Category Archives: Stars

Ephemerides: An Astronomer’s Excel

Posted on February 5, 2021 by mwdobson3

From the first time I observed lunar eclipses to now understanding how they occur, I have always wondered how astronomers are able to predict every piece of information about them years in advance. Also, in the bigger picture, I did not know how astronomers knew where the planets and stars were in our Solar SystemContinue reading “Ephemerides: An Astronomer’s Excel” Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Instruments, Stars | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Ephemerides: An Astronomer’s Excel

An App to See the Stars

Posted on February 4, 2021 by gracelearnsspace

Have you ever looked up at the sky and wondered what constellation you were looking at? There are many tools out there to help you figure it out! One of them is SkyView Lite, an app offered on the Apple Store that identifies constellations for you and is free to download. Simply open the app […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Stars | Tagged , , | Comments Off on An App to See the Stars

The Zodiac & Precession

Posted on February 4, 2021 by olivesobservatory

Do you know your sun sign? Well, even if you do, it’s probably wrong! Let me provide some background. The zodiac is a term for the 12 constellations found along the Sun’s ecliptic (a circle that represents the Sun’s apparent path through the constellations throughout the year), while your sun sign indicates what constellation the… Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Historical, Stars | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The Zodiac & Precession

Extremophiles, and What They Mean For Life in Space

Posted on April 14, 2020 by phildowd

Extremophiles are organisms on Earth that thrive in extreme environment that most other organisms wouldn’t be able to survive in. They are found in places that at a glance, seem unlivable, places like inside volcanoes, or deep in the ocean under extreme pressures. So why do these extremophiles matter when thinking about space? The ideaContinue reading “Extremophiles, and What They Mean For Life in Space” Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Galaxies, Moons, Stars | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Extremophiles, and What They Mean For Life in Space

Saturn on Steroids

Posted on March 29, 2020 by alexsolarsystem

Way out in the constellation Centaurus is a peculiar solar system 434 light years away that fascinates astronomers. The central star, named 1SWASP, is similar to our Sun in size and doesn’t appear to have any unusual characteristics for a main-sequence star. However, it was discovered in 2007 that 1SWASP is orbited by one enormousContinue reading “Saturn on Steroids” Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Observables, Stars | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Saturn on Steroids

The Trouble With Astronomy 🤔

Posted on March 27, 2020 by vsli

“Space,” it says, “is big. Really big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mindbogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it’s a long way down the road to the chemist’s, but that’s just peanuts to space.” — Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy So you want to study space? Now, … Continue reading The Trouble With Astronomy 🤔 Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Historical, Observables, Stars, Universe | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The Trouble With Astronomy 🤔

We’re Not the Only Living Ones in the Universe, Kind Of

Posted on March 16, 2020 by Jonah

For ages, humans have been questioning the possibility of other life forms in the universe. There are many theories and ideas of evidence of other life forms. For example, there appears to be dry river beds on Mars. It is thought that Mars could at one point retain water on its surface and life could’veContinue reading “We’re Not the Only Living Ones in the Universe, Kind Of” Continue reading →

Posted in Science, Stars, Universe | Tagged , , | Comments Off on We’re Not the Only Living Ones in the Universe, Kind Of

Fusion on Earth

Posted on March 9, 2020 by gabezharovtothemoon

In conversations surrounding the transition from fossil fuels to green energy, solar, wind, and biofuels are the most common alternatives that are brought up. Solar energy, as the name implies, comes from the sun, but wind energy and biofuels made from energy crops are ultimately also derived from converted solar power. But what if weContinue reading “Fusion on Earth” Continue reading →

Posted in Stars | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Fusion on Earth

Invisible Stars Bending Space-Time with Gravity

Posted on February 9, 2020 by alexsolarsystem

Researchers at the Astronomical Observatory of the University of Warsaw have recently discovered two previously invisible stars deep within the Milky Way. These binary stars (two stars that effectively orbit each other) were found thanks to a star called Gaia16aye that is considerably farther away. A few years ago, astronomers noticed that Gaia16aye would occasionallyContinue reading “Invisible Stars Bending Space-Time with Gravity” Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Observables, Stars | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Invisible Stars Bending Space-Time with Gravity

Blog 2- Ch 3,4,5,6: Neap and Spring Tides

Posted on February 9, 2020 by katelynmofield

Throughout this unit, we learned about tides, their causes and what influences them. In preparing for this blogpost, I came across two different kinds of tides (besides high and low tide) called “spring” and “neap” tides. These tides correlate with the moon phases, in that spring tides occur during the new or full moon, andContinue reading “Blog 2- Ch 3,4,5,6: Neap and Spring Tides” Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Stars | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Blog 2- Ch 3,4,5,6: Neap and Spring Tides