Category Archives: Observables

things we can see from Earth using our eyeballs or telescopes

Looking Through a Historical Lens

Posted on February 14, 2017 by ritam216

Much of science is the act of investigating phenomena and elaborating on such investigations done by others. This is an incredibly difficult task to accomplish with modern technology. Incredibly though, there is a great source of proof to show that many peoples of the past were able to make some form of astronomical discoveries and […] Continue reading →

Posted in Historical, Observables, Stars | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Looking Through a Historical Lens

Archaeoastronomy

Posted on February 3, 2017 by josiezd

The study of the astronomical knowledge and achievements of these prehistoric cultures is called archaeoastronomy. Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Historical, Observables | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Archaeoastronomy

The New Zodiac

Posted on January 25, 2017 by pkunetz97

Recently, NASA announced that the Zodiac, as we knew it, was incorrect. Based on current models of the night sky, there should be 13 Zodiacal signs, not 12 as we have been led to believe all of our lives. NASA has added Ophiuchus as the new constellation, which lies between Scorpius and Sagittarius. The dates […] Continue reading →

Posted in Observables | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The New Zodiac

Great American Eclipse

Posted on January 18, 2017 by Paolo Dumancas

This is the excerpt for your second post. Continue reading →

Posted in Observables | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Great American Eclipse

Is The Drake Equation Useless?

Posted on April 27, 2016 by segalastronomyblog

The Drake Equation is an equation that was developed to help us determine what life exists in our universe beyond planet Earth. In class, we have been doing much work with the Drake Equation, including filling it out ourselves using our own estimates. But…is the Drake Equation useful or even worth our time? If you are […] Continue reading →

Posted in Observables | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Is The Drake Equation Useless?

The Demise of Pluto

Posted on April 10, 2016 by samihahplanet

  Left: Pluto Demoted, Right: Size Comparison The discovery of Pluto had scientists ecstatic. Far out in the distance was this tiny, freezing,  icy planet with moons! Then it was official: Pluto must be added to the list of planets. It’s round, orbits the Sun and has a posse of moons, what more could we need? […] Continue reading →

Posted in Historical, Observables | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on The Demise of Pluto

Behemoth black hole found in an unlikely place

Posted on April 10, 2016 by segalastronomyblog

Watch out, Earth! Scientists have discovered a massive black hole in our universe, one that weighs the equivalent of 17 billions suns! While the size of this black hole is very significant, something that makes it even more unique is it’s location in our universe. According to astronomers, black holes this size are almost always […] Continue reading →

Posted in Observables, Space Travel | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Behemoth black hole found in an unlikely place

A Giant spider on Pluto?

Posted on April 10, 2016 by segalastronomyblog

Launched in 2006, the New Horizons Space Probe set out with the mission to get the best view of Pluto that we humans have ever seen. And it just so happens that we succeeded! We are now seeing the absolute best images that we have ever seen of the famed dwarf planet. Recently, Pluto has […] Continue reading →

Posted in Observables | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on A Giant spider on Pluto?

Doppler vs. Astrometric: Find the Planet

Posted on April 10, 2016 by samihahplanet

Currently, it’s quite difficult to discover new planets simply by direct observation. This is because the high interference of light caused by the planets’ respective stars makes it almost impossible to detect the light reflected off of planets. However, there are two indirect planet detection methods: Doppler and astrometric. The astrometric method relies on measuring […] Continue reading →

Posted in Exoplanets, Observables, Physics, Stars | Tagged , | Comments Off on Doppler vs. Astrometric: Find the Planet

Creation of the Kuiper Belt

Posted on April 9, 2016 by OscarBen

Recently in class we’ve been talking about the outer portion of our Solar System. Beyond Neptune lies the Kuiper Belt, the disc-shaped region that begins at about 30 AUs and ends around 55 AUs. The Kuiper Belt is home to hundreds of thousands of icy bodies, an estimated trillion or more comets, and Pluto, according to… More Creation of the Kuiper Belt Continue reading →

Posted in Observables | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Creation of the Kuiper Belt