Outer space is full of mysterious and scary phenomena, from stars that suck the life out of their own kind to giant black holes which are billions of times larger and more massive than our Sun.

Below are the most frightening things that exist in outer space.

1. The ghost planet

Many astronomers say that the giant planet Fomalhaut B has sunk into oblivion, but it seems to have recently resurfaced.

Back in 2008, the astronomers used NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and announced the discovery of a giant planet that orbits a very bright star Fomalhaut, which is only 25 light-years far from Earth. Some other researchers questioned this finding later, claiming that the scientists had actually found a giant cloud of dust reflected in visible light.

However, according to the recent data obtained from the Hubble, the planet keeps reappearing over and over again. Other experts scrutinize the system surrounding the star, so the ghost planet can be pronounced non-existent more than once before a final verdict is made regarding this planet.

2. Zombie Stars

Some stars literally come to life by harsh and dramatic events. Astronomers classify these stars-zombies as supernovae of type Ia, which generate gigantic powerful bursts that send the contents of these stars throughout the universe.

Type Ia supernovae undergo expansion because of their binary systems, which consist of at least one white dwarf, a tiny and very dense star, which ceased its nuclear fusion reactions. White dwarfs are “dead”, but they cannot remain in the binary system while in this state.

They may come back to life in a gigantic explosion with a supernova, sucking the life out of its companion star or by fusing with it.

3. Vampire Stars

Just like the vampires in fiction literature, some stars manage to stay young by sucking the energy from their less fortunate victims. These vampire stars are known as “blue stragglers”, and “look” much younger than their counterparts.

During their expansion, their temperature is much higher, and the color is “much bluer.” Scientists believe that this is because they suck a huge amount of hydrogen from nearby stars.

4. Giant black holes

Black holes may resemble something that science fiction deals with; they are extremely dense, and their gravity is so strong that even the light cannot escape them if it approaches them close enough.

But they are real objects, quite common throughout the universe. Scientists believe that supermassive black holes are located close to the center of most galaxies, including the Milky Way. Supermassive black holes are mind-blowing in their size. Scientists recently discovered two black holes, each with a mass approaching the mass of 10 billion of our suns.

5. Unfathomable cosmic blackness

If you are afraid of the dark, being in deep space is obviously not for you. It is a place for “extreme blackness”, located very far from comforting home lights. According to scientists, space is black because it is empty.

Despite trillions of stars scattered throughout space, many molecules are at a great distance from each other to bounce and scatter.

6. Spiders and witch brooms

Outer space is abundant with witches, glowing skulls, and all-seeing eyes. All of these shapes can be observed in a diffuse collection of glowing gas and dust called nebulae, space objects that are scattered throughout the universe.

Visual images before our eye are examples of special events, which the human brain perceives as randomly shaped images.

7. Killer Asteroids

The phenomena mentioned in the previous paragraph may seem scary or represent abstract shapes, but they do not pose a threat to mankind. That is exactly the opposite when we talk about large asteroids that pass Earth in close proximity.

Experts say that an asteroid with a width of 1 kilometer can completely destroy our planet at collision. And even an asteroid with a size of only 40 meters can cause severe harm if it hits a populated area.

The impact of the asteroid is one of the factors that shape life on Earth. It is likely that 65 million years ago, it was an asteroid the size of 10 kilometers that wiped out dinosaurs.

Fortunately for us, the researchers monitor celestial objects, and there are ways to redirect dangerous space rocks away from the Earth, if, of course, there is time to detect these approaching dangerous objects.

8. Active sun

The sun gives us life, but it also creates storms from time to time, which may have a potentially devastating impact on radio communications, satellite navigation, and electrical power.

Lately, these solar flares have been recorded more frequently because the sun has entered its most active phase in the 11-year cycle. It is expected that solar activity will peak this year.

These are just some of the equally amazing and scary objects in outer space. Who knows what else we will discover in the future.


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This Post Has One Comment

  1. MarkmBha

    If black holes are billions of times larger than our sun, then they are more massive. No need to state the obivious!

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