Go Ask Your Father: Sun, Space Temps, Rubber Band Balls, and Weekends

Welcome to Friday, y’all. Hope it finds you happy and healthy.

Now let it find you educated…

1. How big is the sun?

About as big as a few egos. I won’t names names, like the new ruler of the US. Or perhaps it’s the same size as a certain singer’s derriere. The sun, by human standards, is enormous. The sun is 864,400 miles across (diameter). Compared to the Earth, that’s 109 times bigger. It weighs about 333,000 times more. WTH? Who the hell weighed the sun? If the sun were an ajar jar and the Earth a marble it would take 1,300,000 marbles to fill it up. That’s just compared to the Earth and humans. When compared to other celestial bodies, the sun is just another average, run of the mill, star. Unless you compare it to Arcturus. That star is just over 22 million miles across!

2. How cold is outer space?

Colder than the ice bucket challenge. Colder than throwing ice water on the person in the shower. To be exact it’s 2.7 Kelvin (-270.45 Celsius, -454.81 Fahrenheit). A typical Canada winter. I speak in Kelvin because it’s easier. Just know that a comfortable 70F is 293K. 0 Kelvin is bottom of the Kelvin scale. 0 Kelvin = −273.15° C or  −459.67° F. Outer space is still 45 degrees above that theoretical 0 mark. Scientists can easily reach 2.7 Kelvin here on Earth. They’ve been as low as 0.3 K using an isotope of helium. Beyond that and gravity is too strong. NASA is sending Cold Atom Laboratory to the ISS (space station) where there is no gravity. They are expecting to reach 100 picokelvin, or 100 trillionth of a degree above 0 Kelvin. Or the same temperature as my feet when I crawl into bed.

3. How are rubber band balls made?

These things are not only fun to play with, but are very effective at keeping all those elastics in one place and untangled. Assuming you can figure out which band is on top. First, you need a core. This core can be one of two things. It can be a small ball slightly larger than a marble or it can be a bunch of rubber bands all rolled up. Then you use small bands to wrap around the core. As it grows larger use larger bands. Soon enough you’ll have yourself a bouncy ball of fun. Just don’t put your eye out should one come flying off!

4. Is it the weekend?

Indeed it is. All though Saturday and Sunday are the two weekend days, Friday night counts, too. The boys know that on the weekends we’re a little more lenient with bedtime. It’s also a time for sleepovers. Sometimes at Nanny’s house. Sometimes in each other’s bed. Where they go to dream dreams of soaring through the Universe no matter how big, no matter how cold, but always fantastical.