7 curious - and random - space questions

Is it true that screams cannot be heard in space?

Sound does not propagate in a vacuum

The sounds we hear are basically sound waves that vibrate through the air and reach our ears. However, as there is no "air" in space, sound has no means by which to propagate, so if one gets lost in the cosmos and tries to scream, no one will hear anything. On the other hand, for astronauts who need to communicate in space, they use radio waves - which can propagate in a vacuum.

2 - Why is the space dark?

Basically? Because it is empty!

Darkness (usually) represents the absence of light, right? The space is dark because most of it is empty, completely devoid of bodies that emit or reflect light. It may also happen that we are observing a certain point in the cosmos and the light sources of that particular spot emit light at a wavelength that is not visible to human eyes or that these stars are very far away and the light emitted by them not have come to us yet or come too weak to be noticed.

3 - Do astronauts wear diapers?

Yes they do, although they have a difficult name

During launches and reentrances on Earth, as well as when astronauts leave the interior of the ships - or the International Space Station - if nature calls, they cannot simply pull their pants down and go there in the corner to relieve themselves. So the space suits are equipped with the Maximum Absorbency Garment, which is basically a complicated-named diaper.

4 - What happens when someone farts?

In the absence of gravity to attract heavier air or atmosphere, and hence air and wind currents to carry gases, when astronauts fart, flatulence has little to go to.

The gases are not going anywhere

Luckily, the space suits are equipped with a device called LiOH that filters out gases like carbon dioxide and methane, which helps dispel the inconvenience. In addition, International Space Station personnel often direct the Puns to less-used areas to save other crew members.

5 - Are there any spy satellites in orbit?

The Japanese have released one these days!

Hey if there are! An example of such equipment is Radar 5, which is part of the Japanese defense system and launched in orbit a few days ago to monitor what the North Koreans have been up to.

6 - What is the temperature in space?

In fact, this will depend on where the temperature is measured. In the vicinity of stars, they will be scorching, of course, and may even hit the millions of degrees Celsius. On the other hand, on the surface of planets and celestial bodies that are too far away from their stars or receive no sunlight, temperatures can be freezing - as is the case with Neptune at -235 ° C.

Depends on where it is measured

In the International Space Station, for example, if there were no thermal control mechanisms, the temperature on the face facing the sun could reach a warm 120 ° C, while on the other side, which never receives sunlight, it would be almost -160 ° C. Thus, the temperature in space can reach extremes by human standards.

7 - Are the galaxies really the way we see in the images we see out there?

Not really! Not with the naked eye, at least. Breathtaking images of planets, galaxies, constellations, nebulae etc. they usually emit light at wavelengths that are not visible to human eyes and are therefore processed so that we can see them in all their splendor.

Not everything is what it seems

Not to mention that colors are often edited so that the images look more artistic. Not that the space isn't dazzling - it's just our eyes that can't see all its beauty.

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