Monthly Archives: February 2023

The Wave-Particle Duality of Light

Posted on February 13, 2023 by jackdoyle25

In common perception, most things in our universe fall into two fundamental categories: energy and matter. Energy could be electricity, heat, sound waves, or kinetic motion. Matter is generally a descriptor of things made up from atoms, such as planets or stars or humans ourselves. However, looking at these on a more fundamental level, the […] Continue reading →

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The Tools of Discovery

Posted on February 13, 2023 by dromalley

For my second blog post, I’ve decided to provide an overview of a few of the most advanced telescopes both on and around the world which have allowed astronomers to peer into the distant mysteries of our universe and uncover more about its nature. First, we will examine some of the most advance ground based […] Continue reading →

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Blog Post 2: Celestial Navigation

Posted on February 12, 2023 by Myles7235

In order to navigate the vast seas when traveling in today’s time, we can easily use modern technology to pinpoint exactly where we are in the ocean. A prime example of this type of technology would be GPS systems. However, GPS systems haven’t been around forever. Celestial navigation is the art of determining both the […] Continue reading →

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Sextants – Then and Now

Posted on February 12, 2023 by 7smessier45

Humans have navigated the open ocean for thousands of years; among the first to do so were the aboriginal Australians and Polynesian seafarers about 50,000 years ago. More recently–but still a few hundred years ago–celestial navigation by Western cultures relied on a navigator’s understanding of the stars (and other heavenly bodies, including the sun), the […] Continue reading →

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Powered and Unpowered Gravity Assists

Posted on February 12, 2023 by Trevor Pillow

The farthest planets in the solar system are so distant, it is infeasible to reach them using only rockets. The delta-v, or change in velocity, required to propel a spacecraft to a gas giant like Saturn is far too impractical for today’s rockets to achieve. The main problem is that a spacecraft needs tons of […] Continue reading →

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The “Why?” behind Synchronous Rotation

Posted on February 12, 2023 by alicebyrnes

As we’ve discussed in class, the Moon revolves about the Earth in synchronous rotation, meaning it rotates such that the same side of the Moon always faces the Earth. Not only does the Moon do this, but all moons in our solar system do as well. (The information for this blog post is sourced here.) […] Continue reading →

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Blog Post 2 – The Doppler Effect

Posted on February 12, 2023 by constellationsarentreal

Most people have already heard of the Doppler Effect, an interesting phenomena of sound that alters the pitch of moving objects depending on their direction. The Doppler Effect functions similarly by affecting the shifts of light wavelengths. When, for example, a planet is moving toward us, its light waves will be clumped together and appear […] Continue reading →

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Why the Speed of Light May Not Be Constant

Posted on February 12, 2023 by georgeboardman20

Source: Speed of Light Properties Explained One of the biggest current paradigms in the science of astronomy is the certainty that the speed of light is constant in a vacuum. However, new research shows that this might not entirely be accurate which could have massive consequences for cosmology. Thanks to the use of lasers here on […] Continue reading →

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Black Body Radiation, analyzing the Universe at Long Distance

Posted on February 12, 2023 by noahherrero

Illustration of Supermassive BlackHole Formation (An Ideal Black Body) from GOODS Source: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Scuola Normale Superiore/Pacucci, F. et al, Illustration: NASA/CXC/M. Weiss Optical: NASA/STScI; Celestial Bodies throughout the universe are extraordinarily far away, yet despite this we are able to describe these objects with precision. The reason this is possible is because the radiation of these […] Continue reading →

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The Hubble Space Telescope

Posted on February 12, 2023 by sahilreddy2

Hubble Telescope First Light Image (May 1990) The Hubble Space Telescope was one of the most impactful inventions in furthering our understanding of the universe. Launched in 1990, this telescope provided us with detailed information of our solar system and universe. Some of the incredible discoveries the Hubble has made are determining the age of […] Continue reading →

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