Category Archives: General

Blog 2:Spectroscopy

Posted on February 20, 2022 by Charles Littleton

Spectroscopy is the information that comes from a spectrum. The spectra of an object tell us the electrical electromagnetic radiation, the chemical composition, and the wavelength of an object. Each type of molecule and atom will react to the electromagnetic radiation in a different way. One type of spectroscopy, absorption spectroscopy , the light is […] Continue reading →

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Blog 1:What Causes Seasons?

Posted on January 30, 2022 by Charles Littleton

It is commonly believed that the Earth’s distance from the Sun determines the seasons. The Earth’s orbit is lopsided and we are closer to the sun at different times in the year. In the northern hemisphere, we are closest to the sun when we have winter debunking the misconception that the distance to the sun […] Continue reading →

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blog post 01

Posted on January 29, 2022 by graceward02

Solstices and Equinoxes The winter/summer solstices are, respectively, the shortest and longest periods of sunlight during the calendar year. The vernal/autumnal equinoxes are days in which the amount of time the day has with sunlight and without are of equal length. Days that are solstices/equinoxes demonstrate the formal change in seasons. This occurs because the […] Continue reading →

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For my 2022 class…

Posted on January 11, 2022 by drgrundstrom

If you’re in my 2021 Solar System class, please put a comment here showing that you’ve found my blog and that you’re following it :)  Please include your first name and last name initial.  Note that you MUST be logged in to your own WordPress blog when commenting or else you’re doing it wrong! Also make […] Continue reading →

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Looking Back Over This Semester

Posted on May 4, 2021 by weatherbysofferings

I’ll begin this post by warning that it’s going to be a rather frank conversation about some mental health stuff. Nothing concerning or whatever, but I thought I’d put that out front.  Throughout this semester, I have struggled with my mental health. For me, this is mostly in the form of OCD, particularly obsessive thoughtContinue reading “Looking Back Over This Semester” Continue reading →

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Space Exploration: History, Ethics, and Potentially-Conflicting Interests

Posted on May 4, 2021 by rightascensionanddeclinolan

But why, some say the Moon? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask, why climb the highest mountian [sic]? Why – 35 years ago – why fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas? We choose to go to the Moon, we choose to go to the Moon in this decadeContinue reading “Space Exploration: History, Ethics, and Potentially-Conflicting Interests” Continue reading →

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Blog 7—The Greenland Shark

Posted on May 4, 2021 by zvrec

In this blog post, I would like to introduce one of the species on Earth with some extreme characteristics. I think its existence is an extension to the concept of life in our common sense. Somniosus microcephalus, also called the Greenland shark, or grey shark. They can reach a maximum length of 7 meters, whichContinue reading “Blog 7—The Greenland Shark” Continue reading →

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Culmination Post

Posted on May 1, 2021 by lorenzchen14

Milky Way Galaxy over Chile In the culminating post for this class, I just wanted to write about how my understanding of astronomy has changed. I have obviously gained a greater appreciation for our Solar System as a whole, and learning a little about the magnitudes and sizes of objects in space puts some thingsContinue reading “Culmination Post” Continue reading →

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The Diversity of The Solar System

Posted on April 30, 2021 by thestarstudent

After being in ASTR 2110, my biggest takeaway is probably the intense diversity that exists in our own solar system. Everything here is all made from the same protoplanetary disk, yet we have small terrestrial dwarf planets, medium sized terrestrial planets, and gas giants. How can the same material that made Venus’ thick atmosphere alsoContinue reading “The Diversity of The Solar System” Continue reading →

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Pivoting from Principle

Posted on March 22, 2021 by rightascensionanddeclinolan

Astronomy is awesome.  It lets us make cool observations (e.g., things that inform our understanding of the foundations of the universe, like the Cosmic Microwave Background), helps us ask big questions (e.g., why does the universe exist?), and reminds us that not all questions have answers (e.g., we can’t really expect an answer to theContinue reading “Pivoting from Principle” Continue reading →

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