14 Common ‘Facts’ About Space That Are Actually False

Space, the final frontier, is a realm of endless fascination and mystery. But along with awe-inspiring discoveries, there comes a galaxy of myths and misconceptions. Many of these space-related myths have become so ingrained in popular culture that they’re often accepted as facts. From the real color of the Sun to the truth about asteroid belts, get ready to have your understanding of the universe challenged and enriched. Join us as we embark on a journey to separate astronomical facts from science fiction.

Myth: All Comets Have Tails

A common space myth is that all comets have visible tails. In reality, a comet’s tail only becomes visible when it’s close enough to the Sun for its ice to start melting and vaporizing, creating the characteristic tail. Far from the Sun, comets are just icy, rocky bodies without any visible tail.

Myth: Asteroid Belts are Dense and Dangerous

Movies often portray asteroid belts as dense and treacherous regions of space where spacecraft must navigate through a barrage of closely-packed rocks. However, in reality, asteroids within these belts are spaced so far apart that spacecraft can easily pass through them without any significant risk of collision. The average distance between asteroids in the main asteroid belt is actually hundreds of thousands of kilometers.

Myth: Stars Twinkle Because They’re Shimmering

Many people believe that stars twinkle because they are actually shimmering or changing in brightness. In reality, stars twinkle due to the Earth’s atmosphere. As starlight passes through the layers of our atmosphere, it is refracted and distorted, causing the star’s appearance to waver or “twinkle” when viewed from the ground.

Myth: The Sun Revolves Around the Earth

While the belief that the Sun revolves around the Earth was once widely accepted, it has long been disproven. In reality, the Earth orbits the Sun, not the other way around. This heliocentric model of our solar system was first proposed by Nicolaus Copernicus in the 16th century and later supported by the work of astronomers like Galileo Galilei and Johannes Kepler.

Myth: The Sun is Yellow

Contrary to popular belief and many artistic depictions, the Sun is not actually yellow. When viewed from space, the Sun appears as a brilliant white light. The reason it often looks yellow to us on Earth is due to our atmosphere scattering the Sun’s light in a phenomenon known as Rayleigh scattering, which causes the blue wavelengths to be dispersed more than the red and yellow wavelengths.

Myth: There is No Gravity in Space

It’s a common misconception that there is no gravity in space. In reality, gravity is present everywhere in the universe, including in space. What astronauts experience in orbit is not a lack of gravity, but a state of constant freefall around the Earth, which gives the sensation of weightlessness.

Myth: The Great Wall of China is Visible from Space

Despite popular belief, the Great Wall of China is not visible from space with the naked eye. While it is an impressive feat of human engineering and construction, it is simply not wide enough to be seen from orbit without the aid of powerful telescopes or satellite imagery. Astronauts have confirmed that they cannot see the Great Wall from the International Space Station.

Myth: Humans Explode in the Vacuum of Space

Contrary to what some science fiction movies might suggest, humans do not explode when exposed to the vacuum of space. While the sudden decompression can cause serious harm, such as ruptured lungs and rapid loss of consciousness due to lack of oxygen, the human body does not explode. The skin and tissues are elastic enough to expand and prevent explosions.

Myth: Space is Completely Silent

While it’s true that sound waves cannot travel through the vacuum of space, space is not completely silent. Many celestial objects, such as stars and galaxies, emit radio waves and other forms of electromagnetic radiation that can be detected by special instruments. These signals can be translated into audible sounds, allowing us to “listen” to the universe in a unique way.

Myth: Black Holes are Cosmic Vacuum Cleaners

Black holes are often portrayed as cosmic vacuum cleaners that indiscriminately suck up everything in their vicinity. However, this is not entirely accurate. Black holes have incredibly strong gravitational fields, but they do not actively pull in matter from great distances. Only objects that come close enough to a black hole, crossing its event horizon, will be unable to escape its gravitational pull.

Myth: The Moon’s Dark Side is Always Dark

The phrase “the dark side of the Moon” is often used to describe the side of the Moon that we never see from Earth. However, this is a misnomer. In reality, both sides of the Moon receive sunlight at different times during its orbit. The correct term for the side we don’t see is the “far side” of the Moon, which is not always dark.

Myth: Astronauts’ Height Doesn’t Change in Space

Surprisingly, astronauts can actually grow taller in space, although the change is temporary. In the microgravity environment of space, the spine elongates and straightens due to the lack of compression from Earth’s gravity. Astronauts can grow up to 2 inches (5 cm) taller while in space, but they return to their normal height once back on Earth.

Myth: Mercury is the Hottest Planet Because it’s Closest to the Sun

While it might seem logical that Mercury, being the planet closest to the Sun, would be the hottest, this is not the case. Venus, the second planet from the Sun, actually has the highest average surface temperature of any planet in our solar system. Venus’ thick atmosphere traps heat in a runaway greenhouse effect, resulting in surface temperatures hot enough to melt lead.

Myth: There’s a Dark Side of the Sun

Unlike the Moon, the Sun does not have a permanent “dark side.” The Sun is a sphere of hot, glowing gas that generates its own light through nuclear fusion reactions in its core. As the Sun rotates on its axis, different parts of its surface come into view from Earth. While sunspots and other features can temporarily appear darker, the Sun does not have a permanently dark hemisphere.

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