Monthly Archives: April 2013

Theories, Theories Everywhere

What the solar system might actually look like with sun’s movement accounted for. The formation of our own and other planetary systems is, understandably, one of the most interesting topics in astronomy. But what interests me even more than our current formation theory is how subject it is to change. I do not doubt its […] Continue reading

Posted in Class | Tagged , | Comments Off on Theories, Theories Everywhere

A Comet Heads For Mars

NASA has discovered that there is “small but non-negligible” chance that Comet 2013 A1 will strike Mars in October of 2014. The comet is between 1 to 3 kilometers in […] Continue reading

Posted in Small SS Objects | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on A Comet Heads For Mars

A Breakthrough in Space Travel

There is currently a project underway which aims to send astronauts in a fusion powered spacecraft to Mars and cutting the travel time to just 30 days round trip. Using existing rocket fuels it would take at least 4 years to travel the same round trip and would cost more than $12 billion. Using this […] Continue reading

Posted in Space Travel | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on A Breakthrough in Space Travel

Drawing Closer to Discovering the Mysteries of Pluto

Right now Pluto is a very mysterious planet. No man-made object has flown by it and so there is not a lot of information on its global geology or chemical composition on the surface. In 2 years however, New Horizons will finally reach the dwarf planet and retrieve valuable data that astronomers have seeked for […] Continue reading

Posted in Dwarf Planets | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Drawing Closer to Discovering the Mysteries of Pluto

Binary (Double Star) Systems

If you’ve ever seen any kind of sci-fi movie, I’m sure you’ve seen an example of a binary star system.  Countless space movies (most notably Star Wars) feature an alien sky with more than one Sun.  While the effect is usually dramatized in film, these binary star systems are in fact very real. A binary […] Continue reading

Posted in Observables, Physics, Stars | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Binary (Double Star) Systems

The Planet Formerly Known as Pluto

I remember that growing up, I was always told that there were 9 planets in our Solar System. I always found Pluto very interesting, and even more so now that it has been demoted from its planet status.  This article provides many entertaining facts about the famous dwarf planet, a few of which I found extremely […] Continue reading

Posted in Dwarf Planets | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The Planet Formerly Known as Pluto

Comets

Near Earth Experience The snowballs of the universe, comets are amazing bodies of ice and rock orbiting a star from a great distance. In our own solar system, these balls of ice mostly inhabit an area known as the Oort Cloud. This outer region surrounds our solar system from all different directions. Because the cloud […] Continue reading

Posted in Class | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Comets

The Planet Pluto

The little planet that could… Although I am only 22 years old, the world has changed a lot since I grew up. No longer are the days of hearing the obnoxious but familiar sound of dial-up internet, listening to music with a walkman in your hand instead of an ipod in your pocket, and above all else, […] Continue reading

Posted in Class | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The Planet Pluto

Oxygen on Europa?

Europa, which is one of the four largest moons orbiting Jupiter, is currently one of the top candidates for potential life. Europa’s surface is made of ice, but beneath all this ice, is an ocean of water. This water is likely due to tidal heating caused by Jupiter and is evidenced by the magnetic field […] Continue reading

Posted in Aliens, Moons | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Oxygen on Europa?

M-theory Might Explain Everything

Have you ever thought about the Big Bang? And what might have happened before it? If you have come to blindly accept the widely accepted theory about how our universe was created, you might have missed the various loopholes the theory presents. For instance, the Big Bang theory states that before the huge explosion took […] Continue reading

Posted in Class | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on M-theory Might Explain Everything