Tag Archives: Solar System

Volcanoes on Venus

Posted on March 12, 2014 by hollyreichert

Venus is around the same size as Earth, and therefore has a similar interior makeup.  Earth has volcanoes and they are still erupting today.  On Venus, there are signs of volcanoes but a space probe has never seen a volcano erupt on the surface.  By measuring infrared levels on the surface, we can tell that […] Continue reading →

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Our Most Famous Dwarf Planet

Posted on March 12, 2014 by hollyreichert

Pluto was discovered on February 18, 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh.  However, decades earlier, Percival Lowell first thought that there may be another planet by Neptune and Uranus.  He died before he could find the planet and it wasn’t until years later that the search was set up again to find the planet.  The name Pluto […] Continue reading →

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Nontraditional Planets

Posted on March 12, 2014 by juliamac17

We’re learning about the formation of solar systems, however this is something we can’t observe since it happens over such a long period of time. And so to remedy our curiosity we have come up with models.These hypotheses in order to stand have to explain the various phenomena in the solar system while leaving room […] Continue reading →

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The Sun is Not On Fire

Posted on March 11, 2014 by Chad F

In the video above, it may seem that the sun is a boiling ball of fire.  Fires provide us light and heat similar to our sun, so it makes sense that people would think that the sun actually is a ball of fire.  However, fire requires a chemical to be burned.  The sun is made up […] Continue reading →

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Planet Earth in the Splash Zone

Posted on March 11, 2014 by jblubin

We often take for granted our Earthly paradise; with its warm temperatures and comforting blue skies, it’s easy to overlook the uniqueness that is Earth. This is even especially true when we consider the vast amount of liquid water on our planet. Water itself is not all that special, it can be found all over … Continue reading Planet Earth in the Splash Zone → Continue reading →

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A terrifying gravitational encounter!

Posted on February 18, 2014 by forestcsharp

image via Wired This is a video of astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson discussing our impending gravitational encounters with Apophis, an asteroid roughly the size of the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA. In this video, Neil DeGrasse Tyson explains that Apophis … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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The Physics of Star Systems: Kerbal Space Program

Posted on February 17, 2014 by forestcsharp

This video, via Scott Manley, shows an interesting spaceflight simulator/game known as Kerbal Space Program, which is shown in the above photo from gameSkinny.com. I’ve found this game to be incredibly useful to understanding escape velocities, gravitational encounters, and Kepler’s three … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Solar Eclipse Myths

Posted on January 28, 2014 by forestcsharp

via National Geographic As astounding and rare as they are, it’s no surprise that many cultures possess their own mythology regarding solar eclipses. Imagine an ancient civilization watching in awe as the warmth and light of the sun are blocked … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Blog Post #1: I’m just a small girl in a HUGE world

Posted on January 27, 2014 by Lauren

It is difficult to even fathom how great the universe is in comparison to our small beings here on earth.  The fact that we are only limited to the observable universe, which means that there is a possibility for mankind to have not even witnessed the extent of the universe is mind blowing.  The fact […] Continue reading →

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Lunar Eclipses Explained

Posted on January 27, 2014 by joshkip

After reading chapter 2 of our textbook, one of things that surprised me was the distinction between solar and lunar eclipses, and how – on an everyday basis – we seem to use the term “eclipse” only when it refers … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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