Author Archives: mattbarnhartastro2110

The Twin Sunsets

When you think of tatooine from Star Wars, you may think of a couple of things – sand, sand barges, more sand(it gets everywhere), and the twin suns we see in the beginning of A New Hope. While Star Wars may be a space fantasy and the dual stars seem outlandish since we are in … Continue reading The Twin Sunsets Continue reading

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The Ninth Planet

We talked in class about the discovery of a potential ninth planet with an orbit past pluto, and the idea of one more undiscovered planet in the solar system is quite fascinating. That’s why two astronomers – Mike Brown and Konstantin Batygin – decided to investigate into the peculiar clustering of six objects beyond Neptune, … Continue reading The Ninth Planet Continue reading

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Red, White, and Blue: The Star Life Cycle

We’ve talked a bit about black body radiation and how some stars appear more reddish or bluish, or maybe even just white. But how  and why do stars appear as more reddish or bluish, and why are some stars larger than others? What makes Red Giants and White Dwarfs special? Well, it all has to … Continue reading Red, White, and Blue: The Star Life Cycle Continue reading

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Radio Telescopes

When someone says “telescope,” you probably think of a long magnifying tube ranging from pocket sized to massive that you can look in an eyepiece of to see things at great distances, such as stars and galaxies in regards to astronomy. Another type of telescope you may not think of is the radio telescope. The … Continue reading Radio Telescopes Continue reading

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Historical Figures in Context

Nicholas Copernicus (Feb 19, 1473 – May 21, 1543) was a Polish astronomer who introduced the heliocentric system, contrary to the geocentric theory at the time. He also proposed that the Earth turns once daily on its axis, which also changes in direction over long periods of time, resulting in the precessions of the equinoxes. … Continue reading Historical Figures in Context Continue reading

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First Galaxies Formed Today

…according to the cosmic calendar. The cosmic calendar is a visualization method to help comprehend the age of the universe. This calendar puts the beginning of the universe at the start of the first of January, and the end of December 31st at our current point in time. In this demonstration model, January 22nd (today!) … Continue reading First Galaxies Formed Today Continue reading

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Hello

 
by me
Pathfinder stuff I guess
 
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