Black holes
This boundary around a black hole is not a physical surface. Crossing it means the escape velocity exceeds the speed of light, making all future paths lead inward.
Event Horizon
This giant ball in our sky gives Earth light and heat. It is actually a star.
The Sun
This planet is famous for its large, bright rings.
Saturn
A space message says:
A = 1, B = 2, C = 3
3-1-20
Decode the message.
CAT
🌎 = 4
🪐 = 6
⭐ = 8
Signal A: 🌎 + 🪐 = 10
Signal B: ⭐ + 🌎 = 12
Signal C: ⭐ + 🪐 = ?
14
If two black holes have the same mass but one spins much faster, this region outside its event horizon can allow energy extraction through a process proposed by Roger Penrose.
What is the ergosphere?
Stars may look tiny at night, but most appear small because they are very far away from Earth.
Distance
Planetary rings are mostly made of rock, dust, and this frozen material.
ICE
A rover sends:
SUN = 3 letters
MOON = ?
4
A spacecraft computer has four tasks:
Mystery Challenge:
Which task is probably distracting the astronaut from the mission?
Answer: Watch 20 space videos
A spacecraft falls toward a stellar-mass black hole feet-first. The increasing difference in gravitational pull between its feet and head produces this vividly named effect.
What is spaghettification?
A star that is hotter usually looks blue or white, while a cooler star may look this color.
RED
Saturn is not the only planet with rings. Jupiter, Uranus, and this planet have rings too.
Neptune
An alien message says:
STAR = 8
MOON = 8
SUN = 6
The code equals 2 points for each letter.
What is the code value for PLANET?
12
Decode this message:
A = 1, B = 2, C = 3 ... Z = 26
18 - 9 - 14 - 7
RING
Because time runs slower in stronger gravitational fields, a distant observer would appear to see an object approaching a black hole do this at the event horizon, even though the object experiences no such pause.
What is appear to freeze (or become infinitely redshifted) at the event horizon?
A group of stars that forms a picture or pattern in the sky is called this.
A Constellation
If you flew through Saturn's rings, you would not see one solid circle. Instead, you would pass through many pieces of rock and ice spread far apart.
Ring Particles
A satellite sends:
● = 2
▲ = 4
■ = 6
The signal reads:
▲ + ■ + ● = ?
12
Students on a Moon base receive this coded locker combination:
2 → 4
4 → 8
6 → 12
8 → ?
The principal says, "The rule is the same every time."
Mystery Challenge:
What number belongs in the blank? Explain the rule.
Answer: 16
Reasoning: Each number is doubled.
A black hole's average density decreases as its mass increases. As a result, this type of black hole can have an average density lower than water while still preventing light from escaping.
What is a supermassive black hole?
If a star is much brighter than another star, it does not always mean it is bigger. One important thing you must think about is how far away it is.
Distance from Earth
A moon breaks apart near a planet because the planet's gravity pulls harder on one side than the other. The pieces can help form these.
Planetary Rings
A computer follows this pattern:
3, 6, 12, 24, ___
What number comes next?
48
A middle school astronaut is given a list of instructions from Mission Control:
The astronaut gets distracted and does the steps in this order:
✅ Put on your helmet
✅ Collect a moon rock
✅ Send a message to Earth
✅ Check your oxygen
A few minutes later, Mission Control says there was a serious mistake.
Mystery Challenge:
Which step should have been done sooner, and why could doing it late be dangerous?
A middle school astronaut is given a list of instructions from Mission Control:
The astronaut gets distracted and does the steps in this order:
✅ Put on your helmet
✅ Collect a moon rock
✅ Send a message to Earth
✅ Check your oxygen
A few minutes later, Mission Control says there was a serious mistake.
Mystery Challenge:
Which step should have been done sooner, and why could doing it late be dangerous?