When people think about strange ideas in space science, they often think of black holes, dark matter, or parallel universes. But one of the strangest theories in cosmology is the idea of cosmic strings. Despite the name, cosmic strings are not the same as strings in string theory, and they are not ordinary objects floating through space like ropes or threads. Instead, they are hypothetical cracks or defects in the structure of the universe itself. Cosmic strings are thought t

Space is a vacuum, which means there is no air for us to breathe and no way to smell anything directly in the way we do on Earth. So at first, the idea of “what space smells like” might sound strange. However, astronauts who return from spacewalks have often reported that their suits and equipment carry a very unusual smell back inside the spacecraft. This has led to an interesting question: if space itself has no air, why does it seem to have a smell at all? According to ast

If humans ever live on Mars, they will need more than rockets, habitats, and oxygen systems. They will also need food. Carrying every meal from Earth would be expensive and impractical, especially for long-term missions. That is why scientists are studying an important question: could astronauts actually grow food on Mars? In theory, the answer is yes, but it would be very difficult. Mars is not naturally friendly to plants. The planet has a very thin atmosphere, extremely co

Space may look calm from a distance, but it is actually a very harsh environment. A spacecraft traveling far from Earth has to deal with extreme temperatures, radiation, vacuum, and the challenge of operating for years without direct human help. So how do space probes survive deep space? The answer lies in careful engineering, smart design, and a lot of testing. One major challenge is temperature. In space, there is no atmosphere to protect a spacecraft from heat or cold. A p

When people think about climate change, they often picture things happening here on Earth, such as rising temperatures, melting ice, or stronger storms. However, some of the clearest evidence for climate change comes from space. Satellites orbiting Earth allow scientists to observe the planet as a whole and track environmental changes over time. In this way, space has become one of the most important tools for understanding Earth’s climate and the way it changes. One major le

When people think about climate change, they often focus on what is happening on Earth’s surface, such as rising temperatures, melting ice, or stronger heatwaves. However, some of the most important information about Earth’s climate actually comes from space. Satellites orbiting above our planet help scientists observe changes over time and understand climate change on a global scale. One reason space is so useful is because it gives scientists a much broader view of Earth. F

Ice ages do not happen randomly. Over very long periods of time, Earth’s climate shifts between colder glacial periods and warmer interglacial periods, and one major reason is a set of slow changes in Earth’s movement around the Sun called Milankovitch cycles. These cycles affect how sunlight is distributed across Earth, especially in the Northern Hemisphere, where large ice sheets can grow. There are three main Milankovitch cycles. The first is eccentricity, which refers to

Becoming an astronaut is not just about flying to space. Long before launch day, astronauts go through years of training to prepare for the physical, technical, and mental challenges that come with space travel. Leaving Earth may look exciting from the outside, but it requires a huge amount of discipline, practice, and teamwork. One major part of astronaut training is learning how spacecraft systems work. Astronauts need to understand the vehicles they will fly in, including

Space may seem completely different from the ocean, but water plays a very important role in astronaut training. One reason is that working underwater can imitate some of the challenges astronauts face in space, especially when they perform spacewalks outside a spacecraft or space station. In space, astronauts experience microgravity, which means they feel almost weightless. On Earth, it is impossible to fully recreate that condition for long periods of time. However, underwa

When people hear the phrase “solar system,” they often think of our own: the Sun at the center, rocky planets closer in, gas giants farther out, and smaller bodies like asteroids and comets spread throughout. For a long time, this was the only example scientists had. As a result, many people assumed that most planetary systems in the universe would probably look similar. However, the discovery of exoplanets has shown that solar systems can be arranged in many different ways a

A supernova is one of the most powerful events in the universe. It happens when a star reaches the end of its life and explodes, releasing an enormous amount of energy, light, and matter into space. For a short time, a single exploding star can shine more brightly than an entire galaxy. Even though all supernovae are dramatic stellar deaths, they do not all happen in the same way. In fact, astronomers classify them into different types depending on what causes the explosion.

At first glance, maps of planets discovered beyond our solar system seem to reveal something strange. Instead of being spread evenly across the sky, many of them appear clustered into a long, stretched-out “panhandle,” as if planets only exist in one narrow strip of the universe. It’s a striking image, but it’s also completely misleading. This formation is not a real structure in space. It is not a line of planets, nor does it reflect how planets are distributed across the un

At the start of the 21st century, space exploration was dominated by governments. Agencies like NASA had achieved incredible milestones, but progress had slowed, and the cost of reaching space remained extremely high. Into this environment stepped Elon Musk, a tech entrepreneur with no formal background in aerospace engineering but an ambitious vision: to make humanity a multi-planetary species. Before entering the space industry, Musk had already found success through compan

When we look up at the night sky, stars may seem fairly similar at first. Most appear as tiny points of light, with only slight differences in brightness or color. In reality, however, stars can be very different from one another. They vary in size, temperature, color, brightness, and lifespan, and astronomers use these differences to classify them into different types. (University Of Sydney) One of the simplest ways to understand stars is through their color as a star’s colo

The Sun is the center of our solar system and the source of the light and heat that make life on Earth possible. Even though it is the star we know best, many questions about it remain unanswered. Why is the Sun’s outer atmosphere, called the corona, much hotter than its visible surface? How is the solar wind accelerated? And how do solar eruptions affect Earth and the rest of the solar system? To help answer questions like these, NASA launched the Parker Solar Probe on Augus

The idea that we are “made of stardust” may sound poetic, but it is also scientifically true. The atoms in your body did not all form on Earth. Most of the hydrogen in the universe was created shortly after the Big Bang, along with helium and a small amount of lithium. However, many of the heavier elements that make up planets and living things, such as carbon, oxygen, and iron, were forged in stars and later spread through space by stellar explosions. The human body is made

Jupiter is often called the “bodyguard” of the solar system, and this is due to a variety of reasons. It is the largest planet orbiting the Sun, with so much mass that more than 1,000 Earths could fit inside it. Because of its enormous size and, consequently, powerful gravity, Jupiter has a major effect on the movement of other objects in the solar system, especially comets and asteroids, that come close to it. (ESA/Hubble) Essentially, due to its powerful gravitational field

For decades, human space exploration seemed to stall at low Earth orbit. Since the final missions of the Apollo program, no astronaut had traveled beyond this boundary or ventured back toward the Moon. That changed with the recent launch of Artemis II, marking humanity’s long-awaited return to deep space. Artemis II is the first crewed mission in NASA’s Artemis program and the first time in over 50 years that astronauts have left Earth’s immediate vicinity. Unlike the Apollo

Despite its famous name, the Moon’s “dark side” is not actually dark all the time. The more accurate term is the Moon’s far side, the half of the Moon that always faces away from Earth because the Moon is tidally locked, meaning it rotates at the same rate that it orbits our planet. As a result, we only ever see one side from Earth, while the far side remained hidden until spacecraft finally photographed it in the 20th century. What scientists found was surprising as the far

Finding life beyond Earth would be one of the biggest discoveries in human history. It could completely change how we understand biology, the universe, and even our place within it. But surprisingly, one of the biggest challenges would not just be making the discovery itself, it would also be figuring out how to tell the world about it such a significant discovery. This may sound strange at first. If scientists found life in space, wouldn’t they just announce it? Wouldn't the