Monthly Archives: February 2014

Archaeoastronomy

Posted on February 17, 2014 by Leigh

Archaeoastronomy is a relatively new field that combines the disciplines of archaeology and astronomy; in it, scientists piece together the astronomical discoveries of ancient people by analyzing the remains from their civilizations. It is a very interesting and informative field … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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A Universe From Nothing

Posted on February 16, 2014 by bsturge93

Lawrence Krauss is a cosmologist and theoretical physicist famous for being one of the first scientists to posit that most of the energy of the universe resides in empty space. The video above  is called “A Universe from Nothing” and I would like to comment on a few parts of the video that will hopefully encourage you … Continue reading A Universe From Nothing → Continue reading →

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Orbital Mechanics and Common Misconceptions

Posted on February 16, 2014 by zkorman

So guys let’s face it: when it comes to space, a lot of us just don’t know a lot about how to get up there. Quick quiz for you: is the following statement true or false? In order to get to orbit, we shoot a rocket straight up and then once it gets into space, … Continue reading Orbital Mechanics and Common Misconceptions → Continue reading →

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The Largest Telescope in the World

Posted on February 16, 2014 by Chad F

Larger telescopes allow for better angular resolution, which allows for us to discern between two light producing objects that are close together.  Therefore, telescopes are ever increasing in size to get better and better images.  Beating out telescopes called “Very Large Telescope” and “South African Large Telescope”, the Arecibo Radio Telescope in Puerto Rico is […] Continue reading →

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The Beauty of Science and the Firewall Paradox

Posted on February 16, 2014 by paanvaannd

  Image from this site. For more information on the conventional view of black holes, read the hyperlinked article. “Einstein was wrong.” Of course he wasn’t wrong about everything, and to many it may seem like he was only wrong over a minor point. And to most, like myself, it may seem obvious to conclude that … Continue reading The Beauty of Science and the Firewall Paradox → Continue reading →

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Mass, Space-Time, and Light

Posted on February 16, 2014 by zkorman

Mass, as we know, bends space-time. Examples of such bending (in 2 dimensions for ease of comprehension) can be seen here for our sun, a white dwarf, a neutron star, and a black hole. A good question was asked recently, and I would like to clear up some misconceptions. The question, which was very insightful, … Continue reading Mass, Space-Time, and Light → Continue reading →

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Light in the Universe

Posted on February 16, 2014 by Chad F

Light is a very meaningful aspect of the universe that allowed us to make the observations about space that we have made so far.  The light that stars produce allows us to determine many things about them.  Their absorption line spectra allow us to determine their composition and the Doppler effect allows us to determine […] Continue reading →

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Travel Inside a Black Hole

Posted on February 16, 2014 by gradytlynch

Although we usually think of black holes as extremely massive objects, anything in the universe with mass can theoretically become a black hole. As this video discusses, it is mathematically possible for a black hole to form with the mass of the earth, or even Mount Everest. However, the object’s Schwarzschild radius, the size it […] Continue reading →

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Hip-stars Wobble Too!

Posted on February 16, 2014 by juliamac17

So one of the things I think is cute about the universe we live in is that even in the most vastness you rarely find things alone. And these kindred stellar bodies don’t just ignore each other. Oh no, they get caught up in each other’s gravity. And it is this fun and nifty relation […] Continue reading →

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Why is gravity so weak?

Posted on February 16, 2014 by bsturge93

Gravity is a fundamental force that holds together our solar system, our galaxy, and every person to Earth. It must be pretty strong to hold something as massive as Jupiter in orbit right? Actually, compared to the three other fundamental forces, gravity is unimaginably weak. To demonstrate this, use a common refrigerator magnet to pick … Continue reading Why is gravity so weak? → Continue reading →

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