Tag Archives: blog5

Potentially Hospitable Exoplanets

Posted on April 3, 2017 by kendylldellinger

One of the most exciting thoughts for many is the possibility of life on another planet. With our Solar System being explored without success, the search has spread to other systems for a hospitable exoplanet. An exoplanet, also know as an extrasolar planet, is simply a planet outside of our solar system. The goal for […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Exoplanets | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Potentially Hospitable Exoplanets

Europa’s Oceans & Aliens

Posted on April 3, 2017 by astr2110tmcm

In September of last year, the Hubble Space telescope observed what is believed to be plumes of water erupting from the surface of Jupiter’s moon, Europa. The surface of Europa is covered in a layer of ice of unknown thickness, and it is widely believed that there could be vast oceans of liquid water underneath […] Continue reading →

Posted in Jovians, Moons | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Europa’s Oceans & Aliens

Saturn and its Moons

Posted on April 3, 2017 by Haley's Comet

Saturn lays outside of the asteroid belt among the giant planets. With a total of 53 moons (or 62 pending a few new discoveries),  Saturn is a planet that yields a huge amount of force in the Solar System. The moons orbiting Saturn are all unique and have distinct features. Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, has an atmosphere… Continue reading Saturn and its Moons Continue reading →

Posted in Jovians, Moons | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Saturn and its Moons

Comets?! ☄️

Posted on April 3, 2017 by mariabulanova

Everyone got some basic knowledge about planets, stars, and asteroids at school, but not many people actually know much about comets. How are these things formed? Why do they have tails? How big are they? Stay with me if you want to find out. 🙂 Our entire Solar System was created by the collapse of […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Comets?! ☄️

Our Solar System’s Closest Planetary Neighbor

Posted on April 3, 2017 by kic27

Proxima b is a planet much like our own Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Exoplanets | Tagged , | Comments Off on Our Solar System’s Closest Planetary Neighbor

The Dwarf Planet Pluto

Posted on April 3, 2017 by xiangyunastr2110

Discovered in 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh, Pluto was long regarded as the ninth planet of our solar system. However, after astronomers deepened their exploration of the intriguing worlds in the Kuiper belt, the icy Pluto was reclassified by IAU as a dwarf planet in 2006. Because additional objects in Kuiper belt has been discovered including […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The Dwarf Planet Pluto

Blog 5: Enceladus’ Ocean

Posted on April 3, 2017 by lillyastro2110

One of Saturn’s moons, we discussed in class interesting details of Enceladus. The most notable of these is the geysers of water and the potential subsurface ocean. Methane found among other particles in the water vapor plume have led researchers to consider a subsurface ocean as the origin of this methane. Because of the high … Continue reading Blog 5: Enceladus’ Ocean Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Moons | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Blog 5: Enceladus’ Ocean

The Trojans and Greeks

Posted on April 3, 2017 by pkunetz97

As was recently discussed in class, there are two clusters of asteroids ahead of and behind Jupiter known as the “Trojans” and the “Greeks”. The first one to be discovered was an asteroid now known as “Achilles”, a hero who fought on the Greek side of the Trojan War. The Greeks are all slightly ahead […] Continue reading →

Posted in Observables, Small SS Objects | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on The Trojans and Greeks

Blog #5: Pluto’s Demotion

Posted on April 3, 2017 by zhengastronomy

As of August 24th  2006, the international astronomical union voted to demote Pluto to a dwarf planet, ending the nine planet era, redefining the definition of a planet, and rendering many, many astronomy books obsolete. But why was Pluto demoted? What happened to make astronomers cut away a part of so many people’s worldview? Will … Continue reading Blog #5: Pluto’s Demotion Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Blog #5: Pluto’s Demotion

Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9

Posted on April 2, 2017 by Nick Belsten

In 1994, one year after its discovery, the fragmented remains of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 crashed into Jupiter’s upper atmosphere in a sequence of 23 large impacts, each releasing the energy equivalent of 25,000 megatons of TNT, more than one million times as much energy as released by the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Orbital analysis … Continue reading Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 → Continue reading →

Posted in Small SS Objects | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9