Category Archives: Observables

things we can see from Earth using our eyeballs or telescopes

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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SpaceX and Bassnectar – A Love Story

Posted on March 16, 2020 by alexsolarsystem

Over spring break, a few of my pals and I got the incredible opportunity to see a SpaceX rocket launch in the distance as we danced to the booming music of Bassnectar at Okeechobee Music Festival 2020. It was really a once in a lifetime experience, and we would’ve completely missed it if a randomContinue reading “SpaceX and Bassnectar – A Love Story” Continue reading →

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Space Junk

Posted on March 16, 2020 by remieri

Space junk is a potential threat to human space exploration. In the frictionless vacuum of space, even a small particulate left behind by a past voyage can become deadly, fracturing seals and damaging the integrity of any spacecraft as it travels at extremely high speeds. So far, we’ve been relatively lucky—the sheer size of spaceContinue reading “Space Junk” Continue reading →

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How do we know the age of Earth?

Posted on March 16, 2020 by remieri

How do we know how old the Earth is? The age of the Earth was a relatively contested figure for a while, with early scientists struggling to date it with any level of precision. The first and most-well known way to set a lower bound on the age of the earth is through radioactive dating.Continue reading “How do we know the age of Earth?” Continue reading →

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A Tidal Boat Dance 🌊

Posted on February 10, 2020 by vsli

The above GIF shows the changing tides in a unique manner, by splicing together pictures taken throughout an entire day, at 20 minute intervals! The resulting effect is that it looks as if time is spiraling around the image. You can also see both pairs of high and low tides, one set during the day … Continue reading A Tidal Boat Dance 🌊 Continue reading →

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Invisible Stars Bending Space-Time with Gravity

Posted on February 9, 2020 by alexsolarsystem

Researchers at the Astronomical Observatory of the University of Warsaw have recently discovered two previously invisible stars deep within the Milky Way. These binary stars (two stars that effectively orbit each other) were found thanks to a star called Gaia16aye that is considerably farther away. A few years ago, astronomers noticed that Gaia16aye would occasionallyContinue reading “Invisible Stars Bending Space-Time with Gravity” Continue reading →

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Eclipses!

Posted on February 7, 2020 by Rehan John

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon comes in between the path of sunlight and the Earth, casting a shadow on the Earth. Solar eclipses in general are quite rare (only a couple a year), but the moon’s shadow only covers a small portion of the Earth so seeing one is an amazing opportunity. AContinue reading “Eclipses!” Continue reading →

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Are Extremophiles Our Roommates?

Posted on April 25, 2019 by Campbell Flower

Extremophiles are microorganisms that can survive in extreme conditions, such as high temperatures or great acidity. A recent study has found extremophiles in a location much more familiar to us, and it’s actually in the homes of humans. The study took samples from water heaters across all 50 states. Around 50% of the tested samples … Continue reading Are Extremophiles Our Roommates? → Continue reading →

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A Whole New World!

Posted on April 24, 2019 by reallyroyalqueen

Because the caves, mines, and crevasses on Earth are filled with extremophiles, NASA uses those lifeforms as a guide to its exploration of the universe. The hidden parts of the planet have to make their own way of survival. Surface life has photosynthesis, but subsurface only a tiny fraction of that energy trickles down so … Continue reading A Whole New World! → Continue reading →

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