Tag Archives: Solar System: Sun

The Sun

Posted on March 3, 2024 by Maddy Pollard

The Sun is arguably the most important thing in our solar system. It is the orbital center for each planet, and allows for life to be sustained on Earth. But what actually is the Sun? The Sun is a giant, glowing hot ball of gas that actually has many layers to it. The outermost layer […] Continue reading →

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Post 6

Posted on April 9, 2023 by berlinbe

Many people may remember the last total solar eclipse that was visible from North America. It occurred on August 21, 2017. The next total solar eclipse that covers North America, and the only one for the next 20 years, will occur on April 8, 2024—almost one year from today. Total solar eclipses are a fascinating […] Continue reading →

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Solar Flares and the Carrington Event

Posted on February 26, 2023 by sydneyastr2110

We heard a little bit about the Carrington Event in class, and I wanted to know more about it. A solar flare is essentially a burst of energy on the Sun which sends electrified gas and subatomic particles toward Earth. In 1859, there was an abnormally large solar flare caused two geomagnetic storms known as […] Continue reading →

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An Explanation of Tides

Posted on February 11, 2023 by sydneyastr2110

The short tide video we saw in class made me curious about tides. I looked into the relationship between the tides and the Moon, similar to what we had to do at the end of Homework 4. I wanted to share some of my findings. Both the Moon and Sun contribute to tides on Earth. […] Continue reading →

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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 →

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Scenes from Hubble: Saturn’s Seasons

Posted on March 22, 2021 by allyworthington

Images from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope show changing seasons on the gas giant, Saturn. Saturn has a slower orbit than Earth (29 years to orbit the sun!), which makes each “season” on the planet over 7 years long. Similar to Earth, Saturn is tilted on an axis, which affects the intensity of sunlight on sides … Continue reading Scenes from Hubble: Saturn’s Seasons → Continue reading →

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No sunspots on the Sun?

Posted on March 21, 2021 by connorrobbwilcox

Have you ever seen pictures of the Sun and noticed that it has dark spots on its surface? These sunspots are cooler than the other regions on the Sun, but they also represent the beginning of new solar cycles. In fact, some signs point to the next cycle, Cycle 25, having a much smaller numberContinue reading “No sunspots on the Sun?” Continue reading →

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The Carrington Event: What would happen today?

Posted on March 21, 2021 by connorrobbwilcox

The Carrington Event, named due to astronomer Robert Carrington observing that the phenomenon derived from the Sun, was an extremely powerful geomagnetic storm occurring on September 1-2, 1859. Earth’s magnetosphere was hit by a solar coronal mass ejection, or CME, from sunspots, causing auroras to light up Earth’s sky, telegraph and other communication to fail,Continue reading “The Carrington Event: What would happen today?” Continue reading →

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Aurora Borealis

Posted on March 21, 2021 by Mykayla

Aurora borealis, or the “Northern lights,” as it is often called, is the result of our Earth’s magnetosphere deflecting harmful particles from the Sun from the Earth. They can best be seen from the Arctic Circle (Canada, Iceland, Finland, etc.). Every aurora in the solar system originates from the Sun. Periodically, the Sun has stormsContinue reading “Aurora Borealis” Continue reading →

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Amazing Auroras

Posted on March 21, 2021 by captivatingcomet

Auroras happen when charged particles within solar winds go through Earth’s magnetic field. Solar winds are fast moving, plasma particles discharged by sunspot regions, areas where the Sun’s magnetic fields become tangled and burst. These particles bump into different atomic elements, such as nitrogen and oxygen, to create ions in excited states that release lightContinue reading “Amazing Auroras” Continue reading →

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