Category Archives: Sun

When the Sun Dies

All good things must come to an end, including the ancient (at least relative to humanity), life-giving star we see each day. Even though the sun is considered a young star, it still has a finite lifetime, and it will eventually “die” in about 5 billion years. The image above shows a rough timeline of […] Continue reading

Posted in Class, Stars, Sun | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on When the Sun Dies

Blog #4: Coronal Mass Ejections

Coronal Mass Ejections are ejections of solar wind and plasma from our Sun’s corona. The blast from a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME), carries about a billion tons of material away from the sun at speeds ranging from 250 km/s to almost 3000 km/s. (NOAA) If they are directed toward Earth when they are ejected from […] Continue reading

Posted in Class, Physics, Sun | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Blog #4: Coronal Mass Ejections

The Sun’s Nuclear Fusion

The Sun has been producing a huge amount of energy for over 4 billion years through nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion is the process by which the Sun converts mass to energy. Albert Einstein’s equation, E=mc^2, reveals that a little bit of mass has a huge amount of potential energy which indicates why the sun has […] Continue reading

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

Blog 1 – Initial Review of SkyView Lite

SkyView Lite is an iPhone application that allows the user to point their phone at different parts of the sky and see an overlay of constellations in the direction that they point. I downloaded the app and tried it out. This post is going to be about my experience using the app. The app works […] Continue reading

Posted in Class, Stars, Sun | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Blog 1 – Initial Review of SkyView Lite

The speed of light and what it means for the Earth-Sun system.

The speed of light is one of the most important laws (or principles) in our Universe. The speed of light determines what we see and when we see it, as well as providing a universal “speed-limit” for countless celestial objects that zoom throughout the universe. I find it illuminating to consider the speed of light […] Continue reading

Posted in Light, Sun | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The speed of light and what it means for the Earth-Sun system.

Totality

On August 21, 2017, my family and I drove from Atlanta, Georgia to Clemson University in South Carolina to witness the solar eclipse in totality. Atlanta reached 97% totality, but Clemson reached complete totality: At about 2:37 PM, the moon completely covered the sun, positioning itself perfectly between earth and the sun and casting a […] Continue reading

Posted in Class, SolarSystem, Sun | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Totality

Blog #1: Why is our neighborhood special?

But what about our place in the solar system makes life so conducive to earth? Why don’t we have cousins on Mars that we spend Thanksgiving with? Why doesn’t my uncle live on Venus? Continue reading

Posted in Class, Physics, Sun, Universe | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Blog #1: Why is our neighborhood special?

Total Solar Eclipse

On August 21st, 2017, the citizens of Oregon to South Carolina got to see a total Solar Eclipse. Although there is a total solar eclipse approximately every 18 months visible somewhere on Earth, the odds of the eclipse’s path passing over head where you can see it is much lower. Many mathematicians and scientist have […] Continue reading

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

May the 4th be with you: the Twin Suns of Tatooine

One of my recent blogs crushed the dreams of many Star Wars fans by debunking the close proximity of asteroids within an asteroid field in The Empire Strikes Back. That is why, in the spirit of Star Wars Day, I will be sharing an aspect of the films that Star Wars ended up getting correct:Continue reading “May the 4th be with you: the Twin Suns of Tatooine” Continue reading

Posted in Aliens, Class, Exoplanets, Stars, Sun, Universe | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on May the 4th be with you: the Twin Suns of Tatooine

ExploreSol

It might surprise you to know that the sun is over 90 million miles away from us! That’s right: something that far away is able to provide us with life-saving light and warmth. A process called nuclear fusion is responsible for the sun’s tremendous heat and brilliant shine. Though it may look different from otherContinue reading “ExploreSol” Continue reading

Posted in Class, Sun | Tagged , , | Comments Off on ExploreSol