Category Archives: Moons

Jovian Moons…Alien Life?

Posted on March 11, 2016 by martisnv

One question that all humans are curious to find the answer to is: Are we alone in this universe? Based on pure numbers, it is highly probable that life exists elsewhere in the universe. Despite this high likelihood for extraterrestrial … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Out of this World Symbols

Posted on February 16, 2016 by Gabi Grys

Astronomers, like all scientists, love their symbols. Why spend ages written out full text when shorthand will do? Not only  are the symbols for the planets convenient, they also have interesting stories behind them that tie into the planet’s history. Sun: The symbol for the sun is a circular shield with a dot in the […] Continue reading →

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Why do we have tides?

Posted on February 16, 2016 by nedastro2110

Today I want to talk about tides! Above is this video of Clovelly, England and the drastic tide that they experience day in and day out, especially when it is spring tide, meaning the moon and sun’s tidal forces line up to create even more drastic tidal forces. What is amazing about that video is […] Continue reading →

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Growing up on the Moon

Posted on February 10, 2016 by jasperluastronomy

We talked a bit in class on Tuesday about what would happen to someone’s body if he were to spend too long in space. His bones would start deteriorating, his muscles would get weaker, and his body would produce less blood as he adjusts to zero G. I was reminded while we were talking about […] Continue reading →

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Your Zodiac Sign is Wrong: 3 Misconceptions You Have About the Night-Sky

Posted on January 26, 2016 by harperastronomyblog

We all get it. You’re a Capricorn or a Taurus or a Sagittarius or a(n) [any other zodiac constellation]. You’ve read all of your horoscopes, and they fit your personality soooo well. “This is so me,” you might yell to your friends, completely disregarding the fact that they don’t care which vague internet prediction you identify with. […] Continue reading →

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The Lunar Cycle

Posted on January 20, 2016 by hallesolar

The moon completes it orbit around Earth every 29.5 days, creating the lunar cycle. The most interesting thing I learned from the Chapter 2 reading was that the word “month” is meant to sound like “moon” – I’m surprised I never knew the origin of the word before! As the moon orbits Earth, we are able […] Continue reading →

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Io being squeezed

Posted on April 6, 2015 by lindenmuthadam

We all know that Jupiter exerts tremendous tidal squeezing on Io, but we need images to truly grasp the magnitude of this force. This image shows Io spewing a 200 mile high volcanic plume! For reference, that is greater than the distance from Nashville to Knoxville! It is baffling to think that tidal squeezing alone […] Continue reading →

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Ganymede’s Ocean

Posted on April 5, 2015 by pgolemanska

When we think of Earth we tend to associate it very strongly with water and life. It makes sense since water covers up 75% of Earth’s surface. Water in liquid form seems to be unique to our world … or does it? … As it turns out, Earth’s salty water oceans may not be the […] Continue reading →

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The Galilean Moons

Posted on April 5, 2015 by oliviasn

When I went out observing on the 24th Avenue Parking Garage the other night, every astronomical object that I saw through the telescope amazed me, but Jupiter especially captured my attention. I had never viewed Jupiter through a telescope before, and on this beautiful and mostly clear night, I was able to clearly see not […] Continue reading →

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Jupiter’s volcanic moon: Io

Posted on April 5, 2015 by bryancm1

Io sports a surface temperature well below zero (around -130 degrees C). This is heavily contrasted by the fact that Io is also the most volcanically active body in our solar system. It is known to have over 400 currently active volcanoes. If you weren’t yet convinced about the effects of tidal heating, think about […] Continue reading →

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