Space 101 - Facts for Kids and Reference Materials

Earth's atmosphere is really quite special.

Earth's atmosphere: Facts about our planet's protective blanket

By Tim Sharp, Daisy Dobrijevic published 22 December 21

Reference Earth's atmosphere protects the planet and sustains life.

A light-year is a measure of astronomical distance: Light travels through a vacuum at precisely 983,571,056 feet (299,792,458 meters) per second, making a light-year approximately 6 trillion miles (9.7 trillion kilometers).

What is a light-year?

By Tim Childers, Jon Gordon published 22 December 21

reference A light-year is a measurement of the distance light travels in a single Earth year, which is important for measuring the vast distances of space

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Best beginner cameras

By Jacob Little published 20 December 21

We’ve tested a range of the best beginner cameras on the market, so you can take your photography to the next level.

Best lenses for astrophotography

By Stuart Cornell published 20 December 21

We’ve rounded up and reviewed the best lenses for astrophotography.

Best zoom lenses

By Dave Stevenson published 20 December 21

These are the best zoom lenses you can get right now for Canon, Nikon, Sony and other cameras.

Best cameras: Image shows photographer stood on a mirrored lake pointing camera at mountains

Best cameras for photos and videos

By Jason Parnell-Brookes published 20 December 21

We've rounded up the very best cameras for photography and video, making it easy for you to pick a model that suits your shooting style.

Kepler's Third Law uncovered the mysteries of the motions in our solar system

Kepler’s Third Law: The movement of solar system planets

By Robert Lea published 20 December 21

Reference Kepler's Third Law not only calculated the planetary movements in the solar system, but also helped to determine the average distance of the planet from its stars.

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An artist's depiction of the James Webb Space Telescope fully deployed in space.

How the James Webb Space Telescope works in pictures

By Rahul Rao published 20 December 21

The James Webb Space Telescope, also known as Webb or JWST, is a high-capability space observatory designed to revolutionize astronomy.

Artist's illustration of the surface of a planet in the TRAPPIST-1 system, which hosts seven roughly Earth-size worlds.

Fermi Paradox: Where are the aliens?

By Elizabeth Howell published 17 December 21

The universe is incredibly old, incredibly large and teeming with potentially habitable planets. So why haven't we found any sign of aliens yet?

An artist's impression of the purported Black Knight satellite, the focus of a long-lived conspiracy theory.

The 'Black Knight' satellite: A hodgepodge of alien conspiracy theories

By David Crookes, All About Space magazine published 17 December 21

According to conspiracy theorists, the Black Knight satellite is an alien spacecraft orbiting Earth. Here's what's really going on.

A 2014 image of Earth taken by the NASA-NOAA Suomi NPP satellite.

What makes Earth unique?

By Clara Moskowitz, Meghan Bartels published 17 December 21

Several factors make Earth unique given what scientists know about the thousands of planets discovered to date.

The geocentric model was accepted for nearly 1,500 years.

Geocentric model: The Earth-centered view of the universe

By Daisy Dobrijevic published 17 December 21

Reference The geocentric model is a debunked theory that the Earth is the center of the universe, with the sun and planets revolving around it.

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Is time travel possible?

By Vicky Stein, Ailsa Harvey published 17 December 21

REFERENCE Science says time travel is possible, but probably not in the way you're thinking.

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The near side of the moon, as seen by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft. The United States aims to return astronauts to the lunar surface by 2024, Vice President Mike Pence announced on March 25 2019.

Moon facts: Fun information about the Earth's moon

By Charles Q. Choi published 13 December 21

Learn how Earth’s moon formed, how its orbit affects Earth’s tides, why solar and lunar eclipses happen and the history of lunar exploration.

An artist's depiction of the largest bodies in the solar system (not to scale).

How did the solar system form?

By Nola Taylor Tillman published 13 December 21

The solar system formed about 4.5 billion years ago. Scientists have developed three models of how it happened.

Best Star Wars Funko Pops

By Aimee Hart published 10 December 21

Here are the very best Star Wars Funko Pops that every collector should have.

Best mirrorless cameras

By Jason Parnell-Brookes published 10 December 21

The 11 best mirrorless cameras available to buy today for both stills photography and video.

How realistic are the terraformed planets of Destiny 2?

By Alexander Hadzaman published 9 December 21

If we were to terraform the solar system, would our worlds look like they do in Destiny 2?

Doctor Who streaming guide: Where to watch Doctor Who online

By Chris King published 9 December 21

Our Doctor Who streaming guide is here to guide you through a journey across time and space.

PSVR 2 details: News, rumors, release date, price, and specs

By Georgina Young published 8 December 21

Feature We've got the latest news on the PSVR 2, the upcoming PS5 VR headset from Sony.

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