Tag Archives: astronomy

Some “Firsts” of Exoplanets

Posted on November 15, 2024 by Leo Silva

Before the discovery of any exoplanets (prior to 1992), scientists hypothesized that star systems will planets (planetary systems) similar to our own solar system might exist around other stars– even without having confirmed evidence of them in the same way we do today. In some ways, they expected that these other planetary systems would likely […] Continue reading →

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Binary Star Systems.

Posted on November 15, 2024 by Elias Ibrahim

A binary star system A binary star system is a pair of stars which orbit a common center of mass. In fact, they are quite common in the universe. Types of Binary Star Systems Visual Binaries: Such a binary system can be resolved as two separate stars using a telescope. Spectroscopic binaries: here, the components would be close enough to one another that it would not be possible to visually distinguish the two. […] Continue reading →

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Icy Giants: Uranus and Neptune

Posted on November 15, 2024 by Elias Ibrahim

Uranus and Neptune The Outermost Planets Past the gas giants Saturn and Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune are the ice giants. These distant planets provide insight of our solar system. Uranus Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. It has a peculiar axial tilt. While the other planets rotate on an axis that is close to perpendicular to their orbital plane, Uranus rotates on its side. Its orbit causes extreme seasons to take place as one pole would face the Sun continuously for decades, followed […] Continue reading →

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The James Webb Space Telescope: A New Window on the Universe

Posted on October 21, 2024 by Elias Ibrahim

JWST The James Webb Space Telescope is a telescope made to look deep into space. It is the largest telescope in space ever built. The telescope was launched into space during 2021. Due to its infrared strength it can see distant objects that light telescopes can’t. JWST was able to study the formations of galaxies […] Continue reading →

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The Sun: Our Solar System’s Powerhouse

Posted on October 20, 2024 by Elias Ibrahim

The Sun The Sun is mostly made of hydrogen and helium. In its core the two elements are fused together releasing light and heat in the process. The Sun’s has different layers (core, radiative zone, photosphere, convective zone, and corona). The corona is only visible from Earth during a solar eclipse and reaches millions of […] Continue reading →

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Nuclear Fusion: The Heartbeat of Stars

Posted on October 20, 2024 by Leo Silva

In order for stars to generate the enormous amounts of energy that they do, a very specific, energy-intensive process is needed: nuclear fusion. It is this process that allows stars to shine brightly for billions of years. But how exactly does nuclear fusion work? In short, in the cores of stars, temperatures reach the millions […] Continue reading →

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The Moon and The Tides

Posted on September 24, 2024 by Alekzander Waller

Did you know that tides are caused by the Moon’s gravitational pull? (Photo from The Business Insider) Usually about every 12 hours coastal places around the world experience high and low tides in a constant cycle. This is due to the subtle pull of the Moon’s gravitational forces on the Earth’s water supply. Along the […] Continue reading →

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Understanding Retrograde Motion

Posted on September 23, 2024 by Elias Ibrahim

the planets as seen from Earth Retrograde motion is when a planet appears to move backward in its orbit relative to the rest of the night sky. Planets such as Mars and Jupiter can be seen in retrograde motion. Retrograde motion occurs due to the movements and relative positions of other planets around the sun. […] Continue reading →

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Gravity on Earth versus other planets in our solar system

Posted on September 23, 2024 by Ninh Duong

Exploring how gravity on different planets in our solar system is different. Gravity definition: Gravity is the force that attracts items to a planet or other body’s core. Gravity keeps the planets in orbit around the sun. Since all the planets weigh differently, and have different radius this causes the gravitational pull of each planet […] Continue reading →

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The vast size and scale of the Universe

Posted on September 3, 2024 by Elias Ibrahim

Cosmic Background Radiation Astronomy, Class, Uncategorized Today in this blog post I will describe the size and scale of the universe from my understanding. To start off, light from the sun takes approximately 8 minutes to reach Earth, yet light from the farthest parts of the observable universe would take 13.8 billion years. Keep in […] Continue reading →

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