Tag Archives: blog4

Aurora Borealis

Aurora borealis, or the “Northern lights,” as it is often called, is the result of our Earth’s magnetosphere deflecting harmful particles from the Sun from the Earth. They can best be seen from the Arctic Circle (Canada, Iceland, Finland, etc.). Every aurora in the solar system originates from the Sun. Periodically, the Sun has stormsContinue reading “Aurora Borealis” Continue reading

Posted in Light, Observables, Sun | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Aurora Borealis

Amazing Auroras

Auroras happen when charged particles within solar winds go through Earth’s magnetic field. Solar winds are fast moving, plasma particles discharged by sunspot regions, areas where the Sun’s magnetic fields become tangled and burst. These particles bump into different atomic elements, such as nitrogen and oxygen, to create ions in excited states that release lightContinue reading “Amazing Auroras” Continue reading

Posted in Class, Light, Observables | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Amazing Auroras

earth’s rings?

Ever look at a picture of Saturn (or anything else with rings) and think “Wow, I wonder what those rings are made of?” Spoiler alert – they’re just very pretty rocks and ices and dusts. How about this one – Ever look up at the Moon (or any other moon) and think “Wow, I wonderContinue reading “earth’s rings?” Continue reading

Posted in Class, Moons, Planet Rings | Tagged , , | Comments Off on earth’s rings?

Mount Vesuvius and the Pompeiian Disaster: How it happened

I was watching a documentary about the sheer power and destruction that Mount Vesuvius lay upon those heedless Roman citizens in Pompeii, and it got me thinking about the movement of the tectonic plates. What needs to happen underneath the land to create enough power to bury a city in 15 feet of rubble andContinue reading “Mount Vesuvius and the Pompeiian Disaster: How it happened” Continue reading

Posted in Science | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Mount Vesuvius and the Pompeiian Disaster: How it happened

Binary Stars

A binary star is a star system of two stars that orbit around the central point, called the barycenter. In conversation, binary stars are sometimes casually referred to as double stars. Binary star systems or multiple star systems (3+ stars in orbit in the same system) are actually way more common than you might think.Continue reading “Binary Stars” Continue reading

Posted in Light, Physics, Stars | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Binary Stars

Comet

Is it a bird? a plane? a superhero? No it’s a Comet! Comet’s are “cosmic snowballs of frozen gases, rock and dust that orbit the Sun”. Comet’s generally range from the size of 750 meters to 20 kilometers. Currently there are 3,717 comets known to man. Comet’s form from dust particles combining to form icyContinue reading “Comet” Continue reading

Posted in Stars, Universe | Tagged , | Comments Off on Comet

Europa and Possible Life

Europa is one of Jupiter’s 79 moons and is slightly smaller than Earth’s moon. It’s surface is covered in salty water that is almost twice the amount of water in all of Earth’s oceans combined. Covering all this water is a 10-15 mile thick sheet of ice. The inner part of the moon is thoughtContinue reading “Europa and Possible Life” Continue reading

Posted in Aliens, Class, Moons | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Europa and Possible Life

The Secrets of Perseverance

Solution to Perseverance’s parachute code, posted by Adam Steltzner When the Perseverance Rover landed on Feb.18, 2021, the parachute that was used appeared very unique, with a combination of orange and white strips. Coupled with the fact that in a conference, Allen Chen (the engineer in charge of the landing system) said, “we leave messagesContinue reading “The Secrets of Perseverance” Continue reading

Posted in Space Travel | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The Secrets of Perseverance

Maybe Microfossils on Mars?

NASA’s most recent Mars mission sent a new rover to the Red Planet – her name is Perseverance. The mission launched late last July and successfully landed just last month, utilizing a variation of the sky crane maneuver initially developed for the Curiosity mission (another blog post worth of material). Perseverance is now searching forContinue reading “Maybe Microfossils on Mars?” Continue reading

Posted in Aliens, Class | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Maybe Microfossils on Mars?

Is Buying Land on the Moon a Real Possibility?

I’m sure many people have seen companies offering an acre of land for sale on the moon (here’s an example). Many people, celebrities included, have bought into this and have purchased acres of land. However, how real is this claim to land on the moon? The reality of the subject is that no one canContinue reading “Is Buying Land on the Moon a Real Possibility?” Continue reading

Posted in Class | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Is Buying Land on the Moon a Real Possibility?