Space & Astronomy
Exploring "Why" questions about Space & Astronomy
480 articles
Why is it easier to tear something like fabric, plastic, or paper once you’ve “gotten it started”?
When you're tearing something, initially the stress is spread over the entire edge of the material, which in effect dilutes the effort. Once you've made a nick in the side, all the stress is concentra
Why launch into space from the ground as opposed to something like a high-altitude aeroplane?
I am also curious. I guess it comes down to a comparison of a plane's lift vs. a rocket's thrust, at some level?
Why do we look for asteroids on land but NOT in the Sea ,which is much larger?Did extinctions also happen in the sea?
It is much more expensive and much more difficult to explore the seafloor than the surface of the land. Plus, the seafloor gets covered with debris much more easily than land surface.
Why do browsers replace spaces in the URL with ?
Some operating systems and software treat a space (white space) differently. It is called URL encoding and the %20 represents a space in the URL (web page name) so the entire URL is resolved correctly
Why do we always see the same side of the moon?
First of all, the "dark side" means that radio transmissions from Earth don't get there. There is day and night on the Moon just like it is on Earth. Moon is facing us always the same way, because it
Why doesn’t someone just start another currency called BotCoin?
They have, most notably "LiteCoin" and "PPCoin". One imagines, though, that the success of private digital currencies will diminish as more are created, especially if they're being created as get-rich
Why are there worries about micro-organisms from Earth affecting potential micro-organisms from other celestial bodies and vice versa, when they haven’t adapted to do so?
Lets say your eating Cheetos. Your hands and face get covered with Cheetos dust. While covered in Cheetos dust you get sent to mars to see if its surface contains Cheetos dust.
Why are most things in space shaped like spheres?
Gravity pulls everything to a central spot. Also they aren't sphere, they are oblate spherical shapes meaning they bulge on the sides.
Why do people start using drugs like Krokodil when they’re aware of the terrible side effects?
The high is now, the effects are later. Nothing matters except that high right now. Desomorphine is ten time stronger than morphine and is made from a codeine base which is freely available over the c
Why do planes crash into each other when they have so much open sky and space to fly in? When I look up at the sky, it seems almost entirely clear of planes.
Almost all air accidents happen near takeoff/landing where all those planes are in a tight area. There is a very narrow path to use a runway. That said, air accidents are EXTREMELY UNCOMMON.