Category Archives: Moons

Growing up on the Moon

Posted on February 10, 2016 by jasperluastronomy

We talked a bit in class on Tuesday about what would happen to someone’s body if he were to spend too long in space. His bones would start deteriorating, his muscles would get weaker, and his body would produce less blood as he adjusts to zero G. I was reminded while we were talking about […] Continue reading →

Posted in Moons | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Growing up on the Moon

Your Zodiac Sign is Wrong: 3 Misconceptions You Have About the Night-Sky

Posted on January 26, 2016 by harperastronomyblog

We all get it. You’re a Capricorn or a Taurus or a Sagittarius or a(n) [any other zodiac constellation]. You’ve read all of your horoscopes, and they fit your personality soooo well. “This is so me,” you might yell to your friends, completely disregarding the fact that they don’t care which vague internet prediction you identify with. […] Continue reading →

Posted in Aliens, Class, Dwarf Planets, Exoplanets, Galaxies, General, Historical, Instruments, Jovians, Light, Moons, Observables, Outreach, Physics, Planet Rings, Public Policy, Science, Small SS Objects, SolarSystem, Space Travel, Stars, Sun, Terrestrials, Universe | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Your Zodiac Sign is Wrong: 3 Misconceptions You Have About the Night-Sky

The Lunar Cycle

Posted on January 20, 2016 by hallesolar

The moon completes it orbit around Earth every 29.5 days, creating the lunar cycle. The most interesting thing I learned from the Chapter 2 reading was that the word “month” is meant to sound like “moon” – I’m surprised I never knew the origin of the word before! As the moon orbits Earth, we are able […] Continue reading →

Posted in Moons | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The Lunar Cycle

Io being squeezed

Posted on April 6, 2015 by lindenmuthadam

We all know that Jupiter exerts tremendous tidal squeezing on Io, but we need images to truly grasp the magnitude of this force. This image shows Io spewing a 200 mile high volcanic plume! For reference, that is greater than the distance from Nashville to Knoxville! It is baffling to think that tidal squeezing alone […] Continue reading →

Posted in Moons | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Io being squeezed

Ganymede’s Ocean

Posted on April 5, 2015 by pgolemanska

When we think of Earth we tend to associate it very strongly with water and life. It makes sense since water covers up 75% of Earth’s surface. Water in liquid form seems to be unique to our world … or does it? … As it turns out, Earth’s salty water oceans may not be the […] Continue reading →

Posted in Instruments, Moons | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Ganymede’s Ocean

The Galilean Moons

Posted on April 5, 2015 by oliviasn

When I went out observing on the 24th Avenue Parking Garage the other night, every astronomical object that I saw through the telescope amazed me, but Jupiter especially captured my attention. I had never viewed Jupiter through a telescope before, and on this beautiful and mostly clear night, I was able to clearly see not […] Continue reading →

Posted in Jovians, Moons | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Galilean Moons

Jupiter’s volcanic moon: Io

Posted on April 5, 2015 by bryancm1

Io sports a surface temperature well below zero (around -130 degrees C). This is heavily contrasted by the fact that Io is also the most volcanically active body in our solar system. It is known to have over 400 currently active volcanoes. If you weren’t yet convinced about the effects of tidal heating, think about […] Continue reading →

Posted in Moons, Observables | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Jupiter’s volcanic moon: Io

Io’s crazy volcanoes!

Posted on April 4, 2015 by karenagrebenc

photo from space.com So, we all know that Io is notoriously the volcanic moon of Jupiter, but apparently a couple of years ago it randomly got…MORE volcanic? According to this article, in August of 2013 three large eruptions occurred on Io.  To put it in perspective, this is the number of large eruptions that we […] Continue reading →

Posted in Moons | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Io’s crazy volcanoes!

An Ocean on a Moon?

Posted on March 16, 2015 by emilyksharp

One of the largest satellites in the solar system is Jupiter’s moon Ganymede. Though Ganymede is classified as a moon …

Continue reading →

Continue reading →

Posted in Jovians, Moons | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on An Ocean on a Moon?

Salt Water Oceans Thought to be on Ganymede

Posted on March 16, 2015 by conorastr201

Astronomers have recently determined that Jupiter’s largest moon Ganymede likely has an ocean of salt water underneath its icy, inhospitable crust. Ganymede is the only moon in our solar system that has a functioning magnetic field; because of this it is also the only one to have auroras. Scientists in Cologne studied these auroras over a […] Continue reading →

Posted in Moons | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Salt Water Oceans Thought to be on Ganymede