Tag Archives: blog4

A New Generation of US Spaceflight

Posted on February 12, 2014 by jblubin

A new era of spaceflight is underway in America. The Space Shuttle program was retired in 2011 and ever since, if NASA wants to send an astronaut so space, they must buy a ticket on the Russian Soyuz rocket. But this status quo of depending on another nation to carpool to space is about to … Continue reading A New Generation of US Spaceflight → Continue reading →

Posted in Space Travel | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on A New Generation of US Spaceflight

500 Days of…Solitude

Posted on February 21, 2013 by theskyisbeautifultonight

European Space Agency So this piece of news is a bit old, but I think its worth talking about: we’re one step closer to intersolar travel!  I’m not talking about a probe or rover, however.  In this case I’m talking about things of a human nature.  From 2007 – 2011, in a cooperative effort between […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on 500 Days of…Solitude

The Power of the Telescope

Posted on February 20, 2013 by jhughes216

History The first known telescopes came into invention sometime in 1608 by Dutch glass makers who had become quite skilled in making lens. In 1609 an Italian physicist and astronomer named Galileo decided to use this invention to look into the heavens. While it was rudimentary compared to the telescopes of today, this new tool […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The Power of the Telescope

Why are polarized sunglasses helpful?

Posted on February 20, 2013 by zoodrey

What do polarized sunglasses do differently than regular sunglasses? Polarized sunglasses affect the direction of light reflection. We know that light travels in waves in a random assortment of direction. Polarization is all of the horizontal reflection of light off of reflective surfaces. When light hits an object, it will reflect parallel to the surface. … Continue reading » Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Why are polarized sunglasses helpful?

Pink Light

Posted on February 20, 2013 by Elizabeth Merriman

There are many interesting things about light, particularly those wavelengths we cannot see.  Looking at the light coming off of the Earth, we see what looks like a black body curve, but with chunks missing where greenhouse gasses absorb light.   … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Light | Tagged , | Comments Off on Pink Light

The Webb Space Telescope: the Future of Viewing the Past

Posted on February 20, 2013 by zvgio

Every time you look at the stars , you are looking back in time. The universe is a big place and light takes time to move through it, so if you’re currently admiring Polaris, the photons hitting your eyes have been traveling for about 434 years to reach you. That may seem like a long […] Continue reading →

Posted in Instruments | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on The Webb Space Telescope: the Future of Viewing the Past

Copernicus vs. Tycho Brahe

Posted on February 20, 2013 by JT McJunkins

While both Copernicus and Tycho contributed to the evolution of astronomy and the Scientific Revolution in general, the nature of their accomplishments and challenges to the status quo were fundamentally different and defined their respective reception… Continue reading →

Posted in Historical | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Copernicus vs. Tycho Brahe

A more “earthbound” use of the Doppler effect

Posted on February 20, 2013 by astrdylan

When I was reading about the Doppler effect in the textbook, I found it easy to visualize the way we use the Doppler effect to understand the movements of astronomical objects, but I didn’t realize that we had other uses for Doppler a little closer to home. After doing a little bit of research, I … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Science | Tagged , , | Comments Off on A more “earthbound” use of the Doppler effect

Near-Earth Objects: Experiences and Implications

Posted on February 20, 2013 by werdercj

Meteor trail over Eastern Russia. On February 15, 2013, two very significant astronomical events occurred unusually close to us; the highly publicized meteor explosion over a Russian city overshadowed the close approach of a much larger asteroid orbiting Earth.  The contrast between these two events is what struck me as most interesting and informative about […] Continue reading →

Posted in Small SS Objects | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Near-Earth Objects: Experiences and Implications

The OWL

Posted on February 20, 2013 by marknshirleyvu

While reading about different types of telescopes here on Earth I stumbled across a cancelled project known as the OWL (Overwhelmingly Large) Telescope, and overwhelming might be an understatement.  This telescope, a concept developed by the European Southern Observatory, would boast a single aperture measuring 100 meters in diameter, longer than a football field! It […] Continue reading →

Posted in Instruments, Observables, Science, Universe | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The OWL