Category Archives: Class

What’s in a name?: Gonggong & Xiangliu

Posted on April 17, 2021 by wendyyb

Much like many of their small world counterparts, Gonggong and Xianglu are a dwarf planet and moon (respectively) named after characters in mythology. Gonggong, a dwarf planet residing in the scattered disc beyond Neptune, is named after a Chinese water god. Gonggong is depicted as having a copper human head, read hair, and a dragon-likeContinue reading “What’s in a name?: Gonggong & Xiangliu” Continue reading →

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The Oort Cloud

Posted on April 17, 2021 by Mykayla

The Oort Cloud is a collection of comets that orbit the Sun far outside our solar system. One estimation of the number of comets in the Oort Cloud is one TRILLION. Unlike the Kuiper Belt, which lies outside the orbit of Neptune, the Oort Cloud neither lies on the same plane as the bodies orbitingContinue reading “The Oort Cloud” Continue reading →

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Europa, and the Possibility of Life

Posted on April 17, 2021 by weatherbysofferings

When we discussed the sub-surface oceans of some of the large moon-worlds, I was particularly excited about the idea that these places could potentially contain life, for what could be more exciting than the possibility of life elsewhere in the universe? As such, for my blog post, I wanted to dive into one potential homeContinue reading “Europa, and the Possibility of Life” Continue reading →

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Han Solo Is Working Too Hard

Posted on April 17, 2021 by brandonlipper

While science-fiction flicks like Star Wars produce some exhilarating and high-stakes chase scenes with the help of treacherous asteroid fields/belts, in reality, you could probably navigate these asteroid belts blind-folded. With all due respect to Han Solo’s piloting skills and his less than twelve parsecs Kessel run, he would not actually have needed to utilizeContinue reading “Han Solo Is Working Too Hard” Continue reading →

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Triton: Neptune’s Interesting Moon

Posted on April 17, 2021 by captivatingcomet

Triton is Neptune’s largest moon with a diameter of 1,680 miles (2,700 kilometers). It was discovered in 1846 by astronomer William Lassell a little over two weeks after Neptune’s discovery. Triton is named after one of Poseidon’s sons; Poseidon is the Greek god equivalent of the Roman god Neptune. Triton is unique in that itContinue reading “Triton: Neptune’s Interesting Moon” Continue reading →

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The Great Dark Spot

Posted on April 17, 2021 by brynicdew

We have all heard about the Great Red Spot, the constant, giant storm that could hold multiple Earths with unbelievable winds. However, what if I was to say that Jupiter was not the only planet with a mind-blowing storm. Enter the incredible storm of Neptune: the Great Dark Spot. The Great Dark Spot (GDS) isContinue reading “The Great Dark Spot” Continue reading →

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solar system superlatives: Planet 9

Posted on April 17, 2021 by Peter Taylor

Welcome back! Today, we are going to learn about the current leader in our Solar System’s ongoing game of hide-and-seek: Planet Nine. First, a disclaimer. No one actually knows if Planet Nine is real or not. It’s existence is only hypothesized, and we have literally never seen it. But, for now, let’s assume its realContinue reading “solar system superlatives: Planet 9” Continue reading →

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Deflecting Asteroids Headed to Earth

Posted on April 17, 2021 by lauryn28

While the chances of a deadly asteroid hitting Earth are low, the damage that one could produce could result in a cataclysmic event. While it may seem that stopping an asteroid en route to Earth is impossible, there are actually certain technologies that could possibility lessen the damage. The most important thing to do isContinue reading “Deflecting Asteroids Headed to Earth” Continue reading →

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Which Exoplanet Could Be Planet B?

Posted on April 17, 2021 by brandonlipper

The transit method has already been used to discover a few thousand exoplanets and continues to discover more through both old observations and current missions. With this method, the brightness levels of stars in other solar systems are measured. When the brightness dims, this is a sign that an extrasolar planet may have passed inContinue reading “Which Exoplanet Could Be Planet B?” Continue reading →

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Ceres

Posted on April 17, 2021 by lauryn28

Ceres is a dwarf planet discovered by Giuseppe Piazzi in 1801. Its mass is only .015 percent of Earth’s and it is actually small enough to be classified as both a dwarf planet and an asteroid. Moreover it is sometimes referred to as the largest asteroid in the solar system. Ceres is round, though itContinue reading “Ceres” Continue reading →

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