Tag Archives: Solar System

Spectroscopy and Stars

Posted on February 27, 2021 by christianc3

While it may seem impossible to be able to identify the types of elements that stars billions of light years away are made of, scientists discovered a way to do exactly that. In the 1850s, Kirchhoff and Bunsen managed to identify what the black lines in light spectra meant, and it allowed them to identifyContinue reading “Spectroscopy and Stars” Continue reading →

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Tidal Friction: a 5 hour long day to a month long day

Posted on February 27, 2021 by brandonlipper

Due to the Universal law of gravitation, we know that objects of equal mass have a larger gravitation force between them when they are closer together. Because the near side of the Earth is closer to the Moon than the far side of the Earth, the force between the Moon and the near side ofContinue reading “Tidal Friction: a 5 hour long day to a month long day” 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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Tides

Posted on February 26, 2021 by lauryn28

In 1687 Sir Issac Newton discovered that the tides of the ocean on Earth are primarily caused by the gravitational pull of the Sun and the Moon. This idea was supported by his universal law of gravity that asserts that any piece of matter in the universe will attract any other with a force varying directly asContinue reading “Tides” Continue reading →

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Retrograde Motion

Posted on February 24, 2021 by kjackson1456

Those in the realm of astrology are more than familiar with Mercury retrograde. During these unsettling periods, Mercury’s influence over matters of transportation and communication is altered which causes many unfortunate issues to arise. That is, of course, astrology’s interpretation of retrograde motion. In astronomy, retrograde motion simply describes the reversed direction planets seem toContinue reading “Retrograde Motion” Continue reading →

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Reconciling Science and Religion

Posted on February 20, 2021 by rightascensionanddeclinolan

In 1615, Galileo wrote a letter to the Grand Duchess Christina (read: the Church) “to accommodate Copernicanism with the doctrines of the Catholic Church … [by] arguing that the Copernican theory was not just a mathematical calculating tool, but a physical reality” (source).  In his letter, Galileo claimed – among other things – the following:Continue reading “Reconciling Science and Religion” Continue reading →

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Blog1– the vast size of the universe

Posted on February 7, 2021 by zvrec

I am very excited to share this size comparison video of the universe, which I accidentally discovered last year. I watched this video for many times afterwards, and I could not stop myself gasping with astonishment at the vast size and the scale of the celestial bodies in the universe and the universe itself. ThisContinue reading “Blog1– the vast size of the universe” Continue reading →

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The Cosmic Calendar

Posted on February 7, 2021 by brandonlipper

Definition: a calendar in which the 14-billion-years of the universe’s existence, from the time of the Big Bang until this moment, are scaled to a period of one year. Origin: The idea of the Cosmic Calendar was first described by astronomer Carl Sagan on the original version of the television show Cosmos in 1980. KeyContinue reading “The Cosmic Calendar” Continue reading →

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The Far Side of the Moon

Posted on February 6, 2021 by solarcecily

I’m no professional astronomer. No matter where I am in the world, when I look up at the night sky I see the same thing. I’ve rarely ever been able to see recognizable patterns in the stars, let alone identify specific ones, like Polaris. However, in every night sky, there is always a celestial bodyContinue reading “The Far Side of the Moon” Continue reading →

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Ephemerides: An Astronomer’s Excel

Posted on February 5, 2021 by mwdobson3

From the first time I observed lunar eclipses to now understanding how they occur, I have always wondered how astronomers are able to predict every piece of information about them years in advance. Also, in the bigger picture, I did not know how astronomers knew where the planets and stars were in our Solar SystemContinue reading “Ephemerides: An Astronomer’s Excel” Continue reading →

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