Cosmic Adventures: Exploring the Wonders of the Universe

Did you know our entire solar system is moving through space? We’re all zooming around the center of the Milky Way galaxy at incredible speeds of about 720,000 kilometers per hour! It would take us about 230 million years to complete one orbit around the Milky Way! Our solar system isn’t just planets; it also has many moons. Over 200 have been discovered so far! The Sun is the star at the center of our solar system. It’s a massive, burning ball of hydrogen and helium gas. The Sun is so massive that it accounts for over 99.8% of the solar system’s total mass. More than a million Earths would fit inside the Sun! Its gravity keeps all the planets in orbit and provides heat and light for life on Earth. Our Milky Way is just one of billions of galaxies in the universe. The Andromeda Galaxy is our closest prominent galactic neighbor and is even more significant than the Milky Way.

Scientists widely agree that the universe is expanding, meaning that the space between galaxies is growing over time. A recent study in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics suggests that the universe’s expansion could be fueled by merging with smaller, “baby” universes. Astronomers have identified two ancient streams of stars within the Milky Way galaxy, named Shakti and Shiva, dating back more than 12 billion years. Japan achieved a historic milestone by becoming the fifth country to land a spacecraft on the moon successfully. The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM), a lightweight spacecraft roughly the size of a passenger vehicle, made its lunar touchdown at approximately 12:20 AM (15:20 GMT) on January 20, 2024, as the Japan Space Agency reported. Space exploration continues today with missions like NASA’s upcoming Artemis program. By returning to the Moon, NASA hopes to learn more about our celestial neighbor and develop new technologies for future Mars exploration.