Category Archives: Sun

Nuclear Fusion Powering Earth

Posted on April 2, 2017 by astr2110tmcm

The core of the Sun is at such extreme temperature and pressure that in that core hydrogen atoms are constantly fusing into helium and giving off massive amounts of energy. The Sun fuses about 4.25 million metric tonnes of hydrogen every second, which provides a power generation of 3.8 x 10^26 watts. By contrast, the […] Continue reading →

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The Solar Wind: Seeing with Eyes Shut

Posted on March 27, 2017 by brynnabhall

When thinking about outer space at a much more basic level, I remember being taught to think of the word “vacuum.” And as the narrator says in the video I watched, the space between planets is far from empty. A unique aspect of the sun’s weather known as the solar wind fills up some of … More The Solar Wind: Seeing with Eyes Shut Continue reading →

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Formation of the Solar System

Posted on March 20, 2017 by josiezd

Approximately 13.8 billion years ago, an interstellar cloud of gas known as the solar nebula collapsed under its own gravity due to some cataclysmic event… Continue reading →

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Solar Eclipse in August

Posted on February 14, 2017 by elliottlifeastronomy

This August 21, Nashville, TN will have one of the best views in the United States to view the upcoming solar eclipse.  Middle Tennessee will have around 2 minutes 30 seconds of eclipse and will be right in the path of the total eclipse.  The eclipse will begin at around 1:30 pm, Central Time. This […] Continue reading →

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Solar Probe Plus

Posted on February 14, 2017 by Nick Belsten

In 1976, NASA’s Helios 2 spacecraft set the current distance record by orbiting the Sun with a closest approach of 43.4 million kilometers. Even though this is barely inside the orbit of Mercury, the intense heat close to the Sun has previously prevented any closer observation. The Goddard Space flight Center “Living with a Star … Continue reading Solar Probe Plus → Continue reading →

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Solar Probe Plus

Posted on February 14, 2017 by Nick Belsten

In 1976, NASA’s Helios 2 spacecraft set the current distance record by orbiting the Sun with a closest approach of 43.4 million kilometers. Even though this is barely inside the orbit of Mercury, the intense heat close to the Sun has previously prevented any closer observation. The Goddard Space flight Center “Living with a Star … Continue reading Solar Probe Plus → Continue reading →

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Manhattanhenge

Posted on February 10, 2017 by Nick Belsten

Four-thousand years ago, early Europeans’ connected with the Cosmos every Summer Solstice by watching the midsummer sunrise directly over the Heel Stone in what we now call Stonehenge. These early people recognized that where the sun rises and sets on the horizon cycles North and South with the seasons. Today, thousands of people gather four times … Continue reading Manhattanhenge → Continue reading →

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Celestial Navigation 101: The Sextant

Posted on February 6, 2017 by connormorency

The purpose of the sextant is to measure the angle between an astronomical object and the horizon, and ultimately get … More Continue reading →

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Sun: Where do you see yourself in 5 billion years?

Posted on March 15, 2016 by samihahplanet

Currently, our nearest and dearest star is at the ripe middle age of about 4.5 billion years old. This means that the Sun is a “main sequence star,” so it converts the hydrogen in its core to helium. However, about 4 billion years from now, the Sun will being to transition to a red giant, […] Continue reading →

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Sun: Where do you see yourself in 5 billion years?

Posted on March 15, 2016 by samihahplanet

Currently, our nearest and dearest star is at the ripe middle age of about 4.5 billion years old. This means that the Sun is a “main sequence star,” so it converts the hydrogen in its core to helium. However, about 4 billion years from now, the Sun will being to transition to a red giant, […] Continue reading →

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