Category Archives: Physics

The Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST)

Posted on May 1, 2018 by lin0214

WFIRST, which stands for Wide Field InfraRed Survey Telescope, is NASA’s observatory that is designed to research the area of dark energy, exoplanets, as well as infrared astrophysics for six years. WFIRST’s primary mirror is 2.4 meters, which is 7.9 feet, in diameter. This size is the same as the size of Hubble Space Telescope’s … Continue reading The Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) → Continue reading →

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A New Way to Travel Through Space

Posted on May 1, 2018 by jonsastroblog

Solar sails are a new and incredibly interesting propulsion system that is currently undergoing various testing around the globe. Instead of being powered by rockets, solar sails allow spacecrafts to be powered by the sun itself. Just as a sailboat is pushed along by the winds on the ocean, solar sails are pushed along by … Continue reading A New Way to Travel Through Space → Continue reading →

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A New Way to Travel Through Space

Posted on May 1, 2018 by jonsastroblog

Solar sails are a new and incredibly interesting propulsion system that is currently undergoing various testing around the globe. Instead of being powered by rockets, solar sails allow spacecrafts to be powered by the sun itself. Just as a sailboat is pushed along by the winds on the ocean, solar sails are pushed along by … Continue reading A New Way to Travel Through Space → Continue reading →

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NASA Soon to Learn Much More about Nearby Planetary Systems

Posted on April 15, 2018 by danielsolarsystem

On April 16th, NASA is scheduled to launch a new satellite that will give us much more information about the planets that orbit the stars near ours. Since 2009, the Kepler mission has provided us with information about thousands of planets in our galaxy. While that data has been incredibly useful, this new satellite nicknamed … Continue reading NASA Soon to Learn Much More about Nearby Planetary Systems → Continue reading →

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Mystery in the Kuiper Belt

Posted on April 9, 2018 by danielsolarsystem

Though it unfortunately doesn’t come with a fun apocalyptic theory like Planet X of the 1980s, several groups of scientists are beginning to believe that there might be a ninth planet in the solar system. The pair of astronomers who proposed the existence of this mysterious planet were met with a great deal of skepticism … Continue reading Mystery in the Kuiper Belt → Continue reading →

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Orbital Decay and China’s Space Station

Posted on April 8, 2018 by jacobfinesastroblog

  All satellites in low Earth orbit will eventual fall victim to orbital decay.  Over time, a satellite will lose orbital energy through drag caused by friction with the atmosphere. Many large satellites, such as the ISS, employ small thrust to counter out the effects of orbital decay. However, as shown by China’s space station, … Continue reading Orbital Decay and China’s Space Station → Continue reading →

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Orbital Decay and China’s Space Station

Posted on April 8, 2018 by jacobfinesastroblog

  All satellites in low Earth orbit will eventual fall victim to orbital decay.  Over time, a satellite will lose orbital energy through drag caused by friction with the atmosphere. Many large satellites, such as the ISS, employ small thrust to counter out the effects of orbital decay. However, as shown by China’s space station, … Continue reading Orbital Decay and China’s Space Station → Continue reading →

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Planet X: The Real 9th Planet?

Posted on April 7, 2018 by aquarianastronomy

With Pluto’s demotion to a “dwarf planet,” the solar system was left with 8 planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. It now seems that the number 8 may not survive for long, as researchers are now searching for a 9th planet that they think exists in the far-away outer solar system. […] Continue reading →

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Pluto: the Eccentric “Planet”

Posted on April 7, 2018 by aquarianastronomy

Most of us have heard of Pluto’s downgrade from the category of planet to “dwarf planet,” but it is less well-known why it was demoted. One of the main reasons had nothing to do with size and everything to do with Pluto’s strange orbit. Instead of orbiting with the sun roughly at the center of […] Continue reading →

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Blog 6: Jupiter Fluid Dynamics

Posted on April 7, 2018 by battismm

Jupiter has a very thick atmosphere with lots of temperature difference causing strong convective currents. These convective currents and Jupiter’s fast rotation give the planet it’s colorful bands and demonstrate different fluid behaviors. The image above, captured by the Juno Spacecraft, shows a storm in Jupiter’s atmosphere. The eddies are similar to that caused by vortex … Continue reading Blog 6: Jupiter Fluid Dynamics Continue reading →

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