#astronauts have speakers in their suits that convert sound into radio waves so they’re good

[physics-for-fishes]

Space is a near-perfect vacuum, but it’s not entirely empty. A small list of matter include :

a few hydrogen atoms here and there (less than one hydrogen atom per cubic meter)

Dark Matter — an enigma that was recently discovered in the 20th century. It doesn’t interact with the normal matter that we’re used to (eg. solid, gas, liquid). We can’t see it since it doesn't interact with light or any electromagnetic radiation. However, it does exist and makes up about 27% of the universe.

Neutrinos — neutral subatomic particles with little mass and no electric charge. They’re from atoms that come together (nuclear fusion) or break apart (nuclear fission)

Electromagnetic radiation and magnetic fields

There are other things that exist in outer space but they’re usually not normal matter and don’t make space very dense at all. It’s okay because space is never truly empty but it can still be very close to empty, making it a far better vacuum than the best ones we can make on earth.

This is not an issue for electromagnetic waves (like light and radio waves) that can travel through space unhindered because they don’t need any medium to propagate.

Sound waves are different since they're mechanical waves, which is just vibrating matter. Hence, they need a medium to travel through to be heard. In space there is no air or medium for sound waves to travel through. This means that no one can hear you scream in space :)

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