Monthly Archives: April 2014

The Origin of Comets

Posted on April 9, 2014 by paanvaannd

<Image from this post from here> Every 76 years, viewers from our little planet of Earth are treated to a spectacular show of Halley’s comet streaking across the sky. The comet was observed for centuries but ancient astronomers failed to identify this comet’s appearance as a recurring event, thinking that each comet was unique and … Continue reading The Origin of Comets → Continue reading →

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Enceladus For Life!

Posted on April 9, 2014 by blankster22

Just last week, researchers released findings that confirm an ocean on Saturn’s moon Enceladus, something that scientists had previously suspected, but could not validate. The moon, which is very small compared to our own (only 300 miles wide), has strange geological features around its South pole that initially led to the hypothesis of a sub-surface […] Continue reading →

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Ludicrous Speed

Posted on April 9, 2014 by efb28

Science fiction is known for its use of futuristic technology that is impossible or at least seems to be at the time. In Spaceballs (parodying Star Wars) ludicrous speed is used to comically travel faster than the speed of light. You would think anything like this would have to fall into the part of science […] Continue reading →

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“Games without rules have many possible outcomes.” – Andrew Knoll, Harvard

Posted on April 9, 2014 by juliamac17

On a slightly more positive note to my other post about my reservations to the search for extraterrestrial life, NASA has recently confirmed that Saturn’s moon, Enceladus has been hiding a Lake Superior-sized ocean. It was discovered using data gathered by the Cassini spacecraft, and while suspicions have been around for a while, it has […] Continue reading →

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Metallic hydrogen

Posted on April 9, 2014 by Drew Hamilton

In learning about the interiors, we’ve heard a lot about metallic hydrogen. To me, it was a confusing idea, simply because I only really hear about hydrogen in the context of being a gas or being a compound such as water or methane. Furthermore, it was not clear what phase metallic hydrogen would be, since… Continue reading →

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Life in the Periphery

Posted on April 9, 2014 by Sam Chance

Sedna is a dwarf planet existing outside of the Kuiper Belt; in itself that makes it fairly distinct as there is only one other dwarf planet existing beyond the Kuiper Belt and that was only discovered in late March. The other thing that makes Sedna interesting is that it has ultra-red material which is indicative … Continue reading Life in the Periphery → Continue reading →

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What are we even looking for?

Posted on April 9, 2014 by juliamac17

So recently we’ve been looking at different planets. Some of the planets that we tend to find most interesting are those that we think could possibly support life. But instead of tackling the life question from an excited human standpoint, I’m looking at it in a slightly wary, totally suspicious one. What are we looking for? […] Continue reading →

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Life on Moons

Posted on April 9, 2014 by paanvaannd

<Image for this post taken from here> The Galilean moons, especially Europa, have been objects of interest for decades for scientists interested in finding life in our own solar system. Europa’s relatively young surface is, for the most part, devoid of the pockmarked landscapes that signify a geologically inactive world, meaning that there must be … Continue reading Life on Moons → Continue reading →

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Pluto hitting Neptune?

Posted on April 9, 2014 by efb28

Some time between elementary school and high school, you probably heard that Pluto and Neptune’s orbits crossed and that one day “far into the future” (to not scare kids) they would hit each other. Well, in reality, that collision will never take place. The reason Pluto and Neptune will never collide is that their orbits […] Continue reading →

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Unaccountable Freak: A Story of Halley’s Comet

Posted on April 9, 2014 by claremcdaniel

I’ve been interested in Halley’s comet for a long time. Something about the fact that it always come back, and the times when it will are so utterly predictable while being huge in terms of human conceptions of time, has … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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