Category Archives: Sun

SOHO, the Sun-Watching Satellite

Posted on March 9, 2020 by jackfumagalli

For my post this week, I decided to explore and learn about a spacecraft that I was not familiar with. After some research, I came across SOHO. SOHO is the longest-lived Sun-watching satellite to date. SOHO over its lifetime has been able to observe two full 11-year solar cycles and discover thousands of comets closeContinue reading “SOHO, the Sun-Watching Satellite” Continue reading →

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How Spherical is the Sun?

Posted on March 5, 2020 by Phillip Yoon

From what we know about planets like the Earth and its properties, we may expect the Sun to also experience a bulge, causing its shape to deviate from a perfect sphere. It turns out that the Sun isn’t a perfect sphere, but it’s pretty close to one. If fact, with the help of instruments onContinue reading “How Spherical is the Sun?” Continue reading →

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Spring and Neap Tides

Posted on February 11, 2020 by Rehan John

Many are familiar with the concept that the Moon creates high and low tides on Earth, but few know that the Sun also plays a role in the process. Tides are formed from the gravitational forces of the Sun and Moon pulling on the Earth differently in different places due to variations in distance. TheContinue reading “Spring and Neap Tides” Continue reading →

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Eclipses!

Posted on February 7, 2020 by Rehan John

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon comes in between the path of sunlight and the Earth, casting a shadow on the Earth. Solar eclipses in general are quite rare (only a couple a year), but the moon’s shadow only covers a small portion of the Earth so seeing one is an amazing opportunity. AContinue reading “Eclipses!” Continue reading →

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The Universe is Incomprehensibly Large

Posted on January 21, 2020 by phildowd

Many people have talked about the feeling of walking outside, looking up at the night sky, and feeling small. You look out into the cosmos, see seemingly countless stars, and think that everything you do on earth is just immeasurably small. Despite many people feeling that way, few truly understand the real scope of theContinue reading “The Universe is Incomprehensibly Large” Continue reading →

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The Northern Lights

Posted on April 21, 2019 by richardtli

One of the world’s most fascinating and natural wonders are the Northern Lights. These magical lights come in a variety of dancing colors. This seemingly random light show occurs as a result of interactions of Earth’s magnetic field and atmosphere with solar winds. Solar winds released by the Sun’s sunspot regions travel through space until … Continue reading The Northern Lights → Continue reading →

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Exoplanets 101: Does the earth have a twin?

Posted on April 7, 2019 by alfredprah

Potential Habitable Planets An extrasolar planet is a planet that orbits a star that’s not our sun. Even though these planets can be recognized, and their sizes measured, they are light years away so it would take astronomers thousands of years to reach these extrasolar planets. To detect these planets, scientists use either one of … Continue reading Exoplanets 101: Does the earth have a twin? → 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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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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