Category Archives: SolarSystem

How Does the Sun Create Enough Energy to Reach the Entire Solar System?

Posted on March 15, 2020 by sheagordon

The heat and light energy, that which allows for life on Earth and provides energy for the entire solar systems, comes from a powerful yet simply process from deep within the core of the sun. This process is called nuclear fusion. Essentially, single protons, which can also be defined as singular hydrogen molecules, fuse togetherContinue reading “How Does the Sun Create Enough Energy to Reach the Entire Solar System?” Continue reading →

Posted in Light, Sun | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on How Does the Sun Create Enough Energy to Reach the Entire Solar System?

Atmospheres of the Terrestrial Worlds

Posted on March 15, 2020 by Reece Boggs

The difference in surface conditions of the first four terrestrial planets can be explained almost solely by their atmospheres rather than their proximity to the Sun. Mercury has very little atmosphere to where it does not really play a factor in this, but the stark differences between Venus, Earth and Mars can be explained throughContinue reading “Atmospheres of the Terrestrial Worlds” Continue reading →

Posted in Physics, Terrestrials | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Atmospheres of the Terrestrial Worlds

Parker Solar Probe: Understanding Coronal Dynamics

Posted on March 15, 2020 by Dan Pitagora

Launched on August 12th, 2018, the Parker Solar Probe will make the closest approach to the Sun in history. Over a time period of roughly seven years, PSP will use Venus for gravitational assist to make successively closer approaches to the Sun at distances as small as 4 million miles from the sun’s surface. PSPContinue reading “Parker Solar Probe: Understanding Coronal Dynamics” Continue reading →

Posted in Instruments, Sun | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Parker Solar Probe: Understanding Coronal Dynamics

Mass of the Sun

Posted on March 12, 2020 by seths1

Source: space.com Learning about the planets in our last few classes (RIP senior year) reaffirmed for me that the earth is indeed very small compared to the other planets in the solar system. But then I read that 99.8% of the mass in the solar system is still contained within the sun! Even though theContinue reading “Mass of the Sun” Continue reading →

Posted in Class, SolarSystem, Sun | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Mass of the Sun

Spacecraft in the Solar System

Posted on March 10, 2020 by Emily Chen

As we have learned so much about the solar system, much of our knowledge comes from telescopic observations, ground-based and those in Earth’s orbit, as well as spacecraft explorations. Robotic spacecraft operate primarily with preprogrammed instructions and carry radios that allow them to communicate with controllers on Earth. Having sent robotic spacecraft missions to numerousContinue reading “Spacecraft in the Solar System” Continue reading →

Posted in Class, SolarSystem | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Spacecraft in the Solar System

How do we name our Solar System?

Posted on March 9, 2020 by Avery Bradley

We all remember learning the mnemonic device in elementary school: My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Noodles (or whatever variation you prefer). Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, the eight planets of our solar system. But what do these names actually mean? How do planets and moons and other stuff inContinue reading “How do we name our Solar System?” Continue reading →

Posted in Moons | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on How do we name our Solar System?

SOHO, the Sun-Watching Satellite

Posted on March 9, 2020 by jackfumagalli

For my post this week, I decided to explore and learn about a spacecraft that I was not familiar with. After some research, I came across SOHO. SOHO is the longest-lived Sun-watching satellite to date. SOHO over its lifetime has been able to observe two full 11-year solar cycles and discover thousands of comets closeContinue reading “SOHO, the Sun-Watching Satellite” Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Sun | Tagged , , | Comments Off on SOHO, the Sun-Watching Satellite

How Spherical is the Sun?

Posted on March 5, 2020 by Phillip Yoon

From what we know about planets like the Earth and its properties, we may expect the Sun to also experience a bulge, causing its shape to deviate from a perfect sphere. It turns out that the Sun isn’t a perfect sphere, but it’s pretty close to one. If fact, with the help of instruments onContinue reading “How Spherical is the Sun?” Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Physics, Sun | Tagged , , | Comments Off on How Spherical is the Sun?

Spring and Neap Tides

Posted on February 11, 2020 by Rehan John

Many are familiar with the concept that the Moon creates high and low tides on Earth, but few know that the Sun also plays a role in the process. Tides are formed from the gravitational forces of the Sun and Moon pulling on the Earth differently in different places due to variations in distance. TheContinue reading “Spring and Neap Tides” Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Physics, Sun | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Spring and Neap Tides

The Historical Advancement of Astronomy

Posted on February 10, 2020 by williamjturner

After completing the homework assignment on historical astronomers, I found myself diving into the internet to find out more on the astronomers we researched. This trip down the wormhole of the internet led me to an article about Isaac Newton, titled: “What if there was no Apple tree?” This article ponders what would have happenedContinue reading “The Historical Advancement of Astronomy” Continue reading →

Posted in Class, SolarSystem | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on The Historical Advancement of Astronomy