Category Archives: Stars

The Future of Life On Earth

Posted on March 16, 2014 by katiew

The future of Earth and the future of life depends on multiple factors.  Disregarding human technology and the effects of global warming, Earth’s future depends on interactions with other objects in the solar system, the increase in the Sun’s luminosity, and the rate of cooling of the Earth’s interior. For example, scientists have predicted that […] Continue reading →

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ESO Spots Largest Hypergiant Star

Posted on March 13, 2014 by waldentb

The European Southern Observatory has found a very large star and it is now one of the ten largest stars …

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Nontraditional Planets

Posted on March 12, 2014 by juliamac17

We’re learning about the formation of solar systems, however this is something we can’t observe since it happens over such a long period of time. And so to remedy our curiosity we have come up with models.These hypotheses in order to stand have to explain the various phenomena in the solar system while leaving room […] Continue reading →

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Hip-stars Wobble Too!

Posted on February 16, 2014 by juliamac17

So one of the things I think is cute about the universe we live in is that even in the most vastness you rarely find things alone. And these kindred stellar bodies don’t just ignore each other. Oh no, they get caught up in each other’s gravity. And it is this fun and nifty relation […] Continue reading →

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The Celestial Compass

Posted on February 16, 2014 by paanvaannd

For millennia, humans have known that the movements of certain celestial objects repeat in a predictable pattern, and for millennia humans have mapped the movements of stars and other objects in the heavens and tried to make predictions about the cycles for these objects.  Most humans probably didn’t care about what might be up in … Continue reading The Celestial Compass → Continue reading →

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Where Can You See Stars in the 4th Largest City?

Posted on February 15, 2014 by hollyreichert

In the heart of the museum district in Houston, Texas, there is the Houston Museum of Natural Science.  Besides a football field size paleontology hall, IMAX screen and butterfly center, HMNS hosts the Burke Baker Planetarium.  The planetarium also is used to train astronauts to help them be able to identify stars. In addition to […] Continue reading →

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Stellarium

Posted on January 27, 2014 by Leigh

I found the program Stellarium to be incredibly interesting and also very informative. The benefit of Stellarium is that it creates a visual and interactive representative of what can only be demonstrated through words and images in the textbook. Because … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Thinking and Observing

Posted on January 27, 2014 by paanvaannd

I think it’s fun to simply look up at the stars sometimes and think about what might be out there. There’s so much we don’t yet know, so much to be discovered. We thought we had conquered the final frontier when Amundsen had finally reached the South Pole at the beginning of the 20th century, … Continue reading Thinking and Observing → Continue reading →

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Star Chart: An iPhone App Review

Posted on January 27, 2014 by kaswat

Recently, I downloaded the Star Chart App for iPhone and iPad (free in the app store). This app allows you to see the stars that are visible in your area through your phone.  The app uses GPS technology to create a 3D image on the phone of the stars, planets, and other objects in the… Continue reading →

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Spiral Galaxy

Posted on January 27, 2014 by paanvaannd

We’re used to being the big guys. When we think of something larger than us, we might think of whales or elephants, but we don’t deal with those regularly. We usually think of things like buildings, but we were the ones who built those too. Few people take the time to think about the scale […] Continue reading →

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