Tag Archives: blog2

Mysterious as the Dark Side of the Moon

If you’ve ever watched the Disney movie Mulan, then you’ve heard the phrase “mysterious as the dark side of the moon.” This is a pretty common–although somewhat incorrect–phrase to say that something is unknown, much like the side of the moon that we can’t see. The moon is in synchronous orbit with the Earth, meaning […] Continue reading

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NASA meteor counter

  NASA has released an iPhone app that encourages people to go outside and observe the nights sky, particularly meteors. Not only does this app benefit the people using it, but it also helps NASA research with meteors and meteor showers. This app was initially developed to be a fun way for people to explore […] Continue reading

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The Moon’s Appearance

Following class on Wednesday, in which we discussed the lunar cycle and the moon’s appearance to us here on Earth, I looked up at the Moon while walking to my […] Continue reading

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The Moon and its Lunar Eclipse

People travel all over the world to catch a glimpse of the rare phenomenon known as a lunar eclipse. In the past, this misunderstood event inspired some fear as the Moon became darker and darker until in turned blood-red, signifying an act of some god or deity. Now, we know this event occurs every so […] Continue reading

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Why does the moon look red?

If you have ever seen an image of a lunar eclipse, or have had the privilege of viewing one in person, you probably noticed that the moon does not retain its bright, whitish color; instead, the moon turns a shade of orange or red.  If you don’t know what I’m talking about, this very cool youtube video […] Continue reading

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Moon App!

Apple has an application for your iPod and iPad that helps you easily learn everything you would want to know about the moon. It is kind of like Stellarium for your phone! Whether you want to know the phase the moon is currently in, its Azimuth or altitude, this app can tell you. I think […] Continue reading

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Google’s Sky Map

When looking around for astronomy applications for Android I came across Google’s Sky Map. This is a popular stargazing application that is free on the Google Play store. One of the best features of this app is the location and sky tracking. This feature will track exactly where your phone is pointing in the sky. […] Continue reading

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The night sky…

(click the photo to link to the source!) Notice anything strange about the night sky in this photo? For one, you won’t find Polaris (the North Star)…have you caught it yet? This is the night sky as seen from Mt. Cook in New Zealand. As you’d expect, because the vantage point of someone in the … Continue reading Continue reading

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Planets

If you have the slightest interest in astronomy, I found this great app for iOS for observing the planets in our solar system and tracking their location throughout the day. This app is great for observing all the planets in the sky at the current time and what constellations they are near. You can view […] Continue reading

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Once in a Blue Moon

Ok, so literally a blue moon is actually when two full moons are seen in a single calendar month, but what I am talking about today isn’t totally off topic because it is something that really is pretty rare: eclipses. As we learned recently that there are two general types of eclipses, a solar and […] Continue reading

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