Tag Archives: blog2

waves and particles and dualities oh my

What is light? It’s a simple question, really. And simple questions have simple answers, right? Sometimes they do, yes. But, tragically, this time it doesn’t. Most people know light acts light a wave. It refracts (thanks Pink Floyd), reflects, and diffracts just light waves are supposed to. Similarly, the electromagnetic spectrum illustrates the wave-like propertiesContinue reading “waves and particles and dualities oh my” Continue reading

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The Thirty Meter Telescope

Currently, the largest single-aperture telescope in the world, the Gran Telescopio Canarias, spans 10.4 meters (about 32 feet). This telescope can see 500 million light-years deep into space, which was thought to be impossible out of a single, segmented reflecting telescope until it was built in 2006. While 10.4 meters is large, astronomers worldwide feltContinue reading “The Thirty Meter Telescope” Continue reading

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The Disappearing Road

Tides are produced by the difference in the gravitational force of the Moon on the near and far side of Earth; this force causes tidal bulges on the side of Earth facing the Moon and the side of Earth opposite the Moon. During Earth’s rotation, high tides happen when a place goes through the tidalContinue reading “The Disappearing Road” Continue reading

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Spectroscopy

Spectroscopy is the act of “fingerprinting” stars by observing their spectra. A spectrum is produced by filtering light through a prism, resulting in a rainbow of color. There are three different types of spectra: continuous, emission, and absorption. A continuous spectrum is produced when the light of a hot, dense object is directly filtered throughContinue reading “Spectroscopy” Continue reading

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Tides

In 1687 Sir Issac Newton discovered that the tides of the ocean on Earth are primarily caused by the gravitational pull of the Sun and the Moon. This idea was supported by his universal law of gravity that asserts that any piece of matter in the universe will attract any other with a force varying directly asContinue reading “Tides” Continue reading

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A New Method of Fighting Cancer?

While absorption spectra can often be associated with the use of identifying particular patterns in which gases absorb the energy from a light source, we must also acknowledge that the chemical composition of certain elements can be determined depending on where the lines are present within a absorption spectra. Interesting developments are currently taking placeContinue reading “A New Method of Fighting Cancer?” Continue reading

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Celestial Navigation in Disney’s Moana

Celestial Navigation was essential for Polynesian voyagers, and the Disney Film Moana does a very good job of depicting legitimate techniques. During the film’s production, Disney created a group of experts on the matter, including Polynesian elders and locals, called the Oceanic Story Trust. Their goal was to advise on cultural accuracy. Thousands of yearsContinue reading “Celestial Navigation in Disney’s Moana” Continue reading

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Celestial Navigation

People have been using the stars to navigate for most of humankind. Six hundred years BC a philosopher called Thales of Miletos taught people to use the Little Bear constellation to navigate. What’s crazy is that those are the same stars that we say today! Despite there being other stars to navigate, the most common […] Continue reading

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Retrograde Motion

Those in the realm of astrology are more than familiar with Mercury retrograde. During these unsettling periods, Mercury’s influence over matters of transportation and communication is altered which causes many unfortunate issues to arise. That is, of course, astrology’s interpretation of retrograde motion. In astronomy, retrograde motion simply describes the reversed direction planets seem toContinue reading “Retrograde Motion” Continue reading

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Why we Should Thank our Atmosphere

On the spectrum of light, the two most energetic rays are x-rays and Gamma rays. They have the shortest wave lengths meaning they have the highest frequency and energy. Both Gamma and x-rays differ from everything else on the spectrum because they can penetrate clothing and skin. This is important because when Gamma rays passContinue reading “Why we Should Thank our Atmosphere” Continue reading

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