Author Archives: juliettealper

Optimistic Astronomy

Posted on April 28, 2013 by juliettealper

I have always been interested in Astronomy and the concept that Earth is only a very small part of the rest of the Universe. After learning all of the in depth detail about planet formation, moon cycles, the physics behind it all, and the rest of the topics we covered in class- I have gotten […] Continue reading →

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Voyager 1

Posted on April 28, 2013 by juliettealper

Voyager 1 launched in 1977 in order to collect data and research the outer planets of our solar system. Currently, 11.5 billion miles from Earth, scientists are having some difficulty determining when exactly the Voyager is going to leave the solar system. It has completed its mission of surveying the outer planets, such as Saturn, […] Continue reading →

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Exoplanets

Posted on April 3, 2013 by juliettealper

Our lecture on exoplanets in class today reminded me of an article that I saw a few months ago about the discovery of new exoplanets. After looking deeper into it, I realized that just a month ago scientists discovered 2,700 objects that could potentially be considered planets. Not only is this a possibility, but around […] Continue reading →

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New Saturn Discoveries

Posted on April 1, 2013 by juliettealper

As we’ve learned in class, Saturn is an interesting planet mostly for its “rings” made of many small rocks and particles.  Because Saturn is a Jovian planet and so far away, we are still trying to learn as much as we can about it. In fact, scientists have discovered new information about Saturn’s rings and […] Continue reading →

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Kepler’s Supernova

Posted on March 19, 2013 by juliettealper

In 1604 Johannes Kepler discovered a supernova explosion. Today, scientists are working to discover what caused the explosion and they are using a Digitized Sky Survey to determine it. The picture above shows colors from an X-Ray Observatory that concludes the supernova has low, intermediate and high energy. Scientists believe this explosion was caused by […] Continue reading →

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God Particle

Posted on March 17, 2013 by juliettealper

There has been new findings regarding the origin of the universe and what caused the big bang. This research, $10 billion dollars later, confirms that the way physicists and other scientists viewed particle physics was actually correct. Had this not been proven, scientists would have completely had to reconsider their theories on the origination of […] Continue reading →

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Happy 540th Birthday Copernicus!

Posted on February 19, 2013 by juliettealper

Today, February 19, happens to be Nicolaus Copernicus’s 540th birthday. Google honored him by making their icon a heliocentric model. I thought it was fitting to talk a little about his accomplishments. One of the most interesting facts about Copernicus was that he completed all of his observations with his naked eye. Copernicus was one […] Continue reading →

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James Webb Space Telescope

Posted on February 18, 2013 by juliettealper

universetoday.com The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is Hubble’s successor. As impressive and useful as Hubble was, it will eventually stop working and spin out of it’s orbit. That is why the JWST is being made. It will be better and more advanced than Hubble, allowing scientists to view infrared light. JWST will study four […] Continue reading →

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Historical Figures in Context

Posted on February 5, 2013 by juliettealper

Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) Thirty Years War: The Thirty Years War occurred during Johannes Kepler’s life, taking place from 1618-1648. It was a war fought for a variety of reasons (religious, territorial, economic) by many different countries in Europe (Austria, England, France, Germany, Italy, and others). This was a complicated and long war that plagued Europe for thirty […] Continue reading →

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Moon App!

Posted on January 27, 2013 by juliettealper

Apple has an application for your iPod and iPad that helps you easily learn everything you would want to know about the moon. It is kind of like Stellarium for your phone! Whether you want to know the phase the moon is currently in, its Azimuth or altitude, this app can tell you. I think […] Continue reading →

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