Recent content by Ender55

Within our own galaxy, that is.

If a star in our night sky were to go supernova, how quickly does this become apparent to the naked eye? I know the star collapses very quickly, but what will this look like to the naked eye? Will the star suddenly become brighter within seconds or minutes, or gradually over hours or days?

Could a balloon be filled with vacuum - in a vacuum? And if a balloon was filled with any other gas and put in a vacuum, it would just expand until it popped, no doubt?

Are there any circumstances, with the proper positioning, where an astronaut may witness rainbows or rainbow-ish phenomena in space? Not on the surface of another planet, mind you, but in open space. Such as in the tail of a comet, or in ice bodies or clouds of ice or other materials?

I've been reading about what happens to water when exposed to vacuum, but can't seem to find a definitive answer concerning a few details in the step-by-step process. I read that water will quickly boil in the vacuum of space due to very low pressure, and then freeze. But roughly how long does...

At a distance of 2-4 AUs, (in the asteroid belt), would you be able to stare directly at the sun? What about the rest of the view from this distance? Other planets, if at all visible, would just be tiny specks, like they are when viewed from earth? Would Jupiter appear larger by any noticeable...