SPACE ODDITIES

Which Are The 10 Strangest Objects Ever Found In Space?

Image: Greg Rakozy

The cosmos is incomprehensibly vast and full of mysteries. Despite our growing knowledge of its furthest reaches and curious phenomena, there is still much to discover. Space offers a treasure trove of strange and fascinating occurrences, from diamond planets to rogue stars and unexplained radio signals. Come aboard our spaceship as we explore 10 of the weirdest things humanity has ever encountered in deep space.

Image: Carlos Kenobi

Rogue planets are free-floating planetary-mass objects that don't orbit a star. These solitary wanderers drift through the galaxy, untethered and alone. Scientists believe they may have been ejected from their original star systems due to gravitational interactions or other dynamic processes.

Recent observations suggest that there might actually be a rogue planet lurking somewhere in the Oort Cloud, at the far reaches of our own solar system. If true, some argue it could be a Neptune-like planet from another solar system, captured a long time ago by the sun's gravity and that remained undetected until now.

Image: Casey Horner

Hypervelocity stars are stars that travel through space at speeds exceeding a million miles per hour. These speed demons are thought to be ejected from the centers of galaxies by violent interactions with supermassive black holes. Their incredible velocities make them some of the fastest (and most fascinating) objects in the universe.

Some of these stars have been observed exceeding the escape velocity of their home galaxy. One of the fastest known stars in the Milky Way is the O-class sub-dwarf US 708, which is currently moving away from the galactic center at a staggering 1,200 km/s. For context, the escape velocity of our galaxy is around 537 km/s.

Image: Guillermo Ferla

The Helix Nebula, often referred to as the "Eye of God," is a striking planetary nebula located about 650 light-years away in the constellation Aquarius. This cosmic eye appears as a glowing, multi-colored ring with a blue-green center, resembling a giant eye staring back at us from the depths of space.

Actually, the Helix Nebula was formed from a dying star that has been shedding its outer layers into space for thousands of years. The intense ultraviolet radiation from the remnant core causes these gaseous layers to glow brightly, giving the nebula its distinctive appearance. Though beautiful, it is a relatively ephemeral phenomenon —on a cosmic timescale, of course. The central star will eventually cool and shrink into a white dwarf, while the nebula itself will gradually disperse over time.

Image: NASA Hubble Space Telescope

If you're unfamiliar with the Boomerang Nebula, its intriguing bowtie shape (it is also known as the Bow Tie Nebula) will undoubtedly catch your eye. However, it is not just its shape that makes it remarkable, as it happens to be one of the most unique places in the universe due to its extremely low temperature.

The Boomerang Nebula is the coldest place in the universe, with temperatures dipping to just one degree above absolute zero, making it even colder than the surrounding space. Contrary to what one might imagine about a rapidly expanding ball of gas and plasma expelled from a star, the seemingly fiery spectacle is frigidly cold. Surprisingly, this is due to the expansion itself, which causes the ejected material to cool down intensely.

Image: Graham Holtshausen

Dragonfly 44 is one of the most mysterious places we've ever discovered in known space. While its estimated mass is comparable to that of the Milky Way, it contains very few stars, making it almost invisible. This intriguing cosmic puzzle was solved when scientists realized that almost 99% of the galaxy must be composed of the elusive dark matter.

Although dark matter is still not entirely understood, the concept was devised to explain why galaxies that don’t seem to have enough observable mass to stay together don't come apart during rotation. However, the existence of this type of galaxy has caused a stir in the scientific community, as most predictions didn't account for this phenomenon.

Image: Jorge Salvador

Not exactly an object, but nonetheless one of the most fascinating phenomena encountered while probing the depths of space with radio telescopes. The Wow! Signal, detected in 1977 by the Big Ear radio telescope, is a strong, narrowband radio signal.

Lasting just 72 seconds, its strange regularity and the fact that it has no known terrestrial or cosmic source make it one of the most intriguing potential signs of extraterrestrial intelligence ever recorded. The name originates from the astronomer who first discovered it, who famously scribbled "Wow!" next to the printout of the signal's intensity.

Image: Samuel PASTEUR-FOSSE

Located in the vicinity of the constellation Cygnus, Tabby's Star is one of the most intriguing space phenomena out there. This distant star displays irregular and dramatic fluctuations in brightness that defy easy explanation based on its observable surroundings and orbit.

These anomalies have led some scientists to speculate about the presence of an alien megastructure—a hypothetical concept known as a Dyson sphere—encompassing a significant portion of the star and causing its intermittent dimming. Such a structure could theoretically harness the star's energy almost completely. However, most researchers consider a more mundane explanation (like planetary debris or dust clouds) to be far more probable.

Image: NASA Hubble Space Telescope

The first interstellar object ever spotted passing through our solar system, Oumuamua was discovered in 2017 by the Pan-STARRS telescope at the Haleakalā Observatory in Hawaii (hence its name, which means "scout" in Hawaiian).

Its elongated shape and unusual trajectory sparked a heated debate about its origin, with some speculating it could be an alien probe. Complicating matters further, the object exhibited non-gravitational acceleration, implying it was accelerating on its own. While this could be attributed to solar pressure or outgassing, no conclusive evidence has been gathered to fully explain its peculiar behavior. Nevertheless, Oumuamua remains our most enigmatic visitor from another star system, alien or not.

Image: NASA Hubble Space Telescope

Zombie stars, known scientifically as "recurrent novae," are white dwarfs that undergo repeated supernova-like explosions. These massive outbursts fail to completely destroy the star's core, allowing it to reignite and restart the explosive cycle, challenging our understanding of stellar evolution.

Typically found in binary star systems, zombie stars can draw hydrogen from a companion star, effectively resurrecting themselves. Over time, these undead stars accumulate enough material to trigger a nova explosion once again.

Image: Daniele Levis Pelusi

Ever dreamed of a planet made almost entirely of diamonds? Well, you might be in luck. Diamond planets are theoretical exoplanets primarily composed of carbon, with significant portions of their mass being in the form of diamond.

These sparkling worlds are thought to form around carbon-rich stars. One potential candidate is 55 Cancri e, a super-Earth in a nearby star system. However, even the most die-hard of diamond fans might find this planet too extreme, as it orbits extremely close to its star, with surface temperatures reaching a scorching 3,900 degrees Fahrenheit.

Who was "The Crocodile" to Lacoste? The significance of 10 famous logos

Visual symbols are making a comeback. Audiences are getting better at decoding icons, which raises the bar for logos. When companies sit down to craft a good one, they must make sure it’s memorable, iconic, and simple enough for a child to draw. Of course, the best logos will also contain information about the spirit of the brands they stand for. Let’s take a look at the meanings behind some of the most interesting brand emblems.

Sirens are a symbol of allure. It’s fitting that they should be the iconic crest of one of the most famous coffee brands in the world. Designer Terry Heckler chose to refer to the exotic origins of "Coffee-Tea-Spices" and its seafaring traders through this image, inspired by a 16th-century maritime Norse woodcut. This was also to match the spirit of the original name: "Starbuck", a character in Melville’s famous Moby Dick.

The logo of the two-tailed siren has evolved since the brand’s creation in 1971. You’ll notice that the official version until 2011 used to have the Starbucks text wrapped around it. The need for text became less relevant with the international success and fame of the brand. Now, the smiling siren alone is enough to represent Starbucks.

Land, sea, and air: Those were the three terrains Mercedes-Benz hoped to dominate. The three-pointed star that is the emblem of all its vehicles symbolizes the company’s prowess at building motors for transportation in the three fields.

The logo was designed by Paul and Adolf Daimler, the sons of Mercedes’ co-founder, Gottlieb Daimler. They based the idea on a star their father had once drawn on an old postcard, marking their home: to them, this stood as an inside wink to their family. For a few years, the logo incorporated a laurel ring around the star representing victory. This was eventually replaced by a simple circle, which led to the enclosed three-pointed star we know today.

Can you see the bear? In case you never noticed, there’s one hidden in the shading of the mountain. When Toblerone was introduced in 1908, co-creator Theodor Tobler stated that the Swiss Alps had inspired him to give the chocolate bars their iconic triangular motif. The bear was incorporated in honor of the heraldic emblem of Bern, where the chocolate was produced. Its figure is hidden in the design, which allegedly represents the iconic Matterhorn mountain.

Unfortunately, in 2023, the brand announced its need to modify its legendary logo. Switzerland no longer allowed the inclusion of national symbols in the brand when the company relocated its production to Slovakia.

Have you ever been intrigued by the logo of one of the most famous media brands in the world? Why does it look like a buzzing neon sign?

Since its inception, TikTok has sought to inspire creativity and connection in its users. Because it was, at its core, a music-based platform where people would dance, move, or sing, the logo was purposely designed to evoke the feel of music, rhythm, and movement. Hence, the "T" shaped like a musical eighth note and the vibrant lines on its sides. These were added to recall the sensation of joy and dynamism of live concerts and to emphasize the concept of TikTok as a "stage."

The French luxury sports fashion brand is easy to spot. The green crocodile always stands out in their famous plain tennis shirts.

But why a crocodile? The symbol is straightforward. Creator René Lacoste was a famous French tennis player. One time, before a match, the athlete bet his team captain a crocodile-skin suitcase that he would win. After this, the American press jokingly nicknamed him "The Crocodile." French fans continued to call him that, admiring his attitude on the tennis court. Eventually, Lacoste designed and wore the iconic tennis shirt with an embroidered crocodile, which he later sold as a product, giving birth to the company.

The pink-and-brown logo of Baskin-Robbins might remind you of strawberries and chocolate, but more flavors are hidden in it. 31, to be precise. The pink digits in the "B-R" are there to remind you of the 31 different ice creams the company had to offer when it was born, back in 1945. 31 was the resulting number after brothers-in-law Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins merged their respective ice cream parlors.

Still, since its creation, the company has gone from having one flavor for each day of the month to developing an array of over 1,400. That’s around one flavor for each day for three years and seven months.

The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) didn’t need an eye-catching logo back when it was just a radio network. There was a time when the black serif letters "NBC" were enough to represent it. It all changed, however, in the 1950s when TV programming in color emerged, and RCA, which owned NBC, wanted to promote the purchasing of color TV sets.

To symbolize the new era of TV, NBC transformed its logo into one featuring a peacock surrounded by vibrant, multicolored feathers. The original version showcased a rainbow of 11 hues. Years later, the drawing was simplified and the feathers were reduced to 6 so that each would represent a different division of the network: news, sports, entertainment, stations, network, and productions.

Guinness beer has been produced in Irish territory since 1759. Back in 1862, the company chose the heraldic symbol of Ireland to label their ales. The design is that of a specific harp, called the "Brian Boru harp," which is on display at Trinity College Dublin today.

Guinness as a symbol is so ingrained in Irish culture that by the time the country was independent and the Free State Government of 1922 had to officialize the State emblem, the particular image of the Irish harp was already taken. If you pay attention, you’ll see that the harp in Irish coinage has its straight edge facing right, and Guinness’s has its edge facing left. This was the solution they arrived at.

Have you ever seen the very first Apple logo? It was created in 1976 by co-founder Ronald Wayne. It was a sketch illustration in full detail of Sir Isaac Newton sitting under an apple tree, in front of a radiant landscape, surrounded by a flowing ribbon with the words "Apple Computer Co."

Beautiful as it was, the image was hardly representative of an innovative technology-developing company. A year later, designer Rob Janoff reduced the whole concept to the now iconically simple outline of the bitten apple that we all know. The detail of the bite was just added for scale so that people wouldn’t mistake the fruit for a cherry.

Very few brands have a logo so famous that it gets its own name. But that’s the case for Adidas’ "Three Stripes." The trademarked symbol of three parallel lines already traced the sporting footwear designed by Adolf Dassler’s brand in 1949. Although this was initially an aesthetic decision to make the shoes stand out, eventually the three bars were incorporated into the logos.

Over the years, Adidas has created different logos to represent its different branches, like its Originals or Performance products. Whether it be the staggered lines symbolizing the challenge of climbing a mountain or the trefoil version representing the brand’s diversity of apparel, every image of Adidas is crossed by the three iconic lines.