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Category Archives: Science
Wanderers of Space
In this post we will talk about the concept of retrograde motion. If you watch the movement of planets, it is actually quite complex. The word planet comes from a greek term meaning “wandering star”. Planets typically move eastward throughout the constellations. When there is apparent retrograde motion the planets are moving westward throughout theContinue reading “Wanderers of Space” Continue reading
Tides and the Planets
Primarily, the tides on Earth are controlled by the Moon. The gravitational pull of the Moon causes the tides to fluctuate between high and low. Though small, even the Sun has a tiny impact on the tides. Whenever both the Moon and the Sun align, the tidal range, However, what about the other celestial bodiesContinue reading “Tides and the Planets” Continue reading
Reconciling Science and Religion
In 1615, Galileo wrote a letter to the Grand Duchess Christina (read: the Church) “to accommodate Copernicanism with the doctrines of the Catholic Church … [by] arguing that the Copernican theory was not just a mathematical calculating tool, but a physical reality” (source). In his letter, Galileo claimed – among other things – the following:Continue reading “Reconciling Science and Religion” Continue reading
Posted in Class, Historical, Science
Tagged astro2110, astronomy, blog2, church, galileo, geocentrism, religion, Solar System
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Astronomy & the Catholic Church
Although some might make the claim that the Catholic Church has and always will be anti-science (a myth perpetuated partly by Catholic fundamentalism), the church has actually had a longstanding relationship with the sciences dating as far back as the early Middle Ages. [1] The beginning of the church’s interest in astronomy began when issues… Continue reading
The Cosmic Calendar
The Cosmic Calendar was created to help visualize the chronology of the universe. It takes the 13.8 billion year history of the universe and scales it to 1 year. I think it is a great concept because it really helps to put in perspective how long the universe has been around. To think that ChristContinue reading “The Cosmic Calendar” Continue reading
How Life Could Start and Exist on Europa
Although our understanding of the evolutionary process is deep, the exact time and process through which the first life forms on Earth arose is still not entirely clear. The panspermia hypothesis speculates that life exists throughout the universe and is distributed through asteroids, comets, and space dust, and that life on Earth was brought fromContinue reading “How Life Could Start and Exist on Europa” Continue reading
Solar Winds
Solar winds are arguably one of the most destructive forces in our solar system. As a kid, I never took these forces into account when thinking about space travel. In my mind, as long as you avoided flying your space ship directly into the sun (which I thought was on fire, of course), our starContinue reading “Solar Winds” Continue reading
The Interiors of the Giants of the Solar System
The giants of our solar system, other than the Sun of course, are quite different from the terrestrial planets whether it comes to the atmospheres, the surfaces, size, or other planetary features. One key difference is the interior of these giant planets. Terrestrial planets, for context, have a very dense core followed by a rockyContinue reading “The Interiors of the Giants of the Solar System” Continue reading
Why Does Titan Have an Atmosphere?
It’s pretty perplexing as to why Saturn’s moon, Titan, has such a thick atmosphere but a planet like Mars does not. Since the most widely accepted explanation of why Mars has such a thin atmosphere is it losing its magnetosphere as its core cooled and does not contain nearly as much metallic iron has theContinue reading “Why Does Titan Have an Atmosphere?” Continue reading
Posted in Class, Moons, Science, Terrestrials
Tagged astro2110, atmospheres, blog5, Solar System, titan
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The Northern Lights
The Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon that appear to be fresh out of a fantasy novel. Otherwise known as Aurora Borealis, these lights are the product of the Earth’s magnetic field and high energy particles from the sun. Normally our magnetic field is invisible, but in certain locations, like the Earth’s poles, they becomeContinue reading “The Northern Lights” Continue reading
Posted in Class, Science
Tagged astro2110, Magnetosphere, northern lights, Travel
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