Tag Archives: blog1

Star Chart App

Posted on February 13, 2017 by Natalie

            It’s always fun to stare at the night sky! Yet stargazing is always more fun when you know what … More Continue reading →

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Blog #1: Stonehenge and Solstices

Posted on February 13, 2017 by andrewsolarsystem

Stonehenge is commonly known as a collection of large stones in Wiltshire, England, but even after much research and investigation, we still don’t know who built it, when it was built, or exactly what it was used for. We speculate that it could have been used as a burial ground or even an astronomical observatory. […] Continue reading →

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Blog 1: Special Theory of Relativity

Posted on February 13, 2017 by vandyastro

Before discussion the Special Theory of Relativity. Two observations must be understood; one that the speed of light is constant and two one cannot distinguish a state of rest from a state of constant velocity. The idea that the speed of light is constant has never been truly proven, but can be verified with experimentation. […] Continue reading →

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Ether and the Michelson-Morley Experiment

Posted on February 13, 2017 by brandonandthesolarsystem

Before Einstein’s revolutionary ideas changed the landscape of physics, very little was known about the speed of light. The fact is that, at the time, light was an anomaly; it had characteristics unique to anything else we experienced in the world. For example, was light a particle or a wave? And more importantly, if light […] Continue reading →

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Moon Phases

Posted on February 13, 2017 by xiangyunastr2110

Moon, the beautiful silver disc hanging in the night sky, always gives me a sense of mutability and mystery. Have you ever looked up the sky and have a careful observation of the Moon? Have you ever had this question: “Why does the Moon look different every night? Do these changes follow particular patterns?” With […] Continue reading →

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Uranus’ Seasons

Posted on February 12, 2017 by astr2110tmcm

Typically when we think of seasons we think of those we experience on Earth, lasting around 3 months,  and having unique characteristics as far as temperature and weather go. Things are a bit different on Uranus, due to a huge impact that the planet experienced billions of years ago. This impact knocked the axis of […] Continue reading →

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Lunar Phases

Posted on February 12, 2017 by ksun1

A picture of the moon’s cyclical lunar phases As we sit comfortably on planet Earth, instinctively believing we are the center of the universe, it is sometimes easy to forget that reality may not always be how we humans see it.  The cyclic visual wonder of the lunar phases, for instance, gives the illusion that […] Continue reading →

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2017 Solar Eclipse

Posted on February 12, 2017 by jakesindelar

Visible solar eclipses are relatively rare phenomenon to witness. They occur whenever the moon gets between the Sun and the Earth. The eclipse must occur with a new Moon to completely blot out the Sun. Because the Moon must be in the right location and phase, these eclipses don’t happen very often. There are three…Read more 2017 Solar Eclipse Continue reading →

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Zodiacal Light and False Dawn

Posted on February 12, 2017 by Ashley Garcia

Despite the name, zodiacal light is not a component of a horoscope, but is instead a band of light that is occasionally visible. The phenomenon of zodiacal light is caused by clouds of interplanetary dust particles that orbit the Sun near the ecliptic, similar to the orbit of other planets. The light from the Sun… Continue reading Zodiacal Light and False Dawn Continue reading →

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Absolute Speed

Posted on February 12, 2017 by Akrimi Fauzi

Light travels the Earth seven times per second, 8.3 minutes to reach the Earth from the Sun, 43.2 minutes to reach Jupiter and the list goes on. One would assume that light travels at an infinite speed because an observer will instantaneously see the light after turning on a torchlight. It is not the case as the … Continue reading Absolute Speed Continue reading →

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