Tag Archives: blog5

New Horizons Probe Halfway Between Pluto and Its Next Target in Kuiper Belt

Posted on April 4, 2017 by njelinek425

Just today, (April 4) the NASA probe New Horizons reached its halfway point between the Pluto system and its next target in the Kuiper belt, the small object 2014 MU69. 2014 MU69 is a trans-Plutonian, rather small Kuiper Belt object; with an average diameter of only about 30 miles it is only about 1% the size of […] Continue reading →

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Blog #5

Posted on April 4, 2017 by niharikadar

An Overview of the New Horizons Mission The Kuiper Belt is a very fascinating region of our solar system consisting largely of icy bodies and comets. Thus, there is a lot of really interesting research aiming to better understand the Belt itself and the objects that call it home. One NASA initiative in this regard is … Continue reading Blog #5 Continue reading →

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Comets

Posted on April 4, 2017 by ksun1

The formation of the planetary bodies was not a peaceful one. Planetesimals, effectively “planet seeds” that would accrete material to gain mass, would frequently collide with each other at violent speeds. A collision between two planetesimals of similar sizes would spell the doom for both – all of their hard work accreting mass would be […] Continue reading →

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Exploration of Pluto and the Worlds Beyond by New Horizons

Posted on April 4, 2017 by Matt Machado

The New Horizons spacecraft launched from Earth in 2006 with the goal of reaching Pluto is set to break records of how far human-made machines can travel. It achieved its first goal of reaching Pluto in July of 2015 and is the only spacecraft in history to do so. Last month, NASA released this incredible image of […] Continue reading →

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Exploration of Pluto and the Worlds Beyond by New Horizons

Posted on April 4, 2017 by Matt Machado

The New Horizons spacecraft launched from Earth in 2006 with the goal of reaching Pluto is set to break records of how far human-made machines can travel. It achieved its first goal of reaching Pluto in July of 2015 and is the only spacecraft in history to do so. Last month, NASA released this incredible image of […] Continue reading →

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Volcanism on Io

Posted on April 4, 2017 by vmorehead0

From the four Galilean moons of Jupiter, Io stands out as having a great amount of volcanic activity.  Before it was observed via spacecraft, scientists believed all moons were cold and barren like Earth’s moon.  However, on March 8, 1979, Voyager 1 captured a mysterious plume rising from Io.  Scientists identified this as a volcanic eruption, which made Io … Continue reading Volcanism on Io Continue reading →

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Cool Kuiper Belt Objects

Posted on April 4, 2017 by Natalie

Way out past Neptune lies the Kuiper Belt. The most famous and one of the largest Kuiper Belt objects is … More Continue reading →

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Why do comets have tails?

Posted on April 4, 2017 by aliyazd1407

Generally, comets got kicked out from their home which are the Oort Cloud and the Kuiper Belt. This phenomena occur due to the pull of the gravity by planets or stars. Then, their journey of growing tails begin by moving toward the inner solar system. Far from the Sun, small comets look the same as small asteroids, completely … Continue reading Why do comets have tails? Continue reading →

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Here’s Some Information About Pluto So It Feels Less Rejected

Posted on April 4, 2017 by Ashley Garcia

While Earthlings seem to have a general adoration (borderline obsession) with the personified Pluto, the planet itself does present several scientific marvels and interests. One such fascinating feature of Pluto is in it’s region known as Sputnik Planum. This weirdly smooth section of the planet is segmented into cellular units, and a proposed reason for… Continue reading Here’s Some Information About Pluto So It Feels Less Rejected Continue reading →

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Jupiter’s Storms

Posted on April 4, 2017 by elliottlifeastronomy

On a world where the entire surface and most of the atmosphere are composed of dense, fast-moving clouds, you can imagine that the storms are slightly worse than our regular terrestrial thunderstorm. Of course, the most famous of Jupiter’s maelstroms is the Great Red Spot, aptly named for its blue color (kidding) and impressive diameter, […] Continue reading →

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