Daily Archives: February 14, 2017

“Ring of Fire” to appear over South Africa

Posted on February 14, 2017 by njelinek425

The appearance of an impressive annular eclipse is slated to take place later this month, Sunday the 26th, in the southern half of the world. The eclipse is scheduled to appear west of Southern Chile, with the best viewings possible from Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Zambia. An annular solar eclipse occurs when the […] Continue reading →

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New technologies in mapping space weather

Posted on February 14, 2017 by astromalhotra

One of the fundamental concepts in the study of astronomy is the dependency of Earth and every other planet in the solar system on the  characteristics of the Sun. From emissions of hot gas to violent space wind to bursts of extra energy (via solar flares), the behavior  of the Sun, dubbed as space weather, […] Continue reading →

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Why is the Moon so Crater-y?

Posted on February 14, 2017 by Matt Machado

Have you ever wondered why the Moon is full of so many craters?  The surface of the Moon is so textured that many of its topographic features are visible from Earth with the naked eye. Most people would say that all of the crater scars on the Moon’s surface are a result of meteor impacts. […] Continue reading →

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Tides Explained

Posted on February 14, 2017 by terranojm

High Tide vs. Low Tide Tides are the rise and fall of the sea levels. The above image captures this very normal phenomenon that we can all observe for ourselves if we go to an oceanside beach. Whenever I went to the beach as a young kid, I was always hoping the tides would be high. … Continue reading “Tides Explained” Continue reading →

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Timeline of space exploration

Posted on February 14, 2017 by mariabulanova

Astronomy is the the oldest of the natural sciences! Back in antiquity, it also contained Astrology, but they were separated to two different sciences during the Renaissance period. Also, Astronomy contained Astrophysics, Cosmology, and other “pieces” which became independent sciences in the 20th century. Astronomy started many-many years ago in ancient countries such as Egypt, […] Continue reading →

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Hubble’s Law and a Window to the Past

Posted on February 14, 2017 by joneastr

Hubble’s Law is one of the most fundamental observations in cosmology – that objects far off in space are almost … More Continue reading →

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James Webb Space Telescope

Posted on February 14, 2017 by astr2110tmcm

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is the long awaited successor to the Hubble Space Telescope from which we have received numerous wonderful and famous images of far away stars, galaxies, and other celestial bodies. As the successor to the Hubble, there are, of course, some improvements over the Hubble that are being made with […] Continue reading →

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Blog #3: PSR J1719-1438 b

Posted on February 14, 2017 by lillyastro2110

PSR J1719-1438 b is a really cool planet. It’s small and massive, and oh yeah, it’s made of diamonds.   PSR J1719-1438 b orbits around star PSR J1719-1438, which is a neutron star and a pulsar. Basically, because the star’s magnetic field is so great, it sends off waves of radiation. The relationship between the star … Continue reading Blog #3: PSR J1719-1438 b Continue reading →

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Blog #3

Posted on February 14, 2017 by niharikadar

The Earth is around 4.5 billion years old. The first half of the Earth’s existence (prior to the Great Oxidation Event which essentially introduced free oxygen (dioxygen) into the Earth’s atmosphere) was characterized by the presence of certain types of bacteria, although evidence of this existence on our planet is limited. However, last year, researchers … Continue reading Blog #3 Continue reading →

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Blog #2

Posted on February 14, 2017 by niharikadar

For most contemporary scholars, the modern telescope owes its existence to Enlightenment thinkers who crafted the device to enhance their own stargazing endeavors. However, observing the night sky is hardly a practice that has been limited to the past few hundred years.  Thus, it seems likely that there may have been telescopic structures created much … Continue reading Blog #2 Continue reading →

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