Tag Archives: astro2110

Kepler’s Laws of Planetary Motion

Posted on February 13, 2024 by Tejas Mahesh

After meticulously calculating the data that Tycho Brahe collected, Kepler discovered three different laws that described how planets move. Kepler’s First Law – The planets orbit in ellipses, not circles nor epicycles. For majority of history, it was thought that planets orbit through epicycles because the orbit of the planets must be perfect. However, the […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Exoplanets, Historical, Science | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Kepler’s Laws of Planetary Motion

The Banner of Heaven

Posted on February 13, 2024 by Owen Purcell

This term, originally coined in the late nineteenth century, at least with its current connotation, began to speak to me in a unique way in high school. I took a backpacking trip in Northern California, and experienced a dry, warm, cloudless night with no shelter but a mosquito net. The sky was brilliant, and it felt like […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Historical, Science | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Banner of Heaven

Understanding Gravity

Posted on February 13, 2024 by Ayden Harris

There are many different ways to visualize how gravity functions. However, one of the best way I have found to visualize gravity is with strings and using the center of mass. Gravity is the weakest force of the four fundamental forces, however, it works over an infinite amount of distance. I put this in perspective […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Understanding Gravity

Blog 2: Ancient Mayan Astronomy

Posted on February 13, 2024 by Mackenna Guadagnoli

Thousands of years before telescopes and computers, the ancient Mayans had the ability to predict eclipses and track retrograde motion. They are some of the most advanced astronomers of the ancient world. Astronomy was a central part of Mayan culture. Calendars were based on the movements of the Sun, moon, and planets and festivals, rituals, and […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Observables | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Blog 2: Ancient Mayan Astronomy

Gravity

Posted on February 13, 2024 by Robert Navarro

What is Gravity? Gravity is the physical attraction of masses. The idea that all masses attract each other. Why Does Gravity Happen? Gravity happens due to curvature in spacetime, it bends and warps space and that space causes an attraction between the objects. Facts About Gravity Video On Gravity A January Wolf Moon Continue reading →

Posted in Historical, Physics | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Gravity

Spring Tides and Rising Sea Levels

Posted on February 13, 2024 by liamoneill95

The effects of human-induced climate change are becoming more and more apparent over time. Some of the most highly impacted areas are those on the water, who, when facing spring tides, can experience dangerous levels of flooding. Spring tides occur when the Sun and the Moon are exerting gravitational force on the same line, both […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Moons | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Spring Tides and Rising Sea Levels

Fun Fact About Gravity

Posted on February 13, 2024 by Ethan Jones

One thing that has always fascinated me is how gravity and time are interlocked. Specifically, people at higher altitudes experience time relatively faster than people at sea level. This is due to a concept called gravitational time dilation. Time dilation comes from Newton’s theory of relativity. Basically, the more gravity you feel, the slower you […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Fun Fact About Gravity

How Gravity on the Space Station Actually Works

Posted on February 13, 2024 by Garrett

Chris Hadfield Juggling Tomatoes on the ISS (2013) As we have all observed, astronauts on the space station experience what appears to be zero gravity. You might think this is because the space station is far from Earth, and the force of gravity diminishes with the square of the distance, according to Newton’s Law of […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Physics | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on How Gravity on the Space Station Actually Works

Retrograde Motion

Posted on February 13, 2024 by Jack Abrams

Retrograde motion is a fascinating celestial phenomenon that has puzzled astronomers and stargazers for thousands of years. Imagine you were stargazing across multiple nights and traced the planets as they danced across the sky, but suddenly, one of the planets stops, reverses direction, and then after a while, resumes its original motion with the stars. […] Continue reading →

Posted in Historical | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Retrograde Motion

The 3 Laws that Govern the ENTIRE Universe

Posted on February 13, 2024 by sabrinaalperin

Illustration of Newton’s First Law of Motion Have you ever wondered why spaceships do not rely on fuel once they are in outer space or why it is easy to throw a light object far but difficult to throw a heavy object far? At the end of the day, the answers to these questions boil […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Universe | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The 3 Laws that Govern the ENTIRE Universe