Monthly Archives: January 2015

The Culture of Solar Eclipses

Posted on January 24, 2015 by alyssasolarblog

While we discussed the science behind solar eclipses and totality in class on Wednesday, I wanted to explore the culture and lore behind solar eclipses. Total solar eclipses are very rare: at any particular location on earth, a total solar eclipse will only be visible once every 360 years! However, many “eclipse chasers” are undaunted by … Continue reading The Culture of Solar Eclipses → Continue reading →

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The Culture of Solar Eclipses

Posted on January 24, 2015 by alyssasolarblog

While we discussed the science behind solar eclipses and totality in class on Wednesday, I wanted to explore the culture and lore behind solar eclipses. Total solar eclipses are very rare: at any particular location on earth, a total solar eclipse will only be visible once every 360 years! However, many “eclipse chasers” are undaunted by … Continue reading The Culture of Solar Eclipses → Continue reading →

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The Observable Universe

Posted on January 24, 2015 by abbeyrstephens

It is extremely difficult for humans to wrap our minds around how big the universe is. Even when we think we can maybe understand it, the more we discover and learn, the more mysterious and seemingly larger it becomes. One of the things about the size of the universe that our book mentions that really […] Continue reading →

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Scottish Scientists Slow Down Light :O

Posted on January 24, 2015 by leedd1

Although the speed of light has been taught to be a constant value in a vacuum setting like the universe, however a team of Scottish scientists have valid proof that this might not always be the case. The Scottish researchers from the University of Glasgow and Heriot-Watt University made this amazing discovery by firing two […] Continue reading →

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#2 – When should I plan my vacation for Mars?

Posted on January 24, 2015 by bryancm1

Looking to explore the northern plains of Mars? Or perhaps the craters in the south? Maybe scale Olympus Mons, or visit the Curiosity Rover? If you’re intending to travel without preparing properly, chances are you’re going to freeze to death. Luckily for you, Mars experiences seasons. With just a little bit of research, we can […] Continue reading →

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Wait, where is that constellation? said me, about a million times while holding a telescope

Posted on January 24, 2015 by jamej00

Night Sky 2 The hyperlink above is to a webpage with the information and a review for a REALLY cool observing app!  I got Night Sky 2 before I even took an astronomy class at Vandy, and it’s easily my favorite.  You can get real-time views of all constellations, planets, stars, satellites, and even comets!  Not… Continue reading →

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Speed of Light and Time

Posted on January 24, 2015 by alephnulluniverse

After 6 months, astronauts in the International Space Station would have aged about 0.007 seconds less that people on Earth. This is due to the International Space Station moving much faster than the Earth. Time itself will bend due to differences in gravity or velocity. Now what if an object starts to move close to […] Continue reading →

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Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey

Posted on January 24, 2015 by jclyncmp

In the 1980’s, a 13 episode television series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage was presented by the famous Carl Sagan covering topics such as the origin of life and a perspective of our place in the universe. In the first episode, “The…

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#1 – Just how big are those other stars in the universe?

Posted on January 24, 2015 by bryancm1

I think it’s incredibly fun to look at the scale of the universe in a sense we can understand. The D.C. Voyage model gives us a good sense of distance. What about the size of things? We can use compare fruit all we want, but all it’s doing is making me hungry. Instead, I’d recommend […] Continue reading →

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You Could Be One Step Closer to Understanding the Size of our Solar System!

Posted on January 23, 2015 by christophermfitzgerald

Have you ever felt that understanding the truly staggering size of the universe is unfathomable? With the help of this interactive website you can see first-hand the tremendous distances in just our own solar system! Starting from the center of our solar … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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