Category Archives: General

Gamma-ray Bursts

Posted on April 5, 2015 by matthewrbirnbaum

Let’s start this post with what gets everyone’s attention during class: mass extinction. This somber topic always seems to turn heads. If collisions and exploding suns aren’t enough to make you fear extinction billions of years away, a new paper introduces us to a new threat that potentially could have wiped out most of life […] Continue reading →

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Beyond Pluto

Posted on April 5, 2015 by matthewrbirnbaum

Not long after a couple of astronomers announced hints of a giant planet prowling beyond Pluto, a team in Spain says there may actually be two supersize planets hiding in the outer reaches of our solar system. After the discovery of a potential dwarf planet 2012 VP113 in March, astronomers started questioning the curiously aligned […] Continue reading →

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Searching for intelligent life

Posted on April 5, 2015 by bryancm1

Humans have always fascinated themselves with the idea that maybe we aren’t so alone in the universe. We have made efforts to find extraterrestrials and so far turned up nothing. Is there any hope for them finding us first? A number of organized attempts have been made to let “others” know that we exist. The […] Continue reading →

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An Ode to Gravity

Posted on February 22, 2015 by matthewrbirnbaum

Oh, gravity.  You have kept me grounded my whole life.  Where ever I have traveled you have kept my feet on the ground and my head out of the clouds.  I can not see you but feel your presence in all aspects of life.  While some look to defy your laws, I look to embrace […] Continue reading →

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The Scale of the Universe

Posted on January 24, 2015 by alephnulluniverse

This website allows you to scroll and compare the sizes of from the smallest, a Quantum Foam, to the Observable Universe. Starting at the scale of the Eiffel Tower, humans disappear from view. The sizes of objects increase each time you scroll out. The Eiffel Tower disappears when you start looking at Rhode Island. Then the […] Continue reading →

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#2 – When should I plan my vacation for Mars?

Posted on January 24, 2015 by bryancm1

Looking to explore the northern plains of Mars? Or perhaps the craters in the south? Maybe scale Olympus Mons, or visit the Curiosity Rover? If you’re intending to travel without preparing properly, chances are you’re going to freeze to death. Luckily for you, Mars experiences seasons. With just a little bit of research, we can […] Continue reading →

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Speed of Light and Time

Posted on January 24, 2015 by alephnulluniverse

After 6 months, astronauts in the International Space Station would have aged about 0.007 seconds less that people on Earth. This is due to the International Space Station moving much faster than the Earth. Time itself will bend due to differences in gravity or velocity. Now what if an object starts to move close to […] Continue reading →

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Andromeda Galaxy

Posted on January 23, 2015 by matthewrbirnbaum

This picture…Wow.  Cliché as it may be, this 1.5 Billion pixel picture fascinates me.  To view this picture in its entirety, one would need 600 HD TVs.  While the picture is cool and would look great above my bed, I wonder if there are any implications of this picture.  According to NASA, this picture will […] Continue reading →

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Blog #2- Moon Phases and Eclipses

Posted on January 22, 2015 by boonea2

I remeber a couple years ago I was in Florida and… I’m blanking on what type of eclipse it was, but it was incredible. My dad was yelling at me to come outside and watch it. I was pretty young so I don’t remember a lot, but I do remember that I was amazed by […] Continue reading →

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Blog #1 Space is Mind Blowing!

Posted on January 21, 2015 by boonea2

It is weird to think that we are all made of little particles that exploded in supernovas. Like how were we even created? It blows my mind. I was looking up some fun facts about space, and I came across an article that talked about Saturn, and I learned that Saturn has such a low […] Continue reading →

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