Category Archives: Class

Milankovitch Cycle

Posted on January 20, 2019 by wermanmd

As we all know, the Earth experiences seasons each year. These are due to the tilt of Earth’s rotational axis, which causes certain areas of the earth to receive more direct sunlight during parts of the year, which has obvious effects on yearly climate. Interestingly, the Earth’s seasons also shift around on the calendar year. … Continue reading Milankovitch Cycle → Continue reading →

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The Dark Side of the Moon

Posted on January 20, 2019 by josiahgray12

Besides a popular Pink Floyd album, what is “the dark side of the Moon”? Most people have not given much though to what it means or how it got its infamous name. For me the first image I get is of the moon I know and love turning over to the dark side of the … Continue reading The Dark Side of the Moon → Continue reading →

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Life off Earth

Posted on January 20, 2019 by bobbyc

I’m truly baffled by the sheer size and scale of the Universe in comparison to the scale of the life I live, and the implications of that scale on finding life off of Earth. At any point in time, my attention is engulfed by only 10 or so meters of my surroundings, and often only … Continue reading Life off Earth Continue reading →

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Moon Phases and Eclipses

Posted on January 20, 2019 by alexdickey18

The moon is one of the most recognizable objects that appears in our sky and it has existed and has been celebrated for thousands upon thousands of years. Revolving around the Earth, the moon shows its face every night but with each cycle, appearing a little different. This is due to the moon phases- the … Continue reading Moon Phases and Eclipses → Continue reading →

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The Size of Our Solar System

Posted on January 20, 2019 by haivilo

The actual size of the universe is basically immeasurable as it is constantly expanding. But even if we could measure it, our human brains wouldn’t actually be able to understand how big it really is. Our solar system is roughly 122 AU, an AU being the distance between the Earth and the sun. This is … Continue reading The Size of Our Solar System → Continue reading →

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Grasping the Scale of the Solar System (with help from Josh Worth)

Posted on January 20, 2019 by jpeilbert

Have you ever wondered just how big the Solar System is? One helpful website to answer that question is Josh Worth’s “If the Moon Were Only 1 Pixel” site. This beautiful website allows you to scroll through the Solar System, to-scale, as if the Moon were only 1 pixel (that is, teeny-tiny and barely visible … Continue reading Grasping the Scale of the Solar System (with help from Josh Worth) → Continue reading →

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The OORT CLOUD and You

Posted on January 20, 2019 by chiefkeith7

You might find yourself looking at a (to-scale) diagram of the planets of the solar system (and Pluto), such as the following: and think to yourself “Wow, Pluto is so much farther out from the sun than the Earth is. The solar system is so massive!”. And while you would be correct in your statement, … Continue reading The OORT CLOUD and You → Continue reading →

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Earth’s Precession: Why Your Zodiac Sign is Wrong

Posted on January 20, 2019 by victoriayaden

When it comes to taking meaningless BuzzFeed quizzes or looking at Tumblr text posts about my zodiac sign, I am guilty as charged. There’s something satisfying about taking a quiz that tells you which limited edition Oreo flavor you are by your zodiac sign! (I’m apparently Gingerbread. Who knew?) I even know some people who … Continue reading Earth’s Precession: Why Your Zodiac Sign is Wrong → Continue reading →

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Powers of Ten

Posted on January 20, 2019 by anna_h

Our universe is so vast it is simply mind blowing. The true nature of the size of our universe can be understood by examining powers of ten. We begin with a picnic scene one meter wide viewed from one meter away. Every 10 seconds we will look 10 times further away and our view of … Continue reading Powers of Ten Continue reading →

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How Much Does Light Weigh?

Posted on January 20, 2019 by Josh

Photons are massless particles. They move at the speed of light and do not have an intrinsic mass. And since light is made of photons, we can say that light has no mass. Story over, right? Did you know that light can exerts a force on objects? This force can cause them to weigh more. … Continue reading How Much Does Light Weigh? → Continue reading →

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