We often marvel at the beauty of the universe and the wonders it holds. However, sometimes we forget that space can also be quite terrifying. Here are some unearthly nightmares that could be happening right now in our own galaxy.
First up is Miranda, an icy moon of Uranus. It has a mismatched appearance with deep craters, high ridges, and extreme cliffs. It may look like it was patched together like Frankenstein's monster, but those are actually scars from past impacts. Imagine exploring a place that looks like a monster moon!
Next is a frightening face on the Sun, captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. It looks like the Sun is getting ready for Halloween with a ghoulish grin. But what's actually happening is that active regions of the Sun are emitting large amounts of light and energy.
Then there's the black hole at the center of our own galaxy, the Milky Way. It has gravity so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape. If you got too close to a black hole, the pull of gravity would be so strong that you'd be stretched into a long, thin noodle of material. So much for movies showing black holes as a gateway to another world.
Did you know that a place with no sunlight at all exists in our own solar system? The floors of some craters near the Moon's poles haven't seen the Sun for billions of years. If you're planning a trip to the bottom of one of these craters, bring a flashlight.
If you're not scared yet, consider the spine-tingling space sounds that NASA scientists have turned into audible waves. For example, listen to the sound of Jupiter's immense and extreme magnetic field as recorded by NASA's Juno spacecraft. It's amazing how our ears can't perceive these sounds, but we can hear them thanks to technology.
There's also the eerie silence of space. Sound is absent in the vacuum of space, so it's a very quiet place. But that also means that if you're in space, you can't hear anything, not even the sound of your own voice.
Finally, there's the possibility of encountering extraterrestrial life. We've been searching for signs of life beyond Earth for decades, and while we haven't found any definite evidence yet, the possibility of discovering intelligent life or encountering hostile aliens is still a scary thought.
Have you ever heard of the "Spiders" on Mars? Every spring, these spider-like features emerge from the ground on the red planet. While they may look like creepy crawlies from afar, they are actually formed from the build-up of trapped gas that breaks through the Martian surface as a jet. This process scatters dark dust around the vent, creating the spider-like appearance. It's just another example of the unique and bizarre things that can occur in the universe.
Speaking of unique and bizarre, have you ever heard of exoplanets? These are planets that exist outside our solar system, and they can have some pretty wild weather patterns. Take HD 189733 b, for example. From a distance, it may look similar to Earth with its blue color, but its weather is anything but similar. Imagine winds that travel seven times the speed of sound and raindrops made of molten glass - definitely not a planet you'd want to visit anytime soon!
But not everything in space is strange or bizarre. In fact, some things can be quite eerie. Case in point: the skull-shaped asteroid called 2015 TB145. This asteroid tumbled past Earth around Halloween in 2015, leaving many people wondering if it was some kind of cosmic prank. Scientists later determined that it was most likely a comet that had burned out. The asteroid measured about 600 meters wide, which is about the size of a pretend giant human's skull if they were three miles tall!
And what happens to all the satellites that orbit Earth when they reach the end of their lives? If they are small enough and close enough, they dive into Earth's atmosphere and burn up. But if they are too far away, they are sent into a "graveyard orbit" many thousands of miles away from Earth. This way, they won't interfere with active, working satellites.
These are just a few examples of the many wonders that space has to offer. From spiders on Mars to skull-shaped asteroids, the universe is full of fascinating and sometimes eerie phenomena.
Tags:
Cosmology