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Daily Archives: April 8, 2014
The definition of “planet”
Ever since the IAU gathered in Prague in 2006 and published a new scientific definition of “planet”, there has been debate on how well they did, and whether they were right to “demote” Pluto from planet to the new “dwarf planet” classification. I aim here to critique the IAU’s definition of a planet. First, here… Continue reading
Posted in Class, Historical, Physics, Science, Universe
Tagged astro201, blog7, dwarf planet, IAU, planet, pluto, Solar System
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The Largest body not to get the planetary nod
Ganymede is the largest body in the solar system not to receive the distinction of being a planet ranking at number 9 in size for the solar system. Larger than even mercury, Ganymede is approximately 41.3% the radius of Earth yet strangely is comprised out of only 2.5% its mass. The ultra light moon lacks […] Continue reading
Posted in Class, Historical, Moons
Tagged astr201, blog7, planetsnub
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Almost Hit by a Meteorite
In the video above, a skydiver was almost hit by a meteorite falling through Earth’s atmosphere. There is only one person in recorded history, Ann Hodges from Alabama in 1954, to ever be hit by a meteorite and that was off of a bounce. With all of the people that have lived throughout human history, you have a better chance of […] Continue reading
Posted in Class, Small SS Objects
Tagged astro201, blog8, Meteorites
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Mining in Space
Whenever one thinks about mining in space, the image that is likely to come to mind is of drilling an asteroid made of solid gold. However, this is unlikely to be how this process will ever occur. That is partially because the value of the resources that one would receive from them would overcome the […] Continue reading
Is Pluto a planet?
Recently, Pluto was demoted to being called a “dwarf planet”. This has caused an uproar among many people who suddenly discovered that their favorite planet was Pluto. The idea that we change how we refer to a desolate rock is apparently unbelievable to a large portion of the population. The question of whether Pluto is a […] Continue reading
Ceres, the Inner Solar System Dwarf Planet
Ceres was discovered in 1801 and is the largest object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It was originally classified as a planet, but has since been demoted to a dwarf planet. It is thought to have an icy mantle and a rocky core with the possibility of a subsurface ocean and thin atmosphere. […] Continue reading
Posted in Class, Small SS Objects
Tagged asteroids, astro201, blog7, Ceres, Solar System
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Saturn’s Rings
In the outer solar system, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune all have rings, but Saturn’s are by far the largest and most spectacular. Galileo was the first to discover them in 1610, but for years they remained a mystery and much is still unknown about them. In the 1980s, the Voyager missions got a closer […] Continue reading
Halley’s Comet
Halley’s Comet is the most well known comet because it is the only short-term comet that is visible from Earth with the naked eye. Halley’s Comet was seen multiple times throughout history. The first known observation of Halley’s Comet was in 239 B.C. by Chinese astronomers. When it returned in 164 B.C. and 87 B.C. […] Continue reading
Wouldn’t it be something…
The question of life outside of our planet has been one of great interest for a while in the scientific community. When considering extrasolar planets or planets outside of our solar system I often wonder if there is some other planet in another solar system that is much like ours. Not long ago NASA’s Kepler […] Continue reading
Posted in Exoplanets
Tagged “blog8”, “Exoplanets”, astro201
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Astronomy Jargon
Some words I like. Here are some words I’ve encountered in astronomy I had not known elsewhere. Barycenter–The point of the center of mass between two or more bodies. Lagrangian points–Zones around the sun where an object placed there will orbit the sun relative the the Earth’s orbital progression. “Dwarf Planet”–The International Astronomical Union always […] Continue reading