LARGEST STRUCTURE:-

	"Great WALL"
	a concentration of galaxies
	280x800 million light years in diameter
	discovered in 1989

LARGEST GALAXY:-
 

	ABELL 2029
	5,600,000 light years in diameter (80xdiameter of our galaxy)
	discovered in 1990

BRIGHTEST GALAXY:-

	IRAS F10124+4724
	luminosity = 300,000,000,000,000 X sun's
	discovered in 1983 by IRAS (INFRA-RED ASTRONOMY SATELLITE)

AGE OF THE UNIVERSE:-
 

14 billion years

REMOTEST OBJECT:-
 

	QUASAR PC1247+3406
	14,000 million light years away

STARS

NEAREST STAR TO EARTH AFTER THE SUN:-
 

	PROXIMA CENTAURI
	4 LIGHT YEARS AWAY

LARGEST STAR:-

	M-CLASS SUPER GIANT BETELGEUX
	DIAMETER OF 700 MILLION KM

SMALLEST STAR:-

	WHITE DWARF L362-81
	DIAMETER OF 5600 KM

HEAVIEST:-
 

	ETA CARINAE
	200 X MASS OF SUN

PLANETS

LARGEST:-

	JUPITER
	DIAMETER OF 142 984 KM

SMALLEST, FURTHEST AND COLDEST:-

	PLUTO
	DIAMETER OF 2320 KM
	-235 DEGREES CELSIUS
	MEAN DISTANCE FROM SUN= 5913,514,000 KM

FASTEST:-
 

	MERCURY
	172,248 KM/H

HOTTEST:-

	VENUS
	462 DEGREES CELSIUS
	METHANE CLOUDS IN ITS ATMOSPHERE TRAPS HEAT AND THUS INCREASES ITS TEMPERATURE

BRIGHTEST (WHEN VIEWED FROM EARTH):-

	VENUS
	USED TO BE CALLED THE EVENING STAR
	IT'S THE BRIGHTER THAN ANY OTHER STAR (EXCEPT THE SUN), YOU CAN SEE IT ALTHOUGH IT LOOKS LIKE A STAR

SATELLITES

LARGEST:-
 

	GANYMEDE (JUPITER III)
	2.3 X MOON'S MASS
	5268 KM IN DIAMETER

SMALLEST:-

	DEIMOS
	OUTERMOST MOON OF MARS
	IRREGULARLY SHAPED
	12.5 KM IN DIAMETER

ASTEROIDS

LARGEST:-

	1 CERES
	DISCOVERED IN 1801
	DIAMETER OF 959KM

SMALLEST:-

	1991BA
	DIAMETER OF 9M

ONLY VISIBLE ASTEROID WITH THE NAKED EYE:-

	4 VESTA
	520 KM IN DIAMETER

MOON

HIGHEST MOUNTAIN:-
 

DESCARTES HIGHLANDS

7830 M HIGH

HIGHEST TEMPERATURE:-

117 DEGREES CELSIUS

LOWEST TEMPERATURE:-

-163 DEGREES CELSIUS

ECLIPSES

EARLIEST RECORDED:-

	15/1/763 BC
	NOTE:- COMPUTERS HAVE CALCULATED THAT THERE WERE MANY ECLIPSES BEFORE THAT WERE NOT RECORDED

LONGEST DURATION:-

	MAXIMUM POSSIBLE= 7 MIN 31 SEC
	LONGEST OF RECENT DATE= 1995
	PHILIPPINES
	7 MIN 29 SEC

COMETS

EARLIEST RECORDED:-

600 BC

LARGEST:-

	GREAT COMET
	1843
	330 MILLION KM LONG

BRIGHTEST:-

	CRULS COMET
	1862

METEORITES

OLDEST:-

	KRAHENBERG
	20 MILLION YEARS

LARGEST:-

	1920
	NAMIBIA
	59 TONNES