Category Archives: Galaxies

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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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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Extremophiles, and What They Mean For Life in Space

Posted on April 14, 2020 by phildowd

Extremophiles are organisms on Earth that thrive in extreme environment that most other organisms wouldn’t be able to survive in. They are found in places that at a glance, seem unlivable, places like inside volcanoes, or deep in the ocean under extreme pressures. So why do these extremophiles matter when thinking about space? The ideaContinue reading “Extremophiles, and What They Mean For Life in Space” Continue reading →

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Gravitational Waves

Posted on March 17, 2020 by phildowd

Gravitational waves are a fascinating concept. The thought starts from the idea that gravity moves at the speed of light. Now, at the start this sounds like a silly idea. Doesn’t the force of gravity always act on people? Yet take this example. Say the sun were to simply disappear. Not explode or change, butContinue reading “Gravitational Waves” Continue reading →

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The Atmosphere of Mars

Posted on March 17, 2020 by phildowd

Mars is a fascinating planet to compare to Earth, and much of that is due to the atmospheric differences. Most people know that due to the atmosphere on Mars, humans can’t live there, but what people don’t know is that billions of years ago, Mars had an atmosphere similar to that of Earth. Currently, Earth’sContinue reading “The Atmosphere of Mars” Continue reading →

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Quasars

Posted on March 15, 2020 by coreyxcas

In the mid 1900’s, scientists were pointing radio telescopes toward the sun, the milky way, and other starts. In doing this they found small and extremely bright objects called Quasars. Over the next few decades, scientists had issues figuring out exactly what these objects were. It turns out that Quasars are caused by massive black […] Continue reading →

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The Revolutionary James Webb Telescope

Posted on March 15, 2020 by sheagordon

In a previous post, I wrote about the Hubble telescopes revolutionary Hubble Legacy Field image. This ended the era of Hubble, which was the source of most of the discoveries of our solar system over the past decades. The new James Webb telescope is now set to be put into orbit in 2021, and itContinue reading “The Revolutionary James Webb Telescope” Continue reading →

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Spring Tides and Neap Tides: How the Angle of the Sun and Moon Directly Impact How Earth is Stretched

Posted on February 9, 2020 by sheagordon

The size and fluctuation of tides are directly related to geography and the physics of various places around Earth. The average size of tides, however, rises and falls each month in direct correlation to the angle of the Sun and Moon in relation to Earth. These extremes are called spring tides and neap tides, andContinue reading “Spring Tides and Neap Tides: How the Angle of the Sun and Moon Directly Impact How Earth is Stretched” Continue reading →

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The Universe is Incomprehensibly Large

Posted on January 21, 2020 by phildowd

Many people have talked about the feeling of walking outside, looking up at the night sky, and feeling small. You look out into the cosmos, see seemingly countless stars, and think that everything you do on earth is just immeasurably small. Despite many people feeling that way, few truly understand the real scope of theContinue reading “The Universe is Incomprehensibly Large” Continue reading →

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Speed of light and distance

Posted on January 19, 2020 by remieri

It is a nearly universal maxim of science fiction that faster than light (FTL) travel must exist. Let us take a look at why this is universally necessary for the sake of a good story by comparing the size and scope of both our real universe and a few fictional universes to how long traversalContinue reading “Speed of light and distance” Continue reading →

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