Daily Archives: April 8, 2023

Blog6: Kuiper Belt objects

Posted on April 8, 2023 by lucasliu6

The expansive Kuiper Belt, located beyond Neptune’s orbit, has intrigued astronomers as it offers insights into the early stages of our solar system’s formation. Home to numerous icy celestial bodies known as Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs), this region presents crucial information for understanding the development and composition of our cosmic environment. KBOs, encompassing dwarf planets […] Continue reading →

Posted in SolarSystem | Tagged , | Comments Off on Blog6: Kuiper Belt objects

Blog5: Pluto

Posted on April 8, 2023 by lucasliu6

Since its unveiling in 1930, Pluto has occupied a special role in our exploration and understanding of the solar system. Although it no longer retains its status as the ninth planet, this mysterious celestial object has piqued the interest of astronomers, researchers, and the wider public through its elaborate geological features and ever-evolving atmosphere. In […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Observables | Tagged , | Comments Off on Blog5: Pluto

Ceres, the Celebrity of the Asteroid Belt

Posted on April 8, 2023 by willems49

Despite comprising almost a third of the asteroid belt’s total mass, Ceres is often left out of dwarf planet discussions. However, Ceres is actually pretty unique and could potentially support life in the future. Because of its relative closeness compared to the likes of Pluto, it was the first dwarf planet to be visited by […] Continue reading →

Posted in Dwarf Planets, Physics | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Ceres, the Celebrity of the Asteroid Belt

Water Beads on the Moon

Posted on April 8, 2023 by willems49

After analyzing Moon samples taken over two years ago, scientists have discovered glass beads of water on the surface of the Moon. The Chinese probe, Chang’e 5, took soil samples from the lunar surface as part of China’s first sample-return mission. These glass beads are thought to be across the entire surface of the Moon […] Continue reading →

Posted in Moons, Space Travel | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Water Beads on the Moon

Titan

Posted on April 8, 2023 by zws42

Titan is Saturn’s largest moon and the second largest moon in the solar system behind Ganymede. It is shrouded in a thick, yellow atmosphere and has standing bodies of liquid on its surface. It is the only place besides Earth(that we know of) that has an atmospheric cycle of precipitation and evaporation. One day on […] Continue reading →

Posted in Moons | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Titan

Did we really land on the Moon?

Posted on April 8, 2023 by araceal

July 20th, 1969. We landed on the moon. But did we really? There are many conspiracies on if we really landed on the moon or not. People claim many reasons which prove that the moon landing never actually occurred. Shadows in the moon landing photos are not parallel which shows that they were fake. The […] Continue reading →

Posted in Historical, Observables | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Did we really land on the Moon?

Nemesis: The Ultimate Party (And Ort Cloud) Crasher

Posted on April 8, 2023 by Alex Diefenbach

(Hypothetical Rendition of Nemesis – https://images.app.goo.gl/214dFoRtpLU4LSW59) There is a theory concerning the orbit of celestial bodies which has been proposed that would explain the extinction of the dinosaurs. The theory rests on the idea that our sun is part of an astronomical dynamic called a binary system. A binary system resembles the mechanics of satellite […] Continue reading →

Posted in Physics, Universe | Tagged , | Comments Off on Nemesis: The Ultimate Party (And Ort Cloud) Crasher

Strange Stars (Literally)

Posted on April 8, 2023 by Europa

Neutron stars are the collapsed cores of massive stars of 10-25 solar masses. They are formed when these supergiant stars collapse under their own gravity and undergo a supernova explosion, which compresses the star’s core to the extremely high density of atomic nuclei. In fact, they are called neutron stars because the extreme forces within […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Physics, Stars | Tagged , | Comments Off on Strange Stars (Literally)

Comets

Posted on April 8, 2023 by zws42

Comets are Kuiper Belt objects composed of chunks of rock and various ices. For the majority of their orbits they are a long way away from the Sun and don’t have the characteristic tail that we are used to seeing. However, as the comet dives back into the inner solar system, the radiation from the […] Continue reading →

Posted in Small SS Objects | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Comets

The Dwarf Planet Debate

Posted on April 8, 2023 by araceal

(picture of the colorization of Pluto) We all know the controversy that Pluto causes. Should it be a planet? Should it not be one? Why should or shouldn’t it be?  Although astronomers and other scientists claim that Pluto should not be considered a planet, some researches believe that this decision was unfair and incorrect and […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Observables, Universe | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The Dwarf Planet Debate