Astronomy
Space Tales: Light Sails and Magnetic Shields
New technologies are being explored to propel satellites even faster and to help protect future human explorers from the vagaries of space. […]
Professor Sabine Stanley
Astronomy
Getting Data about the Solar System: Telescopes and Spacecrafts
New types of telescopes and spacecraft will help us gather better and more detailed knowledge of the solar system. […]
Astronomy
Achieving Escape Velocity: Launching Rockets into Space
When we have to send a rocket into space, we need to consider the payload, the rocket itself, and the fuel. Above all, a rocket must achieve escape velocity, the acceleration, to escape the Earth’s gravity. […]
Astronomy
Two Models of Planet Migration: Jumping Jupiter and Grand Tack
The Jumping Jupiter idea and the Grand Tack theory are different variations of the Nice model that try to explain the solar system’s current appearance. […]
Astronomy
The Original Nice Model of Planet Migration: The Gas and Ice Giants
The Nice model explains a lot about the solar system. It tells us about how the planets migrated, how the icy planets were formed, and accounts for the Kuiper Belt’s hot and cold populations. […]
Astronomy
The Late Heavy Bombardment: Did the Planets Get Bombed From Space?
Four billion years ago, the inner solar system experienced an unexpected event, a kind of bombardment took place. The first hints of this event were revealed in the Apollo missions. […]
Astronomy
Light, Winds, and Temperature in Jupiter-Sized Planets
Do all Jupiter-sized planets behave the same? Do they have the same mass? If our Jupiter was put much closer to the sun, what would happen to it? […]
Astronomy
Discovering Exoplanets: What, How, and Why
Exoplanets are planets orbiting stars in other stellar systems. However, they have some characteristics that differentiate them from other planets wandering around the universe. What are these differences? […]
Astronomy
Pulsars, Exoplanets, and Hot Jupiters
Hot Jupiters are exoplanets that take over our Jupiter in size, mass, temperature, and anything that leads to the presence power of a planet. They are too big to miss, yet are somehow mysterious in how they emerged. […]
Astronomy
Solar Winds and the Planets
Solar winds can cause major disruptions to our solar system, especially to a planet like earth. […]