Have you been ever interested in how much stuff is flying around in space? If so, https://stuffin.space is the place to go.
Visualized in WebGL, the source is available via GitHub at https://github.com/jeyoder/StuffInSpace .
Data is updated every day from https://www.space-track.org.
Ever wondered how to build a space ship? You should listen to the following talk from the CCC “Gulaschprogrammiernacht 16” (sorry, German only). These are almost 90 minutes of an insane level of detail knowledge.
Link: https://media.ccc.de/v/gpn16-7623-wie_baut_man_eigentlich_raumschiffe
If you are somewhat in astronomy and space, as I am, you might fall in love with the European Southern Observatory.
They provide an overwhelming library of images and videos. Many of them available as desktop wallpapers in various sizes.
Among, you find images like this 340-million pixel image from Paranal
or the 108 200 x81 500 pixels image from the milky way. You can download the 25 GB file or just check out the zoomable view.
In case you fall in love with any of the views you might want to order a mounted image in their shop.
Definitely a rabbit hole.
Check out https://www.astronaut-test.com/ if you want to know if you would be an astronaut candidate. Being fascinated by space, I think I missed the right direction at one point. I only do fit 50% into the required scheme.
What’s the test about?
Astronaut Aptitude Test asks a series of lifestyle and knowledge questions based on official NASA Astronaut Candidate requirements to determine how suited you are to space. The quiz also includes visual tests based on psychological studies to analyse your spatial visualisation, mechanical comprehension and abstract reasoning – the essential qualities that NASA first tested in 1959.
So what I am missing? The results of the questionnaire are broken down on the website:
The good point: I would fit into space based on my personality. I did not do well in the physics and astronomy questions, therefore I really really failed in knowledge and education. Actually, I did not know in which whatever “sphere” satellites do fly.
Said that I think I have to read some astronomy books and I will come to the test back at a later point. Give it a try. It might surprise you as well.