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Category Archives: Physics
Gravity
Gravity is a fascinating phenomenon of physics that is integral to understanding the universe. Gravity keeps Earth in orbit around the sun, and the Moon in orbit around Earth. Any object that has mass, also has gravity. Moreover, the gravitational force between two objects is caused by two factors: mass and distance. The gravitational force … Continue reading Gravity → Continue reading
Blog 2: Mont Saint Michel Abbey Tides
The Mont Saint Michel Abbey was built in the 11th century on an island in Normandy, on the north coast of France. The island formed when the landscaped was eroded and granite outcrops remained. Medieval pilgrims nicknamed it, “St. Michael in peril of the sea” because of the extreme changes between high and low tides. … Continue reading Blog 2: Mont Saint Michel Abbey Tides Continue reading
How Big is the Universe?
Studies of the cosmic microwave background by the European Space Agency (Planck space mission) have revealed what we know as the observable universe, a sphere 28 billion light-years in diameter. Although scientists have placed the Earth in an observable sphere with a radius of 13.8 billion light-years, it is believed that this radius has expanded … Continue reading How Big is the Universe? → Continue reading
Wormholes
A wormhole is a theoretical tunnel connecting two points in space-time based on the theory of general relativity. Albert Einstein, Nathan Rosen and Ludwig Flamm are three physicists credited with hypothesizing this theory, but whether we will actually find one (let alone enter it) is largely up to debate. Warmholes are theorized to “pop-up” as tiny … Continue reading Wormholes → Continue reading
Tidal Locking
The only kind of lock in space with no key. Tidal locking is when one hemisphere of a revolving body constantly faces the object it rotates around, or as wikipedia says more jargon-y, “when the long-term interaction between a pair of co-orbiting astronomical bodiesdrives the rotation rates into a harmonic ratio with the orbital period. In the figure … Continue reading Tidal Locking → Continue reading
Kepler in Context
Kepler, during his lifetime from December 27th, 1571- November 15th, 1630, made incredible contributions to the field of astronomy. His most famous and impactful contributions are certainly his observations regarding the motion of planets, which have been immortalized as Kepler’s Laws. His discoveries about planetary motion stated that planets move in elliptical orbits, they sweep out […] Continue reading
Putting the speed of light into perspective
The theory of special relativity tells us that there is an absolute speed limit in the universe, that being the speed of light. At a speed of about 300,000 km/s, light takes only one second to travel to the Moon from Earth and eight minutes to travel to the Sun from Earth. This speed is … Continue reading “Putting the speed of light into perspective” Continue reading
Posted in Light, Physics, Space Travel
Tagged Andromeda, astro2110, blog1, relativity, speedoflight
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Progression of the Seasons? Thank Precession
Everyone knows that the Earth experiences seasons. In the Northern Hemisphere children rejoice as they enjoy the summer sun in the month of June, while in the Southern Hemisphere they embrace the cold, daydreaming of warm summer days that await them in six months. However, what if I were to tell you that in about… Continue Reading → Continue reading
Seasons, Solstices and Equinoxes
What causes the seasons? Not only is this asked on page 32 of Chapter 2, but it is often asked by many individuals residing on Earth. However, a surprisingly few number of people actually know. Seasons occur because the title of Earth’s axis causes sunlight to fall differently on Earth at different times … Continue reading Seasons, Solstices and Equinoxes → Continue reading
Seasons, Solstices and Equinoxes
What causes the seasons? Not only is this asked on page 32 of Chapter 2, but it is often asked by many individuals residing on Earth. However, a surprisingly few number of people actually know. Seasons occur because the title of Earth’s axis causes sunlight to fall differently on Earth at different times … Continue reading Seasons, Solstices and Equinoxes → Continue reading