Outer space explained to kids

Outer space is the area beyond Earth's atmosphere. Outer space is extremely cold and has no air. The temperature in outer space can be as low as -455 degrees Fahrenheit! Outer space is also a vacuum, which means it has no air. There are many things in outer space, including planets, stars, galaxies, and comets. Our solar system is just a tiny part of the Milky Way galaxy. The Milky Way galaxy has more than 100 billion stars in it! Most of outer space is empty. In fact, if you were to take all of the planets, stars, and galaxies and put them together, they would only take up about 5% of the total space in the universe! The rest of outer space is filled with something called dark matter. Scientists aren't sure what dark matter is, but they think it might be made up of tiny particles that we can't see. Outer space is so big that it's hard to even imagine how big it is! For example, if you were to take a trip to the nearest star, Proxima Centauri, it would take you more than 4 years to get there, even if you were travelling at the speed of light! Outer space is an interesting place to explore. There are many things to learn about outer space and the universe.