Category Archives: Physics

Doppler vs. Astrometric: Find the Planet

Posted on April 10, 2016 by samihahplanet

Currently, it’s quite difficult to discover new planets simply by direct observation. This is because the high interference of light caused by the planets’ respective stars makes it almost impossible to detect the light reflected off of planets. However, there are two indirect planet detection methods: Doppler and astrometric. The astrometric method relies on measuring […] Continue reading →

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Let’s Talk About Carl Sagan (Remix)

Posted on April 10, 2016 by andyastronomer

“If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.” These are the only words I really remember of Carl Sagan’s Cosmos series when I watched it in high school physics class. However, Carl Sagan left a much greater legacy than his musings on apple pie. Carl Sagan inspired an […] Continue reading →

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Quantum Entanglenment

Posted on April 9, 2016 by OscarBen

  Quantum entanglement is a central principle of quantum physics that says some particles, like photons or electrons, are linked together so that the state of one particle cannot be described independently of the other. Another central principle of quantum theory is that before a particle is measured, it doesn’t have a definite state but… More Quantum Entanglenment Continue reading →

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Where’s Waldo?

Posted on March 15, 2016 by impossibleensign

You thought finding Waldo was hard, searching for life in the universe might be a little harder… Continue reading →

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Spaghettification

Posted on March 15, 2016 by OscarBen

The event horizon of a black hole is the point of no return. When an object gets close to this event horizon, extreme tidal forces from the black hole create a gravitational field that is so strong it begins to compress objects into long, thin shapes, like spaghetti. These are the same tidal forces we’ve discussed… More Spaghettification Continue reading →

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What the Heck is a Pulsar?!

Posted on March 15, 2016 by 2016spaceodyssey

Have you ever heard of something called a pulsar?  If not then you are missing out because they are one of the strangest and most fascinating objects in the universe.  A pulsar is a special kind of neutron star, that means that the star is pretty much entirely made up of only neutrons held together […] Continue reading →

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What the Heck is a Pulsar?!

Posted on March 15, 2016 by 2016spaceodyssey

Have you ever heard of something called a pulsar?  If not then you are missing out because they are one of the strangest and most fascinating objects in the universe.  A pulsar is a special kind of neutron star, that means that the star is pretty much entirely made up of only neutrons held together […] Continue reading →

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Problems of Nuclear Fusion for Energy

Posted on March 14, 2016 by jasperluastronomy

Scientists have known how to use the process of nuclear fusion as a weapon for over 50 years at this point. However, we have yet to find a way to repurpose it as a safe, nearly unlimited energy source. One of the main issues that researchers are facing with trying to tackle this issue is […] Continue reading →

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A Year in Space

Posted on March 11, 2016 by alecsolarsystem

Just last month Scott Kelly finished what many of us would deem unbearable: spending a year in space. For almost an entire year, Scott Kelly lived with fellow Russian Cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko on the International Space Station in order to see the effects that long durations in zero-gravity conditions have on the human body. Prior to […] Continue reading →

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The Slowest Speed of Light

Posted on February 16, 2016 by nickwtheastronomer

Quickly imagine the speed of light. It’s fast right? I’m sure you’ve been taught that the average speed of light falls somewhere around 3 x 10^8 m/s (6.706 x 10^8 mph) and you are partially correct. But what if I told you that you would have been equally right with an answer of just 38 […] Continue reading →

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