Daily Archives: February 17, 2014

Historical Astronomers in Context

Posted on February 17, 2014 by reidrcreviston

My chosen astronomer is Nicholas Copernicus. He was born in Torun, Poland (which actually was part of Germany until right before his birth) on February 19, 1473. He was born the youngest member of his family and had 3 siblings. Copernicus died on May 24, 1543 in Frauenburg, Poland at the age of 70 years old […] Continue reading →

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The Physics of Star Systems: Kerbal Space Program

Posted on February 17, 2014 by forestcsharp

This video, via Scott Manley, shows an interesting spaceflight simulator/game known as Kerbal Space Program, which is shown in the above photo from gameSkinny.com. I’ve found this game to be incredibly useful to understanding escape velocities, gravitational encounters, and Kepler’s three … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Solar Flares cause magnetic storm on Earth

Posted on February 17, 2014 by blakestar2k14

On February 16th 2014, solar flares from the sun are believed to have been strong enough to cause magnetic storms on out planet, Earth. This was due to the size of the solar flares, the flares were so long that they actually reached the Earths magnetic field around it. Namig Jalilov told APA that the […] Continue reading →

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Telescopes and Technology

Posted on February 17, 2014 by almetetj

Pictured above is an artists rendition of the James Webb telescope, a feat of modern technology that is to become the successor to the famous Hubble Telescope currently in orbit. While the Hubble was designed to observe relatively close astronomical phenomena, the JWST will be able to see much further. While at first this fact […] Continue reading →

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Making waves

Posted on February 17, 2014 by blakestar2k14

For many years, the understanding is that the shift in tectonic plates, creating an earthquake, was the first step to the earthquake, tidal wave, volcano pattern. As seen in this video: tidal waves. However, recent studies from Science Magazine, suggest that the tidal waves themselves may be more of the cause than they are the effects. […] Continue reading →

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Our Bodies on Mars

Posted on February 17, 2014 by hughavanheesewijk

I discovered an interesting article from the magazine Wired about the importance of gravity when it comes to our bodies’ ability to function. It specifically discussed the challenges of colonizing Mars in regards to gravity. Of course before we can think about the challenges of living on Mars we would have to overcome the challenges […] Continue reading →

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Unenergized Bunny

Posted on February 17, 2014 by dhbrett

After only a few months on the lunar surface, the Chinese Jade Rabbit rover has malfunctioned. This represents a major setback for China’s young space agency and demonstrates how difficult extraterrestrial missions are. It really is amazing that the Cold War of the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s was able to produce such amazing progress on … Continue reading Unenergized Bunny → Continue reading →

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Telescope Stuff

Posted on February 17, 2014 by thegarrettnondorf

We’ve all had the urge. The urge to buy a camper, drive and drive till civilization disappears, and finally, under the starlit sky, to use the six foot telescope located in the back of the camper. Check it out. Picture That is how Man was meant to gaze at the stars. With a telescope lens … Continue reading Telescope Stuff → Continue reading →

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The Moon and Surfing

Posted on February 17, 2014 by dhbrett

People generally don’t think about how the moon impacts surfing, but there’s actually a close relationship between the two. The conditions at beaches change a lot depending on the tidal stage, which is itself determined by the position of the moon relative to the Earth. As the Earth spins, two bulges form on the surface, … Continue reading The Moon and Surfing → Continue reading →

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Spectroscopy

Posted on February 17, 2014 by karapetros

I always wondered how we were able to determine what chemicals are present in other stars in outer space. This video excellently and concisely teaches the basics behind studying this in terms of spectroscopy. Naturally, light is important in our viewing of the stars, but I never considered that the way different elements bend light … Continue reading Spectroscopy → Continue reading →

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