3 frightening things about space (that you probably aren't aware of)

Space is an interesting creature.  It is infinitely vast and incomprehensible.  Despite how big it is, there are still scary things that we probably don't want to be in the same universe as us.  Here are some examples.

Black holes are mysterious and intimidating. They tend to emit X-ray light and intermediate sized ones zip across our galaxy.

Wait, what?

"Intermediate" is a relative term. Black holes are grouped into categories by size. It is theorized that miniature black holes, smaller than an atom, pass through earth every day. "Small" ones may form when giant stars collapse. Intermediate form via star clusters collapsing, or black holes merging. Super massive black holes are theorized to be in the center of galaxies, such as the Milky Way. So what do I mean by intermediate black holes zipping across the galaxy? 90 miles an hour? 900 miles an hour? No, try 9 million miles per hour.

Why is this scary? Well we can't see, smell, or hear them. The best way to spot one is gravitational lensing, which occurs when a super massive object's gravity bends light in such a way that it brightens the stars that lie behind it. Another way to spot one is X-ray emissions, we think. Oh yeah, and there are hundreds of them.

Scientists such as Holley-Bockelmann say that there is no need to panic. "Their danger zone ... is really tiny, only a few hundred kilometers." Still, considering that there is evidence that when these things collide, they join up and shoot off in a new direction, it becomes hard to completely disregard them.

Whether or not these things are a serious threat, I don't want to be in the same universe as them. Speaking of silent but deadly:

About 10 of these bad boy outcasts have recently been discovered. What is a rogue planet? It is a planet (or object: depending on the definition of planet) that orbits nothing, and it speeds through space until it runs into something. The 10 that were discovered were all about the size of Jupiter. There are two prevailing theories on how these bodies form. One is that they are simply stars that are not massive enough to ignite, and the other holds that the planets got gravitationally kicked to the curb from of their solar systems during the formation of the system. Either way, they are lonely creatures now.

The astounding (and dangerous) part of this is that there are estimated to be twice as many rogue planets as there are stars in the Milky Way. Since all estimated 400 billion of them are speeding in unknown directions, that makes a collision with our solar system uncomfortably likely. Sure, its far fetched, but our solar system can't exactly dodge, either.

What would happen if a rogue planet entered a foreign solar system? After a few awkward introductions, there would be a gravitational tug of war resulting in a likely ejection of another planet or planets as the system got jostled around.

You've probably heard of cosmic rays before. These are not to be confused with solar radiation which powers solar sails and affects the geomagnetic sphere of the earth. Cosmic radiation is much more of a threat to future astronauts: It can penetrate spaceships and space suits with ease and heavily increase cancer risks. They are a constant threat because unfathomable amounts of them pound Earth every day and some strike with the force of a MLB fastball.

Why do we care? Life goes on right?

Well, future space travelers have to find a way to deal with them. When cosmic ray particles (usually light elementary particles like protons and electrons) enter the Milky Way, they become trapped by the gravitational pull. This means that they will zoom around until they collide with something within the Milky Way. Cosmic Rays originate from black holes spewing them out when they eat lunch (giant stars, for example), or from supernova. Both of these events are going on in the universe constantly, and will happen multiple times within your lifetime.

So invisible cancer-causing objects from extraterrestrial places are traveling through our solar system at nearly light speed. That makes me want to stay at home sweet home, under Mother Earth's protective shields. Luckily for the astronauts that are braver than me, they might be able to use plastic shields or hitch a ride on an asteroid. No kidding.

So if you want to read more about Space, check out Exciting Space Missions (that might happen in our lifetime!) Or if you're an American and want to read about more scary things, try 5 new reasons that America should be scared of China.