Category Archives: Space Travel

Voyager 2 & Planetary Assists

Posted on February 16, 2016 by mattsastronomyblog

When an object is trying to leave a planet, it must reach escape velocity.  The escape velocity is the speed at which the kinetic energy of the moving body is equal to its gravitational potential energy.  The escape velocity from earth is about 25,000 mph.  So when the Voyager 2 left earth, it had to reach […] Continue reading →

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Where is Everybody?

Posted on February 15, 2016 by astr2110geoffren

The Fermi Paradox questions how is it possible that if there are so many planets orbiting so many stars existing in so many solar systems making up so many galaxies composing so many superclusters creating our observable universe, how is it possible that we haven’t seen any other signs of intelligent life? This has many […] Continue reading →

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Blog #4 Spacecraft and “Gold Foil”

Posted on February 15, 2016 by seanmcsolsys

If you’ve ever seen pictures of satellites being prepped in clean rooms, you’ve probably seen the immense amounts of gold foil covering the crafts. You might think the foil’s purpose is to keep the probe clean until launch, or that gold’s conductive and malleable properties aid the function of the vehicle. For space travel, it’s neither. […] Continue reading →

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The Gravity Slingshot

Posted on February 15, 2016 by martisnv

Recently we discussed a maneuver called the gravity assist. NASA uses this technique frequently, most notably with the Voyager probe during flybys of Jupiter and Saturn. In simplest terms, a gravity assist changes a spacecraft’s velocity by going through a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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What Happens in Space…

Posted on February 12, 2016 by impossibleensign

Unlike Vegas, the effects of your space trip come back to Earth with you. Continue reading →

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Traveling at the Speed of Light

Posted on January 26, 2016 by imanig625

Traveling at the speed of light is entirely impossible in this present day and age, and the question of whether or not we will be able to travel at such a high speed or faster is still unanswerable. The speed of light sets the speed limit for the universe, so that should mean that light… Continue reading →

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Your Zodiac Sign is Wrong: 3 Misconceptions You Have About the Night-Sky

Posted on January 26, 2016 by harperastronomyblog

We all get it. You’re a Capricorn or a Taurus or a Sagittarius or a(n) [any other zodiac constellation]. You’ve read all of your horoscopes, and they fit your personality soooo well. “This is so me,” you might yell to your friends, completely disregarding the fact that they don’t care which vague internet prediction you identify with. […] Continue reading →

Posted in Aliens, Class, Dwarf Planets, Exoplanets, Galaxies, General, Historical, Instruments, Jovians, Light, Moons, Observables, Outreach, Physics, Planet Rings, Public Policy, Science, Small SS Objects, SolarSystem, Space Travel, Stars, Sun, Terrestrials, Universe | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Your Zodiac Sign is Wrong: 3 Misconceptions You Have About the Night-Sky

Observing Deep Space

Posted on January 26, 2016 by mattsastronomyblog

Trying to observe deep space proves to be difficult with the naked eye.  Over time telescopes have allowed humans to see farther and farther into space.  The Hubble space telescope was launched in 1990 and orbits around the Earth.  Because the telescope is in space, there is minimal light pollution.  The telescope lens is almost […] Continue reading →

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Voyager

Posted on January 26, 2016 by mattsastronomyblog

The voyager was sent out to explore deep space.  Since it was launched in 1977 it has now traveled 130 AU and was sent to explore the solar system.  It used planetary assists to achieve the solar system escape velocity required to enter interstellar space. In almost 40 years of travel, the Voyager 1 has […] Continue reading →

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Making the Jump to Light Speed

Posted on January 26, 2016 by lindseynestor

Chapter 1 of Astronomy: The Solar System served as a HUGE (seriously though) reminder as to how small and insignificant we are, and how very very very infinitesimally small the corner of the universe we’ve explored actually is. I’m a big Star Wars fan, and looking at that world from the perspective of astronomy class, […] Continue reading →

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