Category Archives: Observables

things we can see from Earth using our eyeballs or telescopes

blog post 05

Posted on April 17, 2022 by graceward02

In 2006, Pluto was taken off the list of planets, leaving our Solar System with just 8 planets. This demotion occurred 76 years after Pluto was initially added to the list of planets. This decision by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) defined what objects could be classified as a planet. An object needs to be […] Continue reading →

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blog post 04

Posted on March 22, 2022 by graceward02

Many people have traveling to see the Northern Lights on their bucket lists. This unique phenomenon typically occurs near the Arctic Circle, with places like Finland advertising tourist expeditions to see them. The Northern Lights, otherwise known as aurora, occur when ions from solar winds collide with atoms of different elements (oxygen, nitrogen) in Earth’s […] Continue reading →

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Legacy Survey of Space and Time: The future of astronomical observation is here…. almost!

Posted on March 22, 2022 by alexlitt

Just two years from now, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory will commence operations, beginning its mission to image nearly 40 billion celestial objects over 10 years! These observations will be made with the world’s largest digital camera and an enormous 8.4 meter (in diameter) telescope, ensuring that its images will be of the highest quality. […] Continue reading →

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The Himalayas of Venus

Posted on March 18, 2022 by isaiandrade01

The Himalayas might be considered the most impressive mountain range on Earth, but what about other geological formations on planets around the solar system? Most famously, Olympus Mons is the tallest mountain in the solar system, located on Mars at 21229 meters, and about 2.5 times the size of Mount Everest. Alternatively, while not as […] Continue reading →

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blog post 02

Posted on February 21, 2022 by graceward02

NASA’s James Webb Telescope was launched on December 25, 2021. It is a collaborative effort between NASA (United States), The European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency. This telescope has four main areas where its data will be used: considering the first light in the universe, early assembly of galaxies in the universe, birth […] Continue reading →

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blog post 01

Posted on January 29, 2022 by graceward02

Solstices and Equinoxes The winter/summer solstices are, respectively, the shortest and longest periods of sunlight during the calendar year. The vernal/autumnal equinoxes are days in which the amount of time the day has with sunlight and without are of equal length. Days that are solstices/equinoxes demonstrate the formal change in seasons. This occurs because the […] Continue reading →

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Eclipses of the Past

Posted on January 29, 2022 by isaiandrade01

Due to advancements in technology, we can easily explain the scientific reasoning behind astronomical events such as lunar and solar eclipses. We understand solar eclipses occur in the new moon phase when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, appearing to cover the Sun and cast its shadow on the Earth. The opposite is […] Continue reading →

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Our Milky Way Galaxy

Posted on May 4, 2021 by captivatingcomet

The Milky Way is a large barred spiral galaxy with four arms: the Sagittarius arm, Perseus arm, Outer arm, and Scutum-Centaurus arm. Majority of the stars in the Milky Way are single or binary stars; however, there are three distinct types of star clusters, collections of tens to thousands of stars, within the galaxy. TheseContinue reading “Our Milky Way Galaxy” Continue reading →

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Shepherd Moons

Posted on April 17, 2021 by Mykayla

Saturn is known for its rings. For years, astronomers wondered what they were. Now we know that the rings of Saturn are made up of lots of icy particles ranging from the size of a grain of sand to a boulder. These particles comprise many different individual rings. The rings are flat, and appear toContinue reading “Shepherd Moons” Continue reading →

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Ultima Thule: The Space Peanut

Posted on April 17, 2021 by hunterspiveyastr

When the New Horizon spacecraft set out into our solar system in January of 2006, we felt like we had a pretty good idea of all the possible things we could find in our solar system. While we may find some surprises, we figured everything would be mostly roundish, and composed of some rocky/icy surfaceContinue reading “Ultima Thule: The Space Peanut” Continue reading →

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