Category Archives: Observables

things we can see from Earth using our eyeballs or telescopes

The Zodiac and Ascribing Meaning to a Random Existence

Posted on January 22, 2024 by Landon Peaden

Britannica The twelve Zodiac signs are the most famous (and infamous, if you talk to scientists) way of imposing order and grouping onto our lives. Personality tests, Harry Potter houses (which have to be the laziest version out there), “What sandwich am I?” quizzes, these all apply a person’s traits and responses to fundamental questions […] Continue reading →

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Night Sky App

Posted on January 21, 2024 by Maddy Pollard

I downloaded the Night Sky app at the beginning of this semester, before I even knew I would be taking this class. On a late night walk back from the library, my friend and I noticed an unusually bright star in the sky. Interested to find out what it was, I downloaded this app and […] Continue reading →

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The Statistics of Life

Posted on April 29, 2023 by noahherrero

Artist interpretation of Kepler-452b, currently the most Earthlike planet discovered, which could potentially have an atmosphere and life Source: NASA Ames/JPL-Caltech/T. Pyle When faced with an effectively boundless universe, it inevitable to ask the question of how many other lifeforms are out there. In asking this question we tend to be a bit biased, looking […] Continue reading →

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the fermi paradox

Posted on April 27, 2023 by Emma Williams

Sir Arthur C. Clarke, a British science fiction author, said that “two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying”. And he was exactly right! The more that we learn about and explore the universe, the more we learn about the possibility of life out there, […] Continue reading →

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Artemis

Posted on April 20, 2023 by araceal

Since there has not been another moon landing. Until now. In 2024, Artemis 2 will launch and send the first person of color and the first woman to the moon. This mission’s goal is to establish the first long-term occupancy on the moon. This mission is the first step to then sending our astronauts to […] Continue reading →

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Sky News

Posted on April 9, 2023 by thisisntzenon

For my “any astronomy” blog posts, I like to somewhat link them to my personal life. Last time, I shared my hometown planetarium, the Adler Planetarium. This time, I wanted to focus on this week’s astronomy-related event as my birthday is this Thursday. I found this amazing website called This Week’s Sky at a Glance. […] Continue reading →

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Halley’s Comet

Posted on April 9, 2023 by sahilreddy2

Giotto Spacecraft Approaching Halley’s Comet Halley’s Comet has the ability to completely destroy a city. Until learning about this comet in a previous homework assignment I never realized the true devastation even a comet of this size could cause on the earth. Halley’s Comet most famous observation occurred in 1066 where it was said that […] Continue reading →

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Space Potatoes!

Posted on April 9, 2023 by sadiekarr

(Diagram showing various asteroids, very potato shaped, you may notice) As Dr. G says, “When I say Asteroids, you say Space Potatoes!” But what exactly does that mean? The reason we liken asteroids to potatoes is because of their shape (unfortunately, they do not taste as good as those beautiful starchy tubers) (Side note: in […] Continue reading →

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Lightning on Jupiter

Posted on April 9, 2023 by sadiekarr

How fitting that mysterious lightning has been observed on the planet named after the god of sky and storms! Lightning on Jupiter has been reported multiple times over the years during multiple space missions: the 1979 Voyager mission, 1990s Galileo Jupiter mission, and again during the 2007 New Horizons mission. Now that we’ve got Juno […] Continue reading →

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Blog5: Pluto

Posted on April 8, 2023 by lucasliu6

Since its unveiling in 1930, Pluto has occupied a special role in our exploration and understanding of the solar system. Although it no longer retains its status as the ninth planet, this mysterious celestial object has piqued the interest of astronomers, researchers, and the wider public through its elaborate geological features and ever-evolving atmosphere. In […] Continue reading →

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