The Geology of Venus: Earth’s “Sister Planet” (Post 3)

Posted on March 24, 2020 by maverickbennett
Image result for venus
Did you know that Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system?

Even though Venus is not the planet closest to the Sun, it is still the hottest planet in our solar system. This is because the planet’s dense atmosphere, which is composed of thick clouds of carbon dioxide and other gases, prevents heat from the Sun from being released into outer space. We are lucky to not be living on Venus because its temperatures reach 880 degrees Fahrenheit! We would melt instantly!

While the surface temperature of Venus differs drastically than Earth’s, the two planets share a few characteristics in common. First, the planets are similar sized and Venus is only about 5% smaller than Earth in radius. Second, these planets’ similar densities and are both very rocky, suggesting that they have similar overall compositions. Because of this, scientists expect that the interiors of Venus and Earth have similar structures and retain about the same level of internal heat. Upon researching the drastically differing surface temperatures of Venus and Earth, these two planets did not seem similar at all. However, the similar characteristics mentioned above make the planet more of a “sister planet” than I previously thought.

Some more fun facts about Venus’ geology include: has a relatively small number of impact craters (indicating that its ancient craters were erased by other geological processes), shows abundant evidence of volcanism and a variety of lava types, surprisingly has a lack of erosion and shows no evidence of Earth-like plate tectonics.

After reading these interesting differences and similarities between Venus and Earth, do you think that the two planets should be called “sister planets?”

Sources: Bennett, The Cosmic Perspective 8th Edition 2017

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Blog #6 (EC): The Fermi Paradox

Posted on March 24, 2020 by John Harrington

An interesting concept that occupies the minds of many philosophers and scientists alike is the idea of life outside of Earth (and outside of our solar system). Italian-American physicist Enrico Fermi posited that there exists a paradox describing the possibility of life outside of our world: there is no physical evidence to prove (or even suggest) that life exists outside Earth, yet all mathematical calculations suggest that this life must exist somewhere. In other words, aliens have to exist, yet we haven’t seen them (or any evidence of them).

In a manner sort of similar to some science fiction novels, Fermi argued that any population in the universe which had access to specific technologies would be able to easily gain control of large portions of the galaxy (and maybe even beyond). For example, if a population had perfected advanced rocket technology, they could easily and rapidly colonize large groups of planets. Does this mean that we humans are the most advanced population in the galaxy/universe? Does this mean that we are the only population in the galaxy/universe? Or does this mean something else? The beauty of this paradox is that it has yet to be solved–and will remain unsolved until we have physical evidence of life outside of our planet.

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Graphic depiction of the probability of life outside Earth. Forbes.com.
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Blog #5: Pluto’s Demotion

Posted on March 24, 2020 by John Harrington

Several years ago, as I’m sure we all remember, Pluto was demoted from Planet status to Dwarf Planet status. This change was an interesting (and controversial) one because Pluto essentially remains in limbo between the two classifications. Pluto was the smallest planet in the solar system–but it’s now the largest dwarf planet in the solar system. This change in classification has prompted everything from satirical car stickers to scientific proposals that would change the definition of a planet so that Pluto could be a planet again.

Part of what makes Pluto so fascinating is that we know very little about Pluto relative to some of our closer Solar System neighbors. Below, you’ll see a gorgeous image of Pluto, revealing what scientists believe might be evidence of former volcanic activity. The red ice found on the planet might mean that the planet recently ejected pockets of water into space. Many scientists and astronomers alike are excited by this discovery because it tells us that Pluto might contain a sub-surface sea, according to scientists.

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An image of Pluto, revealing the peaks and cracks along the surface, possibly indicating past volcanic activity. ScienceNews.org.
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The Chelyabinsk Meteor and Other Near-Earth Objects

Posted on March 23, 2020 by gabezharovtothemoon

Both of my parents were born and raised in the Soviet Union, with my dad spending the first twenty years of his life in Chelyabinsk, a city east of the Ural Mountains which serve as a border between Europe and Asia. From my father’s stories, the city did not seem to have much excitement other than the massive tractor plant and the occasional -40 degree weather in the winters. However, in 2013, something very exciting (and terrifying) occurred in Chelyabinsk: a meteor weighing 13,000 tons entered the atmosphere at a speed of over 40,000 miles per hour, and exploded about 18.5 miles above the ground. The flash was brighter than sun, and released more than 30 times the amount of energy as the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

The Chelyabinsk Meteor’s airburst, as can be found here

Although over 7,000 buildings in the area were damaged and 1,500 people were injured seriously enough to require medical attention, thankfully no one was killed. This was the largest natural object to have entered Earth’s atmosphere since the 1908 Tunguska event (which also happened to hit Russia). However, the Chelyabinsk Meteor is only one of many near-earth objects (NEOs) in our solar system. In order for asteroids, meteors, and comets to be considered NEOs, their closest approach to the Sun must be less than 1.3 astronomical units (AU). Objects are categorized as potentially hazardous objects (PHOs) when their minimum orbital intersection distance with Earth is less than 0.05 astronomical units, or 19.5 lunar distances, and are large enough to cause significant damage if an impact event were to occur. However, this is no reason for panic, as 98% of the known PHOs are not an impact threat over the next 100 years.

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Gravitational Waves

Posted on March 17, 2020 by phildowd
The idea about gravitational waves is a fascinating theory that has been around since the time of Einstein, but was only recently proven to be true. Learn more here!

Gravitational waves are a fascinating concept. The thought starts from the idea that gravity moves at the speed of light. Now, at the start this sounds like a silly idea. Doesn’t the force of gravity always act on people? Yet take this example. Say the sun were to simply disappear. Not explode or change, but just vanish. What would happen? As most people guess, the planets would shoot off into space, with nothing tethering them to our solar system anymore. But a question arises at when would the planets shoot off into space. Most would probably assume that the planet would instantly fly into space, right when the sun disappears. But that would mean that the force of gravity acting on the planets from the sun (and sudden lack thereof) would be traveling faster than light, since light from the sun doesn’t instantly reach every planet. Einstein claims that nothing can travel faster than light, and while it’s impossible to create a test where a star simply “disappears” it would be possible to test the gravitational impact from a huge event, like two black holes colliding. That’s exactly what a team of scientists studied in 2016, when two black holes light years away collided, and then earth felt the gravitational waves years after the impact. The debate on if there were gravitational waves, how strong they would be, when they would arrive, etc had been going on for years, with Einstein himself going back and forth on the issue. Yet with this new study coming to light, the existence of such gravitational waves, and further proof to Einstein’s theory has been confirmed, sending waves through the scientific community.

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The Atmosphere of Mars

Posted on March 17, 2020 by phildowd
This is a picture of the surface of Mars! As one can see, it’s full of craters, which usually implies there is not much of an atmosphere, which lets metros and other space objects continually hit the surface, and then a lack of erosion leaves the craters there. Learn more about the atmosphere that causes this here!

Mars is a fascinating planet to compare to Earth, and much of that is due to the atmospheric differences. Most people know that due to the atmosphere on Mars, humans can’t live there, but what people don’t know is that billions of years ago, Mars had an atmosphere similar to that of Earth. Currently, Earth’s atmosphere is about 100 times larger than that of Mars, but around 3.5 billion years ago, the atmospheres were around the same size. Due to Mars having less gravity, a weaker magnetic field compared to Earth, and years of solar winds and pressure from the sun, scientists theorize that the atmosphere has slowly eroded away, but that years ago, there was running water, and potentially oceans on the surface of Mars.

Now, even though the atmosphere is relatively small, it still impacts Mars significantly. The composition is about 95% carbon dioxide, and only .13% oxygen. Many theorize that this is because the heavier particles in the atmosphere have stayed while other, lighter particles has blown away, due to solar winds and other pressures. Also, though most assume the surface is far too cold to support life (and on the poles it is, dropping to negative 195 degrees Fahrenheit in winter), on the equator, Mars can often hover around 70 degrees Fahrenheit, proving to be rather comfortable. Despite being about 100 times smaller than Earth’s atmosphere, Mars still has an atmosphere that makes a significant impact.

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A new possibility of life on Mars?

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Jack
Cavern on Mars

A photograph taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) in 2011 has recently been released, showing what appears to be a sizable underground cavern on the slopes of Pavonis Mons, a Martian mountain standing 46,000 feet tall, higher than Mount Everest.

The possibility of underground caves on Mars is exciting for (at least) two reasons: if there’s any evidence of past or present life on Mars, this would be a good place to look, and it’s possible that such a site could host potential human settlements. The subsurface aspect of the site would protect from the sun’s radiation, and the cave is big enough to make it worth exploring.

A rover to Mars has been scheduled to launch in 2020. This cavern would be a prime target for exploration to evaluate the possibility of human colonization and to search for fossils of any lifeforms that may have been able to thrive beneath the surface of Mars. Either route of exploration could lead to an important discovery about life on Mars: whether it exists or once existed, or whether Mars could be suitable for life in the future.

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How did mountains form on Venus?

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Jack
Surface of Venus

Venus is often described as Earth’s sister planet. Both planets have similar size and densities, indicating somewhat similar core compositions. The primary difference between the two is orbital distance from the sun.

Venus, like Earth, is covered with geological features including volcanoes and mountains. We know how mountains formed on Earth – tectonic plates. Mountains are formed at the boundaries of tectonic plates as a result of the plates colliding and/or moving away from each other.

So on Venus, how were these mountains formed? It is commonly believed that Venus does not currently demonstrate plate tectonic activity. A possible explanation for the lack of observable plate tectonics is the planet’s proximity to the sun. The high surface temperature means it’s extremely unlikely that there is any remaining water in the crust of Venus. Water tends to soften and lubricate rock, which would allow the crust to fracture into plates (like on Earth).

But we have evidence that there should be (or should have been) plate tectonic activity. There are three “continents” on the surface of Venus. On Earth, the continents are a direct result of plate tectonics. The strong presence of volcanoes and lava flows strongly indicate tectonic activity under the surface, beneath a seemingly uniform crust. However, if there were currently active plate tectonics, we would expect the surface of Venus to look much more like Earth, with various ridges and trenches.

So how did these form? There are some impact craters on the surface, but those don’t account for the observed surface features. Were plate tectonics on Venus once an active cycle that’s now obsolete? So far, it remains something of a mystery. Future missions to investigate further are unlikely in the near future, because of the hostile atmosphere of Venus; any visiting spacecraft would likely never be recovered.

An extra fun thought: what would Earth look like without plate tectonics?

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Earth’s (Temporary) Second Moon

Posted on March 16, 2020 by Lily
Satellite image of Earth’s temporary mini-moon: 2020 CD3

This title may be a little misleading. Yes, there is a small object that is currently trapped in the Earth’s orbit, however this is a small asteroid by the name of 2020 CD3. This asteroid is typically orbiting the Sun, however recently got trapped in the gravitational pull of the Earth, so, for now, it is a mini moon of sorts for the Earth.

I keep saying this asteroid is a mini moon, but how big is it really? Well, based on observations of the asteroid, it is estimated to only be around 1.9 to 3.5 m in diameter, which is approximately 1/3 millionth to 1/1 millionth the diameter of the Moon.

This miniature moon, while fun, is only temporary. Experts believe that this asteroid will fall out of the Earth’s orbit sometime in April and return to its typical orbit around the Sun. While this both isn’t the first nor the last object to get trapped in the Earth’s orbit and act as a temporary, secondary moon, the occurrence still is quite uncommon, so, for the time, however, we should celebrate this little baby of a moon.

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Climate Change: Real and Present

Posted on March 16, 2020 by Lily
Although I discuss only some issues that arise as a result of climate change, this chart displays many other issues that occur as a result of climate change

Climate change, although a widely debated issue, is impacted the world more and more on a daily basis. Climate change is the long-term affect of human-caused damage to the Earth and its different environments. Often climate change if referred to simply as global warming, and, while global warming is a part of climate change, it is only part of the problem as a whole.

One terrifying statistic regarding climate change is the rate at which ice is melting in the polar regions of the Earth. When the ice in these polar regions melt, the levels of the oceans rise, which could be devastating for costal regions and regions near coasts that sit around sea level. For example, Florida is in a lot of trouble and, therefore, one of my favorite places on the planet is in danger: Disney World. Another favorite place of mine is New York City and a rise in sea levels would affect the Golden Apple.

Many other issues arise as a result of climate change, but there is still a little time to take action. What part can you play in decreasing the effects of climate change? Do you think as a human race we will be able to come together in order to fight the threat of climate change?

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