Very rare cosmic phenomena witnessed by astronomers. The most unusual phenomena in space The most unusual phenomena in space
Every day, an incredible amount of new information and data is passed through observatories around the world from telescopes pointing to all corners of the universe. Each part of this data is of great interest to science, but not all of the information deserves public attention. And yet, some discoveries turn out to be so rare and unexpected that they attract the attention of even those people who are almost completely indifferent to space.
Superscattered galaxies
Galaxies are different forms and size, but more recently, astronomers have discovered a completely new type of these space objects: fluffy and smoky, like clouds, super-scattered galaxies contain an incredibly low number of stars. For example, a recently discovered super-diffused galaxy spanning 60,000 light-years (roughly the size of our own Milky Way) contains only 1 percent of stars.
To date, thanks to the collaboration between the Keck Telescope and the Dragonfly Telephoto Array, astronomers have discovered 47 superdiffuse galaxies. They have such a low percentage of stars contained in them that the night sky here would seem completely empty.
These space objects are so unusual that astronomers are still not sure how they could even form. Most likely, superscattered galaxies are the so-called failed galaxies, which ran out of galactic material (gas and dust) at the time of their formation. It is possible that these galaxies were once part of larger galaxies. But most of all, scientists are amazed by the fact that super-scattered galaxies were discovered in the Coma cluster - a region of space filled with dark matter and galaxies with enormous rotational speeds. Given these circumstances, it can be assumed that the super-scattered galaxies were once literally torn to shreds by the gravitational frenzy that is happening in this corner of space.
"Suicide" of an asteroid
The Hubble Space Telescope recently witnessed a very rare cosmic phenomenon - the spontaneous destruction of an asteroid. Usually, cosmic collisions or too close approach to larger cosmic bodies lead to such a combination of circumstances. However, the destruction of the asteroid P/2013 R3 under the influence of sunlight turned out to be a somewhat unexpected phenomenon for astronomers. The growing influence of the solar wind led to the rotation of R3. At some point this rotation reached critical point and broke the asteroid into 10 large pieces weighing about 200,000 tons. Slowly moving away from each other at a speed of 1.5 kilometers per second, pieces of the asteroid threw out an incredible amount of small particles.
The birth of a star
While observing the W75N(B)-VLA2 object, astronomers witnessed the formation of a new celestial body. Only 4,200 light-years away, VLA2 was first discovered in 1996 by the VLA (Very Large Array Radio Telescope) located at the San Augustin Observatory in New Mexico. During their first observation, the scientists noted a dense cloud of gas emitted by a tiny young star.
In 2014, during the next observation of the object W75N (B) -VLA2, scientists noted clear changes. For such a short period from an astronomical point of view, the celestial body has changed, however, these metamorphoses did not contradict the previously created scientifically predictable models. Over the past 18 years, the spherical shape of the gas surrounding the star has become more elongated under the influence of accumulated dust and space debris, in fact, creating a kind of cradle.
An unusual planet with incredible temperature changes
Space object 55 Cancri E is nicknamed the "diamond planet" because it is composed almost entirely of crystalline diamond. Recently, however, scientists have discovered another unusual feature of this cosmic body. The difference in temperature on a planet can spontaneously change by 300 percent, which is simply unimaginable for a planet of this type.
55 Cancri E is perhaps the most unusual planet within its system of five other planets. It is incredibly dense, and its full orbital period around the star takes 18 hours. Under the influence of the strongest tidal forces of the native star, the planet faces it with only one of its sides. Since the temperature on it can vary from 1000 thousand degrees to 2700 degrees Celsius, scientists suggest that the planet may be covered with volcanoes. On the one hand, this could explain such unusual temperature changes, on the other hand, it could refute the hypothesis that the planet is a giant diamond, because in this case the level of carbon contained would not correspond to the required one.
The volcanic hypothesis is supported by evidence found in our own solar system. Jupiter's moon Io is very similar to the described planet, and the tidal forces directed at this satellite turned it into one continuous giant volcano.
The strangest exoplanet - Kepler 7b
The gas giant Kepler 7b is a real revelation for scientists. At first, astronomers were struck by the incredible "obesity" of the planet. It is about 1.5 times the size of Jupiter, but it has a much lower mass, which could mean that its density is comparable to that of Styrofoam.
This planet could easily be on the surface of the ocean, if, of course, it would be possible to find an ocean with a size that could fit it. In addition, Kepler 7b is the first exoplanet for which a cloud map has been created. Scientists have found that the temperature on its surface can reach 800-1000 degrees Celsius. Hot, but not as hot as expected. The fact is that Kepler 7b is located closer to its star than Mercury is located to the Sun. After three years of observing the planet, scientists figured out the reasons for these inconsistencies: clouds in the upper atmosphere reflect excess heat from the star. Even more interesting was the fact that one side of the planet is always covered in clouds, while the other side is always clear.
Triple eclipse on Jupiter
A normal eclipse is not such a rare occurrence. Yet a solar eclipse is an amazing coincidence: the diameter of the solar disk is 400 times larger than the Moon, and at this moment the Sun is 400 times farther from it. Earth just so happens to be the perfect place to watch these cosmic events.
solar and lunar eclipses These are truly beautiful things. But in terms of entertainment, the triple eclipse on Jupiter outplays them. In January 2015, the Hubble telescope caught three Galilean satellites - Io, Europa and Callisto - lined up in front of their "gas daddy" Jupiter in the lens of its camera.
Anyone on Jupiter at the time could have witnessed a psychedelic triple solar eclipse. The next such event will occur no earlier than 2032.
giant star cradle
Stars are often found in groups. Large groups are called globular star clusters and can contain up to one million stars. Such clusters are scattered throughout the universe, and at least 150 of them are located inside the Milky Way. All of them are so ancient that scientists cannot even guess the principle of their formation. However, more recently, astronomers have discovered a very rare cosmic object - a very young globular cluster filled with gas, but without stars inside it.
Deep among the Antennae group of galaxies, located 50 million light-years away, there is a gas cloud whose mass is equivalent to 50 million suns. This place will soon become a nursery for many young stars. Astronomers have discovered such an object for the first time, and therefore they compare it to "a dinosaur egg that is about to hatch." From a technical point of view, this “egg” could have “hatched” a long time ago, since, presumably, such regions of space remain starless for only about one million years.
The importance of discovering such objects is colossal. Since they can explain some of the most ancient and yet inexplicable processes in the universe. It is quite possible that it is precisely such regions of space that become the original cradles of the incredibly beautiful globular clusters that we can now observe.
A rare phenomenon that helped solve the mystery of cosmic dust
The NASA Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is installed directly on board the modernized Boeing 747SP aircraft and is designed to study various astronomical events. At an altitude of 13 kilometers above the Earth's surface, there is less atmospheric water vapor that would interfere with the operation of an infrared telescope.
Recently, the SOFIA telescope helped astronomers solve one of the cosmic mysteries. Surely, many of you who have watched various programs about space know that we all, like everything else in the Universe, consists of star dust, or rather, of those elements of which it also consists. However, for a long time, scientists could not understand how this star dust does not evaporate under the influence of supernovae, which carry it across the entire Universe.
Looking with its infrared eye at the 10,000-year-old supernova Sagittarius A East, the SOFIA telescope found that the gathering dense regions of gas around the star act as a cushion to repel particles. space dust, protecting them from the effects of the heat released during the explosion and the shock wave.
Even if 7-20 percent of cosmic dust could survive the encounter with Sagittarius A East, it would be enough to form about 7000 space objects the size of the Earth.
Collision of the Perseid meteor with the Moon
Every year from mid-July until about the end of August, the Perseid meteor shower can be observed in the night sky, but it is best to start your observation of this cosmic phenomenon from observing the moon. On August 9, 2008, amateur astronomers did just that, witnessing an unforgettable event - the impact fall of meteorites on our planet. natural satellite. Due to the latter's lack of an atmosphere, meteorites fall on the Moon fairly regularly. However, the fall of the Perseid meteors, which, in turn, are fragments of the slowly dying comet Swift-Tuttle, was marked by especially bright flashes on the lunar surface, which could be seen by anyone who had even the simplest telescope.
Since 2005, NASA has witnessed about 100 such meteorite impacts on the Moon. Such observations may one day help develop methods for predicting future meteorite impacts, as well as means of protecting future astronauts and lunar colonists.
Dwarf galaxies containing more stars than huge galaxies
Dwarf galaxies are amazing space objects that prove to us that size doesn't always matter. Astronomers have already been doing research to find out the rate of star formation in medium and large galaxies, but until recently there was a gap in this issue for tiny galaxies.
After the Hubble Space Telescope provided infrared data on the dwarf galaxies it observed, astronomers were surprised. It turned out that star formation in tiny galaxies occurs much faster than star formation in larger galaxies. This is surprising because larger galaxies contain more gas, which is required for the formation of stars. Nevertheless, as many stars are formed in tiny galaxies in 150 million years as are formed in galaxies of standard and larger sizes in about 1.3 billion years of hard and intense work of local gravitational forces. And interestingly, scientists don't yet know why dwarf galaxies are so prolific.
Starting from stars that suck life out of their own kind and ending with giant black holes that are billions of times larger and more massive than our Sun.
1 Ghost Planet
Many astronomers have said that the huge planet Fomalhaut B has sunk into oblivion, but it seems to be alive again.
In 2008, astronomers using the NASA Hubble Space Telescope announced the discovery of a huge planet that orbits the very bright star Fomalhaut, located at a distance of only 25 light-years from Earth. Other researchers later questioned this discovery, saying that scientists had actually discovered a giant cloud of dust.
However, according to the latest data from Hubble, the planet is showing up again and again. Other experts are carefully studying the system surrounding the star, so the zombie planet may be buried more than once before a final verdict is made on this issue.
2 Zombie Stars
Some stars are literally coming back to life in a brutal and dramatic way. Astronomers classify these zombie stars as Type Ia supernovae, which spawn huge and powerful explosions, sending the "innards" of stars into the Universe.
Type Ia supernovae explode from binary systems that consist of at least one white dwarf- a tiny superdense star that has ceased to pass through the fusion of a nuclear reaction. White dwarfs are "dead", but in this form they cannot remain in the binary system.
They can come back to life, albeit briefly, in a giant explosion along with a supernova, sucking life out of their companion star or by merging with it.
3 Vampire Stars
Just like the vampires fiction, some stars manage to stay young by sucking vitality from the unfortunate victims. These vampire stars are known as "blue stragglers" and "look" much younger than their neighbors with whom they were formed.
When they explode, the temperature is much higher and the color is "much bluer". Scientists believe this is the case because they suck great amount hydrogen from neighboring stars.
4. Giant black holes
Black holes may seem like objects of science fiction - they are extremely dense, and the gravity in them is so strong that not even light is able to escape from them if it approaches close enough.
But these are very real objects that are quite common throughout the universe. In fact, astronomers believe that supermassive black holes are at the center of most (if not all) galaxies, including our own Milky Way. Supermassive black holes are mind-boggling in size.
5 Killer Asteroids
The phenomena cited in the previous paragraph can be eerie or take abstract form but they do not pose a threat to humanity. What cannot be said about large asteroids that fly at a distance close to the Earth.
And even an asteroid only 40 meters in size can cause serious harm if it hits locality. Probably the influence of the asteroid is one of the factors that changed life on Earth. It is assumed that 65 million years ago, it was the asteroid that destroyed the dinosaurs. Fortunately, there are ways to redirect dangerous space rocks away from Earth, if, of course, the danger is detected in time.
6. Active sun
The sun gives us life, but our star is not always so good. From time to time, serious storms occur on it, which can have a potentially devastating effect on radio communications, satellite navigation and the operation of electrical networks.
AT recent times such solar flares are especially common as the sun entered its particularly active phase of the 11-year cycle. The researchers expect that solar Activity will reach its peak in May 2013.
The largest scientific discoveries 2014
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The constant movement of the planets, the force of gravity and the evolution of stars cause the formation of various astronomical phenomena. Some of them, under certain conditions, can be seen even with the naked eye. Other phenomena, which could have happened even several centuries ago, testify to themselves in the form of comets flying by. Below is a list of the rarest and most amazing astronomical phenomena.
The comet travels around the sun in six years. Its trajectory is under the gravitational influence of Jupiter. Formations of ice were found on the surface, which, as they approach the Sun, turn into steam. The distance between the closest point in the comet's orbit and the Earth is 525 million kilometers.
When approaching Neptune, the comet falls under the influence of the gravitational force of the planet.
Passing in their orbit past the Sun, the ice formations evaporate, forming steam with dust particles. Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko was discovered in 1969.
This phenomenon is observed at the intersection of the orbits of the Earth and comet Tempel-Tuttle. The periodicity of this comet is exactly 33 years. The stream is characterized by a large number of meteors flying through the atmosphere, the number of which can reach 100,000. The most famous meteor shower was observed in 1833.
Comet Hale-Bopp is considered the brightest comet in space. 1000 times brighter than Halley's comet. You can even watch it with the naked eye. According to scientists, the period of revolution of a comet around the Sun is 2392 years.
The comet was discovered on July 23, 1995 by American astronomers Alan Hale and Thomasos Bopp. The closest distance with which it flew around the Earth is 193 million kilometers. The comet's orbit is very difficult to predict, so it's hard to say where it might be seen next.
Halley's Comet is a short period comet that returns to the Sun every 75 years. It is named after the English astronomer Edmund Halley, who discovered the phenomenon in 1531. The comet follows an elliptical orbit. The distance of passage past the Sun varies from 5 billion to 74 kilometers.
It is one of the brightest comets in the solar system. It can be easily seen even with the naked eye. The comet is 14 kilometers long and 8 kilometers wide. Most of the surface is covered with ice formations. Halley's Comet last passed the Sun in 1986, and its next appearance is expected in 2061.
Comet ISON is believed to be a near-solar comet that came from the Oort Cloud at the edge of the solar system. It is the brightest comet of the first half of the 21st century. It was discovered on September 12, 2012 by two Russian astronomers. On November 28, 2013, the comet broke up into two parts.
The comet is believed to have traveled 3.5 billion years before colliding with the Sun. At the same time, its weight was constantly increasing due to the accumulation of dust particles. Having reached a distance of 1 million kilometers from the Sun, the comet disintegrated.
Such an astronomical phenomenon happens very rarely. So, according to scientists, the next parade of planets with the participation of Mars, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and the Moon will occur in 2040.
In 2000, a parade of five planets (Mars, Saturn, Venus, Mercury and Jupiter) was recorded. In 2011, a parade of three planets (Jupiter, Mercury, Venus) was recorded. The next time such a small parade of planets will occur in 2015.
Periodic storms form in Saturn's atmosphere every 30 years. This phenomenon is also known as the Great White Oval. Such spots can reach several thousand kilometers in size. The cause of the phenomenon is considered to be a source of energy that collides with the upper atmosphere of the planet.
It is estimated that in every second of such a storm, ten lightning flashes appear in Saturn's atmosphere. As a result, each lightning evaporates all the moisture within a radius of 16 thousand kilometers. And as soon as everything evaporates, the lightning becomes more frequent and stronger. The power of such lightning exceeds 10 thousand times the earth's equivalent.
This astronomical phenomenon is observed when Venus passes between the Sun and the Earth, covering a tiny part of the solar disk. At this moment, the planet looks like a small black speck moving across the Sun.
This passage occurs every eight years. However, each time Venus passes in a different place. The planet follows the same trajectory every 110 years. In 2012, the last transit of Venus across the solar disk was recorded.
"Blue Moon" refers to the second full moon within one calendar month. This happens once every two years. The difference between two full moons is 29 days. Therefore, it is likely that you can see such an event twice in one month. However, this happens very rarely.
In fact, the term "Blue Moon" has little to do with the actual color of the phenomenon. However, sometimes due to certain optical effect The moon really seems blue color. So, for example, in 1883, as a result of the eruption of the Indonesian volcano Krakatau, a huge amount of volcanic ash appeared in the air, due to which the moon seemed blue.
A solar eclipse can be observed several times a year. However, it is very rare to see a total solar eclipse. The essence of the phenomenon lies in the total eclipse of the Sun by the Moon from the Earth. AT last time this phenomenon was observed in November 2012. According to scientists' forecasts, the next total solar eclipse will occur only after 138 years.
The moon is much closer to the sun than the earth. It is thanks to this fact that the inhabitants of the Earth have the opportunity to observe such an astronomical phenomenon.
The cosmos is full of bizarre and even scary phenomena, ranging from stars that suck the life out of their own kind to giant black holes that are billions of times larger and more massive than our Sun.
1 Ghost Planet
Many astronomers have said that the huge planet Fomalhaut B has sunk into oblivion, but it seems to be alive again. In 2008, astronomers using the NASA Hubble Space Telescope announced the discovery of a huge planet that orbits the very bright star Fomalhaut, located at a distance of only 25 light-years from Earth. Other researchers later questioned this discovery, saying that scientists had actually discovered a giant cloud of dust.
However, according to the latest data from Hubble, the planet is showing up again and again. Other experts are carefully studying the system surrounding the star, so the zombie planet may be buried more than once before a final verdict is made on this issue.
2 Zombie Stars
Some stars are literally coming back to life in a brutal and dramatic way. Astronomers classify these zombie stars as Type Ia supernovae, which create huge and powerful explosions that send the "innards" of stars into the Universe.
Type Ia supernovae explode from binary systems that consist of at least one white dwarf - a tiny, superdense star that has stopped undergoing nuclear fusion. White dwarfs are "dead", but in this form they cannot remain in the binary system.
They can come back to life, albeit briefly, in a giant explosion along with a supernova, sucking life out of their companion star or by merging with it.
3 Vampire Stars
Just like vampires in fiction, some stars manage to stay young by sucking the life force out of unfortunate victims. These vampire stars are known as "blue stragglers" and "look" much younger than their neighbors with whom they were formed.
When they explode, the temperature is much higher and the color is "much bluer". Scientists believe this is the case because they suck huge amounts of hydrogen from neighboring stars.
4. Giant black holes
Black holes may seem like objects of science fiction - they are extremely dense, and the gravity in them is so strong that not even light is able to escape from them if it approaches close enough.
But these are very real objects that are quite common throughout the universe. In fact, astronomers believe that supermassive black holes are at the center of most (if not all) galaxies, including our own Milky Way. Supermassive black holes are mind-boggling in size.
5 Killer Asteroids
The phenomena cited in the previous paragraph may be eerie or take an abstract form, but they do not pose a threat to humanity. What cannot be said about large asteroids that fly at a distance close to the Earth.
And even an asteroid only 40 meters in size can cause serious harm if it hits a populated area. Probably the influence of the asteroid is one of the factors that changed life on Earth. It is assumed that 65 million years ago, it was the asteroid that destroyed the dinosaurs. Fortunately, there are ways to redirect dangerous space rocks away from Earth, if, of course, the danger is detected in time.
6. Active sun
The sun gives us life, but our star is not always so good. From time to time, serious storms occur on it, which can have a potentially devastating effect on radio communications, satellite navigation and the operation of electrical networks.
Recently, such solar flares have been observed especially often, because the sun has entered its especially active phase of the 11-year cycle. Researchers expect solar activity to peak in May 2013.
Space is truly a mysterious place. Something extremely unusual is constantly happening in the universe, so it is not surprising that there are many secrets that we long to uncover. Since the earliest days of space exploration, astronauts and ground-based researchers have encountered a range of incredible phenomena. From UFOs to mysterious glows, something inexplicable is constantly observed outside the atmosphere of our planet right in the middle of a boundless vacuum.
Is there intelligent life in the universe other than us? How to explain the strange events that we manage to register with our still insufficiently advanced devices? There are many more questions, but scientists are now only at the beginning of the thorny path of exploring our world. Do you want to know about 25 interesting cases from their practice?
25. Knocking in the Chinese spacecraft, the origin of which has not been clarified
Photo: wikipedia.commons.com
Taikonaut (participant of the Chinese space program) Yang Liwei was the first person who was sent into space by the PRC authorities on the Shenzhou 5 ship. During his 21-hour flight, the hero astronaut heard a strange noise, as if someone outside was banging on the skin of his ship. The pilot was never able to determine the source of the mysterious sound, and none of the Chinese experts was also able to offer a sufficiently convincing version of the nature of what happened. Some believe that the whole thing was the reaction of the ship to the impact of the space environment. Probably the ship's hull contracted and expanded, making noises that disturbed Liwei.
24 NASA astronaut Story Musgrave saw space eels
Photo: wikipedia.commons.com
When the American cosmonaut Story Musgrave was on his next space mission, he allegedly saw some mysterious objects resembling wriggling eels in shape. The astronaut claims to have seen them twice. Experts are sure that it was some space debris, but Musgrave continues to stand his ground - it was something else ...
23. Astronauts who participated in the Apollo program said they saw strange flashes of light in space
Photo: NASA on The Commons / flickr
Many scientists who took part in the flight spaceship Apollo 11 and subsequent launches in the framework of the same program (lunar expeditions of Apollo 12, 14, 15, 16, 17), claim that they saw strange flashes of light in space. The astronauts stated that the glow was visible even when they closed their eyes, and that it was white, blue, or yellow color. Scientists believe that such visions were caused by contact with cosmic rays ( elementary particles and nuclei of atoms moving with high energies in outer space).
22. American astronauts on board the ISS saw a strange orange glow
Photo: wikipedia.commons.com
On her first flight to the ISS, Samantha Cristoforetti, the third female astronaut of the European Space Agency and the first female astronaut of the Italian Space Agency, saw something very strange. As she approached the station, she noticed that the ISS glowed with an unusual blood-orange light. No one has been able to explain this phenomenon.
21. Major Gordon Cooper (Gordon Cooper) claims that in space he saw a strange green ball
As a member of the Mercury space program, Major Gordon Cooper circled the Earth in an orbital capsule. According to the astronaut, during his mission he saw a green sphere, confidently approaching him, and then suddenly disappeared. At the same time, the equipment of the Australian Center for Deep Space Communications registered an unusual signal. Coincidence?
20. NASA Astronauts Deliberately Started a Fire Aboard the ISS
Photo: wikipedia.commons.com
Of course, the last thing you want to see on board a spaceship as a passenger is a fire. However, NASA decided that there would still be fire in space. In fact, this idea had purely scientific goals - the researchers wanted to observe the behavior of the flame in microgravity. What's the lesson? First, in such unusual conditions, the fire takes the form of a sphere or a drop. Secondly, the flames usually follow the air source from the ventilation systems, and do not just rise up under any circumstances, as is most often the case on Earth. Scientists are going to conduct several more similar experiments to learn more about the nature of the spread of fires, how quickly they can flare up and which materials pose the greatest risk to astronauts in the event of an uncontrolled fire on board.
19. Astronauts flew into space, taking with them an unusual satellite - an earthly bacterium
Photo: wikipedia.commons.com
Living organisms in space behave differently than on our planet. Bacteria are no exception in this case. Astronaut Cheryl Nickerson was tasked with taking a salmonella sample into space with him, and the bacterium spent a whopping 11 days in space. Upon returning to Earth, the bacterium was quickly injected into an experimental mouse to test how a salmonella infection that survived the space trip would proceed. Mice with salmonellosis usually die after 7 days, but laboratory animals that were infected with "space" bacteria died 2 days earlier and from a smaller dose. Similar experiments were carried out with other bacteria, but the results were always unpredictable and ambiguous. To date, scientists have not yet figured out how exactly the flight out of the earth's atmosphere and the return back affect various microorganisms.
18. During the flight in the orbit of the moon, the participants of the Apollo 10 mission heard strange music.
Photo: wikipedia.commons.com
When the astronauts who flew around the moon were at the farthest point from us, they heard sounds that they later called "the music of outer space." At that moment, they had no connection with the flight center in Houston, and the astronauts were completely cut off from the rest of the world. Upon returning home, none of the mission participants spoke about what happened, but a few years later, on the recordings of their flight, scientists heard a low-frequency whistling noise of unknown origin ...
17 Neil Armstrong May Have Seen Aliens On The Moon
Photo: wikipedia.commons.com
Of course, you can doubt this, but they say that Neil Armstrong sent NASA a secret message in which the pioneer claimed that during his legendary mission he met with extraterrestrial civilization. In a classified report, the astronaut wrote something like this: “They are watching us from reverse side Moon! Armstrong himself denies all this.
16 Mysterious Flashes Of Light From Space That No Astronomer Can Explain
Photo: wikipedia.commons.com
This phenomenon was discovered in February 2007. Then these mysterious flashes unknown nature and called "fast radio bursts" that last only a few milliseconds. Scientists do not yet know what these radio pulses are, or what exactly provokes their occurrence. There are several theories, including the version that these outbreaks are somehow connected with neutron stars, black holes, or even aliens.
15. Astronauts who spend a lot of time on a mission get taller.
Photo: wikipedia.commons.com
One of the interesting effects of a relatively long stay in space is the change in astronaut height. Due to the influence of microgravity, the spine does not experience the usual load and pressure for it, as it happens under the conditions of earthly gravity at home. Therefore, upon returning home, the astronauts, as it were, “stretch” by about 3% of their height. However, over time, the former growth returns, and the reason for this is the same force of attraction.
14. A real cosmic cataclysm occurred at a distance of 10.7 billion light years from Earth
Photo: wikipedia.commons.com
While we are floating in our cozy galaxy, something frightening regularly happens in the Universe ... For example, researchers recently recorded a sudden burst of X-ray radiation at a distance of about 10.7 billion light-years from Earth. Astronomers believe that this was some extremely destructive phenomenon that can be compared to a cosmic cataclysm. The energy released by the burst was a thousand times more powerful than the energy that all the stars in our galaxy are capable of emitting! No one yet knows what this event was, or what caused it, and whether we are waiting for any special consequences.
13. Russian cosmonaut saw a mysterious object the size of a finger in the window
Photo: wikipedia.commons.com
During a mission aboard the Salyut-6 orbital station, Russian cosmonaut Colonel General Vladimir Kovalyonok saw an object the size of a normal finger in space. While the astronaut was examining this strange object, trying to understand what it was, the mysterious thing exploded and split into 2 parts. The golden fragments disappeared as soon as they fell into the shadow of the Earth.
12. The Milky Way has a rather bloodthirsty past.
Photo: NASA.gov / commons.wikimedia.org
With the help of the Hubble Space Telescope, NASA scientists have discovered an interesting phenomenon of "galactic cannibalism" from our homeland - the Milky Way. American astronomers encountered this phenomenon while they were studying 13 stars located on the outer edge of our galaxy's halo to better understand exactly how Milky Way. According to experts, over time, our galaxy grows, and this happens by eating smaller star clusters.
11. During the flight of the reusable spacecraft Atlantis as part of the STS-115 program, the shuttle collided with a UFO
Photo: wikipedia.commons.com
During the STS-115 mission to the Atlantis MTKK, a small undefined object. The astronauts even had to carry out a full inspection of the vessel to make sure it was not damaged and could continue its mission. According to experts from NASA, it was just some kind of space debris or a wandering piece of ice. Of course, there were those who are sure that such statements are just a cover, and that something more significant happened in space then.
10. Leroy Chiao saw strange flashes of light in space appearing out of nowhere.
Photo: wikipedia.commons.com
During his next mission, American astronaut Leroy Chiao (Leroy Chiao) saw five bright lights in the opposite direction from the Sun. According to the researcher, he was amazed by what he saw to the core, and he could not understand what kind of luminous objects they were, or where they came from. The astronaut claims that the lights flew very quickly and in a certain order, except for the second. Later, scientists from NASA tried to figure out what happened, but they did not go beyond theories. Probably, these were some reflections from the Earth.
9. One very distant quasar has an incredibly huge supply of water
Photo: NASA.gov
Approximately 12 billion light-years from Earth, one of the quasars we have discovered (the active core of the galaxy), according to scientists, has a huge supply of water, the mass of which is supposedly 140 trillion times the mass of water in all the oceans of the Earth. By itself, water in space is not such a rarity. However, in this case, the researchers were amazed at how much water was concentrated in one place.
Photo: Scott Kelly
American astronaut Scott Kelly loves to share his impressions of flying in in social networks. In one of his tweets, the scientist published a photograph of India taken from space. However, the most interesting in this picture was not our planet. In the corner of this photo, users noticed 2 strange white lights. Many immediately considered that this was new evidence of the existence of UFOs and aliens, although experts could not establish the nature of the mysterious objects. It could be a flying saucer, or just a lens flare.
7. After a long stay in space, the eyes of the researchers are deformed.
Photo: www.theguardian.com
Astronauts who have been on a mission for too long (more than a month) sometimes begin to complain about their vision upon returning home. According to a new study, many astronauts experience certain changes in the eyeball due to long-term exposure to microgravity. The deformity also affects the optic nerve and the pituitary gland. This condition is closely related to intracranial hypertension (increased pressure in the cranial cavity).
6. The ISS cameras captured an object that is very reminiscent of the ship "Millennium Falcon"
Photo: Kory Westerhold / flickr
Enthusiast Jadon Beeson is passionate about everything related to space and astronauts. During one of the live broadcasts from the NASA video camera installed on the ISS, the man saw something very strange. According to Beeson, it was a pair of lights illuminating an object whose shape very much reminded him of the fictional Millennium Falcon from the famous TV show Star Wars. An enthusiast took a picture of this moment of the broadcast and sent it to NASA experts. There was no explanation from their side.
5. There is still a ninth planet in our solar system
You have probably heard more than once that in 2006 Pluto was demoted to dwarf planet from the honorary ninth planet of the solar system. However, the title of the ninth planet is constantly recalled in the scientific community, and today some researchers are already almost sure that this planet 9 once was in our planetary system, but it was long thrown to a distance farther from the Sun. Astronomers believe that it was the size of Neptune, and right now they are working on new data that can prove this claim. The elliptical orbit of this planet is supposedly so large that it takes about 15 thousand years to complete a revolution around the Sun. This is not 365 days for you ...
4. Soviet cosmonaut Musa Manarov captured a mysterious UFO
Photo: UR3IRS / Russian Wikipedia
In March 1991, Soviet cosmonaut Musa Manarov was on board the ISS, and then he managed to capture something very unusual. A strange object has entered the frame white color, and Manarov is still sure that it was not some ordinary space debris.
3. NASA interrupted the live broadcast from space as soon as a UFO hit the frame
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On January 15, 2015, during a live broadcast from the ISS, an unidentified object hovering directly above the Earth fell into the field of view of the lens. As soon as the UFO became absolutely distinct, NASA interrupted its broadcast without any explanation. What kind of object it was, and why the Americans tried to hide it - these are the main questions ...
2 Long Space Shuttle Crews Lose Bone Mass
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You may be surprised, but it turns out that even human bones are affected by microgravity. If astronauts are on a mission for too long, their bone mass changes markedly. Bones are a very active organ, and they are constantly developing, which largely depends on physical activity their owner (running, walking or vice versa a passive lifestyle). The lower the load, the weaker and lighter the bones.
1. A live bacterium was discovered overboard the ISS
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It used to be considered that living organisms are not able to survive in the permafrost space vacuum. However, astronauts recently found out that this is not at all the case, and this was proved by the discovery of a living bacterium, a sample of which was taken directly from the surface of the ISS. In connection with this discovery, some researchers began to claim that we have the first evidence of the existence of life outside the Earth. However, other experts believe that this phenomenon can be explained much more trivially - ascending air currents could pick up these bacteria from the upper layers of the earth's atmosphere, from where these microorganisms got to the outer shell of the ISS.