Category Archives: Instruments

includes telescopes and space probes

Size and Expansion of the Universe

Posted on January 26, 2014 by katiew

I have always thought that the universe is almost unfathomably huge, but until recently I had not spent much time contemplating how humans have determined this. While reading about the topic, I came across information about the Hubble Space Telescope. Not being familiar with astronomy, I did not know much about it or its purpose. […] Continue reading →

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Voyager 1

Posted on April 28, 2013 by juliettealper

Voyager 1 launched in 1977 in order to collect data and research the outer planets of our solar system. Currently, 11.5 billion miles from Earth, scientists are having some difficulty determining when exactly the Voyager is going to leave the solar system. It has completed its mission of surveying the outer planets, such as Saturn, […] Continue reading →

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Benfits of Astronomy on Earth

Posted on April 28, 2013 by Will K

            Astronomical research does not just benefit the limited field of astronomy; rather it serves to improve many other fields of study. From the first missions into orbit to current research of interstellar travel, astronomy has benefited our standard of living here on Earth. Many people have heard that memory foam was invented by […] Continue reading →

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The Constant Search For Life

Posted on April 25, 2013 by indianwm

In this past week, three new planets have been discovered in Kepler’s habitable zone. These three planets are announced to potentially host life. This may or may not be true, but the thought of finding planets slightly larger than earth that are in the Goldilocks zone is exciting in itself. For me, this is what […] Continue reading →

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UK Astrobiolgy Centre Searching For Life In Space

Posted on April 25, 2013 by indianwm

The UK atrobiology centre is seeking life outside of earth. The astrobiology field is still developing because we have not found any life forms of any kind outside of earth. But the UK centre is determined to succeed. They believe that Mars has a high probability of containing life. However, the surface of mars is […] Continue reading →

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TESS: a New Eye in the Sky

Posted on April 10, 2013 by zvgio

NASA has a new project set to launch in 2017 and it’s going to be big. The TESS project will be tasked with the most trendy task in astronomy these days: finding exoplanets. Using a slew of wide-view cameras, TESS will peer tirelessly at the stars looking for “transits,” or dips in brightness when an […] Continue reading →

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Dark Matter Discovered?

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Megan C

Scientists announced today that they may have finally found dark matter. Dark matter is the invisible matter making up most of the universe, but scientists can’t see it because it emits no light.  Scientists only know it exists because dark matter’s gravity bends light – gravitational lensing – and because stars are orbiting in galaxies […] Continue reading →

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GRAIL Maps the Gravity of the Moon

Posted on March 20, 2013 by JT McJunkins

  Twin NASA probes orbiting the moon for the Gravity Recovery and Interior Labority (GRAIL) mission have created the most highly detailed gravity field map of any celestial body. Pictured above, this map reveals an abundance of features includ… Continue reading →

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Mars: Trend in Water Presence

Posted on March 19, 2013 by indianwm

Last week, the Mars rover named Curiosity, found evidence for water-bearing minerals in rocks. The rover Curiosity was launched in 2011 from Cape Canaveral and landed on Mars in August, 2012. This rover is equipped with many devices that have multiple uses for observing and testing the terrain and environment on Mars. Among these is […] Continue reading →

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Voyager 2 and Its Solar System Exploration

Posted on March 19, 2013 by indianwm

Voyager 2 is the second spacecraft to explore the outer solar system, following the Voyager 1. However, Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft that has accomplished the task of studying Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune at close distances. Voyager 2 was launched on August 20th, 1977 to study the outer solar system, as well as […] Continue reading →

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