Category Archives: Historical

Blog 4—Plato’s cosmology

Posted on March 23, 2021 by zvrec

In this blog, I would like to introduce the cosmology of the ancient Athenian philosopher Plato. His cosmology was the first systemic and complete cosmology in the history. He and his most famous student Aristotle both hold the geocentric view of the universe, and their perspectives of the universe were influential in the following thousandsContinue reading “Blog 4—Plato’s cosmology” Continue reading →

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The Formation and Evolution of our Atmosphere

Posted on March 22, 2021 by derrick37027

Us residents of the Earth take our atmosphere for granted. We constantly bombard it with harmful chemicals and pollute it with manmade substances that can permanently damage our “forcefield” around Earth. After all, it is responsible from keeping us safe against the harmful rays of the sun and provides us with the oxygen we needContinue reading “The Formation and Evolution of our Atmosphere” Continue reading →

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The Northern Lights: Mythical Explanations

Posted on March 22, 2021 by rightascensionanddeclinolan

For thousands of years, humans have looked to the sky, and every time we uncover an astronomical surprise, we try to explain it.  Today, we use the scientific method to do so; in comparison, older societies frequently created myths.  In this blog post, I am going to explore some of the myths surrounding the NorthernContinue reading “The Northern Lights: Mythical Explanations” Continue reading →

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The Carrington Event: What would happen today?

Posted on March 21, 2021 by connorrobbwilcox

The Carrington Event, named due to astronomer Robert Carrington observing that the phenomenon derived from the Sun, was an extremely powerful geomagnetic storm occurring on September 1-2, 1859. Earth’s magnetosphere was hit by a solar coronal mass ejection, or CME, from sunspots, causing auroras to light up Earth’s sky, telegraph and other communication to fail,Continue reading “The Carrington Event: What would happen today?” Continue reading →

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Putting the “Super” in Supernova

Posted on March 17, 2021 by joeangella13

Within the past year, astronomers have made an incredible discovery about 4.5 million light years away from us. A supernova, but not just any supernova, the most powerful supernova recorded in history ever spotted by astronomers. This explosion is so powerful that astronomers did not even know that it was possible to have such aContinue reading “Putting the “Super” in Supernova” Continue reading →

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Moon Rock Mischief!

Posted on March 16, 2021 by olivesobservatory

Apparently theft isn’t exclusive to Earth! In 2002, college NASA interns Thad Roberts, Tiffany Fowler, and Shae Saur stole more than $20 million worth of moon rocks from the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. How did they pull it off, exactly? An elaborate heist that eventually ended in an FBI sting operation. In May… Continue reading →

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What if the Carrington Event Occurred Today?

Posted on March 16, 2021 by olivesobservatory

Are we ready for a Carrington-level event today? The short answer- not really. In 1859, Richard Carrington observed “two patches of intensely bright and white light” (a solar flare followed by a coronal mass ejection) on the surface of the Sun. The next morning, brilliant red, green, and purple auroral displays appeared as far as… Continue reading →

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Posted on March 16, 2021 by yvan247

Nicholas Copernicus (Feb 9th, 1473- May 24th, 1543) Copernicus was born just 5 years before first Spanish Inquisition. The Spanish Inquisition was a tactic by the catholic monarch ruling over Europe to spread Catholicism all across territories they controlled. They deployed officers to target individuals engaging in heresy, that is displaying beliefs or actions that […] Continue reading →

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History of Telescopes

Posted on March 2, 2021 by weatherbysofferings

While there were some objects artificially resembling telescopes in the ancient world, and even some used for sighting, the first modern telescope would have been the work of a Dutch glasses-maker named Hans Lippershey, in 1608. This is merely the first documented one though, as he was the person to file a patent, and theContinue reading “History of Telescopes” Continue reading →

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Nabta Playa

Posted on February 28, 2021 by adisonfields

Nabta Playa is the world’s first astronomical site, having been built at an estimated 7000 years ago.  For reference, this was when the Neolithic Revolution was occurring, and agriculture was first being practiced.  In order to assist with this, the Nabta Playa stone circle was built, about 700 miles south of the Great Pyramid of Giza inContinue reading “Nabta Playa” Continue reading →

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