Category Archives: Class

The Characteristics of Pluto

Posted on November 17, 2024 by Alekzander Waller

Discovered in 1930 by astronomer Clyde Tombaugh at the Lowell Conservatory in Arizona, Pluto has challenged the confines and definitions of how scientists classified objects within our solar system. Up until 2006 it was considered a planet but was then demoted to dwarf planet after scientific consensus that it does not clear its orbit of […] Continue reading →

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JWST’s Revolutionary Discoveries

Posted on November 15, 2024 by Leo Silva

Since its launch on December 25th, 2021 and arrival at its final “positioning” on July 11th, 2022 (Wikimedia, Timeline of James Webb Space Telescope), the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has made a myriad of revolutionary findings that challenge our previous understanding/theories of the Universe. Due to its intentional design aimed at helping us understand […] Continue reading →

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Some “Firsts” of Exoplanets

Posted on November 15, 2024 by Leo Silva

Before the discovery of any exoplanets (prior to 1992), scientists hypothesized that star systems will planets (planetary systems) similar to our own solar system might exist around other stars– even without having confirmed evidence of them in the same way we do today. In some ways, they expected that these other planetary systems would likely […] Continue reading →

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Binary Star Systems.

Posted on November 15, 2024 by Elias Ibrahim

A binary star system A binary star system is a pair of stars which orbit a common center of mass. In fact, they are quite common in the universe. Types of Binary Star Systems Visual Binaries: Such a binary system can be resolved as two separate stars using a telescope. Spectroscopic binaries: here, the components would be close enough to one another that it would not be possible to visually distinguish the two. […] Continue reading →

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Icy Giants: Uranus and Neptune

Posted on November 15, 2024 by Elias Ibrahim

Uranus and Neptune The Outermost Planets Past the gas giants Saturn and Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune are the ice giants. These distant planets provide insight of our solar system. Uranus Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. It has a peculiar axial tilt. While the other planets rotate on an axis that is close to perpendicular to their orbital plane, Uranus rotates on its side. Its orbit causes extreme seasons to take place as one pole would face the Sun continuously for decades, followed […] Continue reading →

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Comets: What are they?

Posted on November 13, 2024 by Catherine Sack

Comets are icy, small bodies containing rock, frozen gases, and dust. Referred to as “cosmic snowballs”, comets are found in the outer parts of the solar system like the Kuiper Belt or the Oort Cloud. A comet is made up of 3 parts: nucleus, coma, and tail. The nucleus is its icy center. The coma […] Continue reading →

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The Kuiper Belt: What’s in it?

Posted on November 13, 2024 by Catherine Sack

Found outside of Neptune’s orbit, the Kuiper Belt is home to many important objects within our solar system. The Kuiper Belt is contains icy bodies (aka KBOs) in the shape of a doughnut. Many of these KBOs are extremely old, but with little sign of change since its formation. After the formation of our solar […] Continue reading →

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Blog 05 – Enceladus

Posted on November 3, 2024 by Mercedes

The image shows the lower portion of Enceladus’ jets taken in 2010. Image and information gathered from the NASA website. Enceladus, one of Saturn’s moons, got its name in Greek mythology because Saturn (Cronus) was the leader of the Titans. Despite its namesake, it is only about 310 miles across which is about the size […] Continue reading →

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The James Webb Space Telescope: A New Window on the Universe

Posted on October 21, 2024 by Elias Ibrahim

JWST The James Webb Space Telescope is a telescope made to look deep into space. It is the largest telescope in space ever built. The telescope was launched into space during 2021. Due to its infrared strength it can see distant objects that light telescopes can’t. JWST was able to study the formations of galaxies […] Continue reading →

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To Date Ancient Rocks and Artifacts

Posted on October 21, 2024 by Justinc

How do scientists know how old Earth and its rocks are? Modern humans have existed for “only” about 200,000 years, and modern science has existed for only a few hundred years (heck, how do we even know how long we as a species have existed?). So, how do scientists today know how old rocks are? […] Continue reading →

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