Student Article
Exploring the Strangest Locations in the Universe, Where the Rules of Nature Don’t Always Apply
Exoplanet (noun): A planet that orbits a star outside of our Solar System.
Void (noun): A large, empty space in the Universe with few stars or galaxies.
The Universe is full of strange places where things happen that we don’t see on Earth.
55 Cancri e 55 Cancri e is one of these weird locations. It’s an exoplanet, meaning it orbits a star outside of our Solar System. This planet is much larger than Earth and scientists think it’s made mostly of diamonds! The heat there is so intense — about 4,350°F (2,400°C) — that diamonds might form from the planet’s carbon.
Vega
Another odd place is the star Vega, which spins so fast that it’s not shaped like a circle, but more like an egg. The rapid rotation is not something we see in stars like the Sun.
Voids
In space, we also have what’s called a "void," which is a giant empty region where few stars and galaxies can be found. The Eridanus supervoid is a huge one that stretches over millions of light years.
Blood Falls
Back on Earth, we have strange places like Blood Falls in Antarctica, where red water flows out of the ice due to iron in the water.
Fermi Bubbles
Even in our own galaxy, there are strange giant bubbles made of energy called the Fermi Bubbles, which stretch 25,000 light years above and below the center of the Milky Way.
© Colin Stuart / Our Media
Exoplanet (noun): A planet that orbits a star outside of our Solar System.
Void (noun): A large, empty space in the Universe with few stars or galaxies.