Category Archives: Instruments

includes telescopes and space probes

Final Post

Posted on December 5, 2024 by Michael

I think the most surprising thing this course has taught me is just how different the different planets in our solar system are. Prior to this, I would have guessed that the planets and objects in our solar system are pretty similar in both current characteristics and formation. But I was surprised to find out […] Continue reading →

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The Europa Clipper Mission

Posted on November 17, 2024 by Ian Vasquez

Artist’s concept of Europa Clipper orbiting Europa. On October 14th, 2024 the Europa Clipper Mission was launched into space on a SpaceX Falcon 9 Heavy Rocket. It is now on a 6 year journey of 1.8 billion miles to circle the icy surface of Jupiter’s moon, Europa. The Europa Clipper blasts into space on a […] Continue reading →

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Studying the Kuiper Belt

Posted on November 17, 2024 by Michael

The Kuiper Belt is a very important region of our solar system, and objects in the Kuiper Belt have been essential in helping scientists determine how the solar system formed. Most of these objects are small and icy, with some (relatively) large enough to be accepted as dwarf planets, such as Pluto. In this blog […] Continue reading →

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Parker Solar Probe

Posted on October 18, 2024 by Michael

Today I want to talk about the Parker Solar Probe, the most interesting spacecraft that I have heard of. It is a remarkable piece of technology, and has set records as the fastest object ever built and the closest man-made object to the Sun. The Parker Solar Probe relies on gravity assists from Venus to […] Continue reading →

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Satellites and Telescopes

Posted on September 24, 2024 by Michael

For this post I wanted to discuss the effect that satellites have on astronomical observations. There are many problems that limit our ability to make observations, such as light pollution, the diffraction limit, and technological limitations. Despite this, astronomers have steadily been improving their equipment and building new complex telescopes to overcome these limitations. However, […] Continue reading →

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All About Telescopes

Posted on September 23, 2024 by Ian Vasquez

Hubble Space Telescope In the world of telescopes, there are two main types: refracting and reflecting. The first telescopes created by astronomers in the 1600s were refracting telescopes. These work much like eye glasses. A curved lens bends the light into the observer’s eye. The bigger the lens the further into space a person could […] Continue reading →

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Sextants in Celestial Navigation

Posted on September 16, 2024 by Leo Silva

Blog #2 – Leo Celestial navigation– also known as “astronavigation”– is a practice of nearly 4,000 years (HistoryHit, How Celestial Navigation Changed Maritime History) where an individual can determine their location in space or the Earth’s surface using the positions of other celestial bodies such as the Sun, Moon, other planets, and stars. Throughout history, […] Continue reading →

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Blog Post 6 – Hubble Space Telescope

Posted on April 7, 2024 by Thomas Shelton

NASA Science The Hubble Space Telescope! How cool! The idea for the telescope first came around in the 1940’s! Nearly 100 years ago, a scientist wrote a paper about the advantages of having a big telescope out in outer space, and they were right! Work on the telescope didn’t then begin until 1974 but the […] Continue reading →

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Spacecraft

Posted on March 3, 2024 by Maddy Pollard

Our solar system is full of many mysteries, and spacecraft are one of the main ways we can gather information about it. There are four types of robotic spacecraft: flybys, orbiters, landers and probes, and sample return missions.  Flybys travel past a world only once, and then continue on their way into space. Because of […] Continue reading →

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Night Sky App

Posted on January 21, 2024 by Maddy Pollard

I downloaded the Night Sky app at the beginning of this semester, before I even knew I would be taking this class. On a late night walk back from the library, my friend and I noticed an unusually bright star in the sky. Interested to find out what it was, I downloaded this app and […] Continue reading →

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