Tag Archives: blog1

Manhattanhenge

Posted on February 10, 2017 by Nick Belsten

Four-thousand years ago, early Europeans’ connected with the Cosmos every Summer Solstice by watching the midsummer sunrise directly over the Heel Stone in what we now call Stonehenge. These early people recognized that where the sun rises and sets on the horizon cycles North and South with the seasons. Today, thousands of people gather four times … Continue reading Manhattanhenge → Continue reading →

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Blog 1- The Cosmic Calendar

Posted on February 8, 2017 by sullivrs

The Cosmic Calendar is an interesting way to conceptualize the history of the universe.  The Cosmic Calendar was invented by astronomer Carl Sagan (source), and condenses the chronology of the universe into a single year.  The Big Bang occurs on January 1st, and current history is at the very end of December 31st.  I think that… Continue reading →

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The Universal Speed Limit

Posted on February 8, 2017 by kic27

What if your car was MUCH faster than it is now? Continue reading →

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The Power of the Powers of Ten

Posted on February 5, 2017 by Matt Machado

The Powers of Ten is a 1977 short film that puts the immensity (and smallness) of the universe into perspective by zooming out from a couple’s picnic in Michigan at a distance of 1 meter to a vast view of galaxy clusters at a distance of 10^24 meters. By watching this journey from small to […] Continue reading →

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iPhone App: Sky Guide

Posted on February 5, 2017 by abbeyroth

Fifth Star Labs website An application on the app store called “Sky Guide: View Stars Night or Day” allows its users to “study thousands of stars, comets, and satellites” (according to the App Store). Created by Fifth Star Labs LLC, the app turns the iPhone into a telescope of sorts, highlighting interesting constellations, planets, and… Continue reading iPhone App: Sky Guide Continue reading →

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Powers of Ten–Our Big Universe

Posted on February 4, 2017 by vmorehead0

In 1977, Charles and Ray Eames produced a documentary about the scale of the universe.  This documentary, Powers of Ten: A Film Dealing with the Relative Size of Things in the Universe and the Effect of Adding Another Zero, compared the relative sizes of people, locations, planets, and galaxies in our universe.  The film achieved this comparison by … Continue reading Powers of Ten–Our Big Universe Continue reading →

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Our Miniature History, the Cosmic Calendar, and Understanding One’s Place

Posted on February 2, 2017 by brynnabhall

When considering the greater span of history, starting with my first Astronomy class taught by Professor Weintraub “How Old Is the Universe?” the concept of the nature of time in space has fascinated me. I think part of this relates to the fact that I am a history major and a history buff, and therefore … More Our Miniature History, the Cosmic Calendar, and Understanding One’s Place Continue reading →

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Light from the Past

Posted on February 2, 2017 by joneastr

Although light travels through space at the fastest speed physically possible (no object with mass can reach the speed of … More Continue reading →

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The 13th Zodiac

Posted on January 30, 2017 by nazshaiful

This is a completely new stuff to me. Before this, I only knew 12 zodiacs, the result of early astronomers dividing the celestial sphere into 12 divisions and calling them 12 signs of zodiacs based on the brightest constellations in the sky at that particular time. Nowadays, people always associate zodiacs to astrology, the field of … Continue reading The 13th Zodiac Continue reading →

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The Zodiacal Constellations

Posted on January 30, 2017 by josiezd

What are the origins of the zodiac and why are the signs different now? Continue reading →

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