As we all know technology is growing swiftly worldwide. Because of diverse innovative inventions and technologies, the discovery and study of various topics and things have become quite effortless. Now astrologers have tried very hard to find out new things present in the universe that are not known yet. Here is a list of some of the amazing space discoveries of the 21st century,
Space Discoveries Of The 21st century
1. Exo-planets
Firstly noticed in 1917 and finally approved in 1992, the planets which exist and subsist in the exterior of the solar system are exo-planets and are also renowned as extrasolar planets. These rotate on all the sides of stars not the sun and are more than 4878 in number. On the basis of size, orbital position, and weight, exo-planets can be classified into diverse categories.
Even a spaceship named Kepler was also launched by NASA only for the principle of studying exo-planets more intensely. Some planets which are moved from the star system and suspended liberally in the sky are rogue planets. Even exo-planets are known to have an atmosphere and life like many other planets of the solar system.
Also Read: Top 10 Most Strange Things To Fall From Outer Space
Image Source: Wikimedia
2. Stars
Billions of bright, shining, and colossal spheres made up of plasma are present in the universe and are called stars. Also, about a trillion stars are known to be there in the Milky Way Galaxy. Although most of the stars are present in groups still some are present alone in the sky. Sun is also a star of our solar system. Also, the bigger the size of the star, the smaller will be its life. These blistering balls held by gravity face diverse nuclear fusions inside them which eventually results in the emission of light.
3. Black Holes
An extremely dense area facilitating everything even light to pass through it just because of its great gravitational force is a black hole. This term was first used by Albert Einstein in 1916 and later the first black hole was discovered named Cygnus X-1. Being so dense, dark, and black looking into a black hole and recurring safely from this spiral is almost impossible.
A common mistaken belief about black holes is that they suck the things coming their way but actually it is not true. It has the ability to generate energy even larger than the sun. Even a black hole is also present at the core of our Milky Way Galaxy.
4. Galaxies
Millions to trillions of stars, gas, dust, and dark materials all present together by the force of gravity form a galaxy. The galaxy is having trillions of stars all revolving around a center point of high gravity. Among two trillion galaxies present in the whole universe, our galaxy is known as the Milky Way Galaxy.
With almost 300 billion stars, Milky Way is having a spiral shape and is a group of 3000 galaxies. Rotating at a speed of 250 km per second, Milky Way Galaxy takes 200 million years for one complete revolution. Almost all the galaxies are having a black hole at their core including the Milky Way Galaxy.
Image Source: Wikimedia
5. Alien life
The life which does not originate on earth is known as alien life. Also known as extraterrestrial life, prokaryotes and beings are included in it which is much more complex than human life. Though no extraterrestrial life has been discovered yet Drake equation tells a little about the occurrence of life in the universe. The study of alien life is known as astrobiology which comprises studying the origin of life. This life has impacted a lot of people and people are more and more inquisitive to know about aliens.
Image Source: Wikimedia
6. Ice space
The normal temperature on the earth is around 57 degrees Fahrenheit but you would be surprised to know that in space temperature is below -270 degrees Celsius which definitely forms ice on the other planets also. On earth, we can sense ice on the Northern and Southern poles but in space, the moon, planets, and comets are considered cold places having ice. The occurrence of ice gives the indication of the existence of water on the other planets which gives the hope of the possibility of survival on many other planets also.
Also Read: Top 10 Brightest Objects In The Solar System
Image Source: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
7. Dark energy and dark matter
Less than 5% of the cosmos in the universe is covered by atoms and light and the rest of the space is full of dark matter and dark energy. It is in fact invisible but dominates the universe. The mass of galaxies is made up of dark matter and it controls the way how galaxies have structured the influence that drives the expansion of the universe is termed dark energy. It is one of the most amazing space discoveries in the world.
8. Quasars
One of the amazing space discoveries, Quasar is essentially the nuclei of galaxies in the universe which go through extreme brightness due to which it is visible across a great distance. Initially, 3C 273 Quasar was found in 1950 and now almost 500000 quasars are known to be present.
Known as Quasi-Stellar Radio Sources, Quasars are 100 times brighter than the Milky Way Galaxy and liberate light rays, radio waves, and x-rays waves. Located at a distance of billion light years, quasars die after a particular time period. From earth, Quasar appears very akin to a star but in actuality, Quasar is different from the stars.
Also Read: Top 10 Biggest Things In The Universe
9. Asteroids and comets
A vast material usually made up of rocks and located at the asteroid belt moving around the sun is termed asteroids. Asteroids are sometimes also referred to as minor planets having various shapes and sizes with a diameter of fewer than 48 km. The small freezing balls consisting of ice, gases like methane, ammonia, water, and dust seen in the Oort cloud and Kuiper Belt are known as comets. Having very little rocky content, comets are at times referred to as dirty snowballs also.
10. Distance (light year)
A unit that is used for conveying and measuring the distance between various objects in the massive solar system is the light year. The materials like planets, stars, comets, and many more are placed at a distance of millions or trillions of light years away from the earth. Measuring the distance of light traveled in each year, a light year is the measure of distance, not the time. Light moves at the fastest speed of about 299792458 meters per second.
This is the list of amazing 10 space discoveries of the 21st century. Kindly share and do post your comments.
