Category Archives: Class

The Cosmic Calendar

Posted on February 6, 2021 by 20harriganc

The Cosmic Calendar was created to help visualize the chronology of the universe. It takes the 13.8 billion year history of the universe and scales it to 1 year. I think it is a great concept because it really helps to put in perspective how long the universe has been around. To think that ChristContinue reading “The Cosmic Calendar” Continue reading →

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Size of the Universe

Posted on February 6, 2021 by adisonfields

In our day to day lives, we feel significant.  The trivial highs and lows we experience daily feel important and quite relevant.  But in the grand scheme of things, how truly inconsequential are we, not only as individuals but our whole planet.  In order to understand this, we must try to grasp how vast our universe is.  Also withContinue reading “Size of the Universe” Continue reading →

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The Milky Way in Other Cultures

Posted on February 6, 2021 by connorrobbwilcox

The Milky Way Galaxy was named not from the candy bar, but from the intriguing way it appears, looking like a river of spilled milk on the dark background of space. Where this name came from however is equally as intriguing, and, many cultures have various names for the Milky Way. But, each one hasContinue reading “The Milky Way in Other Cultures” Continue reading →

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Muons and Time Dilation

Posted on February 6, 2021 by rightascensionanddeclinolan

In my opinion, one of the coolest parts of astronomy is relativity, the theory describing the warping of spacetime.  If you’ve ever seen Interstellar, you’ve been exposed to one part of the theory: time dilation.  In short, time dilation is a phenomenon that causes time to pass more slowly in one place than another (relativeContinue reading “Muons and Time Dilation” Continue reading →

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Vastness of the Universe

Posted on February 6, 2021 by Mykayla

The universe is astronomically big (cheesy pun). We live on Earth, which is in our solar system, which means that we orbit the Sun. Our Sun is just one star out of the millions upon millions of stars in our Milky Way galaxy. Our Milky Way is just one galaxy out of 30 or soContinue reading “Vastness of the Universe” Continue reading →

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Extrasolar Planets: Are We Alone?

Posted on February 6, 2021 by ben141414

The age-old question: are we alone in the Universe? Humans from the beginning of time have looked out into the night sky and wondered this. I know I have. Astronomers have been searching endlessly for extraterrestrial life. The potential habitable worlds (as seen in the picture) are known as extrasolar planets. An extrasolar planet, alsoContinue reading “Extrasolar Planets: Are We Alone?” Continue reading →

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Astrolonomy?

Posted on February 5, 2021 by Peter Taylor

A little over two weeks ago, we entered arguably one the thirteen coolest months of the zodiac: Aquarius. (Yes, we still love you Ophiuchus). But what does that really even mean? What is Aquarius? Well, as I am sure you can tell from the constellation, Aquarius is clearly a water-bearer. But it is also muchContinue reading “Astrolonomy?” Continue reading →

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Leap 🐸 Year

Posted on February 5, 2021 by brynicdew

I can’t be the only one that questioned why we would get an extra day and the Olympics every four years when I was younger. While this isn’t the time to discuss the Olympic schedule, this did provide me with a chance to discover the real reason February 29th pops up every four years. AsContinue reading “Leap 🐸 Year” Continue reading →

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Ephemerides: An Astronomer’s Excel

Posted on February 5, 2021 by mwdobson3

From the first time I observed lunar eclipses to now understanding how they occur, I have always wondered how astronomers are able to predict every piece of information about them years in advance. Also, in the bigger picture, I did not know how astronomers knew where the planets and stars were in our Solar SystemContinue reading “Ephemerides: An Astronomer’s Excel” Continue reading →

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The Speed of Light: Blasting Towards the Weighted Scales

Posted on February 5, 2021 by kjackson1456

Light travels at a speed of about 300,000 kilometers per second. At this speed, you could literally travel the circumference of the Earth 7 times in ONE second! The libra constellation is located approximately 40,000 light years away from earth. A light year is the distance traveled by light in a year (which is aboutContinue reading “The Speed of Light: Blasting Towards the Weighted Scales” Continue reading →

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