Teens of Bay Area

Did you know that…..

1. A day in Venus is longer than a year on Venus. It takes Venus about 243 earth days to completely rotate on its axis, while it takes 225 earth days for the planet to completely rotate around the sun. Studies from University of California, Riverside suggests that the thick and stormy atmosphere may be the cause for this phenomenon. 
2. There is a planet where glass rains sideways. The planet is Exoplanet HD 189733b, which has winds that can blow up to 5,400 miles per hour and spiral around the planet. The glass rain phenomenon is due to the silicate particles in the atmosphere, which are propelled by the strong winds, making the planet rain glass. 
3. The Moon is slowly drifting away. Scientists at NASA determined the rate at which the Moon is drifting from the Earth by firing lasers to the mirrors placed previously during the Apollo mission. The scientists estimated that the Moon moves around 1.5 inches or 3.8 centimeters per year, which is, weirdly, the same rate at which human fingernails grow. 
4. Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is possibly the oldest comet we have seen. Recent research studies have suggested that this comet could be 3 billion years older than our 4.5 billion year old solar system. 
5. The Hubble constant is the measure of the rate at which the universe is expanding. This measurement can be obtained through two known techniques — however, interestingly, there is a discrepancy between the two calculations. The first way to compute the constant is through astronomical observation; the other technique utilizes averaging values across the entire universe. This known discrepancy between the two techniques is called the Hubble tension. So then which calculation do we trust? Unfortunately, this problem is currently unsolved.