FACT |
The moon is lemon-shaped
Despite its appearance in the night sky, our natural satellite is nowhere near round. In fact, the moon is shaped like a lemon, with flattened poles and bulges on both the near and far side around its equator.
This strange shape is thought to have been created during interactions with Earth soon after its formation.
A gamma-ray burst holds more energy than the Sun ever will
Nothing in the universe rivals the power unleashed during a gamma-ray burst, a brief but incredibly intense flash of high-energy radiation.
There are many types of gamma-ray bursts. Some are thought to form when a massive star implodes; others when two neutron stars merge.
Neptune has only completed one orbit since its discovery
This is one of our favourite facts about space, and perhaps the most memorable (if you want to impress your friends next time you’re sharing cool facts.
Neptune takes a whopping 165 years to complete one full orbit around the Sun. Since it was discovered in 1846, Neptune only finished its first full post-discovery orbit in 2011.
Demoted planet Pluto has yet to match this – it is not even close to completing one full, 248-year orbit since its discovery in 1930!
Published in Dawn, Young World, April 4th, 2026