We've all heard it. Those explanations that try to explain things in terms of this many parsecs or that many watts or grams or pounds per square inch. It sounds really interesting and all, but what does it actually mean?
When it comes to space, us earthlings sometimes need new ideas explained on our terms. So how do the wonders of the Solar System compare to what we have on our own planet? Find out how storms on Jupiter compare to hurricanes here on Earth. Or see how volcanoes in Hawaii compare to the volcanoes on a moon of Saturn!
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Think You Know the Sun? Think Again.
For us earthlings, the sun has become a symbol of happiness, warmth and comfort. But up close and personal, Mr. Sunshine takes on a whole different persona.
"[New technology has] helped us to see the sun for what it really is: a violent, tempestuous sphere whose surface temperature soars to nearly 10,000 degrees F (5,538 degrees C). The corona gets even hotter, so that it sends out long streamers of hot gas reaching 3.6 million degrees F (2 million degrees C)."
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Io: The Land of Endless Explosions
Io is Jupiter's third largest moon. Not the biggest kid in town, but probably the loudest! With hundreds of volcanoes all over its surface, explosions and eruptions are going on 24/7, literally.
"[Io's center is] constantly churning, piping hot and looking for a way to let heat escape. Of course, volcanoes offer the best "escape hatch" for Io's heat, making this moon the embodiment of dramatic descriptions of fire and brimstone."
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Earth Volcanoes Suddenly Not So Scary
A mysterious moon orbiting Saturn has countless active volcanoes. How do they compare to volcanoes here on Earth? Well for starters, these eruptions spew ice instead of lava!
"According to NASA, the surface of Enceladus hovers around 201 degrees below zero Celsius (330 degrees below zero Fahrenheit). That's more than twice as frigid as the lowest natural temperature ever recorded on Earth."
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How Do Hurricanes on Earth Compare to Space Storms on Jupiter?
Storms on Earth are nothing to sneeze at! We've got tornadoes lifting whole homes off the ground and hurricanes that level entire cities. How much worse can space storms possibly be?
"The Great Red Spot is the most recognizable and most massive of Jupiter's storms. At up to 25,000 miles (40,000 kilometers) wide, this anticyclone is larger than two Earths put together."
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