Author Archives: alexsolarsystem

Saturn on Steroids

Posted on March 29, 2020 by alexsolarsystem

Way out in the constellation Centaurus is a peculiar solar system 434 light years away that fascinates astronomers. The central star, named 1SWASP, is similar to our Sun in size and doesn’t appear to have any unusual characteristics for a main-sequence star. However, it was discovered in 2007 that 1SWASP is orbited by one enormousContinue reading “Saturn on Steroids” Continue reading →

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SpaceX and Bassnectar – A Love Story

Posted on March 16, 2020 by alexsolarsystem

Over spring break, a few of my pals and I got the incredible opportunity to see a SpaceX rocket launch in the distance as we danced to the booming music of Bassnectar at Okeechobee Music Festival 2020. It was really a once in a lifetime experience, and we would’ve completely missed it if a randomContinue reading “SpaceX and Bassnectar – A Love Story” Continue reading →

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Juno – Spacecraft, Roman Goddess, and….Lego Minifigure?

Posted on March 16, 2020 by alexsolarsystem

Currently orbiting Jupiter is a small satellite that goes by the name of Juno. This small spacecraft was launched in 2011 and was tasked with uncovering as much as possible about Jupiter and its mysterious history. Its main mission is to measure the composition, gravity field, and magnetic field of Jupiter while simultaneously looking forContinue reading “Juno – Spacecraft, Roman Goddess, and….Lego Minifigure?” Continue reading →

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Invisible Stars Bending Space-Time with Gravity

Posted on February 9, 2020 by alexsolarsystem

Researchers at the Astronomical Observatory of the University of Warsaw have recently discovered two previously invisible stars deep within the Milky Way. These binary stars (two stars that effectively orbit each other) were found thanks to a star called Gaia16aye that is considerably farther away. A few years ago, astronomers noticed that Gaia16aye would occasionallyContinue reading “Invisible Stars Bending Space-Time with Gravity” Continue reading →

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The Speed of Light: Can We Go Faster?

Posted on January 19, 2020 by alexsolarsystem

The speed of light in a vacuum is around 300,000,000 meters per second (for those more accustomed to freedom units, that’s 186,282 miles per second). Thanks to Albert Einstein and many other prominent scientists, we believe that only massless particles like photons are able to achieve this speed. This implies that it’s theoretically impossible forContinue reading “The Speed of Light: Can We Go Faster?” Continue reading →

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First Post

Posted on January 13, 2020 by alexsolarsystem

This is my first attempt at a blog post. I’ve never blogged before, so please bear with me as I learn the ropes. Here’s a picture of me and a penguin in South Africa:

And now, here’s a nice gallery of awkward family photos.
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