Tag Archives: planets

Which Exoplanet Could Be Planet B?

Posted on April 17, 2021 by brandonlipper

The transit method has already been used to discover a few thousand exoplanets and continues to discover more through both old observations and current missions. With this method, the brightness levels of stars in other solar systems are measured. When the brightness dims, this is a sign that an extrasolar planet may have passed inContinue reading “Which Exoplanet Could Be Planet B?” Continue reading →

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Makemake

Posted on April 14, 2021 by justinboreskyvanderbiltedu

Makemake was discovered in 2005 by Michael Brown, Chad Trujillo and David Rabinowitz. Makemake might be the most interesting dwarf planet with its cool name and special facts. Makemake is the second biggest dwarf planet and once it was discovered it led to the demise of the title of planet for Pluto. Because of MakemakeContinue reading “Makemake” Continue reading →

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Wanderers of Space

Posted on February 27, 2021 by 20harriganc

In this post we will talk about the concept of retrograde motion. If you watch the movement of planets, it is actually quite complex. The word planet comes from a greek term meaning “wandering star”. Planets typically move eastward throughout the constellations. When there is apparent retrograde motion the planets are moving westward throughout theContinue reading “Wanderers of Space” Continue reading →

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Gravity of a Mysterious Object

Posted on February 27, 2021 by lorenzchen14

Credit: Caltech/R.Hurt (IPAC) We know that there are 8 planets in the Solar System. This is a fact. You would be crazy to think that there is a 9th planet out there orbiting beyond Pluto. After all, if there was a 9th planet, why haven’t we seen it yet? Well, meet Konstantin Batygin, a professorContinue reading “Gravity of a Mysterious Object” Continue reading →

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The Earth, the Moon, and the Space In Between

Posted on February 4, 2021 by brianknapp

Since space seems so far away to most of us humans, we can forget how truly massive the emptiness of space is. Space really is appropriately named, because so much of it is just that – empty space, nothing there. For example, let’s look at the distance between the Earth and the Moon. While theContinue reading “The Earth, the Moon, and the Space In Between” Continue reading →

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Extremophiles, and What They Mean For Life in Space

Posted on April 14, 2020 by phildowd

Extremophiles are organisms on Earth that thrive in extreme environment that most other organisms wouldn’t be able to survive in. They are found in places that at a glance, seem unlivable, places like inside volcanoes, or deep in the ocean under extreme pressures. So why do these extremophiles matter when thinking about space? The ideaContinue reading “Extremophiles, and What They Mean For Life in Space” Continue reading →

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How Big Can a Planet Get?

Posted on April 4, 2020 by gabezharovtothemoon

Jupiter is big. Not only is it the biggest planet in our solar system, but it is large enough to fit all the other planets in the solar system inside of it. However, Jupiter is not as dense as Earth, and even though it can fit about 1,300 Earths inside of it, it is approximatelyContinue reading “How Big Can a Planet Get?” Continue reading →

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Living on Titan?

Posted on March 29, 2020 by seths1

Could human beings inhabit Titan, one of Saturn’s moons? Titan is one of the least hostile places for humans in the outer solar system. Titan has liquid methane lakes and oceans on its surface, and even has weather. Titan’s atmosphere is very dense – 95% nitrogen and 5% methane. The gravity on Titan is slightlyContinue reading “Living on Titan?” Continue reading →

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Could There be Life on Europa?

Posted on March 29, 2020 by phildowd

Europa is one of Jupiter’s Galilean moons, meaning it’s one of the four largest moons that orbit Jupiter. What makes it particularly special is that it is considered one of the most likely places in our solar system (outside of Earth) that might contain life. Now, at a glance, it seems like that shouldn’t beContinue reading “Could There be Life on Europa?” Continue reading →

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Wasp-76b

Posted on March 29, 2020 by jackfumagalli

Two weeks ago, scientists observed an iron rain type phenomenon on an exoplanet known as Wasp-76b. Wasp-76b is a gas giant that is located approximately 640 light years away from the constellation Pisces. Wasp-76b orbits a different sun in its own galaxy. The distance between Wasp-76b and the sun it orbits is about 3% ofContinue reading “Wasp-76b” Continue reading →

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