Category Archives: Stars

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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Observing the Sky at Night

Posted on January 21, 2020 by williamjturner

One of my favorite pastimes is observing the sky at night and seeing which constellations I can point out. While I am no expert by any stretch of the imagination, I like to think that I have a basic knowledge of several “main” constellations — Orion’s Belt, the North Star, the Big / Little Dipper,Continue reading “Observing the Sky at Night” Continue reading →

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Star Atlas

Posted on January 19, 2020 by jackfumagalli

This picture is a screenshot of the night sky view on January 19th, 2020 over Nashville through the lens of Star Atlas. Star Atlas is a website that allows anyone across the world to see the names and locations of various stars and planets they might see in the sky. In addition to a nightContinue reading “Star Atlas” Continue reading →

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Blog 1- Ch 1&2: The Zodiac

Posted on January 19, 2020 by katelynmofield

From Chapter 2, we learned about how the zodiac symbols are derived from the constellations that are along the ecliptic. As the Earth orbits around the sun, different constellations are visible. The Babylonians set the zodiac signs over 3,000 years ago in correlation with their 12 month calendar. While we still use the same timeContinue reading “Blog 1- Ch 1&2: The Zodiac” Continue reading →

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Feeling Dizzy Yet? 💫

Posted on January 16, 2020 by vsli

This isn’t your everyday Milky Way time lapse video. This video, captured by Eric Brummel, is sky-stabilized with the Earth in view to show our planet’s daily rotations. It’s amazing, isn’t it? We don’t think about it often during our daily lives, but every single second, we’re moving vast distances across space. Your glass on … Continue reading Feeling Dizzy Yet? 💫 Continue reading →

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What’s in a Black Hole?

Posted on April 27, 2019 by Aaron Molotsky

There are few things in the entire Universe that are as terrifyingly awesome as a black hole. To have a region of space exist that contains gravitational forces so strong that literally nothing can escape it (whether it’s a particle, light, or any electromagnetic radiation for that matter) seems like a concept straight out of … Continue reading What’s in a Black Hole? → Continue reading →

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Comets as Omens of the Future

Posted on April 7, 2019 by bobbyc

Comets have been noticed by ancient civilizations for millenia, and, like many other celestial bodies, were viewed as omens of the future. Comets in particular were considered bad omens. The most famous example is Halley’s Comet, seen in 1066 by the English and theorized to have been an omen for Harold II of England’s death. … Continue reading Comets as Omens of the Future 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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Extrasolar Planets: A Search to Span Solar Systems

Posted on April 7, 2019 by Sam Bianco

Recently, I have started work as an undergraduate research assistant in the Physics and Astronomy department at my university. The project I was assigned to is of a stellar nature; we are attempting to find evidence of extrasolar planets, or planets around other stars. Though we haven’t found any planets yet, I keep thinking about … Continue reading Extrasolar Planets: A Search to Span Solar Systems → Continue reading →

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Pulsars are cool

Posted on March 13, 2019 by justinrstevens

                  Pulsars are pretty dang cool. Pulsars are a kind of neutron star that rotates really rapidly.  As they spin about their axis, they shoot off “pulses” or beams of energy.  These beams are emitted from their magnetic poles.  Pulsars (like all neutron stars) are formed from…

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