How To Celebrate National Space Day In Oceanside

OCEANSIDE, CA — Happy National Space Day in Oceanside! It seems fitting that we are celebrating space day just before the largest piece of a Chinese space rocket is about to fall to earth. But never fear, even though the space junk is expected to crash this weekend, the odds of it hitting anywhere other than the ocean or an uninhabited area are very small.

National Space Day is celebrated on the first Friday in May. According to National Today, it was created to inspire the pursuit of knowledge and progress. In 1997, the Lockheed Martin Corporation introduced National Space Day as a one-off event, and it was later expanded to International Space Day in 2001.

We could say that National Space Day’s history started the first time someone looked up into the night sky and began to wonder about it. Ever since, the curious-minded have been fascinated with space. It was the Greeks who developed the study of planets and stars into something resembling the astronomy we know today. Astronomy was further advanced by Galileo Galilei in the 17th century when he invented the telescope.

5 FACTS ABOUT SPACE TO EXPAND YOUR UNIVERSE

Footprints last forever
The footprints of astronauts who land on the moon or anywhere else in space will be around for hundreds of millions of years as there is no atmosphere, wind, or water to wipe them away.

Neutron stars spin real fast
With a radius of approximately six miles, and a mass several times that of the sun, neutron stars can spin as quickly as 600 times per second.

No one can hear you scream
That anecdote from the movie “Alien” is completely true: because there is no atmosphere in space, there is no way for sound to travel so nothing can be heard.

Metal fuses instantly
On Earth, air and water particles prevent metal from fusing, so we use heat to bond metal together — but in space, with nothing to separate the atoms of two metals, they fuse together when they touch.

There is a planet of diamonds
Scientists working at Yale University have conducted research that suggests one planet — 55 Cancrie — has a surface made from diamond and graphite.

NATIONAL SPACE DAY ACTIVITIES

Stare at the stars
When night falls, stargazing gives you a window into the vast universe out there. Knowing your constellations is also useful for finding your way home!

Test gravity
Gravity is what keeps the Earth suspended and stops us from hurtling into the sun. By dropping objects and watching them fall, you can see how gravity impacts objects of different masses. Just don’t try it with anything that could break!

Watch your favorite space movies
There are so many great ones to choose from that will help you feel like you’re weightless and exploring the final frontier.

Check out this Tweet from National Geographic:

Happy #NationalSpaceDay! Take a look at this stunning diagram showing the materials and depth of Jupiter's composition pic.twitter.com/7KdguIF1tJ
— National Geographic (@NatGeo) May 7, 2021

Lastly, why not take a few minutes and do some star-gazing tonight and consider your place in the vastness of the universe and whether there is any better place to enjoy it than Oceanside?
Hint: Absolutely not!

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