Category Archives: Class

Surface Features of Mercury

Posted on March 19, 2021 by lauryn28

Mercury is a terrestrial planet, though it is quite different in appearance than Earth. It’s grey rocky surface more resembles that of the moon, however unlike the moon Mercury has a liquid iron core and is much denser. Moreover, Mercury’s surface features paint an interesting story of past geological occurrences. Mercury formed around 4.6 billionContinue reading “Surface Features of Mercury” Continue reading →

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Life on Mars

Posted on March 18, 2021 by gracelearnsspace

In an interview with USA Today, NASA Scientist Jim Green talked about the high possibility that humans can and will occupy Mars. He went as far as to say that he sees the first human being sent to Mars by 2040. However, before sending a human to Mars, NASA needs to figure out a few […] Continue reading →

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Middle Man Mars

Posted on March 17, 2021 by dayanel123

The terrestrial worlds are known to be Mercury, Venus, Earth, the moon, and Mars. While they all have some similarities to one another, like rocky surfaces and much smaller sizes than relative to the remaining planets in the solar system, they also have many differences. Venus and Earth are alike in ways that the otherContinue reading “Middle Man Mars” Continue reading →

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Putting the “Super” in Supernova

Posted on March 17, 2021 by joeangella13

Within the past year, astronomers have made an incredible discovery about 4.5 million light years away from us. A supernova, but not just any supernova, the most powerful supernova recorded in history ever spotted by astronomers. This explosion is so powerful that astronomers did not even know that it was possible to have such aContinue reading “Putting the “Super” in Supernova” Continue reading →

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The Sun

Posted on March 17, 2021 by ben141414

It is fascinating to think about the Sun. As we all know, it is our solar system’s star. The Sun’s energy, in the form of heat and light, is absolutely essential to all life on Earth. Plants need the Sun in order to go through photosynthesis and live, animals need the Sun for its foodContinue reading “The Sun” Continue reading →

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Wormholes

Posted on March 16, 2021 by dayanel123

Ever wonder what exactly a wormhole is? The concept behind a wormhole basically is a way to shortcut your way to a distance extremely far away. I tend to think of it as having two dots on a piece of paper, and then folding that paper in half to have the point laying on topContinue reading “Wormholes” Continue reading →

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Moon Rock Mischief!

Posted on March 16, 2021 by olivesobservatory

Apparently theft isn’t exclusive to Earth! In 2002, college NASA interns Thad Roberts, Tiffany Fowler, and Shae Saur stole more than $20 million worth of moon rocks from the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. How did they pull it off, exactly? An elaborate heist that eventually ended in an FBI sting operation. In May… Continue reading →

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What if the Carrington Event Occurred Today?

Posted on March 16, 2021 by olivesobservatory

Are we ready for a Carrington-level event today? The short answer- not really. In 1859, Richard Carrington observed “two patches of intensely bright and white light” (a solar flare followed by a coronal mass ejection) on the surface of the Sun. The next morning, brilliant red, green, and purple auroral displays appeared as far as… Continue reading →

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Nabta Playa

Posted on February 28, 2021 by adisonfields

Nabta Playa is the world’s first astronomical site, having been built at an estimated 7000 years ago.  For reference, this was when the Neolithic Revolution was occurring, and agriculture was first being practiced.  In order to assist with this, the Nabta Playa stone circle was built, about 700 miles south of the Great Pyramid of Giza inContinue reading “Nabta Playa” Continue reading →

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Evolution of Spectroscopy

Posted on February 28, 2021 by miichellewang

Spectroscopy describes the study of the interaction between matter and the wavelength of the light it produces, although this definition has been updated to include anything measured as a function of frequency or wavelength. Isaac Newton was one of the first people to demonstrate that light from the Sun could be scattered into a spectrumContinue reading “Evolution of Spectroscopy” Continue reading →

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