Author Archives: jacob933

What excites me? Mars!!

Posted on April 28, 2013 by jacob933

Well, it’s been a great semester. I loved astronomy going into this class, and I love it even more going out. It definitely made me realize that planetary science is my favorite part of astronomy, and that’s why I’m pursuing the minor! However, I wanted to make this post about what excites me regarding the […] Continue reading →

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The Complex Chemistry of Titan

Posted on April 28, 2013 by jacob933

A recent experiment by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory simulating Titan’s atmosphere has shown that there is some exciting chemistry going on not only in it’s upper atmosphere, but in the lower atmosphere too! Before this, scientists had assumed that as you got closer to the surface, the air became “dull and inert.” However, this team […] Continue reading →

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The Mystery of Saturn’s Moonlets

Posted on February 19, 2013 by jacob933

Research done by Loughborough University physicists has recently led to new a understanding  of the formation of moonlets (small natural satellites) in Saturn’s F Ring. Previously, it was believed that strong tidal forces from Saturn and its other rings and moons would keep the moonlets from clumping. They’ve now discovered the moon Prometheus has a […] Continue reading →

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Johannes Kepler in Context

Posted on February 6, 2013 by jacob933

Johannes Kepler (1571-16300) was absolutely vital to the study of astronomy in that he was the first to seriously propose that planets orbited the sun in ellipses, not circles. This greatly increased the accuracy of predicting astronomical events and helped to bring physics and astronomy a little bit closer together. Major Historical Events and People […] Continue reading →

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Ophiucus: The Thirteenth Zodiac?

Posted on January 27, 2013 by jacob933

Two years ago, an astronomer from Minnesota named Parke Kunkle informed the American public that not only  had the date ranges for each of the zodiac signs changed, but that a 13th Zodiac sign had been added called Ophiuchus. This became big news very quickly and elicited very heated responses from many astrologers. One astrologer […] Continue reading →

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Farthest Supernova Yet!

Posted on January 27, 2013 by jacob933

A few weeks ago, it was announced that a type 1a supernova had been discovered that was 10 billion light years away! Officially named SN SCP-0401 but nicknamed “Mingus” after a jazz composer, this supernova is remarkable not just for its distance but for the detail in its spectrum. Scientist will be able to use […] Continue reading →

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First Post!

Posted on January 16, 2013 by jacob933

This is so cool! My first blog ever! This picture is of the cake my friends made me for my first birthday away from home, which is in the great state of Michigan! I have a lot of state pride, which is somewhat unique among Michiganders. Despite the fact that Detroit and the entire economy […] Continue reading →

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