Category Archives: Instruments

includes telescopes and space probes

Retrieving Voyager 1 – A Rescue Mission

In 1977, NASA launched Voyager 1 to study the far reaches of our solar system. The program was a tremendous success: not only did the probe gather useful information about Jupiter and Saturn, it also captured the first detailed images of their moons (including a flyby of Titan, Saturn’s largest moon). Even now, after Voyager … Continue reading Retrieving Voyager 1 – A Rescue Mission Continue reading

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Songs of Space

Recently I’ve been collecting space-themed songs (for a McTyeire Hall event called the Galaxy Gala!), and then I thought of something I’ve heard of before: sounds coming from space! Because space is a vacuum, sound waves cannot travel through it. However, many objects within the Solar System do emit radio waves, and NASA scientists have […] Continue reading

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Light is Everything

I watched a Crash Course video on light that proved to be really helpful and informative. After watching this video, I realized the importance of spectroscopy and understood what light actually is. The scientific term for light is actually electromagnetic radiation, and even humans emit them. Once again, the video touched upon the wavelength spectrum. … Continue reading Light is Everything Continue reading

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Telescopes and Space

I don’t know about you, but without my glasses, I literally cannot see anything, even if it’s right in front me. Whether I’m sitting in the classroom trying to take notes from the professor’s lecture or trying to watch my favorite Netflix show, my ability to actually see anything with my naked eye is severely … Continue reading Telescopes and Space Continue reading

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Telescopes

Telescopes have been an essential instrument in the history of astronomy. So much has been learned and will be learned through the use of them. Although, they all have the same general function, telescopes can come in many shapes, sizes, and types. The two main types of telescopes are the refractor and reflecting telescopes. In a … Continue reading Telescopes Continue reading

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The window of universe — Various types of Telescope

The science of astronomy is about the telescopes. Without them, our naked eyes can only see thousands of stars in the night sky away from city lights. We get to see galaxies, stars, nebulas and other celestial objects that are light years away from us through telescopes. Furthermore, as the technology improved over the last … Continue reading The window of universe — Various types of Telescope Continue reading

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A New Way to Travel Through Space

Solar sails are a new and incredibly interesting propulsion system that is currently undergoing various testing around the globe. Instead of being powered by rockets, solar sails allow spacecrafts to be powered by the sun itself. Just as a sailboat is pushed along by the winds on the ocean, solar sails are pushed along by … Continue reading A New Way to Travel Through Space Continue reading

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A New Way to Travel Through Space

Solar sails are a new and incredibly interesting propulsion system that is currently undergoing various testing around the globe. Instead of being powered by rockets, solar sails allow spacecrafts to be powered by the sun itself. Just as a sailboat is pushed along by the winds on the ocean, solar sails are pushed along by … Continue reading A New Way to Travel Through Space Continue reading

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Space Computers in Space

Hello friends, For my last blog post for ASTR 2110, I wanted to discuss a topic that I think is … More Continue reading

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On This Day in Astronomy History…

  On April 27th, 1961, fifty-seven years ago, NASA launched Explorer 11 into space. This satellite held the first gamma-ray telescope to go into space. Gamma rays are the wavelength of light with the highest energy levels. These wavelengths can originate from sources such as supernova explosions, supermassive blackholes, and solar flares. While scientists had […] Continue reading

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