Some random science to get your day going

Rogue Planets are planets that do not orbit a star and float through the emptiness of space. There are potentially billions of rogue planets in our galaxy, the Milky Way.

300 million years ago a dragonfly lived called Meganeura and had a wingspan that was over 2 feet wide. In fact, there are many extinct versions of modern species that were terrifyingly large.

The moon is slowing down the Earth’s rotation. Every century, a day on Earth becomes 1.7 milliseconds longer. This means that 350 million years ago, a year had 385 days because the Earth rotated faster.

Research has shown that watching cat videos is good for you.

The endocannabinoid system helps regulate your mood, appetite, pain-sensation, and memory. It consists of a group of neuromodulatory lipids and receptors in the brain. This is the system that the THC in marijuana targets.

Certain varieties of oranges that grow close to the equator are actually green even when fully ripe. This is because there is more direct sunlight and warmth so the fruit retains its green chlorophyll. Because consumers won’t buy green oranges, ethylene gas, cold shocking, or wax are used to get rid of the chlorophyll to make the oranges orange.

Verona Rupes is a cliff located on Uranus’ moon, Miranda. At 6.2 miles high, it is the tallest know cliff in the solar system.

The Tunguska Event occurred in 1908 when an asteroid exploded about 5 miles above the Earth’s surface. The thickness of the Earth’s atmosphere is what caused the asteroid to explode before hitting the ground. Thankfully it happened in a remote location in Russia so nobody was killed. However, it did knock down over 80 million trees.

The Zanclean Flood occurred 5.3 million years ago and is what refilled the Mediterranean Sea after it had been cut off and dried up. Water from the Atlantic Ocean spilled through the Gibraltar Strait over a period of a few months.

The Corona is the area of plasma that surrounds the Sun. Strangely, the Corona is actually hundreds of times hotter than the Sun’s surface. Scientists still are not exactly sure why.

Earth shares its orbit with an asteroid named 2010 TK7. This asteroid orbits ahead of the Earth in one of Earth’s Lagrangian points. In the diagram above, 2010 TK7 orbits in the L4 position.

Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela regularly experiences more lightning than any other place on the planet. Every year there are roughly 150 nights with lightning for 10 hours per day and up to 280 times per hour.

Speaking of lightning, a single bolt of lightning has enough power to toast 100,000 pieces of bread.

Haumea is a dwarf planet that spins so quickly it has become oval shaped.

Marsupials such as koalas and kangaroos have some strange sex organs. Males have two penises and females have 3 vaginas; 2 for sex and 1 for giving birth.

The surface area of Pluto is smaller than Russia. Russia takes up 6.6 million square miles while Pluto is only 6.4 million. Still upset about Pluto being downgraded to a dwarf planet?

The Devil’s Kettle is a deep hole that a waterfall flows into. Nobody knows how far or deep it goes.

A saber-toothed cat’s teeth grew at an astonishing rate of 1/4 inch per month. Their teeth were fully grown after about 3 years.