› added 2 months ago

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TIL gas clouds in the universe are detected by not only their emission but also their absorption of starlight. The absorbed wavelengths depend on the elements and compounds in the cloud, as explained by quantum mechanics, allowing us to determine their composition through absorption lines.

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JYaQj TIL that in 1992, Sega orchestrated the world's first global launch of a video game, Sonic the Hedgehog 2. They chose a Tuesday and dubbed the event "Sonic 2sday". At the time, new games would release at different stores on different days. Thanks to Sega, Tuesday is now the industry standard.
Qpn6 TIL of target fixation, when a person is concentrating so much on avoiding something that he increases the chances of hitting it. Racecar drivers, fighter pilots, mountain bikers, and others moving at high speed can experience the issue.
oBmLL TIL Erotomania is a delusional disorder wherein a person experiences delusions of another person being infatuated with them. It's most often seen in female patients that are shy, dependent and sexually inexperienced. The object of the delusion is typically a male who is 'unattainable'.
XERZE TIL that land that was covered by glaciers during the last Ice Age is still rising about a centimeter a year, 12,000 years after the massive weight of the ice sheets is gone
loLra TIL that National Reconnaissance Office donated two Hubble-class telescopes to The National Science Foundation, because they were only gathering dust in a warehouse. NRO is the agency in charge of USA's spy satellities, the donation was prompted by the two telescopes becoming obsolete for spying.