Tag Archives: Solar System

The Solar Wind: Seeing with Eyes Shut

Posted on March 27, 2017 by brynnabhall

When thinking about outer space at a much more basic level, I remember being taught to think of the word “vacuum.” And as the narrator says in the video I watched, the space between planets is far from empty. A unique aspect of the sun’s weather known as the solar wind fills up some of … More The Solar Wind: Seeing with Eyes Shut Continue reading →

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Blog 2 – Occam’s Razor

Posted on February 15, 2017 by johnjohnb4

For my second blog, I thought I’d discuss the idea of simplicity in astronomy; specifically, the idea of Occam’s Razor.  One of the hallmarks of science is the progression of creation and testing of models of nature that explain scientific observations as simply as possible.  This idea, that scientists should prefer the simpler of two […] Continue reading →

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Planetary Defense System

Posted on February 14, 2017 by elliottlifeastronomy

Earth sees its own fair share of incoming projectiles from space, but it’s extremely rare to find an event that poses any real threat to Earth or its life.  Most of this safety comes from that fact that space is inconceivably large; the possibility of being hit by an asteroid that could do any real […] Continue reading →

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Solar Probe Plus

Posted on February 14, 2017 by Nick Belsten

In 1976, NASA’s Helios 2 spacecraft set the current distance record by orbiting the Sun with a closest approach of 43.4 million kilometers. Even though this is barely inside the orbit of Mercury, the intense heat close to the Sun has previously prevented any closer observation. The Goddard Space flight Center “Living with a Star … Continue reading Solar Probe Plus → Continue reading →

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Solar Probe Plus

Posted on February 14, 2017 by Nick Belsten

In 1976, NASA’s Helios 2 spacecraft set the current distance record by orbiting the Sun with a closest approach of 43.4 million kilometers. Even though this is barely inside the orbit of Mercury, the intense heat close to the Sun has previously prevented any closer observation. The Goddard Space flight Center “Living with a Star … Continue reading Solar Probe Plus → Continue reading →

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Blog 1: We Are All So Small!

Posted on February 14, 2017 by terranojm

Space is such a fascinating thing. There is just so much out there beyond our planet: so much we know about and even more we don’t know about! Growing up in school, we all learned about the solar system. As a result, we concluded that maybe our world isn’t the center of the universe like we may have … Continue reading “Blog 1: We Are All So Small!” Continue reading →

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Manhattanhenge

Posted on February 10, 2017 by Nick Belsten

Four-thousand years ago, early Europeans’ connected with the Cosmos every Summer Solstice by watching the midsummer sunrise directly over the Heel Stone in what we now call Stonehenge. These early people recognized that where the sun rises and sets on the horizon cycles North and South with the seasons. Today, thousands of people gather four times … Continue reading Manhattanhenge → Continue reading →

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Juno Spacecraft

Posted on January 18, 2017 by Haley Topper

This is the excerpt for your very first post. Continue reading →

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Pluto: Planet or Dwarf Planet?

Posted on January 18, 2017 by Haley Topper

This is the excerpt for your very first post. Continue reading →

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Is Extra-Terrestrial Communication a Good Thing?

Posted on April 26, 2016 by lawlorsolarsystem

We have talked in class about sending out signals and messages to other potential other civilizations to let them know that we are here, but should we really be doing that? It’s open for debate. Frank Drake himself found “Active SETI to be, at best, a stunt and generally a waste of time.” (Source). To […] Continue reading →

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