Why stars, planets, and moons are round while comets and asteroids are not? [Explained]

Stars, planets, and moons are round because of the force of gravity acting on them. Gravitational forces cause matter to clump together, and the more mass an object has, the stronger its gravitational forces will be. When a large amount of mass is concentrated in a single object, such as a star or planet, the force of gravity causes it to take on a spherical shape, since gravity always pulls toward the center of mass. This is why stars, planets, and moons are round objects.

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Will the Sun become a black hole?

No, the Sun will not become a black hole. Black holes are incredibly dense objects that are formed when very massive stars collapse in on themselves at the end of their lives. The Sun is not massive enough to become a black hole. Instead, it will eventually exhaust its supply of hydrogen fuel and expand into a red giant. After it shreds its outer layers, it will shrink down into a white dwarf.

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Why crocodiles don’t hunt hippos? [Explained]

Crocodiles generally avoid confrontations with hippopotamuses because they are much larger and more aggressive than crocodiles. Additionally, hippopotamuses live in groups, which makes it difficult for crocodiles to hunt them. Crocodiles typically hunt smaller, easier prey such as fish, birds, and mammals.

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Mars Pathfinder was launched on December 4, 1996

On December 4, 1996, Mars Pathfinder, a robotic spacecraft that was designed primarily to demonstrate a low-cost way of delivering a set of science instruments and a free-ranging rover (Sojourner) to the Martian Surface was launched from Cape Canaveral on top of a Delta II rocket.

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The first soft Mars landing was performed on December 2, 1971

On December 2, 1971, Soviet Union’s Mars 3 robotic space probe performed the first soft Mars landing. But, just 110 seconds after the landing, and 20 seconds after the transmissions has begun, it failed and transmitted just a gray image with no details. Although having no scientific value, this was the first transmission ever from the surface of Mars.

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International Space Station was launched on November 20, 1998

On November 20, 1998, the first element of the International Space Station, the Russian module Zarya (which means “Sunrise” in Russian) was launched into space on top of a Proton rocket. It was the first step towards more than two decades of international cooperation, scientific research, and discovery.

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NASA Launches the Artemis Moon Rocket [Video]

On November 16, 2022, Wednesday, NASA finally launched its next moon rocket: Artemis I, NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, carrying the uncrewed Orion spacecraft lifted off from Launch Complex 39B in Florida at 1:47 a.m. EST.

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Mariner 9 became the first spacecraft to maintain an orbit around another planet (Mars) on November 14, 1971

On November 9, 1971, NASA’s Mariner 9 spacecraft entered Mars orbit and became the first spacecraft to maintain an orbit around another planet than Earth. Mariner 9 beat Soviet Union’s Mars 2 by 13 days despite being launched 11 days later than its Soviet counterpart.

In about 11 months, the orbiter mapped 85% of the Martian surface and sent back more than 7,000 pictures, including images of Olympus Mons (the highest mountain in the Solar System), Valles Marineris, and two natural satellites of Mars, Phobos, and Deimos.

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