Category Archives: Science

The Characteristics of Pluto

Posted on November 17, 2024 by Alekzander Waller

Discovered in 1930 by astronomer Clyde Tombaugh at the Lowell Conservatory in Arizona, Pluto has challenged the confines and definitions of how scientists classified objects within our solar system. Up until 2006 it was considered a planet but was then demoted to dwarf planet after scientific consensus that it does not clear its orbit of […] Continue reading →

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JWST’s Revolutionary Discoveries

Posted on November 15, 2024 by Leo Silva

Since its launch on December 25th, 2021 and arrival at its final “positioning” on July 11th, 2022 (Wikimedia, Timeline of James Webb Space Telescope), the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has made a myriad of revolutionary findings that challenge our previous understanding/theories of the Universe. Due to its intentional design aimed at helping us understand […] Continue reading →

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Some “Firsts” of Exoplanets

Posted on November 15, 2024 by Leo Silva

Before the discovery of any exoplanets (prior to 1992), scientists hypothesized that star systems will planets (planetary systems) similar to our own solar system might exist around other stars– even without having confirmed evidence of them in the same way we do today. In some ways, they expected that these other planetary systems would likely […] Continue reading →

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The Potential for Nuclear Fusion on Earth

Posted on October 20, 2024 by Leo Silva

Stars like the Sun have been powering themselves through the use of nuclear fusion for billions of years, and the Sun is expected to be powered for billions more before it runs out of its source of hydrogen fuel through the proton-proton chain. As outlined on my previous blog post, one second of energy created […] Continue reading →

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Nuclear Fusion: The Heartbeat of Stars

Posted on October 20, 2024 by Leo Silva

In order for stars to generate the enormous amounts of energy that they do, a very specific, energy-intensive process is needed: nuclear fusion. It is this process that allows stars to shine brightly for billions of years. But how exactly does nuclear fusion work? In short, in the cores of stars, temperatures reach the millions […] Continue reading →

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The Moon and The Tides

Posted on September 24, 2024 by Alekzander Waller

Did you know that tides are caused by the Moon’s gravitational pull? (Photo from The Business Insider) Usually about every 12 hours coastal places around the world experience high and low tides in a constant cycle. This is due to the subtle pull of the Moon’s gravitational forces on the Earth’s water supply. Along the […] Continue reading →

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Posted on September 16, 2024 by jasonljohnson465

I chose the Astronomer Isaac Newton. Photo of Sir Isaac Newton Historical Events: The End of the English Civil War: It ended on September 3rd, 1651 with Oliver Cornwall’s victory at Worcester. It was a war that occurred in the British Isles between the supporters of Charles I and opposing groups in each of Charle’s […] Continue reading →

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Culmination Blog

Posted on April 30, 2024 by The Cosmic Traveler

This will be my final blog for this course. I just want to say that I learned so much, and I am grateful for what I learned. My eyes have been opened up, and I learned so much information that I never knew. My favorite part of this course was the actual observing of celestial […] Continue reading →

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Light Has Momentum?

Posted on April 29, 2024 by John Newell

How is that possible – And how can we take advantage? We know that light has no mass. And, according to classical mechanics, momentum is given by 1/2mv^2; in other words, according to classical mechanics, light cannot have momentum. But, as we know, light is different — and oh so interesting! By virtue of energy […] Continue reading →

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Blog 8

Posted on April 29, 2024 by Tejas Mahesh

Welcome to my last blog on topics related to our Solar System! It has been fun time writing random stuff running through my head and calling it a blog. Here’s another: It’s really interesting to see the connections between worlds in science fiction and worlds in our solar system. For example, let’s compare Mustafar and […] Continue reading →

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