Category Archives: Class

Mound 72

Posted on February 28, 2021 by wslopes

Image Source Mound 72 is a very interesting example of the knowledge early Native Americans had about astronomy in at least 950 CE. Mound 72 is the sight of one of several “woodhenges” created by the Cahokia people of south west Illinois. These woodhenges were all relatively identical in relation to the positioning of theContinue reading “Mound 72” Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Historical | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Mound 72

Reflecting Telescopes

Posted on February 27, 2021 by zhengjs1

Telescopes have allowed us to bring what is far and mysterious up close and personal. Scientists and astronomers have built telescopes for a variety of uses, whether it’s for imaging, spectroscopy, or time monitoring. Within the realm of telescopes, there a two main types: refracting and reflecting telescopes. Between the two types, reflectors are theContinue reading “Reflecting Telescopes” Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Light | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Reflecting Telescopes

The Tides of Mont-Saint-Michel

Posted on February 27, 2021 by connorrobbwilcox

As many know, the Moon causes the tides to occur all over our planet. But those same people may not know the place that has the largest change in high and low tides. Said place is an islet and commune called Mont-Saint-Michel. Off the coast of Normandy, France, it has an accessible walkway to itsContinue reading “The Tides of Mont-Saint-Michel” Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Historical | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on The Tides of Mont-Saint-Michel

Tidal Friction: a 5 hour long day to a month long day

Posted on February 27, 2021 by brandonlipper

Due to the Universal law of gravitation, we know that objects of equal mass have a larger gravitation force between them when they are closer together. Because the near side of the Earth is closer to the Moon than the far side of the Earth, the force between the Moon and the near side ofContinue reading “Tidal Friction: a 5 hour long day to a month long day” Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Moons, Physics, SolarSystem | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Tidal Friction: a 5 hour long day to a month long day

Wanderers of Space

Posted on February 27, 2021 by 20harriganc

In this post we will talk about the concept of retrograde motion. If you watch the movement of planets, it is actually quite complex. The word planet comes from a greek term meaning “wandering star”. Planets typically move eastward throughout the constellations. When there is apparent retrograde motion the planets are moving westward throughout theContinue reading “Wanderers of Space” Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Science, Space Travel, Universe | Tagged , | Comments Off on Wanderers of Space

The Hubble Space Telescope

Posted on February 27, 2021 by derrick37027

The Hubble Space Telescope is one of humanity’s greatest achievements. Deployed in 1990, the telescope is responsible for many of the discoveries made about distant solar systems and galaxies. According to the Nasa website, the Hubble “has made more than 1.4 million observations.” Without this great invention, we would still in be in the darkContinue reading “The Hubble Space Telescope” Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on The Hubble Space Telescope

Blog #2: Archaeoastronomy at El Castillo

Posted on February 27, 2021 by mattj3

El Castillo, also known as The Temple of Kukulcan, is a ceremonial structure in service to the Mayan deity of Kukulcan, ” the feathered serpent god”. The mesoamerican temple is the central architectural structure of the Chichen Itza archeological site located in the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico, and was constructed by the Maya around 800Continue reading “Blog #2: Archaeoastronomy at El Castillo” Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , | Comments Off on Blog #2: Archaeoastronomy at El Castillo

waves and particles and dualities oh my

Posted on February 26, 2021 by Peter Taylor

What is light? It’s a simple question, really. And simple questions have simple answers, right? Sometimes they do, yes. But, tragically, this time it doesn’t. Most people know light acts light a wave. It refracts (thanks Pink Floyd), reflects, and diffracts just light waves are supposed to. Similarly, the electromagnetic spectrum illustrates the wave-like propertiesContinue reading “waves and particles and dualities oh my” Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Light | Tagged , | Comments Off on waves and particles and dualities oh my

Tides and the Planets

Posted on February 26, 2021 by brynicdew

Primarily, the tides on Earth are controlled by the Moon. The gravitational pull of the Moon causes the tides to fluctuate between high and low. Though small, even the Sun has a tiny impact on the tides. Whenever both the Moon and the Sun align, the tidal range, However, what about the other celestial bodiesContinue reading “Tides and the Planets” Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Science | Tagged | Comments Off on Tides and the Planets

The Thirty Meter Telescope

Posted on February 26, 2021 by mwdobson3

Currently, the largest single-aperture telescope in the world, the Gran Telescopio Canarias, spans 10.4 meters (about 32 feet). This telescope can see 500 million light-years deep into space, which was thought to be impossible out of a single, segmented reflecting telescope until it was built in 2006. While 10.4 meters is large, astronomers worldwide feltContinue reading “The Thirty Meter Telescope” Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Instruments | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The Thirty Meter Telescope