Monthly Archives: February 2016

Gravity is Working Against Me

Posted on February 16, 2016 by Sofia

  Gravity is arguably the most important aspect of our study of the universe and our solar system. Isaac Newton, famous for his three laws of motion, determined that the force of gravity could be expressed mathematically. This led him to create his universal law of gravitation. His law contains three key statements about the … Continue reading “Gravity is Working Against Me” Continue reading →

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Why do we have tides?

Posted on February 16, 2016 by nedastro2110

Today I want to talk about tides! Above is this video of Clovelly, England and the drastic tide that they experience day in and day out, especially when it is spring tide, meaning the moon and sun’s tidal forces line up to create even more drastic tidal forces. What is amazing about that video is […] Continue reading →

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The Martian — Could It Really Happen?

Posted on February 16, 2016 by clharrell

Matt Damon’s critically acclaimed film “The Martian” broke records and set a new standard for space exploration movies. The film was even praised for its scientific accuracy by Neil DeGrasse Tyson. While most of what occurs in the film is theoretically possible, a few things stand out to be implausible. The first question I had when […] Continue reading →

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Mayan Astronomy

Posted on February 16, 2016 by andyastronomer

  At the end of 2012, the whole world was abuzz with the news that on December 21st, the Mayan calendar would end. Some claimed this ominous event signaled the end of the world, while others simply suggested the Mayans would have likely extended their calendar if they were still around. Who Did It Better: […] Continue reading →

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Blog #3

Posted on February 16, 2016 by astronomer0110

For this week’s blog, I’ve decided to talk a little bit about the intuition behind the idea of  gravity. I find this theory really interesting because it makes so much sense when you think about it. As history moved along, Einstein and other physicists managed to explain the reasons why gravity acts upon objects. Gravity is due to the […] Continue reading →

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Near, Far, Wherever You Are

Posted on February 16, 2016 by Sofia

Understanding the ability of objects in the sky to change their spectra is vital to understanding the universe we live in. In order to fully understand the motion of the objects in the universe, we can use their spectra to see changes in their light emissions. The spectra of objects show the types of visible … Continue reading “Near, Far, Wherever You Are” Continue reading →

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Gravity Waves and the Graviton

Posted on February 16, 2016 by 2016spaceodyssey

So physicists have recently announced the discovery of Gravitational Waves, but what does that mean for the Graviton?  Similar to how protons and electrons carry electrical charge, it is theorized that the Graviton carries, you guessed it, gravity.  Because it is a subatomic particle it is more of a focus for particle physicists than for […] Continue reading →

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The Consequences of the Interaction of Light and Gravity

Posted on February 16, 2016 by 2016spaceodyssey

It is astonishing the extent that gravity and light interact with one another.  This is of course very fortunate for us humans when trying to understand the basic force that is known as gravity.  After Isaac Newton proposed his Law of Universal Gravitation in 1687 is was generally thought that gravity was understood even though […] Continue reading →

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Stonehenge

Posted on February 16, 2016 by Chloe

Stonehenge. Photographer: Howard Ignatius.  Stonehenge of southern England is one of the most famous Neolithic structures and burial grounds in the world. Construction on Stonehenge started in 5,000 BCE and continued for 1,500 years.  Its eerily arranged stones, transported from up to two hundred miles away from the site, are an iconic draw for the […] Continue reading →

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Space Vacation?

Posted on February 16, 2016 by segalastronomyblog

Forget about Florida. Have you ever considered vacationing in space? Thanks to Virgin Galactic, we are getting closer and closer to this possibility. Last year, Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo crashed in the southwest desert, killing a pilot and completely destroying the aircraft. However, Virgin is getting ready to launch a second SpaceShipTwo this month in Mojave, […] Continue reading →

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