Monthly Archives: February 2015

Archaeoastronomy

One of the topics I found most interesting to think about in these readings is the topic of archaeoastronomy. I had never even heard of this concept before reading chapter 3! It’s very interesting to think about how ancient civilizations viewed the sky. Some, like the Blackfoot tribes in the Americas, viewed the Sun, Moon, […] Continue reading

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When in Polynesia…sail as the Polynesians do

Old traditions have come back to life in Polynesia, and you can take part. Tucked deep within the Cook Islands is an adventure-travel service that will teach you how to navigate the seas with nothing more than the celestial bodies above. The boat you will travel on is equipped with one of the coolest ancient […] Continue reading

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Hubble’s Law

Photo Source: Hubble’s Law Considering the topic of what light can tell us, Hubble’s Law is one topic I’ve always found greatly interesting.  As the picture suggests, the redshift of a distant galaxy is in direct linear proportion to its distance from Earth.  This is the essence of Hubble’s Law – which relates a galaxy’s… Continue reading

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What if Earth is the Center of Our Solar System? (Part 1)

From the time of ancient Greece, people were convinced that Earth was the center of the universe. The theory of geocentric was still believed by public and authorities until the time of Renaissance. However, what if Earth suddenly becomes the center of our solar system? We can consider what will happen if the geocentric really … Continue reading What if Earth is the Center of Our Solar System? (Part 1) Continue reading

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Time to Understand the Tides

Even though I am from Colorado, I have to admit that I am more of a beach person than a mountain person, and a fascination with the tides has always been inherent in my love for the beach. However, until reading Chapter 4 of the textbook, I had never understood exactly why or how the […] Continue reading

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Archaeoastronomy: A Connection between Ancient and Modern Cultures

I have always been fascinated by different cultures and how cultures interact with each other. Thus, whenever I learn about a new subject, I always try to approach it from a cultural perspective. I had not found a way to do so with astronomy until I learned about the field of archaeoastronomy. I am especially […] Continue reading

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It’s About Time

Most of us have calendars hung in our kitchens or virtual apps constantly berating us with times, dates, and upcoming …

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Think Saturn’s rings are cool? Think Bigger.

Saturn’s rings are large, 175,000 miles across large, but as the old adage goes-bigger is better. Scientists looking at exoplanets have discovered a planet with rings 200 times larger than that of Saturn’s. The planet itself, known as J1407b, is … Continue reading Continue reading

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Tour de Light

If you’re like me, when you think of light you think of the visible light spectrum, the colors of the rainbow. In reality light is much more than what we can see with our eyes, the spectrum extends far in … Continue reading Continue reading

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Smiling Galaxy Cluster Found in Space!

That’s some intense gravitation lensing! A cluster of galaxies was recently discovered by the Hubble Telescope (AKA, uber relevant to class!) that appears to take on the shape of a bright smiling face. The galaxy cluster, known as SDSS J1038+4849, recently had the above picture taken by said telescope. While it may appear to us that […] Continue reading

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