- [Voiceover] Thanks to school and Hollywood,
you probably think that you know your stuff
when it comes to space.
Well, the truth is that there are some
really persistent myths and lies
you still believe about space.
Myth number five is that Mercury
is the closest planet to the sun,
and therefore, must be the hottest planet
in our solar system.
Well the truth is that this is simply a lie
that you were probably told in school.
While it is true that is Mercury is the closest planet
to the sun in our solar system,
this does not make it the hottest.
In most cases, the composition of a planet's atmosphere
has more effect on the planet's temperature
than its distance from its parent star.
Because Mercury has an almost negligible atmosphere,
the average temperature on the planet
is only 430 degrees Celsius,
and because Mercury has not atmosphere
to retain that heat, nighttime temperatures
on the surface can drop to -170 degrees Celsius,
which makes the coldest regions on Earth
look temperate in comparison.
The actual hottest planet in our solar system is Venus
because its dense atmosphere causes
a runaway greenhouse gas effect.
The average temperature on Venus
is a much hotter 462 degrees Fahrenheit,
making this hellish planet the hottest planet
in our solar system.
Myth number four is that a person
who is exposed to the vacuum of space will explode.
While most people quite accurately assume
that this true because the human body
has adapted to life within Earth's atmosphere,
the truth is actually much stranger.
While there are no recorded cases
of anyone being exposed to the vacuum of space,
we do have an idea of what would happen
if you found yourself in a vacuum without a spacesuit.
First, you would begin to feel
as if your tongue and skin were boiling.
Then you would feel a massive swelling sensation
just before falling unconscious.
However, the good news is that none of this
would cause you to immediately explode.
Human skin is tough enough to withstand the vacuum of space.
It's likely that a healthy person could survive
in one form or another for up to two minutes in space
without a space suit though the absolute limits
of this are uncertain.
Myth number three is that there is a dark side
of the moon.
This myth simply isn't true.
When we talk about the dark side of the moon,
people are usually referring to the side
that is never visible from the surface of the Earth.
However, the truth is that the moon is actually
tidally locked with our planet.
Because of this, we can only ever see one side of the moon
from the Earth's surface.
However, the other side of the moon,
or the so called dark side of the moon,
does in fact receive sunlight quite regularly.
The confusion is only caused
because from the Earth's perspective,
one side of the moon is always lit,
and one side of the moon is always shrouded in darkness.
So there really isn't a dark side of the moon.
This is simply just a myth.
Myth number two is that the Earth is round.
Unless you're one of those people out there
that believes the Earth is flat,
this should seem as an obvious truth,
but the truth is that if you were told in school
the Earth is round, you've been lied to.
You've probably heard the Earth be called things like
a sphere, a globe, or even a ball.
Well it would be much more accurate
to call the Earth a geoid or an oblate spheroid,
which is something close to, but not quite exactly,
the same as a sphere.
The Earth is actually a very rough and uneven body
with it being wider at the Equator
and flatter at the poles.
So in reality, the Earth on a grand scale
resembles a misshapen balloon or even a pear
more than it resembles a billiard ball.
Myth number one is that the sun is yellow.
If you were asked to draw a picture of the sun,
it's likely that you'd immediately
reach for a yellow crayon or marker.
If you did this, you certainly aren't alone.
As most depictions in all kinds of media
portray the sun as yellow.
Unfortunately, if you think the sun is yellow,
you're, well, mostly wrong.
It's more a matter of perspective.
The only reason why the sun appears to be yellow
on the surface of the Earth
is because of how light is reflected
within the Earth's atmosphere.
The sun actually emits all colors on the visible spectrum
and is, as a result, white in color,
at least when viewed while in space.
And of course, if you're still skeptical,
there are a multitude of pictures and videos
taken from space that confirm
that the sun is in fact white, not yellow.
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