Category Archives: Light

waves and particles and dualities oh my

Posted on February 26, 2021 by Peter Taylor

What is light? It’s a simple question, really. And simple questions have simple answers, right? Sometimes they do, yes. But, tragically, this time it doesn’t. Most people know light acts light a wave. It refracts (thanks Pink Floyd), reflects, and diffracts just light waves are supposed to. Similarly, the electromagnetic spectrum illustrates the wave-like propertiesContinue reading “waves and particles and dualities oh my” Continue reading →

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Spectroscopy

Posted on February 26, 2021 by Mykayla

Spectroscopy is the act of “fingerprinting” stars by observing their spectra. A spectrum is produced by filtering light through a prism, resulting in a rainbow of color. There are three different types of spectra: continuous, emission, and absorption. A continuous spectrum is produced when the light of a hot, dense object is directly filtered throughContinue reading “Spectroscopy” Continue reading →

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A New Method of Fighting Cancer?

Posted on February 26, 2021 by joeangella13

While absorption spectra can often be associated with the use of identifying particular patterns in which gases absorb the energy from a light source, we must also acknowledge that the chemical composition of certain elements can be determined depending on where the lines are present within a absorption spectra. Interesting developments are currently taking placeContinue reading “A New Method of Fighting Cancer?” Continue reading →

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Why we Should Thank our Atmosphere

Posted on February 24, 2021 by dayanel123

On the spectrum of light, the two most energetic rays are x-rays and Gamma rays. They have the shortest wave lengths meaning they have the highest frequency and energy. Both Gamma and x-rays differ from everything else on the spectrum because they can penetrate clothing and skin. This is important because when Gamma rays passContinue reading “Why we Should Thank our Atmosphere” Continue reading →

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What the heck is a light year?

Posted on February 7, 2021 by astronomywithannie

You’ve probably heard the term light year a lot. You likely heard a planet or star described as a certain number of light years away. But what exactly is a light year? And why do we use light to measure time and distance? How fast does it really go? Light moves at approximately 300,000 kilometersContinue reading “What the heck is a light year?” Continue reading →

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Eclipses and Shadow Snakes

Posted on February 6, 2021 by bellagoodnight

Back in 2017, I was lucky enough to watch the Solar Eclipse here in Nashville! It was such a cool experience, and I can’t wait until I can see one again! One thing that stood out to me was weird shadows on the ground just before and after the Sun was totally eclipsed. I rememberContinue reading “Eclipses and Shadow Snakes” Continue reading →

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The Discovery of the Speed of Light

Posted on February 6, 2021 by allyworthington

While Aristotle believed that light could travel instantaneously, the first experimental attempt to measure the speed of light came from Galileo Galilei in 1667. He placed two people with covered lights on the top of hills that were about a mile apart. The first person was instructed to uncover his light, and when the second … Continue reading The Discovery of the Speed of Light → Continue reading →

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The Speed of Light: Blasting Towards the Weighted Scales

Posted on February 5, 2021 by kjackson1456

Light travels at a speed of about 300,000 kilometers per second. At this speed, you could literally travel the circumference of the Earth 7 times in ONE second! The libra constellation is located approximately 40,000 light years away from earth. A light year is the distance traveled by light in a year (which is aboutContinue reading “The Speed of Light: Blasting Towards the Weighted Scales” Continue reading →

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Speed of Light Discussion

Posted on February 4, 2021 by lorenzchen14

Physics behind Solar Sails, by Robert Miller I actually find the speed of light and the implications behind this physical constraint pretty interesting. Particularly, if light takes time to travel, everything we see is technically in the past. As covered in the lecture, the sunlight that we see is 8 minutes old. But if weContinue reading “Speed of Light Discussion” Continue reading →

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Possible Effects of Solar Flares

Posted on March 15, 2020 by Reece Boggs

If a large solar flare were to directly hit the Earth, it would significantly affect all of the electronics on Earth. Us being so dependent on electronics, this would be crippling to essentially all forms of communications, payment and many other important functions of life. Most cars would shut down due to many new carsContinue reading “Possible Effects of Solar Flares” Continue reading →

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