Tag Archives: astro2110

The Scale of the Universe and Us

Posted on January 22, 2023 by cuia2

     Reading the graphic in the textbook called “Our Cosmic Address”, I got a sense for the first time of how small of a planet we live on. Earth is a typical planet rotating by a typical star we call the Sun which is only one of billions of stars in the Milky Way which is […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Galaxies, Observables, Universe | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The Scale of the Universe and Us

Minutes and seconds of arc

Posted on January 22, 2023 by Andrew Cascio

Similar to a light-year, an arcminute can be mistaken for a unit of time. An arcminute is 1/60th of a degree and an arcsecond is 1/60th of an arcminute. For example, “12 degrees, 50 arcminutes, and 29 arcseconds” is written as 12° 50′ 29”. As units of angular measurement, arcminutes and arcseconds allow for more […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Observables | Tagged , | Comments Off on Minutes and seconds of arc

Blog1: Chinese summer solstice

Posted on January 22, 2023 by lucasliu6

The summer solstice occurs when one of Earth’s poles has its maximum tilt toward the sun. Since prehistory, the summer solstice has been viewed as a significant time of year in lots of cultures, and has been marked by festivals and rituals. About the Chinese summer solstice: In ancient China, this was the time for […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Blog1: Chinese summer solstice

Hello,

Posted on January 22, 2023 by Andrew Cascio

I’m Andrew. I study computer science and mathematics here at Vanderbilt. I’ve been watching The Office a lot recently. Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , | Comments Off on Hello,

Happy New Year!

Posted on January 22, 2023 by Trevor Pillow

Today marks the start of a new lunar year! There are several key differences between a solar new year and a lunar new year. The most common calendar system in the West, the Gregorian calendar, is based on the Earth’s orbit around the sun. Every New Year, the Earth is more or less in the […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Happy New Year!

Blog 1 – Solstices/Equinoxes

Posted on January 22, 2023 by kevkoppa123

There are 2 solstices: the June and December Solstice. The June Solstice is the point on the celestial sphere where the ecliptic is farthest north of the celestial equator. Similarly, the December solstice is the point on the celestial sphere where the ecliptic is farthest south of the celestial equator. The June and December Solstice […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Blog 1 – Solstices/Equinoxes

Tidal Locking

Posted on January 22, 2023 by aaronxu041009

Earth’s Moon is in a synchronous orbit, meaning that people on Earth can only see the near side of the Moon. But what keeps the Moon locked in this synchronous orbit? The answer is tidal locking. Early in the history of the Solar System, a Mars-sized object collided with prehistoric Earth, and the debris from […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Tidal Locking

Solar Eclipses 😱😎

Posted on January 22, 2023 by sadiekarr

(Eclipse over Jackson, Wyoming by Ronan Donovan via NatGeo) In August 2017 a total solar eclipse was witnessed by many, cutting across the United States. My family, here in Nashville, TN, was able to see it! Even though it was a Monday, and I should have had classes, my school was cancelled for the day […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Observables, Sun | Tagged , | Comments Off on Solar Eclipses 😱😎

Moon phases

Posted on January 22, 2023 by shuhuaiwang

The image above shows the position of the Moon, the Sun […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Moon phases

Light: Dangerously Fast?

Posted on January 21, 2023 by noahherrero

Gamma Ray Burst Close-Up Credit: NASA/Swift/Mary Pat Hrybyk-Keith and John Jones The Image above is an artists rendition of a phenomena known as a Gamma Ray Burst (GRB), where a star can project massive amounts of dangerous high energy light across the Cosmos. GRB’s are bit outside the scope of our solar system, so I […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Light | Tagged , | Comments Off on Light: Dangerously Fast?