Tag Archives: astro2110

Time Dilation

Posted on March 22, 2022 by jadonroy

As with most impressionable children growing up, the fascination of space and the many wonders it holds stems from watching certain movies or television shows that help portray these wonders. I was no exception to this as I was completely awestruck when I watched Christopher Nolan’s brilliant film, Interstellar. Despite containing a masterfully crafted story […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Universe | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Time Dilation

The Likelihood of Getting Hit with a Gamma-Ray Burst

Posted on March 22, 2022 by Karan Bhardwaj

A gamma ray burst is expected to hit Earth every 10,000 years to 1,000,000 years. How would this affect human society as we know it, why are gamma rays so dangerous, and can we do anything to stop it? Gamma ray bursts are extremely energetic spouts of energy, and similar to visible light, are part […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , | Comments Off on The Likelihood of Getting Hit with a Gamma-Ray Burst

Cool Parts of the Atmosphere of Venus

Posted on March 22, 2022 by Charles Littleton

Composition of Venus’ Atmosphere 96.5% Carbon Dioxide 3.5% Nitrogen Venus lacks a magnetic field. Its ionosphere separates it from outer space and the sun’s wind. 4 Billion Years Ago it is assumed that the atmosphere of Venus was a lot like earth’s atmosphere. There could have been liquid water. The area 50-65 km above the […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, General | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Cool Parts of the Atmosphere of Venus

Nuclear Fusion

Posted on March 22, 2022 by jadonroy

Nuclear fusion is an incredibly interesting topic by which one of the most important parts of our solar system and cosmos utilizes constantly. In the core of our very own sun, hydrogen is converted into helium in a process known as nuclear fusion. In the sun and other stars, Nuclear Fusion reactions power this process […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Universe | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Nuclear Fusion

Blog #3: Radioactive Decay and Radiometric Dating

Posted on March 22, 2022 by nadiamcglynn

Radioactive decay is one of the processes by which Earth produces heat. Radioactive isotopes start off unstable (these are called the parent isotopes), and so they decay into other, more stable daughter/progeny isotopes. The decay produces alpha, beta, or gamma radiation which is then converted into thermal energy. The decay of isotopes like uranium, thorium, […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Blog #3: Radioactive Decay and Radiometric Dating

What was Theia?

Posted on March 22, 2022 by Charles Littleton

Theia was about the size of Mars. It orbited with Earth.  It crashed into the Earth and the debris helped create the moon. The core of Theia combined with the core of Earth. Scientists disagree on this and some believe that it formed into multiple moons. It is hypothesized to have orbited in the L4 […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, General, Historical | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on What was Theia?

Solar System Formation and Coincidences

Posted on March 22, 2022 by Brian

Our solar system has many characteristics that can seem like odd coincidences. Why are all of the planets in the same orbital plane? Why are their orbits all nearly circular instead of being more eccentric? Why do they all orbit in the same direction around the Sun? The nebular theory of solar system formation, asContinue reading “Solar System Formation and Coincidences” Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Physics | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Solar System Formation and Coincidences

Blog #4: Coronal Mass Ejections

Posted on March 22, 2022 by nadiamcglynn

Coronal Mass Ejections are ejections of solar wind and plasma from our Sun’s corona. The blast from a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME), carries about a billion tons of material away from the sun at speeds ranging from 250 km/s to almost 3000 km/s. (NOAA) If they are directed toward Earth when they are ejected from […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Physics, Sun | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Blog #4: Coronal Mass Ejections

Binary Star Collision

Posted on March 22, 2022 by sissichen17

Binary stars were stars orbiting each other, and they might eventually collide due to the stellar mass loss or gravitational radiation which caused the decay of orbits. Stellar collisions could be amazing and rare, which happened once every 10000 years in our globular clusters. It was very likely, from scientists’ approximation, that a binary star […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Binary Star Collision

Composition of Planets within the Solar System

Posted on March 22, 2022 by sissichen17

Different elements were occupied in different planets within the solar system. Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars were terrestrial planets made of rocks, which were composed of diverse metal elements including magnesium and aluminum. Specifically, mercury obtained a thin exosphere of oxygen, sodium, hydrogen, helium, and potassium. Venus consisted of an iron core and a carbon-dioxide […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Composition of Planets within the Solar System