Category Archives: Stars

Beta Pictoris

Posted on March 16, 2015 by revanth111

Source: stgist.com The formation of our solar system is still an event that deserves further study, and other areas and stars in the Milky Way offer a glimpse into the processes that hold the answers. Beta Pictoris, a young star that is 63 million light years away from us, may be such a star. Beta Pictoris […] Continue reading →

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Where did we come from?

Posted on March 16, 2015 by jamej00

Formation of the Solar System In only the recent history of astronomy, we’ve began to understand that our solar system is in fact no different than other star systems in the universe.  We now understand that stars in fact all form from a collapsing cloud called a nebula, which is composed mostly of hydrogen and… Continue reading →

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The Future of the Sun and What It Means for Earth

Posted on March 15, 2015 by robbyks

Right now, the Sun is about halfway through its main sequence stage. It has always intrigued me how the Sun will evolve once it is past this phase. How will the Sun change? What will happen to Earth and the other planets? In approximately 5.4 billion years, the Sun will have exhausted all of its […] Continue reading →

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Could the sun live for over a trillion years?

Posted on March 15, 2015 by agiantchicken

Sun and hydrogen burning: Thinking outside the bubble Yes it can! But not except under unusual circumstances which do not naturally occur in G-type stars as our sun. This is due to the fact that the core is the only part of the sun in which temperatures and pressure are high enough to fuse helium […] Continue reading →

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The Continual Search for Planets

Posted on February 14, 2015 by conorastr201

The discovery of new life-harboring planets has been a hot topic in the last century, but there has always been a limitation: we couldn’t see other planets. However, observational technologies and techniques have progressed to the point where we may be able to find more Earth-like planets within a few short years. The main problems […] Continue reading →

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Absorption Spectra

Posted on February 12, 2015 by jamej00

Photo Source: Absorption Spectrum The photo above is the full absorption spectrum of the sun.  The black lines come from the different chemical elements within its atmosphere, and this is true for all stars!  Different elements absorb and emit light at different wavelengths from one another.  Scientists have conducted (here on earth) experiments to determine… Continue reading →

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The 12…wait, there’s 13?…Zodiac Signs

Posted on February 11, 2015 by michellelei

If you’re like me, you identify pretty deeply with your zodiac sign. Although I don’t believe that every word of my horoscope is necessarily true, I still like to think that I embody all the qualities of a Leo. In addition, it’s entertaining to read my horoscopes from time to time, even though they aren’t… Continue reading The 12…wait, there’s 13?…Zodiac Signs Continue reading →

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What Does It Mean to Have a Zodiac Sign?

Posted on January 24, 2015 by emilyksharp

Lots of people are aware that they have a Zodiac sign – a symbol associated with the time of year …

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Wait, where is that constellation? said me, about a million times while holding a telescope

Posted on January 24, 2015 by jamej00

Night Sky 2 The hyperlink above is to a webpage with the information and a review for a REALLY cool observing app!  I got Night Sky 2 before I even took an astronomy class at Vandy, and it’s easily my favorite.  You can get real-time views of all constellations, planets, stars, satellites, and even comets!  Not… Continue reading →

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#1 – Just how big are those other stars in the universe?

Posted on January 24, 2015 by bryancm1

I think it’s incredibly fun to look at the scale of the universe in a sense we can understand. The D.C. Voyage model gives us a good sense of distance. What about the size of things? We can use compare fruit all we want, but all it’s doing is making me hungry. Instead, I’d recommend […] Continue reading →

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