Tag Archives: astro2110

Blog #3 – Formation of the Solar System

Posted on October 20, 2024 by Catherine Sack

Around 4.6 billion years ago, the sun formed along with the planets surrounding it due to the collapse of the solar nebula. When this supernova explosion took place, the collapsed cloud began to spin around in a circle, ultimately getting pulled by gravity to create the center (the Sun). The excess material smashed together making […] Continue reading →

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What is Climate Change?

Posted on October 20, 2024 by Justinc

The words “climate change” and “global warming” are thrown around in politics and science, but what is “climate change” and what is causing it? There are actually four causes of climate change: solar brightening, changes in reflectivity, changes in axial tilt, and changes in greenhouse gas abundance. Solar Brightening is the change in energy the […] Continue reading →

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The Moons of Saturn

Posted on October 20, 2024 by Alekzander Waller

In total, Saturn has a total of 146 moons! The most out of any planet in our solar system. These moons vary significantly in terms of terrain and position around Saturn. Some hold huge oceans and some are rocky worlds that seem to be out of Star Wars. There’s also a few moons that are […] Continue reading →

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Nuclear Fusion

Posted on October 20, 2024 by Ian Vasquez

The sun Nuclear fusion is the process that creates the massive amount of energy needed to power the sun. In the sun’s core 4 Hydrogen atoms collide to create 1 Helium atom, 2 electrons, 2 neutrinos, and 2 gamma ray photons. The amount of Helium created is less than the overall mass of Hydrogen used […] Continue reading →

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Nuclear Fusion: The Heartbeat of Stars

Posted on October 20, 2024 by Leo Silva

In order for stars to generate the enormous amounts of energy that they do, a very specific, energy-intensive process is needed: nuclear fusion. It is this process that allows stars to shine brightly for billions of years. But how exactly does nuclear fusion work? In short, in the cores of stars, temperatures reach the millions […] Continue reading →

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Blog 04 – Proxima b

Posted on October 19, 2024 by Mercedes

The closest star system to Earth is Alpha Centauri, a three-star system. A planet, Proxima b, approximately 1.3 times the mass of ours orbits off the smallest star, Proxima Centauri. This planet orbits its star even closer than Mercury does the Sun and only takes 11 days to complete a single one! Despite this, Proxima […] Continue reading →

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Parker Solar Probe

Posted on October 18, 2024 by Michael

Today I want to talk about the Parker Solar Probe, the most interesting spacecraft that I have heard of. It is a remarkable piece of technology, and has set records as the fastest object ever built and the closest man-made object to the Sun. The Parker Solar Probe relies on gravity assists from Venus to […] Continue reading →

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Blog 03 – Forming the Solar System

Posted on October 17, 2024 by Mercedes

The current idea of the solar system’s formation is the nebular theory, which states that it occurs in a five-stage process. First, there is the shock of a gas cloud called a supernova which causes the cloud to collapse. Next, gravity causes the heating, flattening, and spinning. It changed the shape and temperature of the […] Continue reading →

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Reason for Tides

Posted on September 24, 2024 by Justinc

Tides rise and fall twice a day on Earth, and this is mostly due to the Moon’s gravitational pull on Earth. The Moon’s gravity pull on the Earth’s bodies of water squeezing it towards the Moon. The opposite side of the Earth is also receiving high tides due to this reason. I used the word […] Continue reading →

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The Moon and The Tides

Posted on September 24, 2024 by Alekzander Waller

Did you know that tides are caused by the Moon’s gravitational pull? (Photo from The Business Insider) Usually about every 12 hours coastal places around the world experience high and low tides in a constant cycle. This is due to the subtle pull of the Moon’s gravitational forces on the Earth’s water supply. Along the […] Continue reading →

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