Tag Archives: technology

What if the Carrington Event Occurred Today?

Posted on March 16, 2021 by olivesobservatory

Are we ready for a Carrington-level event today? The short answer- not really. In 1859, Richard Carrington observed “two patches of intensely bright and white light” (a solar flare followed by a coronal mass ejection) on the surface of the Sun. The next morning, brilliant red, green, and purple auroral displays appeared as far as… Continue reading →

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Reflecting Telescopes

Posted on February 27, 2021 by zhengjs1

Telescopes have allowed us to bring what is far and mysterious up close and personal. Scientists and astronomers have built telescopes for a variety of uses, whether it’s for imaging, spectroscopy, or time monitoring. Within the realm of telescopes, there a two main types: refracting and reflecting telescopes. Between the two types, reflectors are theContinue reading “Reflecting Telescopes” Continue reading →

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The Hubble Space Telescope

Posted on February 27, 2021 by derrick37027

The Hubble Space Telescope is one of humanity’s greatest achievements. Deployed in 1990, the telescope is responsible for many of the discoveries made about distant solar systems and galaxies. According to the Nasa website, the Hubble “has made more than 1.4 million observations.” Without this great invention, we would still in be in the darkContinue reading “The Hubble Space Telescope” Continue reading →

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Speed of Light Discussion

Posted on February 4, 2021 by lorenzchen14

Physics behind Solar Sails, by Robert Miller I actually find the speed of light and the implications behind this physical constraint pretty interesting. Particularly, if light takes time to travel, everything we see is technically in the past. As covered in the lecture, the sunlight that we see is 8 minutes old. But if weContinue reading “Speed of Light Discussion” Continue reading →

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El Castillo

Posted on February 3, 2021 by thestarstudent

El castillo, a pyramid at Chichén Itzá in Mexico, is a Mayan temple dedicated to the plumed serpent God Kukulcán. The structure’s design is deeply related to astronomy and the calendar. Firstly, there are 91 steps on each of the four sides and a top platform, making 365 steps, one for each day of theContinue reading “El Castillo” Continue reading →

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The Trouble With Astronomy 🤔

Posted on March 27, 2020 by vsli

“Space,” it says, “is big. Really big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mindbogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it’s a long way down the road to the chemist’s, but that’s just peanuts to space.” — Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy So you want to study space? Now, … Continue reading The Trouble With Astronomy 🤔 Continue reading →

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SpaceX and Bassnectar – A Love Story

Posted on March 16, 2020 by alexsolarsystem

Over spring break, a few of my pals and I got the incredible opportunity to see a SpaceX rocket launch in the distance as we danced to the booming music of Bassnectar at Okeechobee Music Festival 2020. It was really a once in a lifetime experience, and we would’ve completely missed it if a randomContinue reading “SpaceX and Bassnectar – A Love Story” Continue reading →

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Juno – Spacecraft, Roman Goddess, and….Lego Minifigure?

Posted on March 16, 2020 by alexsolarsystem

Currently orbiting Jupiter is a small satellite that goes by the name of Juno. This small spacecraft was launched in 2011 and was tasked with uncovering as much as possible about Jupiter and its mysterious history. Its main mission is to measure the composition, gravity field, and magnetic field of Jupiter while simultaneously looking forContinue reading “Juno – Spacecraft, Roman Goddess, and….Lego Minifigure?” Continue reading →

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Exotic Energy Concepts

Posted on March 15, 2020 by Dan Pitagora

With the pressing concerns regarding climate change, alternative sources of energy have been a prevalent topic of discussion. These sources range from feasible ideas such as nuclear power to ideas a bit more far fetched, such as harnessing energy from waves. While the alternative energy sources in question are all relatively feasible, there are someContinue reading “Exotic Energy Concepts” Continue reading →

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Possible Effects of Solar Flares

Posted on March 15, 2020 by Reece Boggs

If a large solar flare were to directly hit the Earth, it would significantly affect all of the electronics on Earth. Us being so dependent on electronics, this would be crippling to essentially all forms of communications, payment and many other important functions of life. Most cars would shut down due to many new carsContinue reading “Possible Effects of Solar Flares” Continue reading →

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