Tag Archives: Solar System

Rings and Diamonds? A Girl’s Best Friend!

Posted on March 27, 2014 by hollyreichert

  On Jupiter and Saturn, scientists have recently discovered that there could be a lot of carbon on the planet.  This carbon could be present in the form of diamonds that rain down from the sky.  While the diamonds eventually melt and don’t stay around for long, they can be as large as a centimeter […] Continue reading →

Posted in Jovians | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Rings and Diamonds? A Girl’s Best Friend!

Heavy Bombardment

Posted on March 18, 2014 by joshkip

One topic in our readings that I found to be particularly interesting was the period known as “Heavy Bombardment” that took place in our solar system hundreds of millions of years ago. This simulation provides an excellent example of the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Observables | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Heavy Bombardment

Distant but Deadly

Posted on March 17, 2014 by hindsolar

93 million miles away there is a threat that can have a huge impact on us. The threat is a solar storm which charged particles erupt from the sun. These particles can create electrical currents that seep into the magnetosphere. The effects of this are huge. GPS systems will be thrown off, people will be […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, General | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Distant but Deadly

Orion Nebula

Posted on March 17, 2014 by karapetros

Nebulae have always been one of my favorite parts of the universe. I like how this video goes into detail about what makes up the Orion Nebula. It’s so hard to believe that we have the technology to discover so much about something so far away. It’s hard to imagine that the four main stars … Continue reading Orion Nebula → Continue reading →

Posted in Stars | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Orion Nebula

Formation of the Solar System

Posted on March 17, 2014 by karapetros

I have always been a fan of Stephen Hawking. In this video, he does a great job of explaining the formation of the solar system beginning with the origins of the universe. From the Big Bang and how the explosion of an ancient star spread out all the elements generated from its life and death … Continue reading Formation of the Solar System → Continue reading →

Posted in Historical, Universe | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Formation of the Solar System

Gas giants are a girl’s best friend

Posted on March 17, 2014 by Asad Pabani

Rappers these days seem to emphasize how they ‘make it rain’ with money, sex, and drugs. But the gas giants of our solar system seem to have one-upped these ‘young upstarts’ (as my grandparents would say) by making it rain diamonds. Yes, literally, diamonds. According to findings by Dr Kevin Baines, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison […] Continue reading →

Posted in Jovians | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Gas giants are a girl’s best friend

Why is there water on the Earth?

Posted on March 16, 2014 by eschellhase

By the current model of solar system formation, the solar system formed according to what materials condense at which distances. Near the center of the solar system nothing could condense because it was so hot. It was also very dense there, and this was where the sun formed. Farther out from the center, rocky and […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Why is there water on the Earth?

The Future of Life On Earth

Posted on March 16, 2014 by katiew

The future of Earth and the future of life depends on multiple factors.  Disregarding human technology and the effects of global warming, Earth’s future depends on interactions with other objects in the solar system, the increase in the Sun’s luminosity, and the rate of cooling of the Earth’s interior. For example, scientists have predicted that […] Continue reading →

Posted in Stars | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on The Future of Life On Earth

If the Moon were only 1 pixel

Posted on March 16, 2014 by Drew Hamilton

Someone named Josh Worth made a to-scale model of our solar system wherein the Moon is only one pixel in diameter, and it’s totally awesome. The horizontally-scrollable webpage starts at the Sun, and moves right, with text interspersed into the vast distance between planets. What’s so cool about this particular model is that it represents… Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Universe | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on If the Moon were only 1 pixel

The “Mars One” Project has 200,000 Applicants

Posted on March 13, 2014 by waldentb

Over 200,000 people have applied for a one way trip to Mars to live out their lives. Does this say …

Continue reading →

Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Terrestrials | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on The “Mars One” Project has 200,000 Applicants