December 2024 S M T W T F S « Nov 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Archives
- November 2024
- October 2024
- September 2024
- August 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- July 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
Currently Used Categories
Tag Cloud
- astro201
- astro2110
- astrobiology
- astronomy
- blog1
- blog2
- blog3
- blog4
- blog5
- blog6
- blog7
- blog8
- blog9
- blog10
- brahe
- Class
- Comets
- Copernicus
- earth
- Europa
- extremophiles
- galilei
- galileo
- gravity
- history
- HW2
- HW6
- jupiter
- Kepler
- life
- Mars
- me
- Moon
- NASA
- Newton
- planets
- pluto
- saturn
- Solar System
- space
- technology
- telescopes
- tides
- Time
- Uncategorized
Author Archives: nickwtheastronomer
Tardigrade: The Winter Soldier
Earth’s most resilient organism has once again astounded the scientific community. Tardigrades, also referred to as “waterbears”, have successfully demonstrated the ability to survive deep freezing for decades. In November of 1983 a Japanese research team harvested moss while on an anarctic expedition, contained within this harsh environment (as with many other equally harsh areas) […] Continue reading
North Korean Space Program’s Latest Breakthrough in Propulsion Technology!
Look out NASA, there’s a new kid on the block, and he’s got a shiny new toy. In a highly unprecedented act of transparency and openess, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea allowed members of the Associated Press inside access to their closely guarded Kim Il Sung proving grounds for the debut of their latest […] Continue reading
Posted in Historical, Space Travel
Tagged space, spacecraft, Uncategorized
Comments Off on North Korean Space Program’s Latest Breakthrough in Propulsion Technology!
Kepler Concerns
One of NASA’s most prized space probes may be in need of some roadside assistance after a scheduled Thursday communication session revealed the craft has entered emergency mode. The Kepler spacecraft was launched in 2009 and is equipped with telescopes and instruments critical to the discovery and analysis of extrasolar planets. Little is known so […] Continue reading
Posted in Class, Space Travel, Universe
Tagged astro2110, blog8, space, spacecraft, Uncategorized
Comments Off on Kepler Concerns
The Darkest Planet in the Universe
The planet sullenly staring back at you is TrES-2b and no it is not just going through a phase, this exoplanet is indeed the universe’s ultimate goth. TrES-2b is a gas giant which was first detected in 2006 by the Trans-Atlantic Exoplanet Survey (TrES) employing the transit method of exoplanet discovery. In the transit method […] Continue reading
Dyson Spheres on the Horizon?
We may be getting one step closer to the fabled hallmark of an advanced civilization, the Dyson Sphere. Pioneered by Freeman Dyson in the 1960s, a Dyson Sphere takes the process of energy generation to a level literally out of this world. A Dyson Sphere is a massive assemblage of solar energy collectors placed in […] Continue reading
Posted in Light, Space Travel
Tagged astro2110, blog6, power, space, Uncategorized
Comments Off on Dyson Spheres on the Horizon?
A Mission to Smell Mars
Exciting news out of the European continent this week, a joint mission to Mars sponsored by Russia and the European Space Agency is successfully underway. Blasting off from its launch pad in Baikonur, Kazakhstan on March 14th, 2016, the first spacecraft in the ExoMars mission began its approximately seven-month trip to Mars’ atmosphere. The main goal […] Continue reading
Posted in Space Travel
Tagged astro2110, blog5, Mars, spacecraft, Uncategorized
Comments Off on A Mission to Smell Mars
The Slowest Speed of Light
Quickly imagine the speed of light. It’s fast right? I’m sure you’ve been taught that the average speed of light falls somewhere around 3 x 10^8 m/s (6.706 x 10^8 mph) and you are partially correct. But what if I told you that you would have been equally right with an answer of just 38 […] Continue reading
Project Orion: Riding Atomic Explosions into Space
From the LSD-laden project MK Ultra to the ill-fated foray into psychic warfare that was Stargate Project, the U.S. government has sanctioned some truly strange studies over the past century. But one research endeavor stands out among all the others throught its sheer magnitude, ridiculousness, and surprising potential. I am talking, of course, about Project Orion. […] Continue reading
Posted in Class, Space Travel, Stars, Universe
Tagged astro2110, blog4, interstellar, space, spacecraft, Uncategorized
Comments Off on Project Orion: Riding Atomic Explosions into Space
Historical Astronomers in Context: Johannes Kepler
Who is Kepler Johannes Kepler’s most renowned contribution to astronomy was his development of the three laws of planetary motion. These three laws correctly defined the elliptic shape of all planetary orbits, established the equal area-equal time interval concept of solar radii, and equated the period of orbit with the size of the orbital elliptic […] Continue reading
Posted in Historical
Tagged astro2110, HW6, Kepler, Uncategorized
Comments Off on Historical Astronomers in Context: Johannes Kepler
Fuller-Mooning in the Winter
Whoa there. Before you flag this post as inappropriate, answer this question. Was this photo taken at noon or at midnight? If you answered midnight, congratulations! And surprisingly enough, this stunning photo of a full moon could only have been photographed in the winter. But why winter? Don’t we get full moons year-round? This is […] Continue reading