Category Archives: Sun

Solar Flares and their Effect on Earth

~”All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them”~ Galileo Galilei In 1610, Galileo Galilei discovered sunspots on the sun in our solar system, showing that space was imperfect. However, little was known about these sun spots until the late 19th century. Astronomical researchers discovered that the sunspots […] Continue reading

Posted in Class, Light, SolarSystem, Sun | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Solar Flares and their Effect on Earth

Blog 1 – Solstices, Equinoxes, and Seasons

Traditionally, the Solstices mark the beginning of the most treacherous seasons. Being from Miami, when the summer solstice came around everyone always knew that the days would only get hotter. Once the winter solstice hit, we always prayed that there would be some form of respite (news flash, rarely was). Arguably, this is the worst […] Continue reading

Posted in Sun | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Blog 1 – Solstices, Equinoxes, and Seasons

Speed of light in Space

Picture by: FlashMovie/Shutterstock Light moves pretty fast. It actually moves the FASTEST out of anything that we know of (for now). Light moves at about 300,000 kilometers per second. When I’m in a rush on the freeway, I drive up to 145 kilometers per hour (90 miles per hour) which is only 0.04 kilometers a […] Continue reading

Posted in Class, Light, Sun | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Speed of light in Space

The Speed of Light/Light Travel Time – Cameron Klein

Before beginning this course, I was familiar with the term light-year, but not in the way that it is truly meant to be used. When talking to members of my family, it is a common expression for us to say, “It’s going to take me lightyears to clean my room!” or “Doing my laundry is […] Continue reading

Posted in Light, Sun | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on The Speed of Light/Light Travel Time – Cameron Klein

Blog #6: Detecting Extrasolar Planets

The photo above features the transit method of detecting extrasolar planets. Detecting extrasolar planets is a very delicate and challenging task for scientists. The distances between stars and relative sizes of stars compared to planets make it extremely hard to pick them out. Stars are also typically a billion times brighter than planets. There are […] Continue reading

Posted in General, Jovians, Stars, Sun, Terrestrials | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Blog #6: Detecting Extrasolar Planets

Solar Eclipse

The Sun provides us the most necessary elements for life, and is the reason why we can see whatever surrounds us. The objects reflect sunlight and as those light reaches our eyes, we pick up the signals and “see” the objects. What would the world look like if the sun were to magically disappear? Solar […] Continue reading

Posted in Class, Sun | Tagged , | Comments Off on Solar Eclipse

Post 6

Many people may remember the last total solar eclipse that was visible from North America. It occurred on August 21, 2017. The next total solar eclipse that covers North America, and the only one for the next 20 years, will occur on April 8, 2024—almost one year from today. Total solar eclipses are a fascinating […] Continue reading

Posted in Science, Sun | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Post 6

Touching the Sun

Many space missions are aimed outwards, away from the center of our solar system into the deep unknown. Fewer are aimed inwards, because what else is there to explore? The Sun is a fiery ball of extraordinary mass that we likely have no hope of making contact with soon, but how close can we get? […] Continue reading

Posted in Class, Instruments, Sun | Tagged , | Comments Off on Touching the Sun

Nuclear Fusion

At noon on a hot summer’s day, have you ever wondered how the Sun acquires so much energy that the light coming from it, 150 million kilometers away, can bring so much heat that it even burns your eyes and skin? The answer lies in hydrogen fusion happening in the Sun’s core. In its initial […] Continue reading

Posted in Class, Sun | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Nuclear Fusion

Blog #3 – Theories For the Sun’s Energy Source

Many scientific theories attempted to explain the source of the Sun’s energy, and the very first hypothesis involved some explanation pertaining to chemical reactions and gravitational collapse. Chemical burning, however, was ruled since no chemically burning substance like wood or gasoline can account for the Sun’s enormous luminosity. As for gravitational collapse, the conversion of […] Continue reading

Posted in Sun | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Blog #3 – Theories For the Sun’s Energy Source