On the left is a cool video about the comparison of some of the well known stars in our Universe and the planets in our Solar System. It also has some information about VY Canis Majoris (which is the biggest star known). On the right is another video which is 10 minutes long. It compares moons, planets, stars, galaxies, etc (if you want to skip to the star bit then it is at 1:50 which is Proxima Centauri even though the actual smallest star is OGLE-TR-122b)
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Random facts
- The Sun produces so much energy that the amount of energy produced every second is the equivalent to 100 billion nuclear bombs.
- The heat from a pin-head size of the Sun would kill anyone standing within 145km.
- A teaspoon of a Neutron star would be the same weight as the entire population of Earth (Imagine a teaspoon of sugar weighing the same amount as everyone on Earth).
- 'The Pistol star' is 10 million times brighter than our Sun.
- 8000 stars are visible with the naked eye- 4000 in the Northern Hemisphere and the rest in the Southern Hemisphere.
- Solar Eclipses can last up to 7mins 58secs, but Lunar Eclipses can last up to 1hr 40mins!
- 1 Quasar is the equivalent to the energy of 1 trillion stars.
- The average galaxy contains 40 billion stars.
- We only receive half a billionth of the energy the Sun produces.
- It takes 30,000 years to produce the Suns light (it is produced in the core then comes to the photosphere).
- All the coal, oil, fuel and energy in the world would keep the Sun running for only a few days.
- Neutron stars can rotate up to 500 times a second.
- When you are in space as an astronaut you get taller, but your heart gets smaller.
- Some stars can make strange sounds- one was found to make a sound like the chopping of a helicopters wings!
- Click on the button below for more interesting facts:
Galaxies
Galaxies in the Universe can be outstanding to look at. One of the most iconic galaxies is the Whirlpool Galaxy. It is famous for its big, beautiful swirly arms.The reason the arms stand out is because the bright stars are on the arms, while the dark dwarf stars are in between the arms. Another is the Andromeda Galaxy and it is famous for being a beautiful galaxy like others, and also is the closest spiral galaxy. The Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy are expected to collide in 3.75 billion years, so nothing to worry about just yet! These are just 2 spiral galaxies, and while there are many more, the other types of galaxies are elliptical (circular) and irregular. Scientists believe there is 100 billion galaxies in the Universe, but I think the list is endless.