Whenever I look up in the sky, I imagine a scary image of the deep space, which makes me uncomfortable. There are no monsters or aliens but just complete silence and endless darkness. This fear is weird, but I bet that many people think the same, and it makes people ask a simple question: “Why is space so scary?” This fear is not any imagination; even scientists accept this scariness of the space.

In this article we will discuss “Why is space so scary?” and I hope that my article becomes fruitful for you and tries to give a full, satisfying answer to this question.

Space Is Vast Beyond Human Thinking

Our space is very vast, and even we don’t know if it has a boundary or not. So one of the biggest reasons why space is so scary is its size.

Human beings are only capable of measuring small spaces like rooms, cities, countries, the earth, etc. Deep space does not have edges that are visible to us. Yet scientists are only able to observe a space about 93 billion light-years wide. It is only observable space, and we don’t know about its actual size. This size is very vast, and the human brain can’t even imagine or measure it.

When we aren’t able to measure any size, it feels like it’s lost. This creates anxiety, and psychologists call this cognitive overload.  When something is so big that our mind is not able to measure it, it creates the feeling of being tiny. This feeling creates a fear for deep space, making it uncomfortable for many people.

Another question of this decade is “can space ever end?“

Space Is Almost Completely Silent

For us silence means a danger and makes us alert. If there is complete silence for a long time in a place, we get a feeling that something went wrong. Even when a predator hunts its prey, there is complete silence until its first attack. Usually silence creates fear for all. As we all know, there is a complete silence in deep space. There is no air and atmosphere in space. Sound needs air to travel, but space is a vacuum, so there is no sound, and space is full of complete and scary silence. This complete silence is one of the big reasons why is space so scary.

The human mind is not designed to live in a place like space, where sound does not exist. We are habitual to living in an environment filled with background noise every time. If sound disappears suddenly, then we have to face many problems like anxiety, increased stress, and even hallucinations. Our mind struggles a lot to stay calm.  Even astronomers share their experience inside of spacecraft. The environment of complete silence becomes very disturbing and creates unusual thoughts. That’s why space feels so scary.

Space Is Extremely Hostile to Human Beings

In our solar system, Earth is the only planet that supports life naturally. But outside of Earth, everything wants to kill you. Our earth provides all appropriate conditions that are responsible for life. In space we are dead instantly without any protection. This is also the reason why is space so scary. Some factors resist the existence of life in space.

• There is no oxygen present in space, which is a crucial factor for life. All living organisms need oxygen to breathe; without oxygen, life is impossible for us. Without any spacesuit, we lose our consciousness in about 10-15 seconds.
• In space there are extreme temperatures in which the human body cannot survive. In the presence of sunlight, temperature gradually increases to approximately 270°C, and in the absence of sunlight, temperature decreases to approximately -270°C.
• In space high radiation is also present. Earth’s magnetic field protects us from high radiations of space. But in space this radiation harms us and makes life impossible.
• Very harmful ultraviolet rays are emitting from the sun. Earth’s ozone layer protects us from them. These harmful rays are also responsible for the non-survival of humans in space.
• Pressure is also one of the key factors. On Earth atmospheric pressure is present. So it makes our body fluids stable. But space is a vacuum, so there is no external pressure. It results in the internal pressure of the body increasing and causing many physical problems.

These are some factors that are responsible for no life in space. There is no chance of survival in space. So, space is extremely hostile to human life. This is also one of the biggest reasons why is space so scary.

The emptiness of the space

In space there is no air, no sound, and not any visible movement; it appears completely empty. The emptiness of the space is also one of the biggest reasons why is space so scary.

But according to the scientists, space is not completely empty. There are gases, dust particles, radiation from stars and galaxies, magnetic fields, and electric fields. Even the darkest regions of space are not completely empty. But the size of the space is very large, so the density of the matter is very low. They are very apart. This looks empty.

These magnetic fields are not visible to human eyes. Radiation passes through silently, and energy particles travel at the speed of light. We can’t see them. So we are surrounded by the environment where we not able to see, hear, we are or feel anything in the space. In this type of environment humans feel fear, and this emptiness makes us very uncomfortable. According to the scientists, even space is not completely empty, but there is nothing that is seen or heard by humans. That means space is empty for us. This emptiness is another reason for why is space so scary.

Our brains are weird for the unknown fear.

In the ancient period, people were scared of unknown territory. Unknown places mean danger to them. Even unknown sound and unknown darkness mean danger to them. Even though we are evolved today, this survival instinct is still active.

The space is ultimately unknown to us. When we think about space, we face a completely unknown environment. We cannot breathe there. There is no chance of surviving in space. This is called the fear of the unknown. This is the basic fear in all humans. Our mind thinks danger in an unknown environment. The fear does not come from what we see or understand; it comes from what we do not see, understand, or are not able to control. That’s why space feels so scary. The unknown space is also the biggest reason for why is space so scary.

Final Thought

Whenever the space becomes the topic of conversation, people usually ask this question many times. So the question of the decade is “Why is space so scary?” So in this article I try my best to explain this topic deeply. The space is scary not because of any aliens, monsters, or any science fiction stories. But it is scary because of its extreme conditions that are not suitable for human beings and make them very uncomfortable. There are many factors that are able to answer this question: “Why is space so scary?” Like space is very large beyond human thinking. There is complete silence in the space that is capable of developing fear inside us. There is not any suitable condition for life. The complete emptiness of space is very scary. These are some of the biggest reasons for this question: “Why is space so scary?”

Another question of this decade is “can space ever end?“

FAQ

1. What is the scariest thing about the space?

The scariest thing about space is that most of the universe (about 95%) is made of dark matter and dark energy. These are the things that we cannot fully understand. Yet it is invisible. We only know about it because it controls the expansion of space and how galaxies and black holes are moving in space.

2. Why does space feel so scary?

Space feels scary because it is very large beyond human thinking. There is complete silence in the space that is capable of developing fear inside us. There is not any suitable condition for life. The complete emptiness of space is very scary.

3. Why does the emptiness of space feel unsettling?

The emptiness of space feels unsettling because humans are always surrounded by some movements, like there is always air, sound, and life. So the human mind faces a struggle to stay calm in the complete absence.

4. Why is space scarier than the deep ocean?

In the deep ocean, even though it is dark, there is still water and life, not complete emptiness and silence. Survival in water is at least physically possible with protection. But it is all opposite in the space. There is nothing familiar to the humans and not any chance of surviving. That’s why space is scarier than the deep ocean.

5. Do astronomers feel scared in space?

Most astronomers do not feel scared of space, but they are aware of its danger. They experience it through safe distance, through data, and through telescopes. Astronomers are prepared physically and mentally. Astronomers go for exploring the space and to get some valuable knowledge from there. Space is something to explore for them.