Tag Archives: blog2

The Gravity of Neutron Stars

Posted on February 23, 2021 by brianknapp

Apart from black holes, neutron stars are the densest objects in the universe – excluding some other weird stuff. These unique and very dense things can form after a star goes supernova and collapses. If the star is massive enough, the collapse will force protons and electrons to smash into each other to form neutrons.Continue reading “The Gravity of Neutron Stars” Continue reading →

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Reconciling Science and Religion

Posted on February 20, 2021 by rightascensionanddeclinolan

In 1615, Galileo wrote a letter to the Grand Duchess Christina (read: the Church) “to accommodate Copernicanism with the doctrines of the Catholic Church … [by] arguing that the Copernican theory was not just a mathematical calculating tool, but a physical reality” (source).  In his letter, Galileo claimed – among other things – the following:Continue reading “Reconciling Science and Religion” Continue reading →

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Archaeoastronomy

Posted on February 17, 2021 by ben141414

Archaeoastronomy is the study of ancient astronomical practices, specifically how they “have understood the phenomena in the sky, how they used these phenomena and what role the sky played in their cultures.” Back in ancient times, there was obviously no technology, but people wanted to understand the natural world. They saw amazing sights (planets, stars,Continue reading “Archaeoastronomy” Continue reading →

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Astronomy & the Catholic Church

Posted on February 12, 2021 by olivesobservatory

Although some might make the claim that the Catholic Church has and always will be anti-science (a myth perpetuated partly by Catholic fundamentalism), the church has actually had a longstanding relationship with the sciences dating as far back as the early Middle Ages. [1] The beginning of the church’s interest in astronomy began when issues… Continue reading →

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What is retrograde motion?

Posted on February 14, 2020 by swarnasakshi

Retrograde. It’s a word you hear tossed around quite a bit lately. Mercury always seems to be in retrograde, which, apparently, is not a good thing. But what is retrograde motion really? Retrograde is an apparent motion. An objects appears to be in retrograde when it is lapped by another object that is the pointContinue reading “What is retrograde motion?” Continue reading →

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The Visible Doppler Effect

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Lily

            Ever wonder why the siren of a police car or a firetruck seems to change in pitch after it passes by? Well, the phenomenon is known as the Doppler Effect. The Doppler Effect explains how sound, like in the example above, or light waves are manipulated by the movement of an object in relation toContinue reading “The Visible Doppler Effect” Continue reading →

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Spring and Neap Tides

Posted on February 11, 2020 by Rehan John

Many are familiar with the concept that the Moon creates high and low tides on Earth, but few know that the Sun also plays a role in the process. Tides are formed from the gravitational forces of the Sun and Moon pulling on the Earth differently in different places due to variations in distance. TheContinue reading “Spring and Neap Tides” Continue reading →

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Gravity’s Effect on Light

Posted on February 10, 2020 by ericlovesstars

Light appears almost instantaneous to the naked eye. This seems especially evident on the Fourth of July, watching a firework explode, only for the boom to hit you seconds after the colorful light hits your eyes. It does not seem like something so fast and instant could be affected by a force such as gravity.Continue reading “Gravity’s Effect on Light” Continue reading →

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What is celestial navigation?

Posted on February 10, 2020 by abbigailhughes

Those who use the placement of stars in the night sky in order to determine where to go to are using a practice called celestial navigation. Ancient peoples noticed the patterns associated with stars in the night sky and were able to study and record them in order to teach the following generations how toContinue reading “What is celestial navigation?” Continue reading →

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Gravity Waves

Posted on February 10, 2020 by khalilgreene

Gravity waves have been speculated to exist ever since Einstein set a speed limit to the universe, the speed of light. When Newton came up with the gravitational force equation, it only considered mass and distance when calculating the force. It did not take into account that if one mass disappeared, then that information ofContinue reading “Gravity Waves” Continue reading →

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