Category Archives: Observables

things we can see from Earth using our eyeballs or telescopes

M45 – The Seven Sisters

Posted on February 28, 2023 by 7smessier45

Hey, y’all, and welcome back!  Today, we’re taking a quick jaunt outside our solar system to visit the Pleiades. This grouping of stars–commonly referred to as Messier 45 (M45)–is one of my favorite observables and can be best viewed in January–but the cluster is easily visible from late fall through the winter. The cluster is […] Continue reading →

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Solar Flares and the Carrington Event

Posted on February 26, 2023 by sydneyastr2110

We heard a little bit about the Carrington Event in class, and I wanted to know more about it. A solar flare is essentially a burst of energy on the Sun which sends electrified gas and subatomic particles toward Earth. In 1859, there was an abnormally large solar flare caused two geomagnetic storms known as […] Continue reading →

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Retrograde… what the heck

Posted on February 12, 2023 by sadiekarr

(Diagram showing Ptolemy’s early explanation of retrograde motion) Understanding retrograde can get a little confusing. Before taking astronomy, I’d only ever heard the term used by the astrology girlies. I thought maybe it was another “constellations are not real” scenario- but retrograde is real! Early astronomer Ptolemy (c. AD 100), as he observed the night […] Continue reading →

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Blog2: Telescopes of all kinds

Posted on February 12, 2023 by lucasliu6

There are many different types of telescopes, each designed for a specific purpose. Here are some of the most common types: Conclusion Each type of telescope has its own strengths and weaknesses, and the choice of which one to use depends on the specific observing goals and requirements of the astronomer. Continue reading →

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The polarization of light

Posted on February 12, 2023 by Andrew Cascio

Light waves travel through electric and magnetic fields that vibrate perpendicular from each other. As an electromagnetic wave, like all waves, light’s vibration has a direction along with its frequency and wavelength. We often imagine waves moving up and down vertically, like a wave on the shore, but this is not always the case. Specifically, […] Continue reading →

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An Explanation of Tides

Posted on February 11, 2023 by sydneyastr2110

The short tide video we saw in class made me curious about tides. I looked into the relationship between the tides and the Moon, similar to what we had to do at the end of Homework 4. I wanted to share some of my findings. Both the Moon and Sun contribute to tides on Earth. […] Continue reading →

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We Already Have a Time Machine

Posted on January 22, 2023 by araceal

People say time traveling doesnt exist. They are skeptical we are able to break every law of physics we grew up learning. But, if we really think about it, we have a time machine right in front of us: a telescope. What is a light year? Don’t be confused with the word ‘year’ being in […] Continue reading →

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Blog 1 – The “Great American Eclipse” Experience

Posted on January 22, 2023 by constellationsarentreal

Back in 2017, my school allotted class time for observing the total solar eclipse that (conveniently) passed through Nashville. Many of my classmates (including me) didn’t fully realize how significant this was until our observation. The brief two and a half minutes of totality was awe inspiring. What struck me most was the terrestrial reaction […] Continue reading →

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The Scale of the Universe and Us

Posted on January 22, 2023 by cuia2

     Reading the graphic in the textbook called “Our Cosmic Address”, I got a sense for the first time of how small of a planet we live on. Earth is a typical planet rotating by a typical star we call the Sun which is only one of billions of stars in the Milky Way which is […] Continue reading →

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Minutes and seconds of arc

Posted on January 22, 2023 by Andrew Cascio

Similar to a light-year, an arcminute can be mistaken for a unit of time. An arcminute is 1/60th of a degree and an arcsecond is 1/60th of an arcminute. For example, “12 degrees, 50 arcminutes, and 29 arcseconds” is written as 12° 50′ 29”. As units of angular measurement, arcminutes and arcseconds allow for more […] Continue reading →

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