May 2024 S M T W T F S « Apr 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Archives
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- July 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
Currently Used Categories
Tag Cloud
- astro201
- astro2110
- astrobiology
- astronomy
- blog1
- blog2
- blog3
- blog4
- blog5
- blog6
- blog7
- blog8
- blog9
- blog10
- brahe
- Comets
- Copernicus
- earth
- Europa
- extremophiles
- galilei
- galileo
- gravity
- history
- HW2
- HW6
- jupiter
- Kepler
- life
- Mars
- me
- Moon
- NASA
- Newton
- planets
- pluto
- saturn
- Solar System
- space
- spacecraft
- technology
- telescopes
- tides
- Time
- Uncategorized
Category Archives: Sun
Solar Flares
The sun is massive. And despite it being so far away, I can’t help but wonder if activity on the sun could possibly effect life on Earth. Enter: solar flares. According to NASA, solar flares are “great bursts of electromagnetic energy and particles that can sometimes stream from the Sun”. Occasionally, solar maximums occur whichContinue reading “Solar Flares” Continue reading
A History of Observing the Sun
Kevin Durant, a two-time NBA champion, once tweeted: “I’m wondering how do these people kno what’s goin on on the the sun.. ain’t nobody ever been.” Like his tweet from 2010, I too wondered how humans have been able to study the Sun’s surface and what discoveries have been made to determine the surface’s characteristics.Continue reading “A History of Observing the Sun” Continue reading
The Next Ice Age?
As we all know, the sun is an incredibly vital part of our daily lives and is the, “constant force that is keeping our planets in orbit, providing Earth with just the right amount of light and warmth for life…” and even governs our daily schedules in which we have created the concept of timeContinue reading “The Next Ice Age?” Continue reading
No sunspots on the Sun?
Have you ever seen pictures of the Sun and noticed that it has dark spots on its surface? These sunspots are cooler than the other regions on the Sun, but they also represent the beginning of new solar cycles. In fact, some signs point to the next cycle, Cycle 25, having a much smaller numberContinue reading “No sunspots on the Sun?” Continue reading
Posted in Class, Observables, Sun
Tagged astro2110, blog4, Solar System, Solar System: Sun, sunspots
Comments Off on No sunspots on the Sun?
Aurora Borealis
Aurora borealis, or the “Northern lights,” as it is often called, is the result of our Earth’s magnetosphere deflecting harmful particles from the Sun from the Earth. They can best be seen from the Arctic Circle (Canada, Iceland, Finland, etc.). Every aurora in the solar system originates from the Sun. Periodically, the Sun has stormsContinue reading “Aurora Borealis” Continue reading
Posted in Light, Observables, Sun
Tagged astro2110, Aurora, blog4, Magnetosphere, northernlights, photons, Solar System: Sun
Comments Off on Aurora Borealis
The Danger of a Coronal Mass Ejection
A Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) is essentially a powerful expulsion of plasma and accompanying magnetic field from the solar corona, or the sort of aura of plasma that surrounds our Sun. While they have an extremely cool name, and seem pretty neat, they could actually have a pretty significant impact on humanity. The Sun has an incrediblyContinue reading “The Danger of a Coronal Mass Ejection” Continue reading
The Sun
It is fascinating to think about the Sun. As we all know, it is our solar system’s star. The Sun’s energy, in the form of heat and light, is absolutely essential to all life on Earth. Plants need the Sun in order to go through photosynthesis and live, animals need the Sun for its foodContinue reading “The Sun” Continue reading
What if the Carrington Event Occurred Today?
Are we ready for a Carrington-level event today? The short answer- not really. In 1859, Richard Carrington observed “two patches of intensely bright and white light” (a solar flare followed by a coronal mass ejection) on the surface of the Sun. The next morning, brilliant red, green, and purple auroral displays appeared as far as… Continue reading
Posted in Class, Historical, Sun
Tagged astro2110, blog3, technology
Comments Off on What if the Carrington Event Occurred Today?
Newgrange
When reading up on archaeoastronomy, I was immediately fascinated by Newgrange, a structure located in Ireland. This fascination was not only due to my slight obsession with Ireland, but also because of its age. It was built roughly around 3200 BC, meaning it is actually older than the Egyptian pyramids and Stonehenge! On the outside,Continue reading “Newgrange” Continue reading
Posted in Historical, Light, Sun
Tagged archaeoastronomy, astro2110, blog2
Comments Off on Newgrange
Astronomy & the Catholic Church
Although some might make the claim that the Catholic Church has and always will be anti-science (a myth perpetuated partly by Catholic fundamentalism), the church has actually had a longstanding relationship with the sciences dating as far back as the early Middle Ages. [1] The beginning of the church’s interest in astronomy began when issues… Continue reading