Category Archives: Class

The History of Gravity

Posted on February 19, 2022 by jschorr21

Gravity has been a mystery for most of human history, and it was only recently(about 350 years ago) that the first gravitational theory was published. Gravity was always thought of as a force that brought things to their “natural place.” But when Copernicus came up with his idea for a heliocentric solar system, a theory […] Continue reading →

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Galileo and the Telescope

Posted on February 18, 2022 by evang914

Galileo and the telescope have become synonymous over the ages. It’s difficult to think of one without also considering the other. But it was not Galileo who invented the telescope– although he was one of a few who revolutionized its use for astronomy. The telescope’s origins can be traced back to English philosopher Roger BaconContinue reading “Galileo and the Telescope” Continue reading →

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Retrograde motion

Posted on February 18, 2022 by joubertklopper

Like the ancients Greeks, I also had some trouble understanding retrograde motion and how it’s possible that it might seem that some objects in the sky move in reverse motion. Instead of rising in the east and setting in the west, it appears that some objects move in reverse from west to east for a […] Continue reading →

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What makes the Tides happen?

Posted on February 17, 2022 by Johann West

This blog will be referencing information sourced from the Tides: Crash Course Astronomy #8 video. We know that mass has gravity, and more mass had more gravity. This raises the question, why does the moon have a greater impact on the Earth’s tides than the Sun, even though the Sun has such a greater gravitational …

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How Stonehenge is Astronomical

Posted on February 17, 2022 by Emily Bertram

Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument that is basically a ring of stones. Located in Salisbury, England, tourists come everyday to see the beautiful mystery. There are many legends and myths about how Stonehenge was created. According to different theories it could have been built by wizards, Danes or it was ruins from Roman Temples. Although […] Continue reading →

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Gravity in Solar System

Posted on February 17, 2022 by sissichen17

Acceleration due to gravity (g) is different for different planets due to their diverse masses and radii. Physicists usually figure out the by the formula g = GM/r**2, where G is the Universal Constant of Gravitation (6.67 * 10**(-11)), M is the mass of the planet, and r is the radius of the planet. By […] Continue reading →

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Black holes and spacetime | blog post II

Posted on February 16, 2022 by clviggiano

Black holes are areas in spacetime where the gravitational force is so strong that nothing can escape. This includes forms of electromagnetic radiation like light. Current general relativistic models depict black holes as a taking on spheroid shapes, with an interminably long “tail” leading to its point of singularity. Singularity is a geometric point where […] Continue reading →

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We know the way

Posted on February 11, 2022 by Natalie_paige

A long time ago, before we had our fancy GPS and siri to tell us where to go and how to get to and from places, we had to rely on the sky, more specifically the stars (the Sun included). We learned to use the stars and Sun to tell time and by creating angle […] Continue reading →

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Separation of Church and State (of Astronomy)

Posted on February 10, 2022 by alexbawa

Johannes Kepler (1571 – 1630) was a massively important astronomer because he was the first to recognize that orbits were not perfect circles, but in fact ellipses. This was particularly significant because it allowed accurate predictions that supported the heliocentric model. He also found that orbiting objects move faster when closer to the object they […] Continue reading →

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Posted on February 10, 2022 by Sheila Chau

Isaac Newton was born January 4, 1643 and died March 31, 1727. Historical events that happened during his life Charles I beheading was January 30, 1649. He was put on trial for treason and declared guilty soon after. Restoration of England was a period that began in 1660 and ended in 1685. It meant for…Continue reading » Continue reading →

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