Category Archives: General

A Humbling Experience

Posted on April 29, 2013 by marknshirleyvu

The picture that I have attached above aptly describes what my time in the class has made me feel.  Prior to Astro 201, I had very little knowledge about the workings of our Universe.  And while I’m not saying that a single 200-level course has made me anything even resembling an expert, I feel that […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, General, Universe | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on A Humbling Experience

Expansion of the Mind and Universe

Posted on April 28, 2013 by ndtidol

The size of the Earth compared to the scale of the universe is very humbling. There is so much that we do not know, and there is still so much […] Continue reading →

Posted in General, Universe | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Expansion of the Mind and Universe

A Semester of Astronomy Class, A Year of Astronomy Photos

Posted on April 26, 2013 by eaangel

This video is a compilation of photos taken throughout 2012 from Chumack Observatories taken by astrophotographer John Chumack.  Watching this video and seeing all of these photos really gives me a perspective on how much I’ve learned this semester.  Before … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Class, General | Tagged , , | Comments Off on A Semester of Astronomy Class, A Year of Astronomy Photos

Space junk

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Megan C

After 60 years of sending things into space, the number of satellites, rocket stages, and pieces of debris floating around the Earth is gigantic.  As that number continues to increase, the number of collisions between these objects is expected to increase too. We don’t think much about space junk. I guess we just hear about […] Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Space junk

The toughest animal on the planet

Posted on April 9, 2013 by fathomingthestars

Most creatures require a specific set of conditions to survive: a certain amount of oxygen, temperature, pressure, food, etc.  However, some animals can live in conditions so extreme they kill almost everything else.  These animals are called, fittingly, extremophiles.  One extremophile is the tardigrade, more commonly called water bears or moss piglets. In general, tardigrades […] Continue reading →

Posted in General, Space Travel | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on The toughest animal on the planet

A Young Black Hole?

Posted on February 19, 2013 by mirandaskunz

As viewed from Earth, most black holes are about 17,000 to 21,000 years old. Recently, however, NASA scientists discovered what may be an infant black hole (pictured below). This black hole is only about 1,000 years old as seen from Earth and is located 26,000 light years away. It is left over from the supernova […] Continue reading →

Posted in Galaxies, General, Universe | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on A Young Black Hole?

A Young Black Hole?

Posted on February 19, 2013 by mirandaskunz

As viewed from Earth, most black holes are about 17,000 to 21,000 years old. Recently, however, NASA scientists discovered what may be an infant black hole (pictured below). This black hole is only about 1,000 years old as seen from Earth and is located 26,000 light years away. It is left over from the supernova […] Continue reading →

Posted in Galaxies, General, Universe | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on A Young Black Hole?

Space Food

Posted on February 18, 2013 by ndtidol

Eating in a zero gravity environment can be quite tricky. Before astronauts had refrigerators and freezers in space, the preservation of food limited the size of the menu. Only nonperishables […] Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Space Food

The 13th Sign of the Zodiac

Posted on January 28, 2013 by JT McJunkins

The zodiac system was first developed roughly 2,500 years ago in ancient Babylonia. Unfortunately, the astronomers who first developed the system did not know about the precession of the Earth’s axial tilt. Even after this precession was known, W… Continue reading →

Posted in General, Observables | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The 13th Sign of the Zodiac

The Cosmic Calendar

Posted on January 24, 2013 by eaangel

This image was taken from the personal blog of Michael Arney.  It is an image of the explanation that the famous astronomer Carl Sagan gave to enable the public to grasp “the immensity of time” and the Cosmic Calendar.  In … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in General, Universe | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The Cosmic Calendar