Category Archives: Historical

Formation of the Solar System

Posted on March 17, 2014 by karapetros

I have always been a fan of Stephen Hawking. In this video, he does a great job of explaining the formation of the solar system beginning with the origins of the universe. From the Big Bang and how the explosion of an ancient star spread out all the elements generated from its life and death … Continue reading Formation of the Solar System → Continue reading →

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Why did the other planets get cool names but not us?

Posted on March 17, 2014 by reidrcreviston

If you start naming of the planets you will realize that they all have something in common except for one of the planets.  That planet is actually our very own Earth.  The rest of the planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune) are all named after a Greek  or Roman God or Goddess.  Earth […] Continue reading →

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Our Most Famous Dwarf Planet

Posted on March 12, 2014 by hollyreichert

Pluto was discovered on February 18, 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh.  However, decades earlier, Percival Lowell first thought that there may be another planet by Neptune and Uranus.  He died before he could find the planet and it wasn’t until years later that the search was set up again to find the planet.  The name Pluto […] Continue reading →

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Meteors, could they be a bigger problem than we think?

Posted on February 20, 2014 by reidrcreviston

Most people don’t think about the many Meteors and Astroids that pass through our solar system and have potential to hit earth.  When we think of potential global disasters we think of hurricanes, tsunamis, wars, and nuclear attacks, but not meteors.  The danger of meteors became a reality for many people on February 15, 2013. […] Continue reading →

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Posted on February 17, 2014 by reidrcreviston

My chosen astronomer is Nicholas Copernicus. He was born in Torun, Poland (which actually was part of Germany until right before his birth) on February 19, 1473. He was born the youngest member of his family and had 3 siblings. Copernicus died on May 24, 1543 in Frauenburg, Poland at the age of 70 years old […] Continue reading →

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“Imperfections” in the Sky

Posted on February 17, 2014 by joshkip

As we study the history of astronomy, and delve into the lives of figures such as Newton, Kepler and Capernicus, I found it particularly interesting how vital the Christian Church was in proving/disproving whether the so-called “scientific facts” of the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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The Mystery of Chaco Canyon

Posted on February 17, 2014 by haydenwalling

Chaco Canyon in New Mexico is one of the largest archeoastronmical sites in the world. The site is an artifact of the Pueblo peoples of north america and is now a protected national heritage site. Archeologists estimate that the main architectual landmark, the great Kiva of Chetro Keti, was constructed between 900 and 1150 AD. […] Continue reading →

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The Space Race

Posted on February 17, 2014 by Drew Hamilton

The Space Race was a competition of sorts between the United States and the Soviet Union that started in 1955 and led to the first artificial satellites being sent into orbit, the first humans being sent into space, and the first humans landing on the Moon. The USA was the first to announce intentions to… Continue reading →

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Let’s just go back to the good old Greek days

Posted on February 17, 2014 by Asad Pabani

Whilst it is true we have a lot more to discover about the Universe, we have dramatically increased the knowledge we have on the Universe in recent times. Indeed, just my astronomy textbook is about 750 pages. All this learning, yet we can never know enough about the Universe. It just makes me think sometimes, […] Continue reading →

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Archaeoastronomy

Posted on February 17, 2014 by Leigh

Archaeoastronomy is a relatively new field that combines the disciplines of archaeology and astronomy; in it, scientists piece together the astronomical discoveries of ancient people by analyzing the remains from their civilizations. It is a very interesting and informative field … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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