Daily Archives: April 7, 2019

The Great Red Spot

Posted on April 7, 2019 by dillonplageman3

What’s so great about a red spot? Well, the size of this spot, a massive storm in Jupiter’s atmosphere, is even larger than twice Earth’s diameter and is the largest of our solar system. Not only is it the largest, it has been consistently present for the duration of our usage of telescopes in observing … Continue reading The Great Red Spot → Continue reading →

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1950 DA, The (not so) Friendly Neighborhood Asteroid

Posted on April 7, 2019 by jordyn27

1950 DA is an asteroid that was discovered in 1950 (hence the name) by Carl A. Wirtanen. After it was first discovered, it was lost after 17 days of observation because the period was too short to determine the asteroid’s future location. It was rediscovered in December 2000 and recognized as 1950 DA in January … Continue reading 1950 DA, The (not so) Friendly Neighborhood Asteroid → Continue reading →

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Never Tell Me The Odds

Posted on April 7, 2019 by JSpin

One of the best getaway scenes in movie history is in The Empire Strikes Back, when Han Solo navigates the Millennium Falcon through an asteroid field, with TIE Fighters in hot pursuit. The scene starts with the Falcon getting hit by two asteroids. The asteroid field appears to have thousands of asteroids all flying around … Continue reading Never Tell Me The Odds → Continue reading →

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Comets as Omens of the Future

Posted on April 7, 2019 by bobbyc

Comets have been noticed by ancient civilizations for millenia, and, like many other celestial bodies, were viewed as omens of the future. Comets in particular were considered bad omens. The most famous example is Halley’s Comet, seen in 1066 by the English and theorized to have been an omen for Harold II of England’s death. … Continue reading Comets as Omens of the Future Continue reading →

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Metallic Hydrogen: The Holy Grail of High Pressure Physics

Posted on April 7, 2019 by jpeilbert

Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, but at most reasonable temperatures and pressures it presents itself as an (infamously) flammable, colorless gas. In the high-pressure environments of the interior of Jupiter and Saturn, however, hydrogen takes on a rare and mysterious form: metallic hydrogen. You’re probably familiar with the three traditional states … Continue reading Metallic Hydrogen: The Holy Grail of High Pressure Physics → Continue reading →

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The Dawn Mission!

Posted on April 7, 2019 by michaelfung1661

As I was reading through Chapter 12 I came across text on the Dawn Mission and my curiosity led me to searching for more! For something I hadn’t heard of before, its profound contributions and interesting factoids are beyond astonishing! I am a huge – and I mean HUGE – Star Wars fanatic, and to … Continue reading The Dawn Mission! → Continue reading →

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Makemake

Posted on April 7, 2019 by richardficek

Makemake is a reddish-brown dwarf planet in the outer solar system and the fourth body identified as a dwarf planet; it, along with Eris and Haumea, were responsible for Pluto’s drop in status from planet to dwarf planet. It is the second brightest known object in the outer solar system (behind Pluto) and is 870 miles (1,400 … Continue reading Makemake → Continue reading →

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Extrasolar planets — Earth-like planets

Posted on April 7, 2019 by Yihao Yan

Extrasolar planets is one of the most interesting astronomical research topics. It can help us answer questions such as whether there are aliens, or is it possible for us to find another “Earth” to live on. An extrasolar planet is defined as a planet that is outside of solar system. The history of extrasolar planet … Continue reading Extrasolar planets — Earth-like planets → Continue reading →

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Comet tails: an origin story

Posted on April 7, 2019 by jiayu

4.6 billion years ago, our solar system was just a big cloud of gas and dust. A lot of it gathered together and formed the sun. Most… Read more “Comet tails: an origin story” Continue reading →

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Has Anyone Been Hit By a Meteorite?

Posted on April 7, 2019 by Campbell Flower

We are pretty used to things falling from the sky unexpectedly, as this often results in humans falling victim to injury. So it is pretty natural to ask, has anyone been hit by a meteorite: a piece of rock and metal that has survived passage from space through Earth’s atmosphere and ultimately fallen to Earth’s … Continue reading Has Anyone Been Hit By a Meteorite? → Continue reading →

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