Tag Archives: blog3

A Life in Orbit

Existing near the vacuum of space poses unique instrumentation and life cycle challenges for the Hubble telescope. The sun’s radiation has the potential to corrupt electronic signals or damage components, so many parts must be shielded and redundant systems are required. Without atmospheric regulation, the temperature of an object in orbit such as the HST … Continue reading A Life in Orbit Continue reading

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Climate Change: 2018 4th Warmest Year

The Article Climate change is one of the biggest threats mankind has to face, and it’s an issue that only grows in intensity over time. Last month, NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration highlighted the severity of this issue in a research article meant to explain the real dangers of climate change. NASA … Continue reading Climate Change: 2018 4th Warmest Year Continue reading

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Climate Change: 2018 4th Warmest Year

The Article Climate change is one of the biggest threats mankind has to face, and it’s an issue that only grows in intensity over time. Last month, NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration highlighted the severity of this issue in a research article meant to explain the real dangers of climate change. NASA … Continue reading Climate Change: 2018 4th Warmest Year Continue reading

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Radioactivity 101. Is the sun radioactive?

sun spots and solar flares Chemical reactions occur because atoms strive for stability. Just like the outer electrons require a certain number of electrons to become stable, the nucleus requires a certain number of protons and neutrons to achieve this stability. The decomposition (breaking down) of the nucleus to achieve this stability is what we … Continue reading Radioactivity 101. Is the sun radioactive? Continue reading

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Saturn’s Rings and Shepherd Moons

One topic regarding Saturn’s rings that I found extremely interesting was the concept of its Shepherd Moons and how they contribute to the uniformity of the rings. If my understanding and memory are correct, this phenomenon is governed by conservation of energy. Essentially, the moons are on opposite sides of the ring, where the moon … Continue reading Saturn’s Rings and Shepherd Moons Continue reading

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Second Planet to the Sun

The planet Venus is named for the Roman goddess of love and beauty. It is the second largest terrestrial planet. It is also the second brightest natural object in the sky. Venus’ apparent magnitude of -3.8 to -4.6 makes it visible on a clear day. Venus’ atmosphere can be divided into two layers: the cloud … Continue reading Second Planet to the Sun Continue reading

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Nuclear Fusion

  Nuclear fusion is where two nuclei combine resulting in a displacement of energy. The fusion of hydrogen atoms into helium specifically is what powers the energy output of the sun. This can only occur under the most extreme conditions – typically, the positively charged nuclei of two atoms repel each other quite strongly, and … Continue reading Nuclear Fusion Continue reading

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Terraforming Mars: Chances are as Thin as the Air

Many of the futurists and sci-fi enthusiasts of today will at some point think about trying to live on Mars. However, terraforming the planet seems increasingly difficult as we learn more about the process. The first step, and a limiting one, is Mars’ atmosphere. This NBC article summarizes the findings of a 2018 study concerning […] Continue reading

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Atmospheres of Terrestrial Worlds

In this blog we will be discussing the atmospheres of terrestrial worlds; more specifically what an atmosphere really is and the difference in atmospheres between different worlds. An atmosphere is simply a “layer of gas that surrounds a world.” In general, this relatively thin layer of gas is responsible for blocking the suns rays and … Continue reading Atmospheres of Terrestrial Worlds Continue reading

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The Sun

Everyone knows the sun is what gives us light, much of our heat, and is vital to life on Earth, however there are many intriguing aspects that people do not know. The sun was formed four and a half billion years ago from the gas of a collapsing space cloud. This cloud continued to contract … Continue reading The Sun Continue reading

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