Daily Archives: April 9, 2018

Io

The Voyager program was first to photograph Io, when it deployed its two high-resolution imaging probes (Voyager I and Voyager 2) on September 5 and August 20, 1977 to investigate the Galilean moon.  Io, one of Jupiter’s four Galilean moon, is a fascinating celestial object.  In fact, Io is the most volcanically active world in our Solar System.  Io’s surface is … Continue reading Io Continue reading

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Jupiter As Never Seen Before

Juno, NASA’s space probe orbiting Jupiter, has just completed it’s fourth flyby of the jovial planet. In doing so, it sent back surprising images which revealed new features of Jupiter. Specifically, the images changed scientist’s previous perception of the planet’s interior composition and structure, as well as its weather patterns. In studying massive cyclone’s captured […] Continue reading

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The Ninth Planet

We talked in class about the discovery of a potential ninth planet with an orbit past pluto, and the idea of one more undiscovered planet in the solar system is quite fascinating. That’s why two astronomers – Mike Brown and Konstantin Batygin – decided to investigate into the peculiar clustering of six objects beyond Neptune, … Continue reading The Ninth Planet Continue reading

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Halley’s Comet

  Halley’s Comet is named after the English astronomer Edmond Halley who first believed that there were three separate comets during the years from 1531 to 1682. He then discovered that all three of these appearances were the same comet. Edmond was the first to prove that comets could orbit the sun. It travels around … Continue reading Halley’s Comet Continue reading

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Mystery in the Kuiper Belt

Though it unfortunately doesn’t come with a fun apocalyptic theory like Planet X of the 1980s, several groups of scientists are beginning to believe that there might be a ninth planet in the solar system. The pair of astronomers who proposed the existence of this mysterious planet were met with a great deal of skepticism … Continue reading Mystery in the Kuiper Belt Continue reading

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Footprints on the Moon

Going to the moon – a feat that was never even dreamed by our ancestors. It seems unthinkable. Being able to go to something so far away. Being able to survive the harshness of space, even just momentarily inside a puffy marshmallow suit. It was unthinkable, a few centuries ago. But now we have evidence: […] Continue reading

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Footprints on the Moon

Going to the moon – a feat that was never even dreamed by our ancestors. It seems unthinkable. Being able to go to something so far away. Being able to survive the harshness of space, even just momentarily inside a puffy marshmallow suit. It was unthinkable, a few centuries ago. But now we have evidence: […] Continue reading

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Walking on Diamonds

At some point in their life, every girl (or guy, I’m not judging!) wants a beautiful diamond on her finger. Not only are they shiny, sparkly, and oh-so-shimmery, but also incredibly expensive and valuable – from a material’s standpoint. But out there, floating out in the depths of the universe, exists a planet created with […] Continue reading

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Walking on Diamonds

At some point in their life, every girl (or guy, I’m not judging!) wants a beautiful diamond on her finger. Not only are they shiny, sparkly, and oh-so-shimmery, but also incredibly expensive and valuable – from a material’s standpoint. But out there, floating out in the depths of the universe, exists a planet created with […] Continue reading

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The Kuiper Belt Mystery: will we have nine planets again?

    It’s the planet furthest from the sun. No, it’s not Neptune. It’s Planet Nine. Cold, icy, and shrouded in darkness, Planet Nine is potentially an undiscovered planet lurking in the outer regions of our solar system just beyond the Kuiper Belt. It’s estimated to be 10 times the mass of Earth and reside at … Continue reading The Kuiper Belt Mystery: will we have nine planets again? Continue reading

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