Category Archives: Class

The Potential for Nuclear Fusion on Earth

Posted on October 20, 2024 by Leo Silva

Stars like the Sun have been powering themselves through the use of nuclear fusion for billions of years, and the Sun is expected to be powered for billions more before it runs out of its source of hydrogen fuel through the proton-proton chain. As outlined on my previous blog post, one second of energy created […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Science | Tagged , | Comments Off on The Potential for Nuclear Fusion on Earth

Nuclear Fusion: The Heartbeat of Stars

Posted on October 20, 2024 by Leo Silva

In order for stars to generate the enormous amounts of energy that they do, a very specific, energy-intensive process is needed: nuclear fusion. It is this process that allows stars to shine brightly for billions of years. But how exactly does nuclear fusion work? In short, in the cores of stars, temperatures reach the millions […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Physics, Science | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Nuclear Fusion: The Heartbeat of Stars

Blog 04 – Proxima b

Posted on October 19, 2024 by Mercedes

The closest star system to Earth is Alpha Centauri, a three-star system. A planet, Proxima b, approximately 1.3 times the mass of ours orbits off the smallest star, Proxima Centauri. This planet orbits its star even closer than Mercury does the Sun and only takes 11 days to complete a single one! Despite this, Proxima […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Exoplanets | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Blog 04 – Proxima b

Parker Solar Probe

Posted on October 18, 2024 by Michael

Today I want to talk about the Parker Solar Probe, the most interesting spacecraft that I have heard of. It is a remarkable piece of technology, and has set records as the fastest object ever built and the closest man-made object to the Sun. The Parker Solar Probe relies on gravity assists from Venus to […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Instruments, Sun | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Parker Solar Probe

Blog 03 – Forming the Solar System

Posted on October 17, 2024 by Mercedes

The current idea of the solar system’s formation is the nebular theory, which states that it occurs in a five-stage process. First, there is the shock of a gas cloud called a supernova which causes the cloud to collapse. Next, gravity causes the heating, flattening, and spinning. It changed the shape and temperature of the […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, SolarSystem | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Blog 03 – Forming the Solar System

Real Life Spaceships

Posted on October 11, 2024 by Henry Wang

Spaceships are a favorite among science fiction authors, be it the Star Destroyers from Star Wars or the massive Covenant fleets from Halo, it’s incredible to think of vehicles that can travel through galaxies. But how close are we to that in reality? UNSC Infinity (Halo Franchise) If we are just talking about sending things […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Space Travel | Tagged , | Comments Off on Real Life Spaceships

Reason for Tides

Posted on September 24, 2024 by Justinc

Tides rise and fall twice a day on Earth, and this is mostly due to the Moon’s gravitational pull on Earth. The Moon’s gravity pull on the Earth’s bodies of water squeezing it towards the Moon. The opposite side of the Earth is also receiving high tides due to this reason. I used the word […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Reason for Tides

The Moon and The Tides

Posted on September 24, 2024 by Alekzander Waller

Did you know that tides are caused by the Moon’s gravitational pull? (Photo from The Business Insider) Usually about every 12 hours coastal places around the world experience high and low tides in a constant cycle. This is due to the subtle pull of the Moon’s gravitational forces on the Earth’s water supply. Along the […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Science | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Moon and The Tides

Satellites and Telescopes

Posted on September 24, 2024 by Michael

For this post I wanted to discuss the effect that satellites have on astronomical observations. There are many problems that limit our ability to make observations, such as light pollution, the diffraction limit, and technological limitations. Despite this, astronomers have steadily been improving their equipment and building new complex telescopes to overcome these limitations. However, […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Instruments | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Satellites and Telescopes

Spectroscopy

Posted on September 24, 2024 by Matthew Marcus

Blog #2 While the role of light in our everyday lives is to make color and form visible, by studying light with spectroscopy, we can learn a surprising amount about the object that produces a certain spectrum of wavelengths. In order to understand spectroscopy, first, we must understand what light physically is. Light is composed […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Light | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Spectroscopy