Tag Archives: blog1

Speed of Light Discussion

Posted on February 4, 2021 by lorenzchen14

Physics behind Solar Sails, by Robert Miller I actually find the speed of light and the implications behind this physical constraint pretty interesting. Particularly, if light takes time to travel, everything we see is technically in the past. As covered in the lecture, the sunlight that we see is 8 minutes old. But if weContinue reading “Speed of Light Discussion” Continue reading →

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The Zodiac & Precession

Posted on February 4, 2021 by olivesobservatory

Do you know your sun sign? Well, even if you do, it’s probably wrong! Let me provide some background. The zodiac is a term for the 12 constellations found along the Sun’s ecliptic (a circle that represents the Sun’s apparent path through the constellations throughout the year), while your sun sign indicates what constellation the… Continue reading →

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El Castillo

Posted on February 3, 2021 by thestarstudent

El castillo, a pyramid at Chichén Itzá in Mexico, is a Mayan temple dedicated to the plumed serpent God Kukulcán. The structure’s design is deeply related to astronomy and the calendar. Firstly, there are 91 steps on each of the four sides and a top platform, making 365 steps, one for each day of theContinue reading “El Castillo” Continue reading →

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Eclipses!

Posted on February 7, 2020 by Rehan John

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon comes in between the path of sunlight and the Earth, casting a shadow on the Earth. Solar eclipses in general are quite rare (only a couple a year), but the moon’s shadow only covers a small portion of the Earth so seeing one is an amazing opportunity. AContinue reading “Eclipses!” Continue reading →

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The Astronomy behind Astrology

Posted on January 25, 2020 by Avery Bradley

While astrology is widely disproven as a form of science in our modern age, it has its origins in the beginnings of computational astronomy. As explained by David Lindberg in his book The Beginnings of Western Science, “By the end of the fifth century B.C., Babylonian celestial divination had expanded to embrace horoscopic astrology, whichContinue reading “The Astronomy behind Astrology” Continue reading →

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Are We Really Andromeda’s Twin?

Posted on January 24, 2020 by abriannarhodes00

Astronomers have declared that our galaxy, the Milky Way is one of the largest two galaxies in our Local Group, rivaled only by its own twin, Andromeda. However, while technology has advanced greatly within the realm of astronomy, we have not yet reached the point of searching beyond the halo of the Milky Way andContinue reading “Are We Really Andromeda’s Twin?” Continue reading →

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Voyager Golden Record

Posted on January 22, 2020 by coreyxcas

The Voyager 2 is a space probe that was launched by NASA in 1977 in order to study the outer planets. It is still traveling and is now sending back information about the outer solar system and is around 13 billion miles away from earth. There is a record inside the voyager made to display […] Continue reading →

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The Universe is Incomprehensibly Large

Posted on January 21, 2020 by phildowd

Many people have talked about the feeling of walking outside, looking up at the night sky, and feeling small. You look out into the cosmos, see seemingly countless stars, and think that everything you do on earth is just immeasurably small. Despite many people feeling that way, few truly understand the real scope of theContinue reading “The Universe is Incomprehensibly Large” Continue reading →

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The Speed of Light and Gravity

Posted on January 21, 2020 by gabezharovtothemoon

We all know that light travels fast – 299,792,458 meters per second, to be precise. Still, if the sun were to suddenly disappear into a mysterious void, you and I on Earth would not notice for about 8 minutes and 20 seconds. Or would we? Would we not immediately feel the sudden jolt of ourContinue reading “The Speed of Light and Gravity” Continue reading →

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Zooming Out

Posted on January 20, 2020 by gatorsguidetothegalaxy

One of the coolest videos I have ever seen is the Powers of Ten video. In 1977 Charles and Ray Eames—the inventors of the Eames Office, a famous furniture company—in collaboration with IBM, created a video beginning in Chicago and gradually zooming out, transporting the viewer to the outer edges of the universe. Every tenContinue reading “Zooming Out” Continue reading →

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