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Tag Archives: Solar System
Europa
Europa, a moon of the planet Jupiter, was discovered in 1610 by Galileo Galilei and Simon Marius. It is a little smaller than Earth’s moon, and it has one of the smoothest surfaces in the solar system. The surface is made up of water ice with long, linear lines fracturing it. The low number of … Continue reading Europa → Continue reading
Probing the Mysteries of 50000 QUAOAR
Hundreds of millions of miles beyond the orbit of Neptune lurks one of the most intriguing objects in the Solar System, 50000 Quaoar. 50000 Quaoar is notable for multiple reasons, but the most apparent is its name. Quaoar is the name of the creator deity of the Tongva people in the Los Angeles Basin. The … Continue reading Probing the Mysteries of 50000 QUAOAR → Continue reading
Posted in Class, Historical, Small SS Objects
Tagged astro2110, blog5, Solar System
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Io
Io is one of the closest and most prominent of Jupiter’s moons. Surprisingly, Io has the most volcanic activity of any of the worlds in our solar system. Usually, people think of moons as large barren rocks (similar to our own) however, Io breaks that mold. Because Io has such a large amount of volcanoes, … Continue reading Io → Continue reading
Eight Planets or Nine?
Most of us probably remember a time when the Solar System had nine planets, with Pluto as the ninth and (usually) farthest from the Sun. In 2006, following the discovery of Eris, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) voted to reclassify Pluto as a “dwarf planet” (don’t forget the quotation marks!). However, there might one day […] Continue reading
Halley’s Comet
In 2061, Halley’s Comet will return to pass by Earth in 75-year long round trip across the solar system. But what else do we know about this mysterious visitor? Studying the reports of comet sightings in 1531, 1607, and 1682, Edmond Halley deduced that these comets were in fact the same one and that it … Continue reading Halley’s Comet → Continue reading
Why is Titan Special?
If you are a Sci-fi fan like me, you might be able to recall Vincent hiding his identity for the trip to Saturn’s moon Titan in Gattaca. In Star Trek 2009, Kirk and Spock beam abroad the Romulan ship attacking Earth, while Enterprise hid itself in Titan’s clouds. Or at least you should remember the … Continue reading Why is Titan Special? → Continue reading
The Northern Lights
Aurora Borealis, or the Northern Lights, is a natural phenomena that is observable at the North and South poles. Named by Galileo and meaning “Dawn of the North”, Aurora Borealis is a visualization of the reaction between electrons from the Sun and our atmosphere. Due to our magnetosphere, most of the electrons are rejected, but … Continue reading The Northern Lights → Continue reading
The Northern Lights
Aurora Borealis, or the Northern Lights, is a natural phenomena that is observable at the North and South poles. Named by Galileo and meaning “Dawn of the North”, Aurora Borealis is a visualization of the reaction between electrons from the Sun and our atmosphere. Due to our magnetosphere, most of the electrons are rejected, but … Continue reading The Northern Lights → Continue reading
Expanding a Trillion Dollar Industry
Many are familiar with mining on Earth to obtain resources that we use for all sorts of things on the planet. What many don’t know is that this process can be, and most likely will be, expanded beyond the planet. Asteroids contain many of the resources found on Earth since they are basically leftover material … Continue reading Expanding a Trillion Dollar Industry → Continue reading
Posted in Small SS Objects
Tagged asteroids, astro2110, blog4, Solar System
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Mars: Investigating the Red Planet
In his hit song “Rocket Man”, musical legend Elton John aptly remarks that “Mars ain’t the kind of place to raise your kids / In fact it’s cold as hell.” The average surface temperature of Mars is 220 Kelvin, or about -64 degrees Fahrenheit. Now, I’m not sure about hell, but that’s definitely too cold … Continue reading Mars: Investigating the Red Planet → Continue reading
Posted in Class, Terrestrials
Tagged astro2110, blog4, Mars, Solar System
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