Tag Archives: blog4

Mars: Investigating the Red Planet

Posted on March 12, 2019 by Sam Bianco

In his hit song “Rocket Man”, musical legend Elton John aptly remarks that “Mars ain’t the kind of place to raise your kids / In fact it’s cold as hell.” The average surface temperature of Mars is 220 Kelvin, or about -64 degrees Fahrenheit. Now, I’m not sure about hell, but that’s definitely too cold … Continue reading Mars: Investigating the Red Planet → Continue reading →

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Oops, I accidentally welded!

Posted on March 12, 2019 by jiayu

Welding is the use of high heat to melt two metal pieces together so they fuse into one. It’s tricky and not a relaxing hobby done on… Read more “Oops, I accidentally welded!” Continue reading →

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Hypervelocity Stars

Posted on March 12, 2019 by jordyn27

In 2005, the first hypervelocity star (HVS) was discovered by Smithsonian astronomers. These objects are defined as stars with very high velocities compared to normal star velocities in a galaxy. Some of them have velocities that exceed the escape velocity of the galaxy. They are thought to originate from encounters of binary stars with the … Continue reading Hypervelocity Stars → Continue reading →

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The Sun – the heart of our solar system

Posted on March 12, 2019 by alfredprah

Planetary System The star at the center of the solar system plays a special role for us here on earth. It was formed about 4.5 billion years ago, in the Orion spur (in the milky way galaxy). It was born from the collapse of a cloud and dust called the “solar nebula”. It then condensed … Continue reading The Sun – the heart of our solar system → Continue reading →

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Jovian Planets

Posted on March 12, 2019 by michaelfung1661

Jovian planets always interested me. The term “Jovian” is naturally everyone’s first guess – derived from the Latin root, Iovis, or Jovis. It’s a 3rd declension, genitive singular noun, so any classics nerds should know that it very specifically translates to OF Jupiter. I don’t know, I just find it interesting that an entire class … Continue reading Jovian Planets → Continue reading →

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A Brief, Incomplete History of “Earth”

Posted on March 12, 2019 by IanO12

When looking at our solar system, it is pretty easy to notice one thing that separates Earth from the other planets with which we share a star. Namely, Earth is the only planet not named after a Roman deity. You have Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus, and even Pluto! So where does “Earth” […] Continue reading →

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Saving the Appearances

Posted on March 12, 2019 by reallyroyalqueen

Strict Aristotelian cosmology follows that all bodies are made of the four elements: earth, water, air, and fire. These four exist in the terrestrial realm and the stars exist in the celestial realm. A fifth element, aether, exists there and that is what heavenly bodies are composed of. Aristotle provided the basics of the physics … Continue reading Saving the Appearances → Continue reading →

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Climate Change

Posted on March 12, 2019 by bobbyc

Climate change is predominantly caused by the greenhouse effect, which is when gases in our atmosphere prevent heat from the sun from escaping the Earth. As greenhouse gasses continue to be added to our atmosphere (primarily by burning fossil fuels), the greenhouse effect becomes more severe, allowing less and less heat to escape from our … Continue reading Climate Change Continue reading →

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Solar Flare vs Solar Prominence

Posted on March 12, 2019 by luanaisaac1125

I obviously can’t speak for anyone else, but I whole-heartedly believed that the beautiful loops of material that we sometimes see images and videos of on the Sun were included in the term ‘solar flare.’ As I looked into it, I came to find that solar flares and solar prominences (the ‘loops’) are in fact … Continue reading Solar Flare vs Solar Prominence → Continue reading →

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Space Weather

Posted on March 12, 2019 by alexdickey18

In this post, we will be discussing space weather! Space weather is dissimilar from the weather that we experience on earth, however it is still fascinating to understand. Space weather, in our solar system, is sparked by activity on the suns surface. Spewing gases and solar flares on the surface of the sun form into … Continue reading Space Weather → Continue reading →

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