Tag Archives: Uncategorized

Space Physics and the Cassini Probe

Gravity is the magic super glue that keeps everything we know (and things we don’t know) together and functioning. Earth’s gravity keeps us on the ground, the moons gravity creates tides, and the sun’s gravity keeps us from flying away into oblivion. But why did Earth and the rest of the planets stay orbiting around […] Continue reading

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Rogue Radio Burst Leads to Discovery of Billion-Year-Old Galaxy

The detection of fast radio bursts, one of the universe’s most mysterious and rare occurrences, took place in early January of this year when signals from a dwarf galaxy over 2.5 billion light years away were first recorded. Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are an incredibly rare phenomenon usually occurring in a millisecond or so, each […] Continue reading

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Want to discover a new planet?

Are you curious about what’s out there in our universe? Have you been wanting to do your own astronomical research? Has it been a dream of yours to discover a new planet? Fear no more! A team of astronomers led by MIT and the Carnegie Institution for Science is now giving the public the opportunity … Continue reading “Want to discover a new planet?” Continue reading

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The Importance of Spectroscopy in Solar System Exploration

While the very existence of visible light allows for the viewing of celestial bodies, not enough credit is oft given to the true capability of light’s full spectrum. Spectroscopy is an imaging and scientific method of measurement that involves the unique spectra that occur when light comes into contact with an object or substance of […] Continue reading

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Tides Explained

High Tide vs. Low Tide Tides are the rise and fall of the sea levels. The above image captures this very normal phenomenon that we can all observe for ourselves if we go to an oceanside beach. Whenever I went to the beach as a young kid, I was always hoping the tides would be high. … Continue reading “Tides Explained” Continue reading

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Solar Probe Plus

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

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

Astronomy is one of the oldest sciences. Something about the night sky has fascinated people for centuries. Even in early civilizations, people have demonstrated keen interest in both watching the sky and making observations about the phenomena they observed. Despite its long history, astronomy has evolved over time to reflect new technologies available for observation … Continue reading Blog #1 Continue reading

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Blog #1

Astronomy is one of the oldest sciences. Something about the night sky has fascinated people for centuries. Even in early civilizations, people have demonstrated keen interest in both watching the sky and making observations about the phenomena they observed. Despite its long history, astronomy has evolved over time to reflect new technologies available for observation … Continue reading Blog #1 Continue reading

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Blog #3: Asteroid Mining

We commonly think of asteroids simply as left over debris from when the planets were formed, but researchers believe that we will be able to harness resources from them within the next 10 years. The most common type of asteroid, C-type, contains up to 20% water as well as various metals. The presence of water […] Continue reading

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