Daily Archives: February 13, 2017

New Horizons

Posted on February 13, 2017 by Natalie

Way out on the edge of our Solar System, in the Kuiper Belt, lies an object that has held our fascination since 1930. Pluto! … More Continue reading →

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Finding the Way with the Stars

Posted on February 13, 2017 by Haley's Comet

    It is amazing for me to think about the human race finding their way before the invention of the modern GPS. While Google Maps and Waze are modern conveniences accessible to all with a smartphone, the sky has a long standing tradition of helping people find their way. In ancient times, sailors would… Continue reading Finding the Way with the Stars Continue reading →

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Orientation Shift

Posted on February 13, 2017 by kendylldellinger

According to my horoscope today, I’m motivated to complete a project I’ve left unfinished and I should approach my tasks one at a time. In reality, I have three piles of unfinished laundry and a to-do list a mile long with no desire to do any of it. My horoscope for the day could be […] Continue reading →

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Fun Facts about Telescopes

Posted on February 13, 2017 by xiangyunastr2110

FUN FACT 1: Galileo is often created as the inventor of the telescope when in fact he was simply the first to use it to study the night sky. The first known practical telescopes were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 1600s, by using glass lenses. They found use in both terrestrial […] Continue reading →

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Gravity in Space?

Posted on February 13, 2017 by Matt Machado

Videos of astronauts floating around inside space shuttles have led many to believe that gravity does not exist in space. However, this is simply not true. While the force of gravity affects, for example, astronauts who are orbiting the Earth in the International Space Station differently than it affects us, it still exists in space, […] Continue reading →

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The Speed of Light

Posted on February 13, 2017 by Haley's Comet

Growing up I had frequently heard the phrase “Faster than the speed of light” but until now, I had no idea what that truly meant. Prior to this class, all I knew was that faster than the speed of light meant FAST, and that all human travel was slow in comparison. In fact, according to… Continue reading The Speed of Light Continue reading →

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Is the speed of light constant or actually variable?

Posted on February 13, 2017 by astromalhotra

Throughout studies into interactions of various celestial bodies, one constant in putting into scope the mind-bogglingly vast distances has been the speed of light, via the distance unit of a light-year. The concept of the speed of light was first fully suggested when Einstein hypothesized that the speed of light plays the role of infinite speed […] Continue reading →

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Light Cones

Posted on February 13, 2017 by Natalie

We all know that light travels really fast. It can appear instantaneous to us on earth, but when you look out … More Continue reading →

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Blog #2: Solar Tides

Posted on February 13, 2017 by andrewsolarsystem

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about tides is the lunar tides that create 2 high and low tides each day. This is due to daily rotation of the Earth, which causes the Moon to effectively move around the Earth every day. The Moon’s gravitational force pulls the water from the sides […] Continue reading →

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Blog 2: Archaeoastronomy

Posted on February 13, 2017 by vandyastro

Archaeoastronomy:” The branch of archaeology that deals with the apparent use by prehistoric civilizations of astronomical techniques to establish the seasons or the cycle of the year, especially as evidenced in the construction of megaliths and other ritual structures.” (definition from dictonary.com) Archaeoastronomy: “The study of the astronomical practices, celestial lore, mythologies, religions and world-views of all ancient cultures” (definition […] Continue reading →

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