Category Archives: Science

Kepler’s Laws of Planetary Motion

Posted on February 13, 2024 by Tejas Mahesh

After meticulously calculating the data that Tycho Brahe collected, Kepler discovered three different laws that described how planets move. Kepler’s First Law – The planets orbit in ellipses, not circles nor epicycles. For majority of history, it was thought that planets orbit through epicycles because the orbit of the planets must be perfect. However, the […] Continue reading →

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The Banner of Heaven

Posted on February 13, 2024 by Owen Purcell

This term, originally coined in the late nineteenth century, at least with its current connotation, began to speak to me in a unique way in high school. I took a backpacking trip in Northern California, and experienced a dry, warm, cloudless night with no shelter but a mosquito net. The sky was brilliant, and it felt like […] Continue reading →

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Observational Limitation, Scientific Innovation

Posted on February 12, 2024 by John Newell

Our telescopes just keep impressing. There are just so many limitations, on a physics level, that prevent us from observing the Universe around us. Telescopes are hindered by light pollution and atmospheric disturbances on Earth, preventing them from peering into extreme distances. In space itself, obstructions such as gas clouds block our view of more […] Continue reading →

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A tidal bore worth traveling for

Posted on February 12, 2024 by Angela Harris

Mont Saint-Michel at high tide Chapter 4 of the textbook explained how the Moon and the Sun affect ocean tides. We learned that the timing and height of tides at a given location depends on its latitude, the orientation of the coastline, and the depth and shape of any channel the tide has to flow […] Continue reading →

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Blog 2: Tides

Posted on February 12, 2024 by Charles Knoll

Tides represent the ebb and flow of ocean waters, orchestrated by the gravitational influences of both the moon and, to a lesser degree, the sun. As the moon orbits the Earth, its gravitational force interacts with our planet. Despite the moon’s relatively small mass, its gravitational pull, although not immense, varies across the Earth’s surface […] Continue reading →

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Posted on February 6, 2024 by Robert Navarro

Johhanes Kepler was important to astronomy for many reasons, the major reason was for his 3 laws of planetary motion. One of them was that the planets orbit elliptical around the sun. Another is the square of the orbital period of a planet being proportional to the cube of the semi-major axis of orbit. (Link) […] Continue reading →

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Posted on February 6, 2024 by The Cosmic Traveler

by me Galileo Galilei: Born on February 15, 1564, Died on January 8, 1642 Two major historical events during Galileo’s lifetime: A famous historical figure during Galileo’s lifetime:  Queen Elizabeth I: Born on September 7, 1533, Died on March 24, 1603. Queen Elizabeth I established a secure Church of England and laid out a compromise […] Continue reading →

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Posted on February 5, 2024 by Owen Purcell

Historical Figures Nicolaus Copernicus was born on February 19, 1473, and died on May 24, 1543.  Johannes Kepler was born on December 27, 1571, and died on November 15, 1630.  Tycho Brahe was born on December 14, 1546, and died on October 24, 1601.  Galileo Galilei was born on February 15, 1564, and died on […] Continue reading →

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Posted on February 4, 2024 by Andres Becerra

Nicolaus Copernicus Born: February 19th, 1472 Died: May 24th, 1543 Image by: Britannica Nicholas Copernicus was important in astronomy because he opposed the idea that everything revolves around the Earth. He argued that we and all other planets revolved around the sun, not the Earth. He also believed that the orbits of each of the […] Continue reading →

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Posted on February 4, 2024 by Thomas Shelton

Brittanica Johannes Kepler: December 27, 1571 – November 15, 1630– Kepler was originally hired by Tycho Brahe to do many calculations because brahe was not a profound mathematician. After Tycho’s death, Kepler was able to secure some of his formerly privatized data and observations to develop what would become known as Kepler’s Laws of Planetary […] Continue reading →

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