Tag Archives: Mars

Retrograde Motion

Diagram of Retrograde Motion Retrograde motion is when the motion of a planet seems to reverse direction in the sky. The name of this phenomenon is derived from the Latin word retrogradus, which means “going backward.” This motion, however, is purely an illusion as the planet’s motion does not actually change and start moving backward […] Continue reading

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Life on Mars?

Does life/did life once exist in areas of the solar system outside of our home planet Earth? In trying to answer this question, we turn to our closest neighbor and most likely candidate, Mars. As of right now, there is no evidence, past or present, that Mars has ever been home to life. That being […] Continue reading

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Geology of Mars

Mars has a fascinating geology that is very comparable to Earth in many ways and also shows its very dynamic history. A well known geological feature on Mars is Olympus Mons, the largest volcano in the solar system, which stands at a height of approximately 16 miles and spans 374 miles in diameter. To compare, […] Continue reading

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NASA’s MAVEN mission

The MAVEN spacecraft NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution spacecraft (MAVEN) is studying Mars’s atmosphere. MAVEN was launched in November 2013 and arrived and arrived at Mars in September 2014. The MAVEN mission is helping scientists learn about how Mars loses its atmosphere and how/when the planet lost its water.  MAVEN is an orbiter spacecraft […] Continue reading

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The Search for Extraterrestrial Life: Exploring Mars, Europa, and Beyond?

Throughout history, humans have been intrigued by the possibility of life beyond our planet. With modern advancements in space exploration and technology, the quest for extraterrestrial life is more achievable than ever before. NASA and other space agencies have initiated numerous missions to explore our solar system and beyond in search of signs of life. […] Continue reading

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The Universe and Me

     Looking back on the whole course, I felt like I learned so much about our solar system and beyond. I think it’s important to understand where you come from so you can better understand yourself and your place in the universe. Now, I definitely know more about the theory behind the formation of our solar […] Continue reading

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The Diversity of Terrestrial World Atmospheres: Venus, Mars and Earth

Terrestrial planets’ atmospheres, including those of Venus, Earth, and Mars, are crucial to their general behavior and possible habitability. Many elements, including the planet’s distance from the sun, the makeup of its surface, and the presence of geological activity, all impact these atmospheres. The atmospheres of terrestrial worlds display a startling variation in behavior and […] Continue reading

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Could We Give Mars a Better Atmosphere?

Is it possible to give Mars a livable atmosphere? In theory, yes! However, it would be infeasible to do it in our lifetimes. Or within the next couple hundred years. This video from Kurzgesagt (fantastic channel, by the way) details how we might be able to give Mars an atmosphere and biosphere using our current […] Continue reading

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Life Beyond Earth

There have been many recent discoveries that suggest life exists beyond Earth. Some of these include new findings on Enceladus (a small moon of Saturn), exoplanets, and even Mars. Enceladus NASA’s Cassini spacecraft collected data that allowed us to simulate the geochemistry of phosphorus in the ocean. This study helped us reach some interesting conclusions […] Continue reading

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Opportunity and Spirit

Opportunity and Spirit are two rovers that have been to the incredible Red Planet – Mars.  Opportunity launched out of Florida in 2003 and landed on Mars in 2004, which was soon after its twin Spirit landed. Opportunity is one of the more well known rovers, in that it broke a record of operating for […] Continue reading

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