Tag Archives: Time

Is the Moon actually made of cheese?

Posted on March 21, 2021 by brandonlipper

Unfortunately, the answer is no. However, the story of why the Moon’s surface looks the way it does it still an interesting one and one that helps us understand the solar system as a whole. The surface of the Moon most closely resembles that of Mercury (due to the lack of geological activity that comesContinue reading “Is the Moon actually made of cheese?” Continue reading →

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Tidal Friction: a 5 hour long day to a month long day

Posted on February 27, 2021 by brandonlipper

Due to the Universal law of gravitation, we know that objects of equal mass have a larger gravitation force between them when they are closer together. Because the near side of the Earth is closer to the Moon than the far side of the Earth, the force between the Moon and the near side ofContinue reading “Tidal Friction: a 5 hour long day to a month long day” Continue reading →

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The Cosmic Calendar

Posted on February 7, 2021 by brandonlipper

Definition: a calendar in which the 14-billion-years of the universe’s existence, from the time of the Big Bang until this moment, are scaled to a period of one year. Origin: The idea of the Cosmic Calendar was first described by astronomer Carl Sagan on the original version of the television show Cosmos in 1980. KeyContinue reading “The Cosmic Calendar” Continue reading →

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Our Entire Universe in One Year

Posted on February 6, 2021 by zhengjs1

Imagine if we were able to fit the history of our entire universe—from the Big Bang all the way up to today—into a single calendar year. That would be crazy right? Well look no further because that’s exactly what the Cosmic Calendar is. Created and popularized by Carl Sagan, the cosmic calendar compresses 14 billionContinue reading “Our Entire Universe in One Year” Continue reading →

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Muons and Time Dilation

Posted on February 6, 2021 by rightascensionanddeclinolan

In my opinion, one of the coolest parts of astronomy is relativity, the theory describing the warping of spacetime.  If you’ve ever seen Interstellar, you’ve been exposed to one part of the theory: time dilation.  In short, time dilation is a phenomenon that causes time to pass more slowly in one place than another (relativeContinue reading “Muons and Time Dilation” Continue reading →

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Eclipses and History

Posted on February 6, 2021 by derrick37027

A seemingly everlasting problem historians run in to are exact dates. Since each ancient civilization had their own calendar and their own way of measuring time, it’s a challenge for historians to connect the dots between civilizations and produce an accurate timeline of human history on the Earth. However, historians have discovered the common denominatorContinue reading “Eclipses and History” Continue reading →

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Leap 🐸 Year

Posted on February 5, 2021 by brynicdew

I can’t be the only one that questioned why we would get an extra day and the Olympics every four years when I was younger. While this isn’t the time to discuss the Olympic schedule, this did provide me with a chance to discover the real reason February 29th pops up every four years. AsContinue reading “Leap 🐸 Year” Continue reading →

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How do we know the age of Earth?

Posted on March 16, 2020 by remieri

How do we know how old the Earth is? The age of the Earth was a relatively contested figure for a while, with early scientists struggling to date it with any level of precision. The first and most-well known way to set a lower bound on the age of the earth is through radioactive dating.Continue reading “How do we know the age of Earth?” Continue reading →

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The Speed of Light and Gravity

Posted on January 21, 2020 by gabezharovtothemoon

We all know that light travels fast – 299,792,458 meters per second, to be precise. Still, if the sun were to suddenly disappear into a mysterious void, you and I on Earth would not notice for about 8 minutes and 20 seconds. Or would we? Would we not immediately feel the sudden jolt of ourContinue reading “The Speed of Light and Gravity” Continue reading →

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Zooming Out

Posted on January 20, 2020 by gatorsguidetothegalaxy

One of the coolest videos I have ever seen is the Powers of Ten video. In 1977 Charles and Ray Eames—the inventors of the Eames Office, a famous furniture company—in collaboration with IBM, created a video beginning in Chicago and gradually zooming out, transporting the viewer to the outer edges of the universe. Every tenContinue reading “Zooming Out” Continue reading →

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