Tag Archives: Uncategorized

North Korean Space Program’s Latest Breakthrough in Propulsion Technology!

Posted on April 10, 2016 by nickwtheastronomer

Look out NASA, there’s a new kid on the block, and he’s got a shiny new toy. In a highly unprecedented act of transparency and openess, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea allowed members of the Associated Press inside access to their closely guarded Kim Il Sung proving grounds for the debut of their latest […] Continue reading →

Posted in Historical, Space Travel | Tagged , , | Comments Off on North Korean Space Program’s Latest Breakthrough in Propulsion Technology!

Kepler Concerns

Posted on April 10, 2016 by nickwtheastronomer

One of NASA’s most prized space probes may be in need of some roadside assistance after a scheduled Thursday communication session revealed the craft has entered emergency mode. The Kepler spacecraft was launched in 2009 and is equipped with telescopes and instruments critical to the discovery and analysis of extrasolar planets. Little is known so […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Space Travel, Universe | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Kepler Concerns

Jupiter’s Galilean Moons

Posted on April 10, 2016 by harperastronomyblog

Discovered by Galileo in 1610, Jupiter’s four largest moons are some of the most interesting worlds in our Solar System. “Volcanic Io”: Jupiter’s inner-most moon, Io, is the fourth largest moon in the solar system. It is also the most volcanically-active object in the Solar System, with over 400 active volcanoes. Large mountains cover its […] Continue reading →

Posted in Moons | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Jupiter’s Galilean Moons

The Demise of Pluto

Posted on April 10, 2016 by samihahplanet

  Left: Pluto Demoted, Right: Size Comparison The discovery of Pluto had scientists ecstatic. Far out in the distance was this tiny, freezing,  icy planet with moons! Then it was official: Pluto must be added to the list of planets. It’s round, orbits the Sun and has a posse of moons, what more could we need? […] Continue reading →

Posted in Historical, Observables | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on The Demise of Pluto

Hot Jupiters and Why They Don’t Wreck our Model of Planetary Formation

Posted on April 10, 2016 by harperastronomyblog

Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, is located exactly where astrophysicists and planetary-formation theorists believe that it should be. Its size indicates that it should be located around the middle of the Solar System, where it was able to pick up rock, ice, and a lot of gases (such as hydrogen and helium) […] Continue reading →

Posted in Exoplanets | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Hot Jupiters and Why They Don’t Wreck our Model of Planetary Formation

Solar Sails

Posted on April 10, 2016 by chasejaeger

Currently, we do not have the technology to travel to even the closest stars. The fastest spacecraft humans have ever built is the Voyager 1, which is currently traveling at roughly 17 km/s. However, even at these speeds it would take the Voyager I nearly 70,000 years to get to the nearest star system, Alpha […] Continue reading →

Posted in Light, Space Travel | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Solar Sails

The Darkest Planet in the Universe

Posted on April 10, 2016 by nickwtheastronomer

The planet sullenly staring back at you is TrES-2b and no it is not just going through a phase, this exoplanet is indeed the universe’s ultimate goth. TrES-2b is a gas giant which was first detected in 2006 by the Trans-Atlantic Exoplanet Survey (TrES) employing the transit method of exoplanet discovery. In the transit method […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Light, Universe | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on The Darkest Planet in the Universe

A Giant spider on Pluto?

Posted on April 10, 2016 by segalastronomyblog

Launched in 2006, the New Horizons Space Probe set out with the mission to get the best view of Pluto that we humans have ever seen. And it just so happens that we succeeded! We are now seeing the absolute best images that we have ever seen of the famed dwarf planet. Recently, Pluto has […] Continue reading →

Posted in Observables | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on A Giant spider on Pluto?

Exoplanet HD 189733b

Posted on April 10, 2016 by chasejaeger

Around 63 light years away form Earth sits the exoplanet HD 189733b. The planet has a mass of 1.13 Jupiter masses and orbits its star closer than Mercury orbits the Sun. Seen from afar, this planet is blue in color and has bands of white haze in its atmosphere that resemble clouds. Though HD 189733b […] Continue reading →

Posted in Exoplanets | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Exoplanet HD 189733b

Pluto’s Kind Heart

Posted on April 10, 2016 by nedastro2110

  Pluto has been a topic of fascination for astronomers for a long time now. With the recent flyby of the New Horizons Spacecraft, a new image of Pluto has captivated the world. Pluto has a heart. Well not actually a heart but a region that looks like a heart! I guess Pluto is really […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Dwarf Planets, General, Science | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Pluto’s Kind Heart