Space & Astronomy
Exploring "Why" questions about Space & Astronomy
480 articles
Why are suicide rates so high wealthy western countries, but in places like Africa, where people are starving and live in terrible conditions, the rates are low?
The suicide rate is not accurate in most developing countries so it's hard to know. Some countries also deliberately understate the numbers. Also there are forms of disguised suicide where a person wi
Why do some stars burn very bright for a few seconds, and then dim to near invisibility?
My guess is that what you're describing is an [Iridium flare](_URL_0_). Iridium is a constellation of 66 telecommunication satellites that will rotate and catch the reflection of the sun. It looks lik
Why do muscles start shaking when i try to keep them still/at a precise location?
Because your nerves and muscles aren't 100% accurate, making your movement undershoot or overshoot the location you want your body part to be. To compensate your nervous system keeps adjusting the amo
Why does Eclipse gum come with 9 pieces per pack, not 10? Why does the mysterious empty 10th packet exist?
It isn't a diabolical plan to make tons of money by shorting you a piece. It was probably ten pieces in the past but then a price of one of the ingredients used to make it went up. This left the compa
Why does Starbucks allow people to sit there for a whole day even if they buy little to nothing there?
Others mentioned that the store needs to look full, but the other part is that it makes perfect sense to invite people who will eventually want coffee into your store, instead of only allowing in thos
Why do radio stations names always start with either “W” or “K”?
All radio stations in the world have a call sign. The International Telecommunications Union has [allowable ranges](_URL_0_) for each country so that a call sign ID is unique globally. K and W are amo
Why is NASA’s Space/launch center based in Florida?
- Spacecraft launch eastward, so that the Earth's rotation helps them get into orbit. Any space launch center will want a giant empty area to the East, so that nobody will get hurt if a rocket explode
Why is space a vacuum?
Because there's far, far more space than there is stuff to fill it. This is due to the fundamental forces of our universe (mostly gravity) which tend to make stuff attracted to stuff. That's why you s
Why aren’t we allowed to donate to NASA
You can! The rule is you can't donate to fund a specific agency unless the agency has statutory authorization to accept gifts. NASA has this authority, provided the gift is totally unconditional.
Why is it that big semi trucks last for hundreds of thousands of miles, but some cars start breaking at just about 100,000?
I myself work in the mining industry in australia. Recently was at a site near coober pedy in the middle of nowhere. Maintenance is a big part of it.