Daily Archives: March 17, 2018

Voyager 2

August 20, 1977. The flyby-type probe Voyager 2 was launched from Earth, destined to explore our Solar System and beyond. Passing by Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, Voyager 2 carried with it instruments to relay close-up images of these Jovian planets, and a message from Earth to be read and listened to by those who … Continue reading Voyager 2 Continue reading

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A Voyager in the Solar System: The Story of the Voyager I and II

Two twins. Exploring where no other spacecraft has ever explored before. This was the goal that NASA set out to accomplish when they launched the Voyager spacecrafts. At least, this is what their missions came to be. However, it is not just the missions themselves that make them famous, but also what they carry for… Continue Reading → Continue reading

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Fusion vs. Fission

The nuclear energy can be generated in two ways – fusion and fission. Both fusion and fission energy are generated by altering atoms. What is the difference between fusion and fission? And which way will generate more energy? As the word “fission” means separate a thing into different parts, nuclear fission means releases energy by … Continue reading Fusion vs. Fission Continue reading

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Climate Change from the Perspective of Astronomy: Venus and the Earth

Today we hear about climate change pretty often. Whether it’s politicians debating on policy or the “please recycle” signs on the backs of plastic products, the reality of pollution and the other bad ways humans have influenced the environment is hard to ignore. CO2 emissions  and the greenhouse effect are common themes in this topic, […] Continue reading

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The Death of the Sun

Unfortunately, our Solar System will not exist forever–our Sun’s lifespan is indeed finite. Sunlike stars stay on the main sequence for approximately 10 billions years. In other words, this is about how long the Sun will shine. The Sun is about 4.6 billion years old, so we may expect about 5.4 billion more years of … Continue reading The Death of the Sun Continue reading

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Almost InSight

InSight is short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, and is NASA’s next big spacecraft. A little contrived, but its memorable. InSight is a Mars lander designed to study the inside of Mars: the crust, mantle, and core. It does so by measuring the planet’s seismology, heat flow, and precision tracking. … Continue reading Almost InSight Continue reading

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Measuring the Interior of the Earth

It is very hard to drill to the deepest part of the Earth. However, there are some indirect measurements that allow us to know limited information about the interior structure of the Earth. One of those is the measurement of seismic waves. By knowing the characteristic of seismic waves, we are able to identify the properties … Continue reading Measuring the Interior of the Earth Continue reading

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Nuclear Fusion

Nuclear Fusion refers to the nuclear reaction in which atomic nuclei of low atomic number elements fuse to form a heavier nucleus.  This reactions releases energy and is how the sun and other stars generate light and heat.  Energy is produced during the smashing of the lighter atoms, which is most easily achieved on Earth … Continue reading Nuclear Fusion Continue reading

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Nuclear Fusion

Nuclear Fusion refers to the nuclear reaction in which atomic nuclei of low atomic number elements fuse to form a heavier nucleus.  This reactions releases energy and is how the sun and other stars generate light and heat.  Energy is produced during the smashing of the lighter atoms, which is most easily achieved on Earth … Continue reading Nuclear Fusion Continue reading

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Nuclear Waste: a closer look

Every year, approximately 20% of the energy generated by the United States comes from nuclear power. Throughout the years, our consumption of nuclear power has brought with it over 90,000 metric tons of nuclear waste. 97% of nuclear waste in the world has been classified as low- or intermediate- level waste (LLW or ILW) while the … Continue reading Nuclear Waste: a closer look Continue reading

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