THE SOUTHWORTH PLANETARIUM
207-780-4249 www.usm.maine.edu/planet
70 Falmouth Street Portland, Maine 04103
43.6667° N 70.2667° W
Altitude: 10 feet below sea level
Founded January 1970
Julian Date: 2459345.18
2020-2021: CXXVII
"Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly."
-G.K. Chesterton
THE DAILY ASTRONOMER
Tuesday, May 11, 2021
Amazing Astronomy Facts - Miscellaneous
We conclude our list of amazing astronomy facts with a hodge-podge of, well, amazing astronomy facts. Thanks to JB of Cape Neddick for requesting this list. We hope you all enjoy it!
LOOKING AT THE MOON
The moon is 1.2 light seconds away from Earth. When looking at the moon, realize that the light photons entering your eye were actually touching the lunar surface less than a second and a half earlier.
POPULATION RATE
According to recent estimates, 5,000 - 20,000 stars are born every second in the Universe. We know that star birth can be a rather arduous process requiring 5 - 10 million years between the initial cloud collapse and the ignition of core thermonuclear fusion reactions. The Milky Way Galaxy, for instance, produces 1 - 3 new stars a year, on average. However, our galaxy is just one of billions of galaxies. Although some of these galaxies produce far fewer stars, others are even more prodigious. So, the cosmos adds thousands of stars to its already impressive stellar population every single second!
NOT MUCH OF THE SUN
Outer space is a frigid void. However, our planet is warmed by the Sun's campfire. In fact, some regions sizzle under Sol's flames. However, because our planet is more than 90 million miles from the Sun, it receives only one one-billionth of the Sun's energy. To put that fraction in context, if the Sun apportioned out time instead of energy, it would give us one second of its time once every 32 years!
ANCIENT STAR LIGHT
Speaking of the Sun....the energy it is generating in its core right now requires approximately 300,000 years to migrate from the core to the photosphere, the outer layer we often mistakenly refer to as "the surface." Next time you venture out on a sunny day, realize that the solar energy you're seeing/feeling was created just before our species evolved.
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