Category Archives: Moons

The Largest body not to get the planetary nod

Posted on April 8, 2014 by haydenwalling

Ganymede is the largest body in the solar system not to receive the distinction of being a planet ranking at number 9 in size for the solar system. Larger than even mercury, Ganymede is approximately 41.3% the radius of Earth yet strangely is comprised out of only 2.5% its mass. The ultra light moon lacks […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Historical, Moons | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The Largest body not to get the planetary nod

Weird Life on Titan?

Posted on April 7, 2014 by joshkphilips

Image Source People are fascinated by the Universe for a variety of reasons. Some are intrigued by black holes, while others may be obsessed with the formation of stars and planets. But one thing is for sure, the possibility of life elsewhere is definitely an exciting topic no matter what you’re interested in. When we […] Continue reading →

Posted in Aliens, Moons | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Weird Life on Titan?

The Moon Rock Thief

Posted on March 17, 2014 by Leigh

Thad Roberts was accepted into NASA’s “Co-op” program for aspiring astronauts in 2001, where he became known as a risk-taker and rule-breaker. There are 842 pounds of moon rocks held by NASA, some of which were in Dr. Everett Gibson’s … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Moons | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The Moon Rock Thief

Exploration of Europa

Posted on March 17, 2014 by joshkphilips

Image Source For years now, scientists have been fascinated with Jupiter’s fourth largest moon known as Europa. What makes Europa such an interesting subject is the fact that it is home to a saltwater ocean beneath a layer of ice. Such characteristics make Europa the most likely other place in our Solar System to have […] Continue reading →

Posted in Moons | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Exploration of Europa

The Moon’s Effects on the Ocean

Posted on February 17, 2014 by kaswat

Generally, if you’ve ever been on the ocean, you understand the concept of tides. You put your umbrella and chair up at noon near the edge of the ocean and you fall asleep and you wake up a few hours later in the middle of the waves. You didn’t move, so the ocean had to… Continue reading →

Posted in Moons, Observables | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The Moon’s Effects on the Ocean

Tides

Posted on February 17, 2014 by karapetros

This video is a cool, informative, easy understand animation of how the gravitational pull between the Earth and the Moon affect tides. It clearly and concisely describes how tidal forces cause high tides twice per day even though the moon is only overhead once per day and why the gravity is weaker at a greater … Continue reading Tides → Continue reading →

Posted in Moons, Physics | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Tides

Tides

Posted on February 16, 2014 by katiew

Many people know that tides rise and fall as a result of the Moon, but often times people are unaware that the Sun also exerts a tidal force on the Earth. Tides are caused by gravitational force, which depends on the mass of the objects pulling on each other and the distance between them. The […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Moons, Sun | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Tides

Lunar Eclipses Explained

Posted on January 27, 2014 by joshkip

After reading chapter 2 of our textbook, one of things that surprised me was the distinction between solar and lunar eclipses, and how – on an everyday basis – we seem to use the term “eclipse” only when it refers … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Moons, Observables | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Lunar Eclipses Explained

The Complex Chemistry of Titan

Posted on April 28, 2013 by jacob933

A recent experiment by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory simulating Titan’s atmosphere has shown that there is some exciting chemistry going on not only in it’s upper atmosphere, but in the lower atmosphere too! Before this, scientists had assumed that as you got closer to the surface, the air became “dull and inert.” However, this team […] Continue reading →

Posted in Moons | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on The Complex Chemistry of Titan

The Galilean Moons

Posted on April 10, 2013 by rtjobe

The Galilean moons of Jupiter are in order of distance Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. They are the four largest and most prominent of the 67 moons orbiting Jupiter, these four moons are some of the largest moons in the solar system–Callisto and Ganymede are even larger than Mercury, while Io and Europa are smaller […] Continue reading →

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