Category Archives: SolarSystem

Io

Posted on April 7, 2019 by calebglotta

Io is one of the closest and most prominent of Jupiter’s moons. Surprisingly, Io has the most volcanic activity of any of the worlds in our solar system. Usually, people think of moons as large barren rocks (similar to our own) however, Io breaks that mold. Because Io has such a large amount of volcanoes, … Continue reading Io → Continue reading →

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A Moon Above the Rest: Jupiter’s Moon Ganymede

Posted on April 2, 2019 by reallyroyalqueen

Galileo Galilei discovered many “luminous objects” in 1610 that were orbiting Jupiter. Thought to be stars, it was discovered that they were moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. Ganymede is the largest moon in the Solar System and is even larger than the planet Mercury. It is the only satellite in the Solar System known to possess a … Continue reading A Moon Above the Rest: Jupiter’s Moon Ganymede → Continue reading →

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Asteroid Defense Systems

Posted on April 2, 2019 by Jonathan Roberts

As it currently stands, Earth has no recourse if a large asteroid decides to strike. Something on the scale of the Cretaceous-Paleogene event would devastate humanity. So, how do we protect ourselves against such an impact? Enter NASA and the “National Near-Earth Object Preparedness and Strategy Plan.” According to them, five steps need to be … Continue reading Asteroid Defense Systems → Continue reading →

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The Energy within the Sun

Posted on March 13, 2019 by kierannaughton5896

The sun is a main sequence star, which means it is powered through the process of nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion is the process of multiple (two or more) nuclei combining to form a completely different nuclei. This process occurs under extreme conditions and releases immense amounts of energy. The sun, at its core (literally), is … Continue reading The Energy within the Sun → Continue reading →

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Expanding a Trillion Dollar Industry

Posted on March 12, 2019 by dayvon

Many are familiar with mining on Earth to obtain resources that we use for all sorts of things on the planet. What many don’t know is that this process can be, and most likely will be, expanded beyond the planet. Asteroids contain many of the resources found on Earth since they are basically leftover material … Continue reading Expanding a Trillion Dollar Industry → Continue reading →

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Mars: Investigating the Red Planet

Posted on March 12, 2019 by Sam Bianco

In his hit song “Rocket Man”, musical legend Elton John aptly remarks that “Mars ain’t the kind of place to raise your kids / In fact it’s cold as hell.” The average surface temperature of Mars is 220 Kelvin, or about -64 degrees Fahrenheit. Now, I’m not sure about hell, but that’s definitely too cold … Continue reading Mars: Investigating the Red Planet → Continue reading →

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The Sun – the heart of our solar system

Posted on March 12, 2019 by alfredprah

Planetary System The star at the center of the solar system plays a special role for us here on earth. It was formed about 4.5 billion years ago, in the Orion spur (in the milky way galaxy). It was born from the collapse of a cloud and dust called the “solar nebula”. It then condensed … Continue reading The Sun – the heart of our solar system → Continue reading →

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Radioactivity 101. Is the sun radioactive?

Posted on March 12, 2019 by alfredprah

sun spots and solar flares Chemical reactions occur because atoms strive for stability. Just like the outer electrons require a certain number of electrons to become stable, the nucleus requires a certain number of protons and neutrons to achieve this stability. The decomposition (breaking down) of the nucleus to achieve this stability is what we … Continue reading Radioactivity 101. Is the sun radioactive? → Continue reading →

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Jovian Planets

Posted on March 12, 2019 by michaelfung1661

Jovian planets always interested me. The term “Jovian” is naturally everyone’s first guess – derived from the Latin root, Iovis, or Jovis. It’s a 3rd declension, genitive singular noun, so any classics nerds should know that it very specifically translates to OF Jupiter. I don’t know, I just find it interesting that an entire class … Continue reading Jovian Planets → Continue reading →

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Saturn’s Rings and Shepherd Moons

Posted on March 12, 2019 by michaelfung1661

One topic regarding Saturn’s rings that I found extremely interesting was the concept of its Shepherd Moons and how they contribute to the uniformity of the rings. If my understanding and memory are correct, this phenomenon is governed by conservation of energy. Essentially, the moons are on opposite sides of the ring, where the moon … Continue reading Saturn’s Rings and Shepherd Moons → Continue reading →

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