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Glossarbegriffe: Dichte

Description: Die Dichte ist eine physikalische Eigenschaft einer Substanz oder eines Objekts, die das Verhältnis zwischen Volumen und Masse ausdrückt. Je höher die Dichte, desto größer die Masse pro Volumeneinheit. Die durchschnittliche Dichte eines Objekts ist seine Gesamtmasse geteilt durch sein Gesamtvolumen. Die SI-Einheit der Dichte ist Kilogramm pro Kubikmeter (kg/m3).

In den Bereichen der Milchstraße um unsere Sonne kann die Dichte von etwa 10-20 kg/m3 für interstellares Gas bis zu mehr als 1017 kg/m3 für das Innere von Neutronensternen reichen.

Die alltäglichen Dichten auf der Erde liegen zwischen diesen Extremen: Die Dichte von Eisen liegt bei etwa 7800 kg/m3, die von Wasser bei etwa 1000 kg/m3 und die Luft, die uns auf Meereshöhe umgibt, weist eine Dichte von etwas mehr als 1 kg/m3 auf.

Das Universum umfasst nicht nur die Sterne, Planeten und das Gas innerhalb von Galaxien, sondern auch den relativ leeren Raum zwischen den Galaxien und zwischen den Galaxienhaufen. Dies führt dazu, dass die durchschnittliche Dichte der Materie im Universum in der Größenordnung von 10-27 kg/m3 liegt.

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Term and definition status: The original definition of this term in English have been approved by a research astronomer and a teacher
The translation of this term and its definition is still awaiting approval

The OAE Multilingual Glossary is a project of the IAU Office of Astronomy for Education (OAE) in collaboration with the IAU Office of Astronomy Outreach (OAO). The terms and definitions were chosen, written and reviewed by a collective effort from the OAE, the OAE Centers and Nodes, the OAE National Astronomy Education Coordinators (NAECs) and other volunteers. You can find a full list of credits here. All glossary terms and their definitions are released under a Creative Commons CC BY-4.0 license and should be credited to "IAU OAE".

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A female astronaut points at the planet Saturn which appears to float on a vast ocean, with annotations in Arabic

Can Saturn Really Float on Water? The Science Behind This Fascinating Fact

Bildunterschriften: This infographic is part of the "Simplifying Astronomy for Arabic Speakers" project, which aims to present fun and engaging scientific facts about space in an easy-to-understand way. This design explores a fascinating yet scientifically accurate fact: Saturn, the gas giant, could float if placed in an enormous body of water! Why Can Saturn Float? The primary reason for this is Saturn’s low density. Density refers to the amount of mass per unit volume and is measured in grams per cubic centimeter (g/cm³). Saturn's density is 0.687 g/cm³, which is lower than the density of water (1 g/cm³). According to Archimedes' Principle, any object with a density lower than the fluid it is placed in will float, whereas objects with a higher density will sink. How Does Saturn’s Composition Affect This? Saturn is primarily composed of hydrogen and helium, two of the lightest elements in the universe. This makes Saturn much less dense than water. While the planet has a denser rocky and metallic core, it is not massive enough to increase the overall density of the planet beyond that of water. What If We Actually Placed Saturn in Water? If, hypothetically, we could find a gigantic body of water large enough to fit Saturn, the planet would float on the surface because the buoyant force would be greater than the gravitational force pulling it down. However, this is purely a theoretical concept, as no such cosmic-scale water body exists. Conclusion This fun fact about Saturn is one of the most intriguing astronomical truths, demonstrating how science can be both surprising and exciting. If you're a space enthusiast, there are countless fascinating cosmic phenomena waiting to be explored!
Bildnachweis: Ali Al-Edhari

License: CC-BY-4.0 Creative Commons Namensnennung 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) icons