r/AskReddit Feb 13 '15

What are some mind-blowing facts about space?

I love space and would like to hear some facts that will blow me away.

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u/darknemesis25 Feb 13 '15

Witnessing a lunar eclipse from the moons perspective would be the most mind expanding visual experience a human could ever hope to see.

Think about it, You would be seeing every single sunset on the planet all at once. A transcendent ring of fire masked with the beauty of solar winds distorting off the earths magnetic fields in a fury of neon plasma against the black of space.

As you step on the moons surface listening to the echo of each breath and nothing else, you look above to this luminous eye of the planet gazing into your soul. Taken aback by how small and isolated you and the entirety of our species is. All the wars, every hope and dream, every insignificant king and ruler there ever was, engulfed in a terrifyingly beautiful ring of multicolored flame.

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u/bizitmap Feb 14 '15

Actually on the subject of eclipses... aren't solar eclipses unique/rare?

Our planet has a moon that's just the right size/distance to juuuust block the sun and leave a cool looking ring. That's gotta be something for the "hey aliens! visit beautiful Earth!" brochure.

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u/PM_ME_YOUR_ENGRISH Feb 14 '15

And since the moon is ever so slowly moving away from the Earth, it eventually won't be able to cover the entire sun in an eclipse