Author Archives: Abbie!!

Gotta find them all!!

Posted on April 25, 2024 by Abbie!!

Knowing about all the planets in our own solar system made us wonder if there are other planetary systems out there as well. And there are!! But how did we detect these extrasolar planets? There are four ways to detect extrasolar planets. The simplest way, but not always the easiest way, is direct observation. That’s […] Continue reading →

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Are we there yet??🚀

Posted on April 18, 2024 by Abbie!!

In my entire life, I have never traveled outside of the country. Most people on Earth have never traveled off of Earth. And none of us have ever traveled outside of our Solar System! We know that travel to the Moon is possible, but is it possible to visit worlds in other planetary systems? Is […] Continue reading →

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SOLAR ECLIPSE DAY!!!

Posted on April 9, 2024 by Abbie!!

Yesterday, (April 08, 2024), a group of friends and I drove up to Vienna, Illinois to observe the solar eclipse in totality. It was one of the best experiences in my life, and I think that getting to see such a beautiful and interesting astronomical phenomena in person is life-changing. Because totality only lasted for […] Continue reading →

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Some things never change…

Posted on April 5, 2024 by Abbie!!

Asteroids are rocky leftover pieces from the planetary formation era that never ended up becoming planets. They orbit our Sun out in the asteroid belt, but they are too small and weirdly shaped (thanks to impacts!) to be classified as planets. To give a sense of the size range of asteroids, the largest asteroid, Ceres, […] Continue reading →

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Put a ring on it!! 🪐

Posted on April 4, 2024 by Abbie!!

When I think of rings, the first planet that comes to mind is Saturn. Saturn has the most impressive rings out of all the Jovian planets in our solar system. (In fact, Saturn’s rings are so prominent that I sometimes forget that other Jovian planets also have rings!!) First, let’s talk about the properties of […] Continue reading →

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