Category Archives: SolarSystem

The Oort Cloud

Posted on February 12, 2017 by astr2110tmcm

The Oort Cloud is a theorized “shell” of comets and other objects that are on the edge of our Solar System. It is much harder to observe than other objects in and around our solar system like the Kuiper Belt, so it’s existence is only theorized, but it is the best way for us to […] Continue reading →

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Uranus’ Seasons

Posted on February 12, 2017 by astr2110tmcm

Typically when we think of seasons we think of those we experience on Earth, lasting around 3 months,  and having unique characteristics as far as temperature and weather go. Things are a bit different on Uranus, due to a huge impact that the planet experienced billions of years ago. This impact knocked the axis of […] Continue reading →

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Manhattanhenge

Posted on February 10, 2017 by Nick Belsten

Four-thousand years ago, early Europeans’ connected with the Cosmos every Summer Solstice by watching the midsummer sunrise directly over the Heel Stone in what we now call Stonehenge. These early people recognized that where the sun rises and sets on the horizon cycles North and South with the seasons. Today, thousands of people gather four times … Continue reading Manhattanhenge → Continue reading →

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Celestial Navigation 101: The Sextant

Posted on February 6, 2017 by connormorency

The purpose of the sextant is to measure the angle between an astronomical object and the horizon, and ultimately get … More Continue reading →

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Juno Spacecraft

Posted on January 18, 2017 by Haley Topper

This is the excerpt for your very first post. Continue reading →

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Pluto: Planet or Dwarf Planet?

Posted on January 18, 2017 by Haley Topper

This is the excerpt for your very first post. Continue reading →

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Tardigrades

Posted on April 27, 2016 by annamcc9

Tardigrades are amazing extremophiles! They are minute animals that are the only organism proven to withstand the vacuum of space. Recently, thousands of them were attached to a satellite that was spent into space, and were exposed into the vacuum of space to see how they would survive. As they dried out in space, their DNA broke […] Continue reading →

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Asteroids: Death, or Life?

Posted on April 10, 2016 by astr2110geoffren

Just hitching a ride Most people don’t think of asteroids as the bringer of life to Earth. Actually, for many, it’s the exact opposite. When someone says asteroids many people automatically think about mass extinctions, specifically the extinction of the dinosaurs (which was caused by a large asteroid). However, there is a theory called panspermia which […] Continue reading →

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Are We Overdue for a Mass Extinction?

Posted on April 10, 2016 by mattsastronomyblog

People have argued about if and when the human race will die out on earth.  We have essentially taken ourselves out of the food chain, meaning that we won’t be hunted to extinction.  We have also made great strides in medicine making it unlikely that we will die out from disease.  It may seem improbable […] Continue reading →

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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 →

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