Author Archives: haleytopper04

White Holes

Posted on April 28, 2018 by haleytopper04

You’ve heard of black holes, right? Well, how about white holes? White holes are theoretically the exact opposite of black hole, and scientists think that they could make up a large portion of the dark matter in the universe. Where nothing can escape a black hole’s event horizon, nothing can enter a white hole’s. It … Continue reading White Holes Continue reading →

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Is there life out there?

Posted on April 19, 2018 by haleytopper04

In 2016, there was a study that stated that many other planets throughout the universe have probably hosted intelligent life before earth did. The study claims that, even if you claim that the chance of an evolved civilization on a planet was one in a trillion, that means that what happened on earth would have … Continue reading Is there life out there? Continue reading →

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The Giant Red Whale

Posted on April 9, 2018 by haleytopper04

In 2015, scientists discovered what they call the giant red whale on Pluto’s surface. This is simply a red part of Pluto that vaguely takes the shape of a whale. Their theory is that it was created by a giant impactor, most likely the same one that lead to Charon, Pluto’s large moon. We knew … Continue reading The Giant Red Whale Continue reading →

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Missing Dark Matter

Posted on April 9, 2018 by haleytopper04

There is an understanding that about 80 percent of the mass in the universe is made up of material that we cannot observe, and that matter is called dark matter. Although there is no direct evidence of dark matter, it must be present to hold the elements of the universe together. Recently, it was discovered … Continue reading Missing Dark Matter Continue reading →

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Sunspots

Posted on March 18, 2018 by haleytopper04

Sunspots are areas of the sun that appear dark because they are cooler than their surroundings and are used as an indicator of solar activity. They are formed because material at the solar equator moves significantly faster than the materials at the poles, causing the magnetic field lines to become warped. If the magnetic field … Continue reading Sunspots Continue reading →

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James Webb Telescope

Posted on February 8, 2018 by haleytopper04

The James Webb Space Telescope, or JWST, will be a large telescope that is intended to be the premier observatory of the next decade. The telescope will study every phase in the history of the universe, from right after the Big Bang to the formation of the universe that we know today, and even the … Continue reading James Webb Telescope Continue reading →

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Celestial Navigation

Posted on February 7, 2018 by haleytopper04

Celestial navigation, or astronavigation, allows a navigator to use sights and angular measurements between celestial bodies to determine their location. While the sun is the most commonly used body, the moon, planets, polaris, and some other 57 navigational stars can also be used. Those navigational stars have coordinates that are pre-calculated and located in the … Continue reading Celestial Navigation Continue reading →

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Posted on February 4, 2018 by haleytopper04

Galileo Galilei: Birth-February 15, 1564 , Death-January 8, 1642 Galileo provided a ton of insight into a lot of scientific concepts that we think of as fact today. In terms of motion, Galilei decided to question what Aristotle believed to be true, that heavier objects fall faster than lighter ones. Through his experiments with ramps … Continue reading Historical Astronomers in Context Continue reading →

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Solar Eclipse: When and Why

Posted on January 22, 2018 by haleytopper04

In honor of the solar eclipse that happened in late august, I thought I’d talk about the phenomenon. A solar eclipse happens when the moon gets between the earth and the sun, and the moon casts a shadow. It should be known that the fact that solar eclipses can happen at all is a total … Continue reading Solar Eclipse: When and Why Continue reading →

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What is Astrophysics?

Posted on January 22, 2018 by haleytopper04

I thought I’d start my blog off by talking about what I am most interested in, Astrophysics. While I am a physics major, my passion is astrophysics and studying the life and death of stars. Astrophysics applies the laws of physics and chemistry to explain the birth, life, and death of stars, planets, galaxies and … Continue reading What is Astrophysics? Continue reading →

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