Monthly Archives: February 2019

Gravity’s Effect On Everything

Gravity has an affect on nearly everything in the entire universe. From galaxies, to solar systems, to planets and their moons, and even on the planets themselves (like the tides), if there are objects with mass then gravity is present. Newton’s Universal Law of Gravitation explains the effect of gravity between objects. Newton’s Law says … Continue reading Gravity’s Effect On Everything Continue reading

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Gravity-Assists in Reverse

Gravity assist maneuvers are incredibly useful for sending spacecraft far into space. The maneuver is like a skiing parent using a pole to give their kid a boost. The parent loses a bit of momentum, but leverage their larger size to quickly speed their kid up. The same is true for a gravity assist. There, … Continue reading Gravity-Assists in Reverse Continue reading

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Light is Everything

I watched a Crash Course video on light that proved to be really helpful and informative. After watching this video, I realized the importance of spectroscopy and understood what light actually is. The scientific term for light is actually electromagnetic radiation, and even humans emit them. Once again, the video touched upon the wavelength spectrum. … Continue reading Light is Everything Continue reading

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Telescopes and Space

I don’t know about you, but without my glasses, I literally cannot see anything, even if it’s right in front me. Whether I’m sitting in the classroom trying to take notes from the professor’s lecture or trying to watch my favorite Netflix show, my ability to actually see anything with my naked eye is severely … Continue reading Telescopes and Space Continue reading

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Telescopes

Telescopes have been an essential instrument in the history of astronomy. So much has been learned and will be learned through the use of them. Although, they all have the same general function, telescopes can come in many shapes, sizes, and types. The two main types of telescopes are the refractor and reflecting telescopes. In a … Continue reading Telescopes Continue reading

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Thom & Stone Circles

Alexander Thom was a Scottish engineer who, later in his life, became curious about megalithic monuments, specifically the stone circles of the British Isles and France. He was interested in the prehistoric peoples that built them, and any astronomical meaning behind their construction.  His first interpretation of the sites suggested that megalithic yards were used … Continue reading Thom & Stone Circles Continue reading

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Apparent Retrograde Motion: what it is, and what it isn’t

One thing that must be said right away: retrograde motion is not the same thing as apparent retrograde motion. Retrograde motion generally denotes ‘backwards’ motion, and the specifics depend on how the term is being used. A retrograde orbit refers to an object orbiting in the opposite direction that the thing it orbits around is … Continue reading Apparent Retrograde Motion: what it is, and what it isn’t Continue reading

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Retrograde motion probably isn’t ruining your life

It seems that anytime Mercury enters its period of retrograde motion, the Internet starts freaking out because according to astrologers, Mercury retrograde is bad for communication. Although this is a nice scapegoat for any misfortune one might encounter, there is no scientific evidence that this phenomenon has an effect on your day-to-day life. So what […] Continue reading

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Blog 2: When is the Best Time to Surf?

When’s the right time grab your surfboard and hit the beach? High tides cause closeouts, which blocks a surfer’s path, and low tides cause slow-rolling waves, which are low frequency and high amplitude waves. Ideally, you want to surf during mid tide conditions. But first, what causes these changes in tide? Tides are caused by … Continue reading Blog 2: When is the Best Time to Surf? Continue reading

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The Universal Law of Gravitation

  Newton’s universal law of gravitation is a fundamental aspect of modern science. The law states that every mass is attracted to every other mass through a force known as gravity. The strength of the gravitational force between any two objects is directly proportional to the product of their masses, which means that increasing the … Continue reading The Universal Law of Gravitation Continue reading

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