Tag Archives: blog5

Halley’s Comet

Posted on April 7, 2019 by richardtli

In 2061, Halley’s Comet will return to pass by Earth in 75-year long round trip across the solar system. But what else do we know about this mysterious visitor? Studying the reports of comet sightings in 1531, 1607, and 1682, Edmond Halley deduced that these comets were in fact the same one and that it … Continue reading Halley’s Comet → Continue reading →

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Enceladus

Posted on April 7, 2019 by luanaisaac1125

Enceladus is a medium-size moon of Saturn, with a diameter of about 500 km. Its surface temperature is quite chilly, ranging between 32.9 K (-240 degrees Celsius) and 145 K (-128 degrees Celsius); this is partially because of its distance from the Sun, and also because of its highly reflective surface. The entire moon is … Continue reading Enceladus → Continue reading →

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Blog 5: TESS

Posted on April 6, 2019 by Katie

NASA’s new exoplanet telescope, the TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite), was launched April 18, 2018 and is expected to find 20,000 exoplanets during its 2 year primary mission. This is huge increase compared to the 3,933 that are currently confirmed. Among these planets will hopefully be multiple rocky planets in the habitable zone, or zone … Continue reading Blog 5: TESS → Continue reading →

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A Moon Above the Rest: Jupiter’s Moon Ganymede

Posted on April 2, 2019 by reallyroyalqueen

Galileo Galilei discovered many “luminous objects” in 1610 that were orbiting Jupiter. Thought to be stars, it was discovered that they were moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. Ganymede is the largest moon in the Solar System and is even larger than the planet Mercury. It is the only satellite in the Solar System known to possess a … Continue reading A Moon Above the Rest: Jupiter’s Moon Ganymede → Continue reading →

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Asteroid Defense Systems

Posted on April 2, 2019 by Jonathan Roberts

As it currently stands, Earth has no recourse if a large asteroid decides to strike. Something on the scale of the Cretaceous-Paleogene event would devastate humanity. So, how do we protect ourselves against such an impact? Enter NASA and the “National Near-Earth Object Preparedness and Strategy Plan.” According to them, five steps need to be … Continue reading Asteroid Defense Systems → Continue reading →

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Why is Titan Special?

Posted on March 30, 2019 by Jiayu Kang

If you are a Sci-fi fan like me, you might be able to recall Vincent hiding his identity for the trip to Saturn’s moon Titan in Gattaca. In Star Trek 2009, Kirk and Spock beam abroad the Romulan ship attacking Earth, while Enterprise hid itself in Titan’s clouds. Or at least you should remember the … Continue reading Why is Titan Special? → Continue reading →

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Colonization of Europa

Posted on April 10, 2018 by Taylor Matalon

Jupiter’s Ocean moon, Europa has been the subject of many works of fiction, as its oceanic surface of liquid water may be sustainable for life–either existing there today or humans in the future. One of NASA’s missions, the Europa Clipper, is set to launch in 2020 and should provide very detailed reconnaissance of the moon, … Continue reading Colonization of Europa Continue reading →

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“You Heard About Pluto? It’s Messed Up Right?”

Posted on April 9, 2018 by kathrynkellner

When I was a kid we had 9 planets. That 9th planet was Pluto, which was (unfortunately for my generation) demoted to just a dwarf planet in 2006 (NASA: Pluto in Depth). As outraged as I was as a child that Pluto got demoted, the truth is, besides knowing it was the 9th planet, I … Continue reading “You Heard About Pluto? It’s Messed Up Right?” Continue reading →

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Extrasolar Planets and the Search for Life

Posted on April 9, 2018 by alcottastr2110

Kepler 22-b Extrasolar planets are planets that orbit a star other than our own. Being in another star system, these worlds are very hard to observe since they are so far away and the light they produce pales in comparison to that of the stars they orbit. Because of this, although their existence had already … Continue reading Extrasolar Planets and the Search for Life → Continue reading →

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The Real Geo-Storm: Saturn’s Hexagon

Posted on April 9, 2018 by jonahastroblog

Saturn. The only planet that people are able to clearly point out that has a large ring going around it. Ask any elementary school-aged individual and they will tell you that the only thing they know about Saturn is that it is that “big planet with the ring around it.” The reality of this is… Continue Reading → Continue reading →

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