Monthly Archives: March 2020

Could Pluto Become a Planet Again?

Posted on March 29, 2020 by katelynmofield

When I learned the order of the planets in elementary school, Pluto was still considered a planet. About 14 years ago, it was demoted to a dwarf planet. The International Astronomical Union has three criteria in determining planetary status. It is in an orbit around the sun, it has sufficient mass to assume hydrostatic equilibrium,Continue reading “Could Pluto Become a Planet Again?” Continue reading →

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The Importance of Extrasolar Planets

Posted on March 29, 2020 by andyyangdk

Extrasolar planets, often called exoplanets, are planets that exist in other solar systems other than our own. These planets are very hard to find and study because their light is fainter than the light given off by the stars which they orbit. In 1992, astronomers Aleksander Wolszczan and Dale Frail noticed several planets orbiting theContinue reading “The Importance of Extrasolar Planets” Continue reading →

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Big Planets’ Moons and Life Outside “Habitability”

Posted on March 29, 2020 by remieri

Astrobiology has long relied on the concept of a “habitable zone”, that is a zone around a star that is the right distance from said star to hold liquid water, and therefore life. This concept is absolutely valuable, especially insofar as it allows us to classify new exoplanets and identify potential exoplanets that may hostContinue reading “Big Planets’ Moons and Life Outside “Habitability”” Continue reading →

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What do we know about exomoons?

Posted on March 29, 2020 by Avery Bradley

Unfortunately, this question has an easy answer: not much. So far, no exoplanet has been confirmed to have a moon, even though scientists are detecting planets the size of the Jovians. Even though nothing has been confirmed, however, there have been some interesting potential discoveries. We say potential because again, the systems are so farContinue reading “What do we know about exomoons?” Continue reading →

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Jovian Planet Interiors

Posted on March 28, 2020 by Emily Chen

The Jovian planets are often called “gas giants,” making it sound as if they were entirely gaseous. However, this name can be misleading, as it is true Jupiter and Saturn became giant primarily because they captured so much hydrogen and helium gas, but their strong gravity compresses most of the “gas” into forms of matterContinue reading “Jovian Planet Interiors” Continue reading →

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Why Does Titan Have an Atmosphere?

Posted on March 28, 2020 by Reece Boggs

It’s pretty perplexing as to why Saturn’s moon, Titan, has such a thick atmosphere but a planet like Mars does not. Since the most widely accepted explanation of why Mars has such a thin atmosphere is it losing its magnetosphere as its core cooled and does not contain nearly as much metallic iron has theContinue reading “Why Does Titan Have an Atmosphere?” Continue reading →

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Jupiter’s Moons

Posted on March 28, 2020 by emily

Scientists believe that Jupiter has 79 moons, the most in the solar system. This is most likely because Jupiter is more massive, therefore is can hold on to more massive stuff the orbit around it. Additionally, the fact that Jupiter developed further away from the Sun in the formation process giving it access to moreContinue reading “Jupiter’s Moons” Continue reading →

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The Trouble With Astronomy 🤔

Posted on March 27, 2020 by vsli

“Space,” it says, “is big. Really big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mindbogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it’s a long way down the road to the chemist’s, but that’s just peanuts to space.” — Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy So you want to study space? Now, … Continue reading The Trouble With Astronomy 🤔 Continue reading →

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the Gliese 581c

Posted on March 27, 2020 by mcknia1

Upon learning about exoplanets, I’ve become fascinated with one 20 years light years away from Earth called the Gliese 581c, which resides in the Gliese 581 system. The Gliese 581c was discovered in 2007 using the radial velocity method of detection (tugs on its planet star). At the time of its discovery, it was theContinue reading “the Gliese 581c” Continue reading →

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The Northern Lights

Posted on March 25, 2020 by fermifurby

The Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon that appear to be fresh out of a fantasy novel. Otherwise known as Aurora Borealis, these lights are the product of the Earth’s magnetic field and high energy particles from the sun. Normally our magnetic field is invisible, but in certain locations, like the Earth’s poles, they becomeContinue reading “The Northern Lights” Continue reading →

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