Inside: Stimulate your kids’ minds while ensuring they have a blast with these intriguing facts about space! These facts can be a fantastic addition to your family game night trivia, or they can serve as an entertaining activity during long car journeys, keeping everyone engaged and interested.
Space is a captivating subject that few can resist. It holds countless mysteries and facts that can leave anyone in awe. For instance, consider the sheer size and number of stars in the universe – they outnumber the grains of sand on our entire planet!
And did you know that our Sun is so enormous that over a million Earths could fit inside its vast expanse? Or that black holes emit a low, eerily noise akin to the sound effects used in sci-fi films from the 1950s?
These compelling aspects of space continue to fuel our curiosity and desire for knowledge. And our little ones are no different from us in their quest to decipher the universe’s secrets, enthusiastically soaking up facts about space.
Who knows? Perhaps one day, our kids will be the ones pushing the boundaries of our knowledge about the universe and discovering new things about outer space.
How to Download
Downloading our printable space facts for kids is easy. Begin by clicking the red button at the bottom of the post. Once your email is confirmed, you will receive a password to the Kid Minds printable library. Already a subscriber? Login here >>>
The PDF coloring pages are designed to the standard US letter size, but they align perfectly with A4 paper sizes as well.
The set includes 17 facts on three pages. To assemble the fact cards, you only need to print them, cut them out, and (optionally) laminate them.
If you want to turn space facts into a memory game, print off two sets of the cards, cut them out, and you’re ready to go. And if you want to add a hands-on element to your space exploration, kids can create their own astronaut puppet craft using the printable template provided.
More Facts for Kids
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Kid Minds has assembled an extensive collection of fascinating tidbits designed to pique your kids’ interest. This treasure trove of knowledge is just a click away ⬇️
Space Facts for Kids
It’s these mind-boggling facts that remind us just how expansive and incredible the universe truly is.
1. The Sun is enormous
The Sun is so massive that more than one million Earths could fit inside it. It provides us with light and heat, making life possible on our planet.
2. The moon’s gravity creates tides
The Moon, Earth’s sole natural satellite, significantly impacts our planet’s behavior, notably tidal patterns. Its gravitational interaction with Earth’s waters triggers sea level fluctuations, creating high and low tides. The sun also has a gravitational pull on Earth’s waters, but the moon’s influence is stronger due to its closer proximity to our planet.
3. Stars vary in size and color
Did you know that stars come in different sizes and colors? Some stars are smaller and cooler, appearing red, while others are large and hot, radiating a brilliant blue or white light.
4. The real age of Earth
The Earth is about 4.5 billion years old – and that’s only a third of the age of the universe – which is 13.5 billion years old! If you think of this in terms of Earth’s year, it means by the time April showers appear (4th month of the year), the Universe is celebrating Christmas (12th month).
5. Astronauts float in space due to the lack of gravity
Have you ever wondered why astronauts float in space? It’s because there’s no gravity pulling them down. Instead, they experience microgravity, which gives them the sensation of weightlessness.
6. The largest volcano in our solar system is situated on Mars
The largest volcano in our solar system is not on Earth but on Mars. Olympus Mons stands about 13.6 miles (22 kilometers) high—almost three times the height of Mount Everest!
7. Space is not completely silent!
It may seem that way because sound waves need a medium to travel through, like air or water. In the vacuum of space, sound cannot exist. But that’s not the full story! Black holes produce a low, warbling noise that feels like it’s straight out of a 1950s sci-fi movie. This intriguing fact further enhances the complexity and fascination of our incredible universe.
8. Our Milky Way is but one among billions
Our Milky Way galaxy, which spans approximately 100,000 light-years, is just one of billions of galaxies in the universe. Each galaxy contains billions of stars!
9. Astronauts exercise in space
Astronauts need to exercise for about two hours each day to counteract the effects of living in space. Without gravity, their muscles and bones can weaken, so staying active is crucial.
10. Saturn is fascinating
Saturn, one of the gas giants in our solar system, has intricate rings made of ice, dust, and rocks. These rings can be seen through a telescope, adding to the planet’s beauty and mystery.
11. Rotation Causes Day and Night
Earth, like other planets in our solar system, rotates on an unseen axis while orbiting the Sun. A full rotation, which constitutes a 24-hour day, determines day and night based on which side of the Earth faces the Sun.
12. Telescopes in space
The Hubble Space Telescope was not the first space telescope, but it’s one of the largest. If your eyes had Hubble’s resolution, you could read the date on a dime two miles away. It was first launched in 1990 and has captured some of the most breathtaking images of the universe, such as the merging of distant galaxies and the birth of stars.
13. What happened to the ninth planet?
Pluto, once classified as a planet alongside others in our solar system, was later downgraded to a ‘dwarf planet’ due to its size. Consequently, our solar system now comprises eight, not nine, planets.
14. Black holes eat light
Black holes are areas in space where intense gravitational pull prevents light or matter from escaping. Their presence, although not directly observable via common telescopes, is inferred through their impact on surrounding matter.
15. Pooch in space
The first object in space, ‘Sputnik 2’, was launched by the USSR on November 3, 1957, carrying Laika, a stray dog. Sadly, Laika didn’t survive the mission, as the satellite couldn’t return to Earth.
16. There are more stars in the universe than grains of sand on Earth
Now, let that sink in! The Earth is covered in vast deserts, countless beaches, and many sandboxes, all full of little grains of sand, and yet, the stars in the universe outnumber them. The estimated number of stars is more than a billion trillion. It’s a figure so large it’s hard to truly comprehend.
17. “51.603” would be the space zip code
The International Space Station (ISS) is a habitable space station that orbits Earth. It’s the size of a football field, and its space zip code is 51603 (with the first three digits (516) referring to the orbital inclination). ISS serves as a laboratory for scientific research and a place where astronauts from different countries can live and work together.
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