These Space Facts Will Make You Glad to Be on Earth

0:00This episode is brought to you by Athletic Brewing Company. No matter how you do game day, on the couch, in the crowd, or manning the snack table, Athletic Brewing fits right in. With a full lineup of non-alcoholic beer styles, you can enjoy bold flavors all game-long. No hangovers, no buzz, no subbing out for water in the second half. Stuck the fridge for tip-off with a variety of non-alcoholic craft styles available at your local grocery store or online at AthleticBrewing.com. Near beer, fit for all times. Now imagine a place where a single day lasts longer than a whole year.

1:04On Venus, a day, meaning one full spin on its axis, is as long as 243 Earth days. And what's even weirder, despite the fact that Venus is experiencing a never-ending day. It has a shorter year than Earth. Well Earth takes about 365 days to complete one orbit around the sun. Venus does it in just 225 days. So somehow, for Venus, a day is more epic than a whole year. Venus is a strange planet in general, is called Earth's Twin because of how alike we are, although it's a bit smaller than Earth. But there are some drastic differences too. For example, it spins in the opposite direction, which means the sun there rises in the west and sets in the east. And Venus isn't the only one who dances to its own rhythm. Uranus does that too. And finally, Venus is quite crazy in terms of its atmosphere. When you stand on Earth, you don't really feel the weight of the air around you. Well on Venus, that feeling would be like having an elephant sitting on your shoulders.

2:08Venus has 90 times the atmospheric pressure of Earth. The atmosphere there is a thick layer of toxic gases. For example, carbon dioxide that's released by all the volcanoes, it presses down with incredible force. This results in very hot temperatures. Now wonder, it'll take a long time before we'll be able to stand on this planet. Meanwhile, Mercury, the closest planet to the sun, has an even more speedy orbit than Venus. It completes a full journey around the sun in just about 88 Earth days. However, it has a slow spin on its axis, which means that one day on Mercury takes about 176 Earth days, basically half a year. Just like with Venus, a day there takes much longer than a year. Since its closest to the sun, no wonder Mercury experiences some super extreme temperature swings. Daytime temperatures can soar up to a scorching 800 degrees Fahrenheit, hot enough to melt lead. But wait for the sunset.

3:09At night, it drops to freezing minus 290 degrees Fahrenheit. That's because Mercury doesn't have a thick atmosphere like we do, so the heat doesn't distribute across the planet evenly. If one side is in the dark, it'll be super cold, and the other side will be scorching hot, just like if you let a regular big rock lie down under the sun for a while. In fact, it's so cold that there might even be some ice on it. Look at the planet's North Polar region, especially those sunlit yellow spots inside craters. These are indications of water ice. Turns out, water is much more common in space than we thought. Mars is often dubbed the red planet. It earns a snake name from the abundance of iron oxide or rust covering its surface. The iron-rich minerals create a rusty red hue that paints the Martian landscape. But it turns out Mars isn't just red. If you were standing on Mars, you'd witness desert-like butterscotch terrain with caramel

4:09and golden glows, some brown, and even a glimpse of a slight greenish hue. Mars also has the biggest mountain in the entire solar system, Olympus Mons, standing at a staggering height of about 13.6 miles tall. It's even taller than Mount Everest. It was formed by the volcanic eruption yielding low viscosity lava, creating a shield-like structure. Since Mars is covered in sand, it's also famous for its crazy dust storms. But it turns out, they're even more insane than we thought. These storms can last for months. They might present challenges for future human missions. They also contribute to the planet's mesmerizing appearance when observed from afar. And not only storms, but even its own Mars quakes. Also known as seismic tremors, they were first detected by NASA in 2019. Unlike earthquakes that are often triggered by tectonic plate movements, Martian quakes are thought to result from the cooling and contracting of the planet's interior.

5:11It's interesting how similar yet how different the planets are. Saturn's iconic rings might hold a secret link to Earth's ancient past. The rings are composed mainly of ice particles and debris, and are estimated to be relatively young in space terms, perhaps just a few hundred million years old. Now there are some theories that propose that they were born after some catastrophic event. For example, the collision of two large moons or the breakup of a comet. What's interesting is that this timeline coincides with the age of the dinosaurs demise on Earth. Could there be a connection? Who knows? By the way, while Saturn takes the crown for its rings, it's not the only planet in our solar system sporting them. Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune all have their own set of rings, although they might not be as visible and cool as Saturn's. However, there is something where Saturn truly stands out. The magnificent hexagon at its north pole.

6:11It's a colossal six-sided figure. Each side of this incredible structure measures around 9,000 miles long, which is 1,200 miles longer than the Earth's diameter. Scientists aren't sure how it was formed or why. They think it might be due to varying wind speeds, or maybe it's shaped by a localized, slow, meandering jet stream. So far, it remains another of Saturn's mysteries. Which like Saturn's hexagon, Jupiter also has its own weird spot. It's called the Great Red Spot. This is a storm that's been raging for at least 350 years and is larger than Earth itself. Despite its name, the spot's coloration has varied over the years, ranging from brick red to pale salmon. Scientists continue to study this enduring storm, unlocking the mysteries of its persistence and ever-changing hues. Realistically, the Great Red Spot is a powerhouse. It generates enormous pressure in Jupiter's southern hemisphere.

7:13Meanwhile, Jupiter itself is a powerhouse when it comes to magnetic fields. Its magnetic influence is colossal. It extends far beyond the planet itself and creates one of the largest and strongest magnetic fields in our solar system. Because of that, Jupiter is a source of intense radiation and mesmerizing auroras. While Earth's northern lights are breathtaking, Jupiter has something to offer too. The magnetic field interacts with charged particles from Jupiter's moons and the solar wind. This creates visually striking auroras near its poles. But compared to Earth, the scale of these auroras is incredible, like nothing we've seen on our planet. But even having a cool big spot isn't a unique feature in our solar system. A stormy giant Neptune, the 8th and farthest planet from the Sun, also has its great dark spot. Just like Jupiter, it's a massive vortex in Neptune's atmosphere. But unlike its Jupiter counterpart, this spot tends to come and go because of Neptune's

8:17dynamic and ever-changing weather patterns. Neptune, together with Uranus, is known as an ice giant. And just like other giants, it boasts some of the most ferocious winds in our solar system. Its supersonic winds can get faster than 2,200 miles per hour, what a drama queen. But this explains its thick cloud formations. By the way, if you ever dreamed of a planet-raining diamonds, you might want to visit this planet. Deep within Neptune's atmosphere, where pressures are extreme, scientists theorize that carbon atoms are compressed and formed diamonds. And then, these diamonds might be raining down. What a unique touch to stormy weather. Neptune's moons got from their parent with the weird weather. For example, its largest moon, Triton, has a touch of cryovolcanism. Instead of spewing molten rock like Earth's volcanoes, Triton's cryovolcanos erupt with a mix of water, ammonia, and nitrogen, pictured as icy geysers shooting material into space.

9:20Seems like, in our solar system alone, each planet has its own quirks and interesting qualities. Let's hope that we discover some more interesting things in outer space in the future. By April 21st. Paid for by Virginians for fair elections.