Category Archives: Class

Blog 2— Historical Context: the Ptolemaic Model

Posted on February 14, 2024 by Seth Creech

The Ptolemaic Model stood as the most accurate way to predict the movement of planets for 1,500 years, even though it was a geocentric model. This obviously serious error in the model caused there to be small inaccuracies in the predictive abilities of the model, but it was the best incorrect model created, so it […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Historical | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Blog 2— Historical Context: the Ptolemaic Model

Blog Post 1— The Vast Size and Scale of the Universe

Posted on February 14, 2024 by Seth Creech

A collection of many galaxies that shows the vastness of the universe Humans have never travelled outside of our solar system because we are technologically unable to do so. Yet the solar system is only a tiny fraction of our galaxy, the Milky Way, and the Milky Way Galaxy is only a fraction of the […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Galaxies, Universe | Tagged , | Comments Off on Blog Post 1— The Vast Size and Scale of the Universe

Tides

Posted on February 14, 2024 by Andres Becerra

Most people (including my past self) think that tides are only caused by the moon. While the moon does have a big impact on the tides. The sun also plays a big role in the way the tides move. The moon and the sun both have gravitational forces that pull on the Earth and cause […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Science | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Tides

Blog Post 0

Posted on February 13, 2024 by Seth Creech

Lost Valley Ranch

Description: This is a picture of Lost Valley Ranch where I worked this summer.
Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , | Comments Off on Blog Post 0

Kepler’s Laws of Planetary Motion

Posted on February 13, 2024 by Tejas Mahesh

After meticulously calculating the data that Tycho Brahe collected, Kepler discovered three different laws that described how planets move. Kepler’s First Law – The planets orbit in ellipses, not circles nor epicycles. For majority of history, it was thought that planets orbit through epicycles because the orbit of the planets must be perfect. However, the […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Exoplanets, Historical, Science | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Kepler’s Laws of Planetary Motion

The Banner of Heaven

Posted on February 13, 2024 by Owen Purcell

This term, originally coined in the late nineteenth century, at least with its current connotation, began to speak to me in a unique way in high school. I took a backpacking trip in Northern California, and experienced a dry, warm, cloudless night with no shelter but a mosquito net. The sky was brilliant, and it felt like […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Historical, Science | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Banner of Heaven

Understanding Gravity

Posted on February 13, 2024 by Ayden Harris

There are many different ways to visualize how gravity functions. However, one of the best way I have found to visualize gravity is with strings and using the center of mass. Gravity is the weakest force of the four fundamental forces, however, it works over an infinite amount of distance. I put this in perspective […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Understanding Gravity

Blog 2: Ancient Mayan Astronomy

Posted on February 13, 2024 by Mackenna Guadagnoli

Thousands of years before telescopes and computers, the ancient Mayans had the ability to predict eclipses and track retrograde motion. They are some of the most advanced astronomers of the ancient world. Astronomy was a central part of Mayan culture. Calendars were based on the movements of the Sun, moon, and planets and festivals, rituals, and […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Observables | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Blog 2: Ancient Mayan Astronomy

Spring Tides and Rising Sea Levels

Posted on February 13, 2024 by liamoneill95

The effects of human-induced climate change are becoming more and more apparent over time. Some of the most highly impacted areas are those on the water, who, when facing spring tides, can experience dangerous levels of flooding. Spring tides occur when the Sun and the Moon are exerting gravitational force on the same line, both […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Moons | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Spring Tides and Rising Sea Levels

Fun Fact About Gravity

Posted on February 13, 2024 by Ethan Jones

One thing that has always fascinated me is how gravity and time are interlocked. Specifically, people at higher altitudes experience time relatively faster than people at sea level. This is due to a concept called gravitational time dilation. Time dilation comes from Newton’s theory of relativity. Basically, the more gravity you feel, the slower you […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Fun Fact About Gravity