Today We’re Celebrating…Space Day 2013

Tomorrow, the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC will be hosting Space Day 2013.

This one day event is designed to celebrate the many scientific innovations which aid the seemingly impossible feat of space exploration and help us to understand our galaxy, whilst encouraging young students to consider careers in the field.

This year’s theme is ‘Living and Exploring in Space’ and during the day, there will be a host of talks, book signings and amazing intergalactic displays to mark the occasion.

To help you get into the mood, here are a few far out space-related facts you may not already know…

Is there life on Mars? David Bowie wrote his hit song Space Oddity after watching Stanley Kubrick’s motion picture, 2001: A Space Odyssey.  Released in 1969 to coincide with the first moon landing, the BBC were so impressed with the track, they subsequently decided to use it as background music for their official footage of the event.

Great balls of fire! Of course we all know about the sun as without it, we wouldn’t be here! But did you know, despite its glowing appearance, the energy produced from the sun is so powerful, that every second its core releases the equivalent of 100 billion nuclear bombs?

Shine bright like a diamond…Back in 2004, keen astronomers discovered the remnants of a faded star which was once bright like our sun. Located 50 light years away from Earth, this star is composed of 10 million trillion carats of diamond and has been fittingly named ‘Lucy’ after the famous Beatles track.

If this has encouraged you to take a glimpse into galaxies far away, why not have a look at our Name a Star gift package, or get away from the smog of the city for a sky gazing country house short break?

If you could, which planet would you most like to visit?

Images: NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, Annie Warhol, Sweetie187 and jurveston via Flickr