Curious Kids
Why does the Moon look close some nights and far away on others?
“Why does the Moon look close some nights and far away on other nights?” —Gabriel H., age 7, Providence, Rhode Island Some nights the Moon seems really close and bigger than usual. One summer evening when I was a child, I remember being mystified and then startled at a huge round shape slowly creeping up …
How are dark matter and antimatter different?
“What is dark matter and what is antimatter? Are they the same or different?” — Namrata, age 13, Ghaziabad, India Imagine an epic video game with your favorite hero as a character. Another character is a mirror-image twin who shows up occasionally, exploding everything they touch. And, to add an extra level of difficulty, the …
Why isn’t there any sound in space?
“How far can sound travel through space, since it’s so empty? Is there an echo in space?” — Jasmine, age 14, Everson, Washington In space, no one can hear you scream. You may have heard this saying. It’s the tagline from the famous 1979 science fiction movie “Alien.” It’s a scary thought, but is it …
How does the International Space Station stay in low Earth orbit?
“How is the International Space Station able to orbit without burning up?” — Mateo, age 8, New York, New York Flying through Earth’s orbit are thousands of satellites and two operational space stations, including the International Space Station, which weighs as much as 77 elephants. The International Space Station, or ISS, hosts scientists and researchers …
What are solar storms and the solar wind?
“What is meant by solar storm and solar wind?” — Nihal, age 11, Amalapuram, India Every day on Earth, you experience weather. You feel the wind blowing and see clouds move across the sky. Sometimes there are storms where the wind gets really strong, it might rain, or there might be thunder and lightning. Did …
What is the universe expanding into if it’s already infinite?
“What is the universe expanding into if it’s already infinite?” — Mael, age 10, Missoula, Montana When you bake a loaf of bread or a batch of muffins, you put the dough into a pan. As the dough bakes in the oven, it expands into the baking pan. Any chocolate chips or blueberries in the …
How could an explosive Big Bang be the birth of our universe?
“How can a Big Bang have been the start of the universe, since intense explosions destroy everything?” — Tristan S., age 8, Newark, Delaware Pretend you’re a perfectly flat chess piece in a game of chess on a perfectly flat and humongous chessboard. One day you look around and ask: How did I get here? …
What is space made of? Explaining the components from radiation to dark matter
“What is space made of – what does gravity actually bend?” — Phil, age 12, Birmingham What comes to mind when you think of space? Imagine a friend boasting about a spacious building, stadium or museum they recently visited. Do you envision the building as vast and expansive? Is it simply very large, or does …
Why does a rocket have to go 25,020 mph to escape Earth?
“Why does a rocket have to go 25,020 mph (about 40,000 kilometers per hour) to escape Earth?” — Bo H., age 10, Durham, New Hampshire There’s a reason why a rocket has to go so fast to escape Earth. It’s about gravity – something all of us experience every moment of every day. Gravity is …
Can humans colonize Mars in the foreseeable future?
“Can we colonize Mars?” — Clara, age 9, Brookline, Massachusetts In all likelihood, the first Martian will be a person, and the red planet will be humanity’s first extraterrestrial colony. For now, two robots called the Curiosity Rover and the Perservance Rover – sent to Mars to find out if the planet can sustain small …