Author Archives: zvgio

TESS: a New Eye in the Sky

Posted on April 10, 2013 by zvgio

NASA has a new project set to launch in 2017 and it’s going to be big. The TESS project will be tasked with the most trendy task in astronomy these days: finding exoplanets. Using a slew of wide-view cameras, TESS will peer tirelessly at the stars looking for “transits,” or dips in brightness when an […] Continue reading →

Posted in Exoplanets, Instruments | Tagged , , | Comments Off on TESS: a New Eye in the Sky

It’s OK, Pluto, You’re Not Alone!

Posted on April 10, 2013 by zvgio

A lot of Pluto fans were really upset with Pluto’s demotion from planet to “dwarf planet” back in 2006. I mean what’s not to love about a tiny iceball on the edge of the Kuiper Belt? There is good news though. Despite Pluto’s lowly new title, at least it has some company. The IAU recognizes […] Continue reading →

Posted in Dwarf Planets | Tagged , , | Comments Off on It’s OK, Pluto, You’re Not Alone!

Quantum What?

Posted on March 20, 2013 by zvgio

The Sun is really hot, yeah we all know that. We also know that all of this heat is produced by the fusion of hydrogen into helium in the core. However, did you know that the temperature required to produce fusion here on Earth (100 million K)  is much greater than the temperatures present in […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Physics, Sun | Tagged , | Comments Off on Quantum What?

The Webb Space Telescope: the Future of Viewing the Past

Posted on February 20, 2013 by zvgio

Every time you look at the stars , you are looking back in time. The universe is a big place and light takes time to move through it, so if you’re currently admiring Polaris, the photons hitting your eyes have been traveling for about 434 years to reach you. That may seem like a long […] Continue reading →

Posted in Instruments | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on The Webb Space Telescope: the Future of Viewing the Past

Hubble Images: Not as Easy as Just Taking Pictures

Posted on February 20, 2013 by zvgio

Most people have heard of the Hubble Space Telescope, a visible light telescope that has been orbiting Earth since 1990, and if they haven’t, they’ve probably at least seen some of it’s images of distant galaxies and majestic nebulae. These pictures are vibrantly colorful and awe-inspiring, but they don’t start off that way. All of […] Continue reading →

Posted in Instruments | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Hubble Images: Not as Easy as Just Taking Pictures

Total Solar Eclipses: Cool Now, Terrifying Then

Posted on January 27, 2013 by zvgio

The term umbraphile is not a common term found in most peoples’ lexicons, and even those who parse in Greek may be confused by the translation of “shadow-lover.” However, despite their rarity, umbraphiles do exist, and the shadow which they love is the one the moon casts on the Earth during a total solar eclipse. […] Continue reading →

Posted in Historical | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Total Solar Eclipses: Cool Now, Terrifying Then

Faster than the Speed of Light

Posted on January 26, 2013 by zvgio

Everyone knows that the speed of light is fast; “faster than the speed of light” is a common colloquialism. Thanks to almighty science, we know that light travels at 299,792,548 meters per second, compared to 27m/s for a car traveling 60mph. Due to human perception times, a speed of this magnitude makes light’s travel seem […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Light | Tagged , | Comments Off on Faster than the Speed of Light

Neil Degrasse Tyson

Posted on January 17, 2013 by zvgio

As my first post, here’s a picture I took of NDT during his lecture at Vanderbilt last semester, in all of his shoeless glory (he lectures without shoes on haha). Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Neil Degrasse Tyson