Monthly Archives: February 2014

Alcubierre Warp Drive

Posted on February 14, 2014 by joshkphilips

Image Source Physicists and astronomers today are confident that the age of our universe is about 13.8 billion years. However, they are also confident that our universe is much bigger than 13.8 billion light years. But how can this be if nothing in our universe can travel faster than the speed of light? The fact […] Continue reading →

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World’s Largest Telescope To Expand Our Horizons

Posted on February 13, 2014 by joshkphilips

Image and Information Source Currently, the largest telescope in the world is the Gran Telescopio Canarias, which has an aperture size of about 10.4 meters. However, plans to build an even larger telescope were recently approved. This new telescope will be built at the summit of Hawaii’s Mauna Kea volcano, and will cost an alarming […] Continue reading →

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My New Favorite Insult

Posted on February 13, 2014 by blankster22

Your mother has a greater tidal force than Jupiter! HA! Yes, I just said that your mother has more of an effect on Earth’s tides than does the largest planet in the solar system. On the surface, this might seem like a statement implying that you have a very massive mother. While this may or […] Continue reading →

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GPS

Posted on February 12, 2014 by philipapelles

GPS, or global positioning system, is the most commonly used celestial navigation source in today’s society, which I also use on a regular basis. From giving me directions when I am driving to telling me my exact location, GPS has become vital in most people’s daily lives. The global positioning system was originally designed for… Continue reading →

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A New Generation of US Spaceflight

Posted on February 12, 2014 by jblubin

A new era of spaceflight is underway in America. The Space Shuttle program was retired in 2011 and ever since, if NASA wants to send an astronaut so space, they must buy a ticket on the Russian Soyuz rocket. But this status quo of depending on another nation to carpool to space is about to … Continue reading A New Generation of US Spaceflight → Continue reading →

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Eratosthenes Measures the Earth

Posted on February 12, 2014 by jblubin

How do you measure the circumference of the Earth? It’s not like you can take out a meter stick and lay it end to end hundreds of thousands of times. Today with satellite technology and GPS we can easily complete this task and get an extremely precise answer: 40,075.017 kilometers. But how might a Greek … Continue reading Eratosthenes Measures the Earth → Continue reading →

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Posted on February 10, 2014 by thegarrettnondorf

Sir Isaac Newton 1642-1727 Quite a smart man was Newton. He invented calculus. (pause in amazement) He also came up with the aptly named Newton’s Laws of Physics (or the 3 Laws of Motion). These three rules were a significant upgrade to the system astronomers were using at the time. We have the Law of … Continue reading Historical Astronomers in Context → Continue reading →

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Posted on February 10, 2014 by hindsolar

2. Galileo revolutionized how we observe the heavens. Although he did not invent the telescope, he used it as a scientific instrument and published his results (Van Helden, 1977). We have built upon his work and have made countless discoveries about space thanks to his work. 3. a. In 1609 Kepler published his laws of planetary […] Continue reading →

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Nicholas Copernicus

Posted on February 10, 2014 by haydenwalling

The Life and Times of the Infamous Nicky C 2) Nicholas Copernicus is famous in the world of astronomy for his thesis on the heliocentric model of the universe. Though naïve in his assumption of purely circular orbits, Copernicus’s paper on heliocentricism, de revolutionibus orbium coelestium, was published posthumously so he never experienced whiplash for […] Continue reading →

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Historical Astronomers in Context: Johannes Kepler

Posted on February 10, 2014 by kaswat

Johannes Kepler (27 December 1571 – 15 November 1630) is well-known in astronomy for his three laws of planetary motion. He worked for Tycho Brahe where he analyzed Brahe’s observations. Brahe was convinced that the planet’s orbits were circular. However, Kepler could not accept this because Mars did not follow this pattern. He used his and… Continue reading →

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