every few seconds. In fact, these fascinating objects are so far apart that you could travel through it without ever seeing one.
