Monthly Archives: January 2018

Historical Astronomers in Context

Tycho Brahe (1546-1601) Born: December 14, 1546, Knutstorp Castle, Sweden Died: October 24, 1601, Prague, Czech Republic Tycho Brahe was a Danish astronomer and writer known for his accurate and comprehensive astronomical and planetary observations. He developed instruments for measuring the position of stats and measured the position of 777 fixed stars. Things happened in that […] Continue reading

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Tycho Brahe (December 14, 1546-October 24, 1601) was the best naked-eye observer of his time. He compiled a comprehensive list of stellar and planetary positions in the sky and noticed that the alignment of Jupiter and Saturn occurred two days after Copernicus had predicted it. He also observed and recorded a supernova. He was able […] Continue reading

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Kessel Run in Twelve Parsecs

The speed of light is one of the few constants in our universe that we consistently look to when it comes to space. It is an astronomical measurement that we only dream of achieving. Seeing the Millennium Falcon shift into overdrive or the Enterprise slip into hyperdrive are only distant fantasies for us Earth-bound creatures. … Continue reading Kessel Run in Twelve Parsecs Continue reading

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The Powers of Ten: Very Powerful, Ten/Ten would Recommend

It’s always interesting to see the ways in which humans try to conceptualize the the scale of the universe. It’s not an easy task to reconcile such different size and distance scales such as that of quarks and galaxies. In some cases, we use mathematical values to help us formulate a sense of these scales. … Continue reading The Powers of Ten: Very Powerful, Ten/Ten would Recommend Continue reading

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Putting the speed of light into perspective

The theory of special relativity tells us that there is an absolute speed limit in the universe, that being the speed of light. At a speed of about 300,000 km/s, light takes only one second to travel to the Moon from Earth and eight minutes to travel to the Sun from Earth. This speed is … Continue reading “Putting the speed of light into perspective” Continue reading

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Progression of the Seasons? Thank Precession

Everyone knows that the Earth experiences seasons. In the Northern Hemisphere children rejoice as they enjoy the summer sun in the month of June, while in the Southern Hemisphere they embrace the cold, daydreaming of warm summer days that await them in six months. However, what if I were to tell you that in about… Continue Reading → Continue reading

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Oumuamua – space rock or spaceship?

Some scientists called it an asteroid.  Others theorized that it was an alien spacecraft.  Still others cast it off as a mere “space cucumber.” This mysterious space rock known as Oumuamua (Hawaiian for “first messenger”) has captivated scientists since its discovery in mid-October of 2017.  Oumuamua was discovered in Hawaii, hence its awesome name. This…

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The Amazing Cosmic Calendar

  Recently in our reading, we learned about the cosmic calendar (pictured above) – a cool concept I’d like to share a little bit about on my blog. The cosmic calendar is the idea of what it would look like if we took the entire existence of the universe, all fourteen billion years, and compressed it into … Continue reading The Amazing Cosmic Calendar Continue reading

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Moon Myths

No other celestial body has quite the same reputation as our moon. The source of myths, legends, and ghost stories, the Moon is a symbol of superstition and wonder. We know that the Moon causes the rising and falling of the ocean tides, but could this mysterious master of the tides control something other than … Continue reading Moon Myths Continue reading

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Blog #1 – Moon Myths

No other celestial body has quite the same reputation as our moon. The source of myths, legends, and ghost stories, the Moon is a symbol of superstition and wonder. We know that the Moon causes the rising and falling of the ocean tides, but could this mysterious master of the tides control something other than … Continue reading Blog #1 – Moon Myths Continue reading

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