Tag Archives: astronomy

Historical Astronomers in Context: Isaac Newton

(Image from Wikipedia) Isaac Newton (December 25, 1642 – March 20, 1727) was a born a poor Englishman who attended Trinity College in Cambridge in order to try and improve his socioeconomic standing. He gained an interest in the world around him after witnessing an apple drop from a tree to the ground. At that […] Continue reading

Posted in Class, Historical | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Historical Astronomers in Context: Isaac Newton

The Vast Size and Scale of the Universe

Hello! The world may seem so large, but when you look at the size of the Earth compared to the Universe, it is actually very small. The Earth represents only a tiny fraction of our Solar System and galaxy. When you consider that the Milky Way Galaxy is an astronomically small portion of the entire… Continue reading

Posted in Universe | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on The Vast Size and Scale of the Universe

The Universe is too large for the scale

Reasoning out the Vast Size of the Universe The Universe is an interesting place that is constantly changing. In addition to it changing, people’s perceptions of the Universe have constantly been changing over time. For instance, the ancient belief of many famous philosophers was that the Universe was geocentric, meaning the Earth was located at […] Continue reading

Posted in Class, Universe | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The Universe is too large for the scale

What’s in store for the future?

The field of astronomy is fascinating; there is much that we have yet to learn. This semester in Astro 201 …

Continue reading

Continue reading

Posted in Class | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on What’s in store for the future?

Vikings and Astronomy

This link details how the ancient Vikings were themselves keen astronomers. As the article details, the Vikings utilized the ever-popular Polaris as a guiding light during sea travel. They would measure the angle relative to Polaris to determine cardinal directions for … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Class, Historical | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Vikings and Astronomy

Warp Drive

Before we can achieve interstellar travel like it appears in science fiction, scientists must make huge leaps and develop a way to exceed the speed of light, as well as a way to work around the issue of spacetime and … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Class, Space Travel, Universe | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Warp Drive

The Tunguska Asteroid

On June 30, 1908 an asteroid about 120 feet across entered Earth’s atmosphere and exploded above the Podkamennaya Tunguska River in Siberia. At an elevation of about 28,000 feet, the combination of pressure and heat made the space rock explode … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Class, Historical | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on The Tunguska Asteroid

Aurora

The Aurora, both Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis, is an incredibly beautiful phenomenon that is the result of important characteristics of our planet and its atmosphere. It is actually a result of electrically charged particles from the sun entering our … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Class, Light | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Aurora

Newton – Creativity in Science Exemplified

Science is more than mere observations and compilations of facts.  In fact, many have argued that it is quite creative field, and Isaac Newton’s history can testify to that.  Newton’s realization that the same forces that pulled apples to the ground were in fact the same forces that held the Moon in Earth’s orbit and … Continue reading Newton – Creativity in Science Exemplified Continue reading

Posted in Historical, Science | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Newton – Creativity in Science Exemplified

Neil deGrasse Tyson: In Defense of the Big Bang Theory

Video Source: Youtube  One of the most confusing yet also the most interesting events on the “Cosmic Calendar” is that of the origin of our Universe. One of the most popular theories for the origin of our Universe is that … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Class, Universe | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Neil deGrasse Tyson: In Defense of the Big Bang Theory