Author Archives: jhughes216

Semester in Review

Posted on April 28, 2013 by jhughes216

Final Thoughts… I have always been interested in space and the subject of astronomy. This is mainly because I was a huge Star Wars fan when I was younger and always hoped to see a ufo flying through the sky. However, after learning more on this subject I am truly amazed by all that our universe […] Continue reading →

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The Smallest Bears in the Universe

Posted on April 28, 2013 by jhughes216

  Water Bears These little guys are a part of a special group of organisms called extremophiles. While their name may be a bit misleading, water bears (or moss piglet) measure about 1.5mm long and can live in some of the harshest conditions. This ability to survive in places where most living things would find unbearable separates […] Continue reading →

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Comets

Posted on April 10, 2013 by jhughes216

Near Earth Experience The snowballs of the universe, comets are amazing bodies of ice and rock orbiting a star from a great distance. In our own solar system, these balls of ice mostly inhabit an area known as the Oort Cloud. This outer region surrounds our solar system from all different directions. Because the cloud […] Continue reading →

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The Planet Pluto

Posted on April 9, 2013 by jhughes216

The little planet that could… Although I am only 22 years old, the world has changed a lot since I grew up. No longer are the days of hearing the obnoxious but familiar sound of dial-up internet, listening to music with a walkman in your hand instead of an ipod in your pocket, and above all else, […] Continue reading →

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The Power of the Telescope

Posted on February 20, 2013 by jhughes216

History The first known telescopes came into invention sometime in 1608 by Dutch glass makers who had become quite skilled in making lens. In 1609 an Italian physicist and astronomer named Galileo decided to use this invention to look into the heavens. While it was rudimentary compared to the telescopes of today, this new tool […] Continue reading →

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Navigation by the Stars

Posted on February 18, 2013 by jhughes216

History Before the time of GPS devices, navigation apps, and even before the Earth was known to be round, humans were using the heavens to find their way around this hardly discovered planet. While land navigation could be made fairly easy by dead reckoning and using landmarks, this technique became infinitely more difficult once humans began […] Continue reading →

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Posted on February 5, 2013 by jhughes216

Galileo Galilei is one of the most important figures in the history of astronomy. He was born February 15, 1564 in Italy, and lived until January 8, 1642. Galileo has the remarkable distinction to be considered the first human to use a telescope to study planets and stars. With this new equipment, Galileo was able to see things that […] Continue reading →

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The Moon and its Lunar Eclipse

Posted on January 27, 2013 by jhughes216

People travel all over the world to catch a glimpse of the rare phenomenon known as a lunar eclipse. In the past, this misunderstood event inspired some fear as the Moon became darker and darker until in turned blood-red, signifying an act of some god or deity. Now, we know this event occurs every so […] Continue reading →

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Perspective of the Cosmic Calendar

Posted on January 20, 2013 by jhughes216

What do you think of when someone mentions the word old? Turning 21, grandparents, black and white photos? Maybe even cave men or the dinosaurs? However, all these things are insanely young on the cosmic scale! If you were to take the time from the creation of the universe until present day and squeeze it all into […] Continue reading →

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First Blog

Posted on January 17, 2013 by jhughes216

by me Hi all, This is my initial blog, and I decided to put up a picture of my family instead of my favorite locale. These are some of my cousins from North Carolina after one of my football games. I know this is an astronomy blog and there aren’t many stars in the sky behind […] Continue reading →

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