Tag Archives: blog5

Halley in History

Posted on April 17, 2021 by wslopes

Halley’s comet is one thought to have been noted in history millennia before it was ever realized that it was the same comet passing Earth every 75 years. The first official record of the comet’s passing was 239 BCE by Chinese astronomers, but it’s thought that it might have been recorded by the Ancient GreeksContinue reading “Halley in History” Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Historical | Tagged , | Comments Off on Halley in History

Living on Titan

Posted on April 17, 2021 by connorrobbwilcox

Titan is the largest moon of Saturn. It is an icy world with an atmosphere thicker and denser than Earth’s (1.5 times the atmospheric pressure of Earth) that has clouds of smog that coat it in a large, cloudy golden haze. So how could scientists think it could be a habitable substitute for Earth forContinue reading “Living on Titan” Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Living on Titan

The Depths of Europa

Posted on April 17, 2021 by hunterspiveyastr

The smallest of Jupiter’s four Galilean Moons, Europa hides a world of fascination below its unassuming icy surface. Europa existed unbeknownst to mankind up until the early seventeenth century when the famous astronomer, Galileo Galilei, was first able to resolve Europa through his telescope at the University of Padua. It wasn’t for another three andContinue reading “The Depths of Europa” Continue reading →

Posted in Aliens | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The Depths of Europa

The Oort Cloud

Posted on April 17, 2021 by Mykayla

The Oort Cloud is a collection of comets that orbit the Sun far outside our solar system. One estimation of the number of comets in the Oort Cloud is one TRILLION. Unlike the Kuiper Belt, which lies outside the orbit of Neptune, the Oort Cloud neither lies on the same plane as the bodies orbitingContinue reading “The Oort Cloud” Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Universe | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on The Oort Cloud

Europa, and the Possibility of Life

Posted on April 17, 2021 by weatherbysofferings

When we discussed the sub-surface oceans of some of the large moon-worlds, I was particularly excited about the idea that these places could potentially contain life, for what could be more exciting than the possibility of life elsewhere in the universe? As such, for my blog post, I wanted to dive into one potential homeContinue reading “Europa, and the Possibility of Life” Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Moons | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Europa, and the Possibility of Life

Fomalhaut b: The Planet that Disappeared

Posted on April 17, 2021 by bellagoodnight

What’s more interesting than the story of a planet that disappeared? Fans of Fomalhaut b would argue that nothing tops the tragic story of this exoplanet. What was initially thought to be a large world sitting only 25 light years away was later found out to be nothing but a dispersing cloud of dust. FomalhautContinue reading “Fomalhaut b: The Planet that Disappeared” Continue reading →

Posted in Exoplanets | Tagged , | Comments Off on Fomalhaut b: The Planet that Disappeared

What Is A Dwarf Planet, Anyway?

Posted on April 17, 2021 by alliefrymire

Given all our discussions of Pluto and the other “dwarf planets” of our solar system, you may be interested in just how astronomers differentiate a dwarf planet from a “regular” planet. According to the ever-reliable Wikipedia (not being sarcastic, Wikipedia is generally very trustworthy these days!), there are three characteristics that define a dwarf planet. … Continue reading What Is A Dwarf Planet, Anyway? → Continue reading →

Posted in Dwarf Planets | Tagged , , | Comments Off on What Is A Dwarf Planet, Anyway?

The Great Dark Spot

Posted on April 17, 2021 by brynicdew

We have all heard about the Great Red Spot, the constant, giant storm that could hold multiple Earths with unbelievable winds. However, what if I was to say that Jupiter was not the only planet with a mind-blowing storm. Enter the incredible storm of Neptune: the Great Dark Spot. The Great Dark Spot (GDS) isContinue reading “The Great Dark Spot” Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The Great Dark Spot

The Oddities of Titan

Posted on April 17, 2021 by jagobillot

Titan is one of 62 moons revolving around Saturn. Before 2004, not much was known about Titan, other than the fact that it is Saturn’s largest moon. NASA sent the Cassini spacecraft to the outer to investigate and send back information about Titan. Cassini sent back pictures of a very planet-like moon with a denseContinue reading “The Oddities of Titan” Continue reading →

Posted in Moons | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The Oddities of Titan

Ceres

Posted on April 17, 2021 by lauryn28

Ceres is a dwarf planet discovered by Giuseppe Piazzi in 1801. Its mass is only .015 percent of Earth’s and it is actually small enough to be classified as both a dwarf planet and an asteroid. Moreover it is sometimes referred to as the largest asteroid in the solar system. Ceres is round, though itContinue reading “Ceres” Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Dwarf Planets | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Ceres