Category Archives: Class

Hubble Space Telescope Images the Most Distant Star Ever Observed

Posted on April 8, 2018 by astronomydylan

Last week, a group of astronomers announced in Nature Astronomy that they had discovered the furthest star ever seen: a blue supergiant named Icarus that shone nearly 10 billion years ago, and located more than halfway across the universe. The astronomers were able to do this with the Hubble, and gravitational lensing. Per the lead author of … Continue reading Hubble Space Telescope Images the Most Distant Star Ever Observed → Continue reading →

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Aurora Footprint of Jupiter’s Moons

Posted on April 8, 2018 by astronomydylan

We all are familiar with the Galilean Moons; those 4 largest moons orbiting Jupiter which Galileo discovered with his telescope, and which were subsequently named after his lovers. Three of these moons (Io, Europa, Ganymede) have created auroral bursts in Jupiter’s atmosphere, but Callisto had only yielded two potential footprints … until last month! We know how … Continue reading Aurora Footprint of Jupiter’s Moons → Continue reading →

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Aurora Footprint of Jupiter’s Moons

Posted on April 8, 2018 by astronomydylan

We all are familiar with the Galilean Moons; those 4 largest moons orbiting Jupiter which Galileo discovered with his telescope, and which were subsequently named after his lovers. Three of these moons (Io, Europa, Ganymede) have created auroral bursts in Jupiter’s atmosphere, but Callisto had only yielded two potential footprints … until last month! We know how … Continue reading Aurora Footprint of Jupiter’s Moons → Continue reading →

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Blog 6: Jupiter Fluid Dynamics

Posted on April 7, 2018 by battismm

Jupiter has a very thick atmosphere with lots of temperature difference causing strong convective currents. These convective currents and Jupiter’s fast rotation give the planet it’s colorful bands and demonstrate different fluid behaviors. The image above, captured by the Juno Spacecraft, shows a storm in Jupiter’s atmosphere. The eddies are similar to that caused by vortex … Continue reading Blog 6: Jupiter Fluid Dynamics Continue reading →

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~Gravitational Waves~

Posted on April 7, 2018 by Caroline Henning

Gravitational waves!! Only recently detected even indirectly, they offer some evidence to support Einstein’s theory of relativity from the early twentieth century. The theory states that dense, heavy objects (like Earth, for example) distort space-time in the same way a marble would bend a normally flat stretch of fabric. When two extremely dense objects (such … Continue reading ~Gravitational Waves~ → Continue reading →

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The Great Titan

Posted on April 7, 2018 by adventuresinspace

Titan Picture Source Titan is Saturn’s Largest moon (the second largest moon in the solar system), and was discovered in 1655. Titan is almost the size of the largest moon, which is Ganymede (Jupiter’s largest moon). However, despite their similar size and relatively similar distance from the Sun, Titan has characteristics that Ganymede does not. … Continue reading The Great Titan → Continue reading →

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Blog 5: Saturn’s Rings

Posted on April 7, 2018 by battismm

Saturn’s most distinct feature is its stunning rings, visible even through basic telescopes! Thanks to flyby and orbiter missions around the planet, we have wonderful photos of Saturn and its rings. The image above shows the rings on the night side of Saturn, part of which fall into the planet’s shadows and the other part … Continue reading Blog 5: Saturn’s Rings Continue reading →

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Pluto

Posted on April 7, 2018 by adventuresinspace

Picture Source- Forbes Pluto was discovered in 1930, and at the time was considered the ninth planet of our Solar System. With further exploration, scientists realized that Pluto is actually part of a larger set of worlds that are a part of the Kuiper Belt. Pluto was then reclassified into a  dwarf planet. Pluto is … Continue reading Pluto → Continue reading →

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Planet no. 9

Posted on April 5, 2018 by Caroline Henning

Pluto–a well loved member of our solar system with a short-lived reputation as a planet. Discovered in 1930, it was classified as the ninth planet in our solar system until its demotion to a dwarf planet in 2006. I remember that fateful day in elementary school science class when we got the news: Pluto was … Continue reading Planet no. 9 → Continue reading →

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Io: Jupiter’s Volcanic Moon

Posted on April 5, 2018 by natsastronomy

If you showed me a picture of Io, my first thought would not be that it is a moon. To me, it looks like a block of cheese, a little rotted in certain places. That is because it looks so different from our idea of a moon, or that is Earth’s moon. Earth’s moon is … Continue reading Io: Jupiter’s Volcanic Moon → Continue reading →

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