Category Archives: Observables

things we can see from Earth using our eyeballs or telescopes

Why Pluto is Not a Planet

Posted on April 8, 2013 by indianwm

This informative video talks about Pluto, from discovery to why it is no longer considered a planet, but a dwarf planet. The discovery of Pluto was in 1930 by a man named Clyde Tombaugh in Arizona. Since this time Pluto has been classified as a Dwarf Planet. It lays in the Kuiper belt beyond Neptune […] Continue reading →

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Nearby Star System Discovered

Posted on March 20, 2013 by werdercj

Above: an artist’s conception of the binary system On the same note of new discoveries, Kevin Luhman, a researcher in Penn State’s Center for Exoplanets and Habitable Worlds, just discovered a pair of stars that constitute the closest star system found in a century, and the third-closest star system we have ever discovered.  The binary […] Continue reading →

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Kepler’s Supernova

Posted on March 19, 2013 by juliettealper

In 1604 Johannes Kepler discovered a supernova explosion. Today, scientists are working to discover what caused the explosion and they are using a Digitized Sky Survey to determine it. The picture above shows colors from an X-Ray Observatory that concludes the supernova has low, intermediate and high energy. Scientists believe this explosion was caused by […] Continue reading →

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Mars: Trend in Water Presence

Posted on March 19, 2013 by indianwm

Last week, the Mars rover named Curiosity, found evidence for water-bearing minerals in rocks. The rover Curiosity was launched in 2011 from Cape Canaveral and landed on Mars in August, 2012. This rover is equipped with many devices that have multiple uses for observing and testing the terrain and environment on Mars. Among these is […] Continue reading →

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Voyager 2 and Its Solar System Exploration

Posted on March 19, 2013 by indianwm

Voyager 2 is the second spacecraft to explore the outer solar system, following the Voyager 1. However, Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft that has accomplished the task of studying Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune at close distances. Voyager 2 was launched on August 20th, 1977 to study the outer solar system, as well as […] Continue reading →

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Blog #6: Aurora Borealis

Posted on March 16, 2013 by hannahladendorf13

After watching the time lapse videos on the Northern Lights (aka Aurora Borealis) I was fascinated to learn how this occurs.  As you might have picked up from the video, most of the people interviewed weren’t able to answer the questions with … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Astronomy’s Evolving Role in Society

Posted on February 20, 2013 by werdercj

Above: Stonehenge is an ancient structure in England that was used to mark the seasons. Archaeoastronomy is the study of ancient structures in search of astronomical connections.  It shows how people in the past understood and utilized phenomena they observed in the sky.  To me, the most interesting part of this is the progression of […] Continue reading →

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The OWL

Posted on February 20, 2013 by marknshirleyvu

While reading about different types of telescopes here on Earth I stumbled across a cancelled project known as the OWL (Overwhelmingly Large) Telescope, and overwhelming might be an understatement.  This telescope, a concept developed by the European Southern Observatory, would boast a single aperture measuring 100 meters in diameter, longer than a football field! It […] Continue reading →

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The Hubble Telescope

Posted on February 17, 2013 by indianwm

The Hubble Telescope has been one of the most beneficial tools for discoveries and research since the beginning of the study of astronomy. When the Hubble Telescope was launched in 1990, it was sent 353 miles above earths surface where it would orbit earth at an incredible speed. The telescope orbits earth every 97 minutes. […] Continue reading →

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The whole asteroid thing!

Posted on February 16, 2013 by drgrundstrom

There have been some pretty amazing things going on with asteroids the past couple of days, namely the passing of Asteroid 2012 DA14 and the Russian Meteor Event.   But they were completely unrelated!  Here is an excellent infographic for you (click to make bigger): We weren’t going to be seeing that little 50-foot asteroid […] Continue reading →

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