Many interesting exoplanets.

Posted on March 31, 2018 by kkim7243

Even though we are the most familiar with planets within our solar system, there have been many discoveries of exoplanets with the development of scientific technology and the improvement our understanding of the Universe. Among these exoplanets, there are some interesting and habitable planets outside our solar system.

planet
source: NASA

First of all, “Kepler-186f” was found to be a rocky planet in the habitable zone, which is the region with right temperature for water from the star of the system. “Kepler-186f” has a very similar size as Earth and has a high chance of being a habitable planet. However, due to the lack of advanced technology, it’s hard to know what is going on at the surface and atmosphere of this planet.

Kepler16b
Source: NASA

Second interesting exoplanet is named as “Kepler-16b,” which is a circumbinary planet that oribits two different stars. Because it orbits two different stars, this planet would have a very different orbit from the orbits of planets in the solar system.

kepler444_image_0
Source: NASA

This “Kepler-444 system” is known to be the oldest solar system in our galaxy that existed since the creation of our galaxy.

There are many other exoplanets with its distinctive characteristics such as habitable environment, rocky surface etc. These exoplanets are important for us to study because they provide information that we can use to apply to our solar system. For example, the discovery of planetary systems within our galaxy helped us understand it is fairly common to have a solar system with many planets orbiting the star.

Source: NASA

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Pluto and its interesting property.

Posted on March 31, 2018 by kkim7243

pluto
Pluto: Source

 

Once thought as the 9th planet of our solar system, Pluto is a dwarf planet and is part of the Kuiper belt. The first discovery of this dwarf planet was in 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh. Until 2005, Pluto was considered as the 9th planet of the solar system. However, as another dwarf planet called “Eris” was discovered, the definition of a planet has been redefined and Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet.

Pluto, being the largest and second most massive dwarf planet, has interesting characteristics. First of all, Pluto is comprised of 98% nitrogen ice while carbon dioxide and methane are abundant on some parts. Also, Pluto has various colors such as charcoal black to orange to white with its surface being pretty young near the horizon. Pluto’s structure is made up of a frozen nitrogen surface, rock as a core, and water ice in between. Because Pluto is less massive than even the 7 moons, Pluto’s atmosphere is very thin. Lastly, Pluto orbits the Sun at a highly inclined angle in an elliptical shape. Pluto’s orbit is susceptible to changes even by small factors, thus making it hard to predict its orbit in the long term.

Even though these many characteristics of Pluto have been discovered, there was only one flyby spacecraft exploration on Pluto and there could be much more to be discovered of Pluto. As Pluto is a part of Kuiper Belt and is the largest dwarf planet, we would be able to make predictions about Kuiper Belt by studying Pluto even more.

Source: Wikipedia

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Pluto and its interesting property.

Posted on March 31, 2018 by kkim7243
pluto
Pluto: Source

 

Once thought as the 9th planet of our solar system, Pluto is a dwarf planet and is part of the Kuiper belt. The first discovery of this dwarf planet was in 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh. Until 2005, Pluto was considered as the 9th planet of the solar system. However, as another dwarf planet called “Eris” was discovered, the definition of a planet has been redefined and Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet.

Pluto, being the largest and second most massive dwarf planet, has interesting characteristics. First of all, Pluto is comprised of 98% nitrogen ice while carbon dioxide and methane are abundant on some parts. Also, Pluto has various colors such as charcoal black to orange to white with its surface being pretty young near the horizon. Pluto’s structure is made up of a frozen nitrogen surface, rock as a core, and water ice in between. Because Pluto is less massive than even the 7 moons, Pluto’s atmosphere is very thin. Lastly, Pluto orbits the Sun at a highly inclined angle in an elliptical shape. Pluto’s orbit is susceptible to changes even by small factors, thus making it hard to predict its orbit in the long term.

Even though these many characteristics of Pluto have been discovered, there was only one flyby spacecraft exploration on Pluto and there could be much more to be discovered of Pluto. As Pluto is a part of Kuiper Belt and is the largest dwarf planet, we would be able to make predictions about Kuiper Belt by studying Pluto even more.

Source: Wikipedia

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Cold Worlds, Burning Hatred

Posted on March 29, 2018 by Chris K.
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The universe according to Hanns Höbiger

Scientific discoveries are not made in a vacuum, and sometimes even the most brilliant and correct ideas are considered to be false due to horrifying and malicious ideologies. Albert Einstein’s discovery of relativity revolutionized the world of physics and astronomy. It provided a unified way to understand the universe and was backed up by both trials and testing. However, Einstein’s idea would soon become problematic in his home nation of Germany. The economic turmoil of the Great Depression allowed the fringe National Socialism movement to gain mass appeal, cumulating in 1933 with appointment of Adolf Hitler as Chancellor of Germany. Suddenly, Einstein was a persona non grata. Einstein was of Jewish decent, and the Nazi leadership believed his “Jewish physics” known as relativity could not possibly be right. As a result of this, Nazi Germany turned to some bizarre ideas to explain the universe, no matter how wrong or lacking evidence these theories were.

One of the ideas that Nazis used to explain the universe was called Welteislehre. In 1894, an Austro-Hungarian man by the name of Hanns Höbiger claimed to have a vision that reveled the nature of the universe. According to Höbiger, ice was the fundamental building block of the cosmos, and everything from planets to moons to even the stars were the creations of ice. His theory, if it can even be called that, had no basis in science and was quickly disregarded by any serious figures in the astronomical community. However, Höbiger was an ethnic German and such his absurd idea was much more palatable to the Nazi regime than those of the Jewish Einstein. Top Nazis ranging from Heinrich Himmler to Hitler himself pushed Welteislehre to be the official cosmology of Germany and believed they could use it to predict weather and the movements of the heavens, despite push-back from almost everyone in the scientific realm. Despite the fact this “theory” came to its creator in dream, it was deemed to be correct simply because of the Nazis’ extreme anti-Semitism. This may be an extreme example, but it goes to that when science and politics meet, truth and reason can easily be disregarded in the name of party politics.

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Uranus Is Full of Gas

Posted on March 29, 2018 by Chris K.
the_mutiliation_of_uranus_by_saturn
The Mutilation of Uranus by Saturn by Giorgio Vasari and Cristofano Gherardi

There are many things unique about Uranus. It rotates on its side, it was the first planet discovered with the use of a telescope, and it is the only planet named after a Greek deity instead of its Roman equivalent. In hindsight, the Roman name Caelus probably would have been a better choice. It may be a low-hanging fruit to complain about, but the name Uranus has become the butt of jokes simply due to its unfortunate pronunciation “your anus.” Astronomers have tried to get around the issue by using the alternative pronunciation “your-in-us,” but in my opinion this reality isn’t much better as it makes the planet sound like it’s a land of certain yellow bodily fluid. There are million more low-brow jokes I can make, but instead let’s turn towards the annals of history and figure out how the planet acquired such a terrible name.

It would take decades after Uranus’ discovery for its name to be settled upon by European astronomers. When William Herschel, a loyal subject of both the crowns of Great Britain and Hanover, discovered the planet in 1781, he named the planet the Georgium Sidis after the king and prince-elector George III. However, due to Europe’s political, very few people on the continent wanted to have a planet named after a British king. Some called the planet Herschel after its discoverer, some called it Neptune (at the time the planet eventually known as Neptune had not be discovered) due to its color, and various other names were floated as well. In 1792, German astronomer Johann Bodel suggested the planet be named Uranus after the Greek sky god. In Greco-Roman mythology Zeus/Jupiter was the son of Cronus/Saturn who in turn was the son of Uranus/Caelus so it makes a nice link between the three giant planets. It would take until 1850 that the last holdouts in United Kingdom started calling the planet by Bodel’s name. In sum, the planet’s discoverer wanted to name it something that no one would actually call it and  a German man suggested a name which he probably didn’t even realize would sound so problematic in English. Luckily for Bodel, it’s only the second worst name that a German has ever come up with for a scientific discovery.

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The Potential (and the Potential Challenges) of Life on Europa

Posted on March 26, 2018 by laurenegish

Europa-moon

When discussing the potential of finding life in our solar system, people are inclined to think of discovering large and complex life forms such as humans on another planet. Surprisingly, if we are to find life in our solar system outside of Earth, it will most likely be in the form of microorganisms within another planet’s moon. This moon, known as Europa, offers promising conditions for supporting life because it most likely contains a giant ocean beneath its surface and the correct elements to sustain life such as oxygen, water and other organic chemicals. Additionally, due to the moon’s elliptical orbit around Jupiter, which stretches and relaxes the moon, volcanic activity under the water may be possible, which means that these volcanoes could supply nutrients and act as heating vents in the water, which could support life. Despite these advantageous conditions for life that are present in Europa, life in this environment would not be easy. Although space probes have not seen beneath Europa’s surface, if Europa’ outer ice shell is as deep as NASA believes (10-15 miles thick), then no sunlight could reach the water. Because of this, organisms under Europa’s surface would have to rely on geothermal energy to in order to survive instead of solar energy. This geothermal energy would have to come from the volcanoes on Europa’s sea floor, but because Europa’s oceans are deeper than Earth’s, the organisms which would rely on this volcanic activity must be able to adapt to the extreme pressure that is even greater than the pressure found on Earth’s sea floor. This being said, while life on Europa is considered to be a possibility, it will never be anything more than speculation until NASA plunges a capable space probe into Europa’s ocean. Despite this uncertainty, it is still fascinating to think about the potential, and the potential challenges, presented to organisms on Europa.

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The Potential (and the Potential Challenges) of Life on Europa

Posted on March 26, 2018 by laurenegish

Europa-moon

When discussing the potential of finding life in our solar system, people are inclined to think of discovering large and complex life forms such as humans on another planet. Surprisingly, if we are to find life in our solar system outside of Earth, it will most likely be in the form of microorganisms within another planet’s moon. This moon, known as Europa, offers promising conditions for supporting life because it most likely contains a giant ocean beneath its surface and the correct elements to sustain life such as oxygen, water and other organic chemicals. Additionally, due to the moon’s elliptical orbit around Jupiter, which stretches and relaxes the moon, volcanic activity under the water may be possible, which means that these volcanoes could supply nutrients and act as heating vents in the water, which could support life. Despite these advantageous conditions for life that are present in Europa, life in this environment would not be easy. Although space probes have not seen beneath Europa’s surface, if Europa’ outer ice shell is as deep as NASA believes (10-15 miles thick), then no sunlight could reach the water. Because of this, organisms under Europa’s surface would have to rely on geothermal energy to in order to survive instead of solar energy. This geothermal energy would have to come from the volcanoes on Europa’s sea floor, but because Europa’s oceans are deeper than Earth’s, the organisms which would rely on this volcanic activity must be able to adapt to the extreme pressure that is even greater than the pressure found on Earth’s sea floor. This being said, while life on Europa is considered to be a possibility, it will never be anything more than speculation until NASA plunges a capable space probe into Europa’s ocean. Despite this uncertainty, it is still fascinating to think about the potential, and the potential challenges, presented to organisms on Europa.

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What is St. Elmo’s Fire?

Posted on March 24, 2018 by justinrstevens
stelmo
a scientifically-accurate artist‘s interpretation

What is St. Elmo’s Fire?

Well its not a 1980s “brat pack” movie, and it certainly has nothing to do with Sesame Street.

In fact, St. Elmo’s Fire is a fascinating weather phenomenon that results from electrical charges in Earth’s atmosphere.  During (or shortly before/after) a thunderstorm, the difference in electrical charges between the air and “grounded” objects can cause plasma to stream upwards from said objects.  This is most commonly seen from the masts of ships, the noses of aircrafts, and other tall objects (e.g. streetlamps).

Apparently, in the olden days sailors would see the plasma discharge from the masts of their ships after a violent storm.  Thus, eerie glow came to be associated with salvation from the dangerous weather.  The term “St. Elmo” is probably a mispronunciation of “St. Erasmus” – who was “the patron saint of Mediterranean sailors.”

Interestingly, the “corona discharge” associated with St. Elmo’s Fire is no different from the glow inside of neon signs.  When an electric charge from a storm ionizes air particles, St. Elmo’s Fire results.  The same thing happens inside a neon sign, when an electric rod inside a tube of gas ionizes the particles of the gas.  The different colors in neon signs are due to different types of gas, which ionize to produce different colors.

That’s all for now – thanks for reading!

-Justin

elmo's fre
a sweet picture of St. Elmo in action
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Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus

Posted on March 22, 2018 by kathrynkellner

 

071127-venus-surface-02
Venus

 

“Men are from Mars, women are from Venus” was a phrase I heard a lot when younger. It was meant to describe how men and women sometimes have such big differences that it is like we come from different planets. I never really thought too much about the expression when I was younger, but during this class as we talk about the terrestrial planets (and as a woman), it makes me wonder: what would life be like if I were actually from Venus? What would I experience on a day to day basis? I decided to do a little research.

Here’s what I learned: Venus, while named after a goddess from the Greek version of paradise is anything but. Though “…similar in size, mass, density, composition, and gravity” (Space.com) to Earth, it is a hellish landscape. It is hot, hot, HOT – Venus has such a dense atmosphere that heat is trapped and blankets the planet making it a not so fantastic 870 degrees Fahrenheit. Safe to say, no woman could be from Venus because no person could survive that. This dense atmosphere also has the fun added side effect of creating “a surface pressure 90 times that of Earth” (Space.com). Yikes. If that weren’t enough, there is literally no water on the planet. But you know what it does have a lot of? Volcanoes. So. Many. Volcanoes.

Ultimately, I’m pretty glad women aren’t actually from Venus, because if we were, we’d probably have to be water bears. Or, you know, dead.

Info from: Space.com

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Nuclear Fusion Here on Earth

Posted on March 20, 2018 by danielsolarsystem

Though nuclear fusion is most often talked about as something that takes place in the cores of stars, many people don’t realize that nuclear fusion has been produced by people here on Earth since the 1940s. Unfortunately for the first several decades that fusion occurred on Earth, it only served the purpose of destruction. Although many people have the misconception that nuclear weapons are fission based, this is only partially true. Even the earliest such weapons only used fission reactions to jump-start a much more powerful and destructive fusion reactions.

Our weapons have only gotten scarier (much scarier) since World War 2, but there is a hopeful side to fusion work that is being done today. Up at MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center, experts have been developing a new fuel for stable, contained nuclear fusion. This fuel is composed primarily of hydrogen and deuterium, but its efficiency was greatly increased by the addition of helium-3. The extra neutrons in the added helium-3 led to researchers to see 10 times greater energy yield than had ever been seen before.

Figure 1: The above is MIT’s Alcator C-Mod tokamak reactor.

If researchers like these can succeed in making nuclear fusion a viable, cost-effective means of producing energy, it would serve as the ideal energy source for our society. This is because it does not have any harmful by-products and is completely carbon neutral. So, the runaway greenhouse effect seen by our society for the last few decades could finally be slowed down without any dangerous, radioactive waste.

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