Category Archives: Light

Space Bubbles AKA Quantum Foam

Posted on March 13, 2016 by astr2110geoffren

Spacetime is often described as a “fabric”, but there is one theory that would describe it as more like sea foam- made of a bunch of tiny bubbles. This is the quantum foam theory. The quantum foam theory basically came into existence to try and unite Einstein’s theory of relativity and quantum mechanics, something that […] Continue reading →

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The Slowest Speed of Light

Posted on February 16, 2016 by nickwtheastronomer

Quickly imagine the speed of light. It’s fast right? I’m sure you’ve been taught that the average speed of light falls somewhere around 3 x 10^8 m/s (6.706 x 10^8 mph) and you are partially correct. But what if I told you that you would have been equally right with an answer of just 38 […] Continue reading →

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The Sun’s Absorption Spectrum

Posted on February 16, 2016 by annamcc9

Absorption spectra occur when a hot solid or liquid or very dense gas give off a continuous spectrum, with all colors, and then that continuous light moves through a thin gas that is cooler than the source of the continuous light. This thin gas absorbs some of the light being given off by the source […] Continue reading →

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One Shift, Two Shift, Redshift, Blueshift

Posted on February 16, 2016 by samihahplanet

Images: Redshifted, blueshifted spectra,   The Doppler shift You’re probably already familiar with the doppler effect of sound. Every time you hear a car zoom past, it pitch changes from higher as it approaches to lower as it leaves. This is because sound is dependent on the relative position of the observer, and if the sound […] Continue reading →

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One Shift, Two Shift, Redshift, Blueshift

Posted on February 16, 2016 by samihahplanet

Images: Redshifted, blueshifted spectra,   The Doppler shift You’re probably already familiar with the doppler effect of sound. Every time you hear a car zoom past, it pitch changes from higher as it approaches to lower as it leaves. This is because sound is dependent on the relative position of the observer, and if the sound […] Continue reading →

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HW #B3 – A Superpower Redefined

Posted on February 16, 2016 by evinske

Be it an elementary school sleepover or a university orientation, there’s always a place and time for the infamous question: If you could have any superpower, what would it be? Some people say they’d love to fly or breathe underwater, but one of the most popular answers is X-ray vision. The entire process behind X-ray […] Continue reading →

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Near, Far, Wherever You Are

Posted on February 16, 2016 by Sofia

Understanding the ability of objects in the sky to change their spectra is vital to understanding the universe we live in. In order to fully understand the motion of the objects in the universe, we can use their spectra to see changes in their light emissions. The spectra of objects show the types of visible … Continue reading “Near, Far, Wherever You Are” Continue reading →

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The Consequences of the Interaction of Light and Gravity

Posted on February 16, 2016 by 2016spaceodyssey

It is astonishing the extent that gravity and light interact with one another.  This is of course very fortunate for us humans when trying to understand the basic force that is known as gravity.  After Isaac Newton proposed his Law of Universal Gravitation in 1687 is was generally thought that gravity was understood even though […] Continue reading →

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LIGHTSPEED, COSMIC SPEEDLIMITS, AND (FINALLY!) LOOKING INTO THE PAST (Part 2)

Posted on February 15, 2016 by harperastronomyblog

In one of my previous posts , I explained what a light-year was and how the speed of light remains constant in a vacuum (a.k.a. space). I also explained that there would be another post explaining some of the things that I couldn’t fit in that post. Now I am finally ready to finish–the long awaited!–part […] Continue reading →

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It’s Gettin’ Hot in Herre

Posted on February 15, 2016 by impossibleensign

Pharrell was probably thinking of bodies when he helped penned this hit for Nelly. Despite what the title may suggest I don’t think he had thermal radiation in mind… Continue reading →

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