Monthly Archives: April 2021

Plutonium: Not Just a Power Source in “Back to the Future”

Posted on April 17, 2021 by connorrobbwilcox

Did you ever wonder how spaceships and shuttles have the power to take off and travel through that big black expanse we call space? Or ever thought about how these rockets survived with the limited technology we had in the 1950s, 60s and 70s during the Space Race? Well the answer has to do withContinue reading “Plutonium: Not Just a Power Source in “Back to the Future”” Continue reading →

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Blog 6: Huygens’s Descent to Titan

Posted on April 17, 2021 by mattj3

The Cassini orbiter, initially launched on October 15, 1997, traveled seven years with the objective to relay observations of Saturn and its satellites. Attached to this spacecraft was also the Huygens probe, designed to enter the atmosphere and land on the surface of Titan, Saturn’s largest moon. On January 14, 2005, Huygens executed its mission;Continue reading “Blog 6: Huygens’s Descent to Titan” Continue reading →

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Shine Bright like a Diamond ~Planet~

Posted on April 17, 2021 by adisonfields

That’s right, there exists a planet that appears to be one giant diamond.  55 Cancri e was discovered in 2004, orbiting a nearby star in our galaxy.  This star is actually visible to the naked eye in the night sky and is a part of the constellation Cancer.  Based on its mass, radius, and host star’s composition, itContinue reading “Shine Bright like a Diamond ~Planet~” Continue reading →

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The New Space-Based Instrument of American Imperialism– The Space Force

Posted on April 17, 2021 by wslopes

At first glance, I thought the newest branch of the US Military, Donald Trump’s “Space Force”, was going to be tasked with things such as dealing with more existential threats from Space, such as a life ending asteroid or something. While I was confused as to why this would warrant a 6th branch of theContinue reading “The New Space-Based Instrument of American Imperialism– The Space Force” Continue reading →

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Radiant Rings

Posted on April 17, 2021 by brynicdew

The rings of the Jovian planets are absolutely stunning, almost making you wish Earth had a few of its own! Every Jovian planet has its own group of rings to stare at. Saturn is quite famous for its bright, illustrious seven rings. These rings are named A-G in the order they were discovered. Surprisingly, dataContinue reading “Radiant Rings” Continue reading →

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A Dwarf Planet is Still Cool!

Posted on April 17, 2021 by adisonfields

On August 24, 2006, the International Astronomical Union changed Pluto’s status from planet to dwarf planet.  This caused an outrage amongst the public.  Memes were created and shared expressing Pluto’s sadness at its “demotion” from planetary status.  Textbooks had to be changed and the general public was oddly passionate over an object in space’s official title.  Nevertheless, people wereContinue reading “A Dwarf Planet is Still Cool!” Continue reading →

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Who Owns Space?

Posted on April 17, 2021 by weatherbysofferings

One of my foremost interests in life is politics, and whenever we’re engaged in astronomy, I can’t help but to view it through that lens. As such, one question has been nagging me – how is ownership and control of certain places defined in space? One of the foundational pieces of legislation on the matterContinue reading “Who Owns Space?” Continue reading →

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Shepherd Moons

Posted on April 17, 2021 by Mykayla

Saturn is known for its rings. For years, astronomers wondered what they were. Now we know that the rings of Saturn are made up of lots of icy particles ranging from the size of a grain of sand to a boulder. These particles comprise many different individual rings. The rings are flat, and appear toContinue reading “Shepherd Moons” Continue reading →

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Blog 5: Is there life on Europa?

Posted on April 17, 2021 by mattj3

The moon Europa orbits Jupiter alongside three other unique satellites described as “Jupiter’s Galilean moons”; these moons although similar in size to our moon (especially Io and Europa) display geological activity very different from what is observed on our own. Europa in particular, after telescope observation and satellite missions such as Voyager 1 and 2,Continue reading “Blog 5: Is there life on Europa?” Continue reading →

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Halley in History

Posted on April 17, 2021 by wslopes

Halley’s comet is one thought to have been noted in history millennia before it was ever realized that it was the same comet passing Earth every 75 years. The first official record of the comet’s passing was 239 BCE by Chinese astronomers, but it’s thought that it might have been recorded by the Ancient GreeksContinue reading “Halley in History” Continue reading →

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