Category Archives: Observables

things we can see from Earth using our eyeballs or telescopes

Nabta Playa

Posted on February 28, 2021 by adisonfields

Nabta Playa is the world’s first astronomical site, having been built at an estimated 7000 years ago.  For reference, this was when the Neolithic Revolution was occurring, and agriculture was first being practiced.  In order to assist with this, the Nabta Playa stone circle was built, about 700 miles south of the Great Pyramid of Giza inContinue reading “Nabta Playa” 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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Vastness of the Universe

Posted on February 6, 2021 by Mykayla

The universe is astronomically big (cheesy pun). We live on Earth, which is in our solar system, which means that we orbit the Sun. Our Sun is just one star out of the millions upon millions of stars in our Milky Way galaxy. Our Milky Way is just one galaxy out of 30 or soContinue reading “Vastness of the Universe” Continue reading →

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Astrolonomy?

Posted on February 5, 2021 by Peter Taylor

A little over two weeks ago, we entered arguably one the thirteen coolest months of the zodiac: Aquarius. (Yes, we still love you Ophiuchus). But what does that really even mean? What is Aquarius? Well, as I am sure you can tell from the constellation, Aquarius is clearly a water-bearer. But it is also muchContinue reading “Astrolonomy?” Continue reading →

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The Earth, the Moon, and the Space In Between

Posted on February 4, 2021 by brianknapp

Since space seems so far away to most of us humans, we can forget how truly massive the emptiness of space is. Space really is appropriately named, because so much of it is just that – empty space, nothing there. For example, let’s look at the distance between the Earth and the Moon. While theContinue reading “The Earth, the Moon, and the Space In Between” Continue reading →

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Dwarf Perspective

Posted on March 31, 2020 by khalilgreene

There are many celestial bodies in the Kuiper Belt. One notable object is a dwarf planet named Makemake. This dwarf planet was one of the objects NASA used to demote Pluto from its previous planet status down to dwarf planet status. NASA wasn’t aware of other bodies that looked like Pluto, and when they foundContinue reading “Dwarf Perspective” Continue reading →

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Large Asteroid Flyby on April 29th

Posted on March 29, 2020 by Phillip Yoon

If you’ve been scrolling through random news articles over the past few weeks, you may have come across an article about a large asteroid that may end human civilization if it strikes the Earth. Just to be clear, this asteroid will not hit Earth and will barely have any effect on civilization. NASA is currentlyContinue reading “Large Asteroid Flyby on April 29th” Continue reading →

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Saturn on Steroids

Posted on March 29, 2020 by alexsolarsystem

Way out in the constellation Centaurus is a peculiar solar system 434 light years away that fascinates astronomers. The central star, named 1SWASP, is similar to our Sun in size and doesn’t appear to have any unusual characteristics for a main-sequence star. However, it was discovered in 2007 that 1SWASP is orbited by one enormousContinue reading “Saturn on Steroids” Continue reading →

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The Trouble With Astronomy 🤔

Posted on March 27, 2020 by vsli

“Space,” it says, “is big. Really big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mindbogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it’s a long way down the road to the chemist’s, but that’s just peanuts to space.” — Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy So you want to study space? Now, … Continue reading The Trouble With Astronomy 🤔 Continue reading →

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