70 Falmouth Street Portland, Maine 04103 43.6667° N 70.2667° W Altitude: 10 feet below sea level Founded January 1970 Julian Date: 2459344.18
2020-2021: CXXVI
"Horatio, why aren't we speaking Danish?"
-Hamlet
THE DAILY ASTRONOMER
Monday, May 10, 2021
Amazing Astronomy Facts III
We continue with our "amazing astronomy facts" list which, we're happy to report, has generated a lovely amount of positive feedback. In fact, the list will likely extend into tomorrow or even the next day, depending on how many graphics we use.
AIRY NOTHING
We all know that outer space is filled with, well, space: an enormous amount of it separates even the closest stars. What is less well known is that inner space is also mostly empty space.
Regard a scale model of the hydrogen nucleus and it attendant electron:
Yes, the electron- which one should not truly regard as an discrete object in space, but never mind- would be two miles or so from that nucleus on the left were it as large as the circle used to depict it. In three dimensional space, however, that means that the nucleus is isolated within 33 cubic miles of empty space. The electron loiters (again,not the best word) along the membrane of this immense sphere.
Almost everything consists of empty space!
Squeeze all the empty space out of the moon and one could fit it neatly inside a soup can.
Squeeze all the empty space out of every single human being who has ever lived, including those who are alive now
and all the material comprising them would be as large as...
A single sugar cube.
Neutron stars are the only objects in the physical Universe known to be devoid of inner space. They represent the densest form of material. A single sugar cube of material taken from a neutron star would weigh one billion tons!
The sensation of solidity, which we experience whenever we hold onto an object or whenever an object makes contact with us, is a consequence of the electromagnetic force or the exchange of photons between the impacting bodies. This force prevents objects from passing wraith-like through each other.
That space pervades the entire cosmos, both the outer reaches and the inner depths, is one of astronomy's most amazing notions.
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