Space trivia

Space

» Without using precision instruments, Eratosthenes measured the radius of Earth in the third century B.C., and came within 1 percent of the value determined by today's technology.

» The planet Venus does not tilt as it goes around the Sun, so consequently, it has no seasons. On Mars, however, the seasons are more exaggerated and last much longer than on Earth.

» Scientists believe that hydrogen comprises approximately 90 to 99 percent of all matter in the universe.

» The planet Venus is named after the Roman goddess of love.

» Scientists have determined that most rocks on the surface of the Moon are between 3 and 4.6 billion years old.

» The point in a lunar orbit that is farthest from the moon is called an "apolune."

» Selenologists study the Moon, as geologists study Earth.

» Since Neptune's discovery in 1846, it has made about three-quarters of one revolution of the Sun.