Monthly Archives: January 2019

Historical Astronomers in Context

Posted on January 25, 2019 by Jonathan Roberts

Isaac Newton (1643-1727) was a revolutionary figure in the field of astronomy, and science in general. Newton expanded upon the ideas of Galileo by identifying the force of gravity, and subsequently formulating the law of gravitation. Along with the law of gravitation, he introduced the three laws of motion. Other contributions to astronomy include observing … Continue reading Historical Astronomers in Context → Continue reading →

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Copernicus in Context

Posted on January 25, 2019 by Jiayu Kang

Nicolaus Copernicus (19 February 1473 – 24 May 1543) was one of the most important figures in astronomy history. In order to find a better model to predict planet motions, Copernicus developed the heliocentric theory based on Aristarchus’s work. He calculated both the orbital period and distance to the Sun, providing geometric relationships and therefore strengthening … Continue reading Copernicus in Context → Continue reading →

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Galactic jet lag

Posted on January 22, 2019 by peytonbrown4560

In class, we discussed the implications and mechanics of light travel time. A major takeaway was the concept that because of the incredibly fast yet undeniably limited speed of light we are able to see VERY distant objects as they were VERY long ago. If you are like me, you might try to see what … Continue reading Galactic jet lag Continue reading →

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The Big Cheese

Posted on January 22, 2019 by peytonbrown4560

I’m a wonderer, so often times I wonder about odd things. Also, I have a nickname, The Big Cheese. nickname, The Big Cheese.https://www.pinterest.com/pin/429741989423661504 Kinda related both of those things, today I’m going to be asking: “Where did the idea that the Moon was made of cheese come from?” To start, I did a simple google … Continue reading The Big Cheese Continue reading →

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Using Stellarium for observing

Posted on January 22, 2019 by justinrstevens

“Stellarium is a free open source planetarium for your computer. It shows a realistic sky in 3D, just like what you see with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope.” – Stellarium webpage   Stellarium is an amazing bit of software to use for help with astronomical observing.  It is free 🙂 and you can…

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Some Context…

Posted on January 22, 2019 by IanO12

I thought to start out the semester, I would look back and provide a little context for myself and everyone else as to how we as humans used to do astronomy. I learned some of the basics of the history of astronomy in a class called the Scientific Revolution. We discussed some of the big […] Continue reading →

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The Universe as the United States

Posted on January 21, 2019 by Andrew Talley

If there’s one straightforward lesson from astronomy, it’s that we’re tiny. We’re small compared to the Earth’s vast size, which is small compared to the sun, which is tiny compared to the space that contains our solar system, which is a tiny dot in one arm of the Milky Way galaxy, which is one of … Continue reading The Universe as the United States → Continue reading →

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2200 Nanometers

Posted on January 21, 2019 by jacksonhubble2904

About 1/50th a hair’s width. That’s the size of the error which seriously set back the Hubble telescope. Perkin-Elmer diagnostics was tasked with grinding down the primary mirror, a 7.8 foot wide *almost* flat surface. The mirror’s curvature was determined by a reflective mirror array which bends a laser to precisely trace the surface’s desired … Continue reading 2200 Nanometers → Continue reading →

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NASA Solar System Exploration Website

Posted on January 21, 2019 by jordyn27

While searching for a website that is useful for observing the solar system, I found the NASA Solar System Exploration website. The landing page rotates through all of the planets in our solar system and provides quick facts about each planet. Currently, listed below this display are facts telling the time until a total lunar … Continue reading NASA Solar System Exploration Website → Continue reading →

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Our Earth, the Spinning Top?

Posted on January 21, 2019 by Sam Bianco

What if I told you that in a couple thousand years from now, your Zodiac sign would no longer be your Zodiac sign? It may be devastating to devout followers of astrology, but the relative positions of the Zodiac constellations are changing very, very slowly, at least from our viewpoint. This is due to a … Continue reading Our Earth, the Spinning Top? → Continue reading →

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