Category Archives: SolarSystem

Never Tell Me The Odds

Posted on April 7, 2019 by JSpin

One of the best getaway scenes in movie history is in The Empire Strikes Back, when Han Solo navigates the Millennium Falcon through an asteroid field, with TIE Fighters in hot pursuit. The scene starts with the Falcon getting hit by two asteroids. The asteroid field appears to have thousands of asteroids all flying around … Continue reading Never Tell Me The Odds → Continue reading →

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The Dawn Mission!

Posted on April 7, 2019 by michaelfung1661

As I was reading through Chapter 12 I came across text on the Dawn Mission and my curiosity led me to searching for more! For something I hadn’t heard of before, its profound contributions and interesting factoids are beyond astonishing! I am a huge – and I mean HUGE – Star Wars fanatic, and to … Continue reading The Dawn Mission! → Continue reading →

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Makemake

Posted on April 7, 2019 by richardficek

Makemake is a reddish-brown dwarf planet in the outer solar system and the fourth body identified as a dwarf planet; it, along with Eris and Haumea, were responsible for Pluto’s drop in status from planet to dwarf planet. It is the second brightest known object in the outer solar system (behind Pluto) and is 870 miles (1,400 … Continue reading Makemake → Continue reading →

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Has Anyone Been Hit By a Meteorite?

Posted on April 7, 2019 by Campbell Flower

We are pretty used to things falling from the sky unexpectedly, as this often results in humans falling victim to injury. So it is pretty natural to ask, has anyone been hit by a meteorite: a piece of rock and metal that has survived passage from space through Earth’s atmosphere and ultimately fallen to Earth’s … Continue reading Has Anyone Been Hit By a Meteorite? → Continue reading →

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Jupiter’s Eclectic Moons

Posted on April 7, 2019 by Aaron Molotsky

As we’ve seen in our study of the Jovian planets, the actual planets themselves aren’t the only important space-related object that provides useful and insightful information. Every Jovian planet has some sort of celestial object orbiting or surrounding it, especially the moons surrounding Jupiter. Discovered by Galileo Galilei way back in 1610 (on January 10th), … Continue reading Jupiter’s Eclectic Moons → Continue reading →

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A Different Kind Of Tide

Posted on April 7, 2019 by josiahgray12

  Ok, this image may be a little deceiving. If you haven’t guessed already, I’m going to write a little about tidal heating. Tidal heating has nothing to do with making the tides on Earth catch on fire, I just thought that was a beautiful image and it made for a good pun. Tidal heating is … Continue reading A Different Kind Of Tide → Continue reading →

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Jovian Planet’s Rings

Posted on April 7, 2019 by anna_h

Contrary to popular belief, Saturn is not the only planet in our Solar System with rings. In fact, all four jovian planets have rings, but Saturn’s are just the most noticeable because of their reflective properties. Jupiter’s rings are made of small, dark particles, which is why it is hard to detect them in photographs. … Continue reading Jovian Planet’s Rings Continue reading →

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Exoplanets 101: Does the earth have a twin?

Posted on April 7, 2019 by alfredprah

Potential Habitable Planets An extrasolar planet is a planet that orbits a star that’s not our sun. Even though these planets can be recognized, and their sizes measured, they are light years away so it would take astronomers thousands of years to reach these extrasolar planets. To detect these planets, scientists use either one of … Continue reading Exoplanets 101: Does the earth have a twin? → Continue reading →

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Europa

Posted on April 7, 2019 by dayvon

Europa, a moon of the planet Jupiter, was discovered in 1610 by Galileo Galilei and Simon Marius. It is a little smaller than Earth’s moon, and it has one of the smoothest surfaces in the solar system. The surface is made up of water ice with long, linear lines fracturing it. The low number of … Continue reading Europa → Continue reading →

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Probing the Mysteries of 50000 QUAOAR

Posted on April 7, 2019 by chiefkeith7

Hundreds of millions of miles beyond the orbit of Neptune lurks one of the most intriguing objects in the Solar System, 50000 Quaoar. 50000 Quaoar is notable for multiple reasons, but the most apparent is its name. Quaoar is the name of the creator deity of the Tongva people in the Los Angeles Basin. The … Continue reading Probing the Mysteries of 50000 QUAOAR → Continue reading →

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