“People will explode”—& Other Myths About Outer Space

Artist extraordinaire James Grasdal is putting the finishing touches on the 13^th book in the Superman Duffy comic series—MYTHCONCEPTIONS. Which, you may have guessed has a little something to do with common “myths.” I love myths! So for this year’s A to Z Blogging Challenge, I’m going to “bust” as many of them as I can—every day (except Sundays) on the blog, throughout April.

Not familiar with the A to Z Challenge? Get the details here, and then hang on, because I’m about to blow your mind with my myth-inspired posts. P.S. Comment on the blogs throughout the month for a chance to WIN a complete set of the Superman Duffy comics, including lucky #13, MYTHCONCEPTIONS.

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MYTH: People will explode in outer space.

This is another one of those cases where you shouldn’t believe everything you see in the movies. I mean, you wouldn’t want to hang around in space all day—for one thing, you wouldn’t be able to breathe—but contrary to popular myth, you won't explode like a hot air balloon.

And just for the record, you won't freeze, and your blood won't boil—though you’d overheat pretty fast.

But wait, there's more! When I started researching for this post, I realized that “space” is a black hole of misconceptions. Here are some of my favourites:

MYTH: The sun is yellow.

Drop that Crayola—your Kindergarten teacher (unintentionally) led you down the wrong path. Not only is the sun not yellow, it’s not engulfed in flames either. The sun is white, much like the moon, but the Earth’s atmosphere makes the rays appear yellow-tinted. Who knew?

MYTH: There is a permanent dark side of the moon.

It’s true that the Earth only sees one side of the moon at a time—but not the sun. Both sides of the moon get the same amount of light. We just can’t see it. 

MYTH: Sound travels in space.

Total myth—another one thanks to the movies. There’s no atmosphere for sound waves to vibrate in.

MYTH: Seeds from space grow differently.

Okay, so the wording on this is a bit tricky because obviously astronauts haven’t harvested “seeds” from space. But back in 1996, Canadian astronaut Robert Thirsk took 250,000 canola seeds into space for a 17-day flight—and then brought them home. His mission? To determine whether the environmental factors associated with space flight—aka: anti-gravity—would impact plant growth.

Students across Canada took part in the project, but unfortunately, the results were inconclusive. More research is required.

For a super cool “space” adventure, check out It’s a Blast! You can win a copy of this Superman Duffy comic—along with the rest of the books in the series—just by commenting below. What space myths were new to you? Which ones did I miss?

Time for me to…blast off <grin> but I’ll be back tomorrow for the letter “P” on my #AtoZChallenge of myth-busting posts. See you then!

~ Chase Superman Duffy