Collection of Insane and Fun Facts
The star Mira has a surface that pulsates in such a way as to increase and decrease its brightness over periods ranging from about 80 to more than 1,000 days. This means sometimes the star is incredibly dim, while other times it is one of the brightest stars in its constellation.
Neutron stars can spin at a rate of 600 rotations per second.
The Pleiades (a cluster of stars) were used as a method for testing eyesight in ancient times, a soldier who could see at least 7 was given the job of scouts or archers.
There is a star in our galaxy that is 5 billion times volume of our sun.
There are “lone planets” that roam endlessly through space without ever going into orbit. They are actually predicted to be more common than stars.
After Betelgeuse goes supernova, it will be brighter than a full moon and visible during the day. It will shine for weeks/months before fading away. It will likely explode within a million years.
Carl Sagan has a number named after him. Sagan’s number is approximately 300 sextellion and refers to the number of stars in the universe.
You cannot actually buy the name of a star. The International Astronomical Union is the only authority for naming celestial bodies. No countries, authorities, or scientists in the world will recognize a purchased star name.
It is likely there are 5 to 10 times more stars in the known Universe than there are grains of sand on all the world’s beaches but that a single grain of sand has more atoms than there are stars in the known Universe.
The largest known star (per Wikipedia) UY Scuti is 5 billion times the size of the Sun. It would take 2.2 hours to cross its diameter at the speed of light.