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Tag Archives: blog5
The Moons of the Jovian Planets
Some of the most well known moons in our Solar System, aside from our own, are Jupiter’s Moons. They are known as Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. However, there are over 170 known moons that orbit all of the Jovian…
Posted in Moons
Tagged astro2110, astronomy, blog5, Solar System
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Using Variable Stars to Find Exoplanets
One of the preeminent methods for finding exoplanets is tracking periodic variations in stellar brightness. In class, we practiced this technique by examining the light curves of certain variable stars and identifying the presence of orbiting exoplanets. In the real world, scientists must first identify variable stars and then determine which of these variable stars’ […] Continue reading
Posted in Instruments, Light, Observables, Science
Tagged astro2110, blog5, Research, technology
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Blog 5: Comets
Comets are relatively small bodies in our solar system comprised of dust, rock, gases, and ice. They are remnants from the formation of the solar system, and their solid bodies, or nuclei, can range from a few miles to dozens of miles wide. When its orbit gets close to the sun, this nucleus heats up […] Continue reading
Posted in Class, Small SS Objects
Tagged astro2110, blog5, comet, Kuiper Belt, Milky Way, Solar System
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The Moons of Jupiter
Jupiter has many moons, but the largest of them are the Galilean moon, Ganymede, Callisto, Europa, and Io. This post will explore the defining features of these Jovian moons. The largest of Jupiter’s moons is Ganymede, the largest moon in the Solar System. In fact, Ganymede is larger than Mercury. This moon has a liquid […] Continue reading
Jupiter’s Great Red Spot
Growing up, I grew to recognize Jupiter’s distinctive birthmark, but I never attempted to understand it. I figured their were clever astronomers out there who knew what was going on and I’d end up absorbing what they know from a TED talk at 1.5x speed. After looking into it though, it turns out the Great […] Continue reading
Posted in Jovians
Tagged astro2110, blog5, jupiter, Uncategorized
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Blog 5: Eris
Eris is a trans-Neptunian object and is the second-largest dwarf planet in the solar system. It was discovered in 2005. It is .28 % the mass of Earth. Eris has one large moon, Dsymonia.It is about 96 AU away from the sun. Its orbital period is 559 Years. Its surface has methane ice. This shows […] Continue reading
Posted in Class, General
Tagged astro2110, blog 5, blog5, Eris, Solar System, Uncategorized
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Interesting facts about Pluto and our path to exploring it
Dr. Alan Stern is most known for his role as the principal investigator of the New Horizons mission to explore Pluto and the Kuiper Belt. Recently, Dr. Stern spoke at Purdue University on October 10, 2019, discussing and examining the topic of “What If We Return to Pluto?” During this discussion, he detailed many interesting […] Continue reading
Jupiter’s Magnetosphere
Jupiter’s magnetosphere is by far the strongest. This is because of how thick its layer of metallic hydrogen is and its high-speed rotation rate. Its strength is 20,000 times stronger than Earth’s. It’s so large that it begins to avert the solar wind almost 3 million kilometers before it even reaches Jupiter. Jupiter’s magnetosphere in…Continue reading » Continue reading
Jovian Layers
The formation of our solar system helps explain the composition of the Jovian planets. Past the frost line, hydrogen compounds condensed into ices. The four jovian planets started as icy planetismals, but Jupiter and Saturn captured much more hydrogen and helium gas than Uranus and Neptune during solar system formation. This is probably because Jupiter […] Continue reading
Posted in Class
Tagged astro2110, blog5, Class, Jovian Planets, jupiter, layers, Solar System
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Hot Jupiters: Migration and Orbital Changes
Hot Jupiters are gas giants that have orbital periods that are very close to their stars; often less than 10 days. Usually this means they are less than 0.1AU away from their stars which is one tenth the distance between earth and the sun. While scientists originally did not think giant planets could exist this […] Continue reading
Posted in Exoplanets, Jovians
Tagged astro2110, blog5, HotJupiter
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