Monthly Archives: February 2016

Out of this World Symbols

Posted on February 16, 2016 by Gabi Grys

Astronomers, like all scientists, love their symbols. Why spend ages written out full text when shorthand will do? Not only  are the symbols for the planets convenient, they also have interesting stories behind them that tie into the planet’s history. Sun: The symbol for the sun is a circular shield with a dot in the […] Continue reading →

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The Effect of Living in Space

Posted on February 16, 2016 by sarabkeller

While I think that studying space and astronomy is super awesome, I honestly am not sure I can imagine anything worse than living in space for an extended period of time. As we discussed in class, living in space (or at least in orbit) is essentially like being in constant free fall. You know that stomach […] Continue reading →

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The Effect of Living in Space

Posted on February 16, 2016 by sarabkeller

While I think that studying space and astronomy is super awesome, I honestly am not sure I can imagine anything worse than living in space for an extended period of time. As we discussed in class, living in space (or at least in orbit) is essentially like being in constant free fall. You know that stomach […] Continue reading →

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Project Orion: Riding Atomic Explosions into Space

Posted on February 16, 2016 by nickwtheastronomer

From the LSD-laden project MK Ultra to the ill-fated foray into psychic warfare that was Stargate Project, the U.S. government has sanctioned some truly strange studies over the past century. But one research endeavor stands out among all the others throught its sheer magnitude, ridiculousness, and surprising potential. I am talking, of course, about Project Orion. […] Continue reading →

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How Gravity Affects Space-Time

Posted on February 16, 2016 by sarabkeller

One of the more interesting (and more confusing) concepts we’ve learned thus far in the Solar System is the bending of spacetime. As can be seen in the figure below, massive objects with gravity (such as planets or stars) have the unique property in that they can bend the spacetime “grid” around them. Before you […] Continue reading →

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How Gravity Affects Space-Time

Posted on February 16, 2016 by sarabkeller

One of the more interesting (and more confusing) concepts we’ve learned thus far in the Solar System is the bending of spacetime. As can be seen in the figure below, massive objects with gravity (such as planets or stars) have the unique property in that they can bend the spacetime “grid” around them. Before you […] Continue reading →

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The Sun’s Absorption Spectrum

Posted on February 16, 2016 by annamcc9

Absorption spectra occur when a hot solid or liquid or very dense gas give off a continuous spectrum, with all colors, and then that continuous light moves through a thin gas that is cooler than the source of the continuous light. This thin gas absorbs some of the light being given off by the source […] Continue reading →

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love is in the spacetime

Posted on February 16, 2016 by ranibanjarian

gravity has found itself grounded in a great deal of pop culture recently. from depictions in cinematic blockbusters to the recent historic breakthrough at LIGO, gravity has become somewhat of a household/cocktail party topic of conversation. being a physics major, over the years i’ve come to think of cosmological things in visuals, or colors, or little … Continue reading love is in the spacetime → Continue reading →

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Lunar and Solar Tides

Posted on February 16, 2016 by annamcc9

Tides are a fascinating effect of the Moon and Sun’s gravitational forces acting on the Earth. They are a visible sign of how distance effects the strength of a gravitational force. Because the Sun is so large, it has the greatest gravitational force acting on the Earth. However, because it is so far away, the […] Continue reading →

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The Solar System’s Symphony

Posted on February 16, 2016 by Ahmed A

Its common knowledge that space is a vacuum, and that sound can not be heard inside of a vacuum. However, this is not technically true.  The solar system is constantly pulsating and producing electromagnetic waves. While these electromagnetic waves go undetected by human ears, our friends at NASA have created a special tool that uses […] Continue reading →

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