Lesser Known Facts About Astronomy

Astronomy makes for one of the most fascinating subjects. The world of planets and stars is certain to leave anyone amused. Even though, man has been studying astronomy for many years now, there are still various facts about the topic that remain relatively unknown. Let us have a look at a few of them.
One of the most surprising facts about astronomy is that you can’t see everything around. As per scientists, we could only see 5% of the matter that’s around us. The rest of the matter is made up of invisible matter, which is also known as dark matter. This is quite similar to high cholesterol levels. They do exist within the body but cannot be seen until you go for a cholesterol screening test.
The sun is the first source of energy for the earth. But, what the majority of us don’t realize is the large amount of energy realized by the sun.This astronomical body releases energy equivalent to billion nuclear bombs every second.
Mercury is the closest planet to the sun. So, it’s only obvious that the planet would have soaring temperatures. However, did you know that the temperature on mercury could go as low as -280 degrees F. The cause of the same is that mercury doesn’t have any atmosphere. As a result, it is unable to trap the heat received from the sun. Thus, the side that’s facing away from the sun is very cold.
Well, when we are talking about the hottest planet, we can’t miss out on Venus. Though far from the sun, it is hotter than Mercury. This is just because it has got an atmosphere of its own and can arrest heat and keep its warmth in the side which is away from the sun.
Yet an additional entertaining fact about Astronomy is that telescope may not have been invented by Gallileo Galilei. There are numerous reports and researches that indicate suggest Dutch eyeglass maker Johannes Lippershey as the creator of the telescope. Nevertheless, it was Gallileo who was the first one to apply the device. The telescope may be used to view many heavenly objects and can additionally offer a much better sighting of the moon.
We are commonly fascinated by the comets. These comets are generally little dirt particles which fall into the earth’s atmosphere. Whenever these particles pass through the earth’s orbit, they leave traces of dust. These particles get heated when they move about in the atmosphere. This forms streaks in the night sky which seem to be like the tail of a star, hence the name shooting star.
If these facts have taken you by surprise, then you may consider dwelling into the world of astronomy further.