Tag Archives: Atmosphere

Gravity Waves

Venus is the unfortunate victim of a runaway greenhouse effect. Not only does this make the planet uninhabitable, it also causes a tremendous degree of difficulty in observing the planet’s surface. However, there are many interesting things to gain from Venus by just looking at the atmosphere, including a massive gravity wave. Gravity waves in … Continue reading Gravity Waves Continue reading

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Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

“Twinkle Twinkle Little Star How I Wonder What You Are Up Above the World So High Like A Diamond in the Sky Twinkle Twinkle Little Star How I Wonder What You Are” We all know the song, but do we know the science behind it? What actually causes stars to twinkle? Despite what that question […] Continue reading

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Atmospheres of Planets in Solar System

In many different scientific, astronomical movies, different planets than Earth are often portrayed as hardly habitable environments with almost impenetrable, dusty atmosphere. The atmospheres of these planets seem to vary a lot in many aspects such as density, and components. Among all 8 planets, including Earth in the solar system, the atmospheric conditions of each … Continue reading Atmospheres of Planets in Solar System Continue reading

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Atmospheres of Planets in Solar System

In many different scientific, astronomical movies, different planets than Earth are often portrayed as hardly habitable environments with almost impenetrable, dusty atmosphere. The atmospheres of these planets seem to vary a lot in many aspects such as density, and components. Among all 8 planets, including Earth in the solar system, the atmospheric conditions of each … Continue reading Atmospheres of Planets in Solar System Continue reading

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First Super-Earth Exoplanet with Atmosphere Discovered

Earlier this month, scientists discovered the existence of an atmosphere on an exoplanet much like Earth, making this the first Earth-like exoplanet with atmosphere to have been detected aside from earth itself. The planet is named GJ 1132b, located in the constellation Vela as a planet of the low-mass star GJ 1132. The planet is […] Continue reading

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The Terrestrial Worlds

The planets of the Solar System dramatically vary from massive gaseous, ringed giants to miniature rocky terrestrials. The celestial bodies are also at such great distances that no map of our Solar System can truly illustrate both the distances and relative sizes to scale. The terrestrial planets are relatively similar in size and composition, but…Read more The Terrestrial Worlds Continue reading

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Diamond Rain?

Scientists are exploring the idea that diamonds rain down from the skies on Saturn and Jupiter. Methane exists in abundance in the atmospheres of these planets, and lighting storms turn this methane into soot (which is pure carbon). As the soot falls toward the planet’s surface, it hardens under intense pressures and forms small diamonds about… Continue reading Diamond Rain? Continue reading

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The Atmosphere of Venus

I have always been oddly fascinated by Venus. Not only is it the Roman name for arguably the most interesting (and controversial) Greek Goddess, Aphrodite, but it also has a lot of really fascinating characteristics. The surface of Venus is so hot that robotic probes wouldn’t be able to last for very long on it, […] Continue reading

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Blog #2 Observation

Much of what has been covered in class so far has been from the perspective of an observer on Earth. We know that light pollution from cities makes it difficult to see starlight with the naked eye. With that in mind, observatories tend to be far away from city limits. Additionally, they tend to be […] Continue reading

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“Y” in the Atmosphere of Venus

Source: dailymail.co.uk For decades, scientists have been discussing the origins of a Y shaped feature in Venus’ atmosphere. The strange feature is shown above in a picture from the Pioneer Venus Orbiter in 1979. A recent theory is that the Y shape is formed by differences in the wind speed in the atmosphere. The theory states […] Continue reading

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