Tag Archives: astro201

The Super-Saturn

Posted on February 12, 2015 by pgolemanska

Astronomers in the University of Rochester recently discovered a planet with a massive ring system that dwarfs Saturn’s rings. Exoplanet J1407b is a gas giant with 10 to 40 times the mass of Jupiter orbiting a 16-million year old star located 434 light years away. Scientists usually find and study exoplanets and stars when the […] Continue reading →

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Hubble Telescope

Posted on February 11, 2015 by pgolemanska

In April 1990 NASA launched the Hubble Telescope in an orbit around Earth. The telescope has been orbiting Earth for almost 25 years and is monumental in its contribution to science. The information gathered by the telescope has helped astronomers to narrow down the age of the universe down to a few hundred million years, […] Continue reading →

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Jupiter’s Galilean Moons

Posted on February 11, 2015 by hbutter13

Following our extensive discussion in class about the effects our Moon and the Earth have on each other (tides, speed of rotation) I became very curious about other planets and how they interact with their moons, specifically, Jupiter because it has a whopping 63 moons orbiting it. However, the main moons we ever really hear about […] 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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The Mystery of Stonehenge

Posted on February 10, 2015 by michellelei

The mysterious, striking structure of Stonehenge has fascinated archeologists, historians, and many people alike ever since its discovery. There are a multitude of theories as to what its purpose might have been, such as an astronomical observatory, a religious/spiritual site, and some even believe that it was placed on Earth by extraterrestrials. Many archeoastronomers believe… Continue reading The Mystery of Stonehenge Continue reading →

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Blog Post #3: The Magellanic Clouds

Posted on February 10, 2015 by Elizabeth D.

When we were discussing celestial navigation in class, a thought occurred to me: if Polaris cannot be seen in the …

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Archeology plus astronomy equals archeoastronomy

Posted on February 10, 2015 by adamlbirnbaum

Archeoastronomy is the combination of archeology, the study of human activity in the past, and astronomy, the study of celestial objects. Archeoastronomy is the study of how people of the past have interpreted the skies above. This type of study also looked at how ancient people adopted the phenomenon of the sky into their cultures. […] Continue reading →

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Is There Life On Other Planets?

Posted on February 9, 2015 by lukegchapman

Many people always think about aliens. The idea has always been thrown around and many people have had many different opinions on the subject. There have been pictures that cannot be explained of bright lights in the sky. This video contains pictures that have been speculated upon forever. Check out this video. At 2:40, 4:44,… Continue reading →

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What Would Happen Without Gravity?

Posted on February 9, 2015 by lukegchapman

Is this what the world would be like without gravity? I have always wondered what earth would be like without gravity. There is gravity on the Moon and we are weightless because we are in a constant state of free fall, not because there is no gravity. But if there was no gravity on earth,… Continue reading →

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My favorite tides

Posted on February 9, 2015 by drgrundstrom

DIFFERENTIALS!! :) During class today, I talked about tides and how there is a great deal of misinformation out there. My favorite websites for the astronomical explanation of tides are: A rigorously correct but a tiny bit snarky treatment – it’s my favorite: Tidal Misconceptions by Dr. Donald E. Simanek One of the links from […] Continue reading →

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