Category Archives: SolarSystem

Han Solo Is Working Too Hard

Posted on April 17, 2021 by brandonlipper

While science-fiction flicks like Star Wars produce some exhilarating and high-stakes chase scenes with the help of treacherous asteroid fields/belts, in reality, you could probably navigate these asteroid belts blind-folded. With all due respect to Han Solo’s piloting skills and his less than twelve parsecs Kessel run, he would not actually have needed to utilizeContinue reading “Han Solo Is Working Too Hard” Continue reading →

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The Oddities of Titan

Posted on April 17, 2021 by jagobillot

Titan is one of 62 moons revolving around Saturn. Before 2004, not much was known about Titan, other than the fact that it is Saturn’s largest moon. NASA sent the Cassini spacecraft to the outer to investigate and send back information about Titan. Cassini sent back pictures of a very planet-like moon with a denseContinue reading “The Oddities of Titan” Continue reading →

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Ceres

Posted on April 17, 2021 by lauryn28

Ceres is a dwarf planet discovered by Giuseppe Piazzi in 1801. Its mass is only .015 percent of Earth’s and it is actually small enough to be classified as both a dwarf planet and an asteroid. Moreover it is sometimes referred to as the largest asteroid in the solar system. Ceres is round, though itContinue reading “Ceres” Continue reading →

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The Possibility of Life on Europa

Posted on April 17, 2021 by lorenzchen14

Europa, taken during NASA’s Galileo Mission Life as we know it needs three major ingredients, at least according to NASA. Life needs water, the correct chemical makeup, and an energy source. Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons, could have all three ingredients and is a candidate for sustaining life elsewhere in the Solar System. In termsContinue reading “The Possibility of Life on Europa” Continue reading →

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solar system superlatives: Saturn

Posted on April 15, 2021 by Peter Taylor

Welcome back to solar system superlatives! Last time, we learned about Mars and the breathtaking enormity of Olympus Mons, the largest mountain in our solar system. Now, let’s take a look at my personal favorite of the giants: Saturn. Needless to say, Saturn wins the prize of “coolest rings in the solar system.” Just takeContinue reading “solar system superlatives: Saturn” Continue reading →

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Saturn’s Hexagon

Posted on April 13, 2021 by thestarstudent

Scientists at Harvard are trying to learn more about Saturn’s hexagonal storm on its north pole. While storms on Earth tend to be round or spiral in shape, this feature on Saturn is distinctly a hexagon, and we don’t fully know why! As of now, Harvard has created computer simulations that have indicated how polygonalContinue reading “Saturn’s Hexagon” Continue reading →

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The Cassini Spacecraft and Huygens Probe

Posted on April 13, 2021 by thestarstudent

NASA’s Cassini Spacecraft, launched in 1997, flew by Venus and Earth’s Moon, through the Asteroid belt, and near Jupiter until it settled in the Saturn Planetary System for thirteen years. This was a historical mission for multiple reasons. Not only was it the first to orbit Saturn, but the Huygens Probe it carried was theContinue reading “The Cassini Spacecraft and Huygens Probe” Continue reading →

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Kuiper Belt Objects (woah)

Posted on April 12, 2021 by dayanel123

Was I the only one who thought that only the 8 main planets that everyone knows about + Pluto and a couple other dwarf planets, asteroids, and comets here or there were the only things that orbited our sun? Yeah well, I am very wrong, and if you thought that too, so are you :0.Continue reading “Kuiper Belt Objects (woah)” Continue reading →

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Cassini-Huygens Mission

Posted on April 12, 2021 by ben141414

Cassini-Huygens was a solar system mission that explored Saturn and its surroundings, such as its rings, satellites, and moons. The spacecraft was launched from Earth on October 15, 1997. On the way to Saturn, the spacecraft flew by Venus, Earth, the asteroid belt, and Jupiter. Cassini was active for 20 years and spent 13 yearsContinue reading “Cassini-Huygens Mission” Continue reading →

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Asteroid Mining

Posted on April 11, 2021 by gracelearnsspace

Asteroids are failed planetesimals made up of rock and metals, some of which may be valuable such as platinum, silver, and gold. Around 8% of the asteroids in the asteroid belt are ones full of precious metals. Some platinum heavy asteroids may contain 175 times the amount of platinum mined yearly on Earth. For this […] Continue reading →

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