Tag Archives: planets

Blog Post 6: Gravitational Slingshot

Posted on April 9, 2023 by Myles7235

Have you ever played with a slingshot to shoot small items such as pebbles as a kid? Astronomers can also tap into their inner child by using a gravitational slingshot in space. A gravitational slingshot happens when a small object uses the gravitational pull of a larger object to speed itself up. Take a spacecraft […] Continue reading →

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Exoplanets!

Posted on April 9, 2023 by dromalley

Over the past several decades, the study of extrasolar planets, or exoplanets, has been one of the most rapidly advancing fields of astronomy and even science in general. With huge leaps forward that have been made in both technology and methodology, the number of exoplanets astronomers have been able to directly observe has exploded, with […] Continue reading →

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The Planets Inspiring Art

Posted on March 8, 2023 by 88bw

Planets have always been a large source of inspiration for classical music composers, and there is probably no larger example than Gustav Holst’s Planets Suite. This work’s popularity has also reached the masses, and his music is known to have significantly influenced John Williams in his compositions for his film scores. What I find interesting […] Continue reading →

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

Posted on March 8, 2023 by theyounesadventure

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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The Imaginary Planet

Posted on March 7, 2023 by dromalley

While the five planets visible to the naked eye have been known for almost all of astronomy’s history, it was not until the discovery of Uranus in 1781 by Sir William Herschel that astronomers began searching for other planets in our Solar System. After Neptune was discovered in 1846, astronomers began turning their telescopes towards […] Continue reading →

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Acidophiles, pH, and life on Venus | blog VII

Posted on May 1, 2022 by clviggiano

The pH scale is used to gauge the acidity and ranges from 0-14, with lower values being more acidic and higher values being more alkali. 7 is the neutral level between the two. Substances like battery or stomach acids have pHs around 0 or 1; water and blood are around 7, with drain cleaner or […] Continue reading →

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Detecting Extrasolar Planets

Posted on April 17, 2022 by solarelizabeth

Extrasolar planets can be difficult to detect because they are tiny, far away, and dim, but the Doppler Method provides an indirect way to find them. This method involves looking for alternating blueshifts and redshifts in the star’s spectrum, which reveal a star’s motion around its center of mass. This motion could reveal the presence […] Continue reading →

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Curiosity Rover

Posted on April 12, 2022 by Emily Bertram

The Curiosity Rover is located on Mars. This car-sized explorer, which is owned by NASA, is designed to investigate Mars climate and geology. It was launched on November 26, 2011 and landed on August 6, 2012. It has traveled over 16 miles exploring Mars and taking pictures for astronomers to study.  Its main goal is […] Continue reading →

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Ceres

Posted on April 12, 2022 by Emily Bertram

The most famous dwarf planet is Pluto but not many people know about Ceres. Ceres is located between Mars and Jupiter in the asteroid belt. There are many interesting facts surrounding this dwarf planet such as: it was the first asteroid to be discovered in 1801 by Giuseppe Piazzi. Piazzi was an Italian astronomer and […] Continue reading →

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Composition of Planets within the Solar System

Posted on March 22, 2022 by sissichen17

Different elements were occupied in different planets within the solar system. Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars were terrestrial planets made of rocks, which were composed of diverse metal elements including magnesium and aluminum. Specifically, mercury obtained a thin exosphere of oxygen, sodium, hydrogen, helium, and potassium. Venus consisted of an iron core and a carbon-dioxide […] Continue reading →

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