When it comes to our planet, we consider everything about it to be well-known and usual. Surprisingly, we know much more about space than we do about our common planet. For example, we call Earth the blue planet, though scientists believe that it was not always blue. Additionally, the moon is not the only satellite of Earth.
We invite you to learn about some interesting discoveries about our planet that you probably have never heard before.
9. The moon could have been a part of the earth.
Scientists suppose that our moon appeared due to a collision of our planet with another big object. The collision resulted in the splitting off of a small piece of Earth that later became its satellite.
8. The earth’s magnetic field is changing.
We are used to perceiving our earth’s magnetic field as something constant. However, it actually keeps changing. According to scientific research, the field has moved approximately 600 miles since the 19th century and its center in the southern hemisphere is now located above the South Ocean. Year after year the speed of its movement increases until it reaches its peak. After that, the movement will slow down again.
7. That strange gravity
Due to the fact that Earth isn’t perfectly round, its mass is uneven. The difference in its mass causes fluctuations in gravity in different places on Earth. One of these anomalies is Canada’s Hudson Bay. The gravity here is lower than in other places.
6. Earth might have a second moon.
Some scientists believe that our planet has a second satellite. According to research, there is another cosmic object rotating around the earth. However, it’s not always the same object but rather, temporary satellites. It is believed that the gravitational field of Earth sometimes attracts pretty big asteroids and they continue to follow our planet for some time (about 3 rotations) before going off to wander in the vastness of space.
5. Quakes on the moon
Quakes on the moon, also known as moonquakes, are not a scientific fantasy. However, they don’t happen as often as they do on our planet and they usually occur much deeper, closer to the core of the satellite. Scientists believe this is due to the attraction forces of the sun and Earth.
4. Hidden gold
If taken to the surface, this amount of gold would be enough to cover our planet with a 1.6 ft layer.
3. Earth used to be purple.
A scientist at the University of Maryland supposes that some time ago our planet was purple. Ancient microbes could use other molecules to process sunlight instead of chlorophyll. These molecules can give microbes a purple tinge, therefore, all the planet may have been purple.
2. A mini ice age might take place in 2019 on our planet.
As a rule, the sun has sunspots that burst on its surface indicating that this star is currently in its active phase. But due to unknown reasons, sometimes they start to disappear, leaving the sun’s surface smooth and blank. It already happened in the 15th century when the phenomenon called Little Ice Age caused a huge climate change on Earth leaving Iceland and Finland without one-third of their population. At that time, the Vikings had to leave Greenland because it turned into an area with extremely low temperatures. The Little Ice Age lasted for several centuries until the end of the 19th century.
Today, scientists are starting to notice the same inclinations on the sun and believe that the star is about to enter a chilly phase which will result in another mini ice age on Earth in 2019.
1. Scientists have discovered a new habitable planet.
HD 904790 is the name of a planet that will possibly be inhabited by humans in the future. The planet is located in the same Milky Way galaxy as Earth and possesses a number of outstanding features like an exceptional atmosphere, climate, natural resources and even has fresh water. According to astronomers’ calculations, it will take us 300,000 years to reach HD 904790 b.
