Daily Archives: January 27, 2014

The magic of Stellarium

Posted on January 27, 2014 by asadpabani

Have you ever accidentally stumbled upon something amazing? Like that burger joint you stumbled into when you were out late on Friday night and found out they served the most amazing cheeseburger? Finding out about Stellarium last semester had something of a similar effect on me. While previously I was left swooning over magnificent pictures […] Continue reading →

Posted in Universe | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The magic of Stellarium

The size of the Universe

Posted on January 27, 2014 by asadpabani

To say the Universe is big is a bit of an understatement. The monster truck parked outside is considered big, the girl sitting next to you in class is called big by some people in bated breath, the Big Mac is supposed to be big (says so in the very name). When we’re talking about […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Sun, Universe | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on The size of the Universe

Neil deGrasse Tyson: In Defense of the Big Bang Theory

Posted on January 27, 2014 by forestcsharp

Video Source: Youtube  One of the most confusing yet also the most interesting events on the “Cosmic Calendar” is that of the origin of our Universe. One of the most popular theories for the origin of our Universe is that … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Universe | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Neil deGrasse Tyson: In Defense of the Big Bang Theory

The Precession of Earth’s Axis

Posted on January 27, 2014 by gradytlynch

I’m a very visual learner, so when trying to understand the phenomenon of axial precession, I sought out a visual representation of what exactly is going on. This video perfectly explains (for this level class) the causes and implications of axial precession. It leaves us with an advanced understanding of how axial precession affects our […] Continue reading →

Posted in Physics | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The Precession of Earth’s Axis

A Slower Speed of Light

Posted on January 27, 2014 by gradytlynch

The open source MIT game “A Slower Speed of Light” is a first person game in which the player collects orbs that slow down time. As the game progresses, the user will find that the game becomes harder as the speed of light decreases, approaching the player’s own speed of movement. This brings many strange […] Continue reading →

Posted in Light | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on A Slower Speed of Light

SkyCube: A Personal Satellite

Posted on January 27, 2014 by almetetj

Project Explanation Video: SkyCube Project Overview While skimming through a list of start up projects on Kickstarter.com, I noticed a project that peaked my interest a while back, the SkyCube. This project gave “backers” the opportunity to control the soon to  be launched satellite, effectively becoming the  first crowd source funded satellite intended for crowd-sourced […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on SkyCube: A Personal Satellite

The Hidden Universe

Posted on January 27, 2014 by dhbrett

It’s amazing to think about how much there is that we cannot yet see. Even the famous Hubble Deep Field image can only show us so much. The objects pictured are incredibly far away, but what lies beyond them is important too, since it may give us clues as to the formation of the universe. … Continue reading The Hidden Universe → Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The Hidden Universe

Stellarium

Posted on January 27, 2014 by Leigh

I found the program Stellarium to be incredibly interesting and also very informative. The benefit of Stellarium is that it creates a visual and interactive representative of what can only be demonstrated through words and images in the textbook. Because … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Stars, Universe | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Stellarium

Light Travel Time: An Impediment to our Knowledge of the Universe

Posted on January 27, 2014 by Leigh

Despite common misperceptions, a light year is a measure of distance, not time. It is the only feasible way to measure distances in the universe because the universe is so vast that measurements of distance used on earth would quickly … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Light, Universe | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Light Travel Time: An Impediment to our Knowledge of the Universe

Is Light The Limit?

Posted on January 27, 2014 by almetetj

Albert Einstein once theorized that speed of light serves as somewhat of a global speed limit. It is assumed that nothing in the universe is capable of traveling faster than the speed of electromagnetic radiation. According to his observations, this makes sense. How could something composed of atoms of mass travel faster than a beam […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Is Light The Limit?