Astronomy and Physics

Earth

  • August Sky Spotlight
    2nd: Moon at Perigee On August 2nd, the Moon will be at its closest spot to Earth. This is called perigee. 7th: 1st Quarter The Moon will be in its…
  • Dyson Spheres: Smart or Stupid?
    The other day my dad made a bold claim: Dyson spheres are stupid. I told him that they were not stupid, and he replied that they are because they’re physically…
  • A Trip into the Life of Sally Ride
    Sally Ride was born on May 26, 1951, in Los Angeles, California. She went to a private high school on a scholarship, where she was a bright student and an…
  • Mae Jemison: Astronaut, Doctor, Icon
    In September 1992, the Space Shuttle Endeavor rocketed into space with astronauts and science experiments. This was a routine launch, containing a healthy mix of new and experienced astronauts. One…
  • Nancy Grace Roman: the Mother of Hubble
    Dr. Nancy Grace Roman was interested in astronomy from the very beginning. Born in Tenessee in 1925, in elementary school Roman was a co-founder of an astronomy club. She went…
  • July Sky Spotlight
    2nd – New Moon, Total Solar Eclipse July will start off as strong as June did! On only the second day of the month, we will have a total solar…
  • June Sky Spotlight
    June is finally here! There’s a lot of exciting sights in the sky this month. Unfortunately, Mars and Venus will not be in their best viewing location; both planets rise…
  • Illu-moon-ating Research
    In 2020, NASA will be launching the Space Launch System’s first Exploration Mission. On board will be yeast (to study radiation in space), a solar sail (that will study a…
  • The Station in the Sky
    In October 2000, the International Space Station (ISS) received its first-ever crew. Russians Sergei K. Krikalev and Yuri Pavlovich Gidzenko and American William M. Shepherd flew to the ISS on…

Solar System

  • How to Send Your Name to the Red Planet
    Almost every child has dreamed of being an astronaut. We look up at the stars and wonder what’s up there. While not everyone will be an astronaut, there are other…
  • Saturn’s Spectacular Rings
    Saturn’s rings are easily one of the most amazing sights in the solar system. However, most people don’t know much, if anything, about them. First, it’s important to note that…
  • Best Moons in our Solar System
    In our solar system, there are nearly 200 moons orbiting eight different planets. Of course, these moons aren’t split evenly. Mercury and Venus don’t have any moons, while Jupiter has…
  • The Plight of Pluto
    Ah, Pluto. Everyone’s favorite (dwarf) planet. For some reason unbeknownst to the general public, scientists stripped Pluto of its planetary status in 2006. Many Millennials seem to feel personally attacked…

Beyond

  • Seeing Distant Planets
    As always, the Hubble Space Telescope is looking to the stars for new exciting sights. Images of swirling galaxies are extremely common. On June 3, 2019, the Hubble Space Telescope…
  • Another Galaxy Coming to Space Near You!
    Space continues to dazzle the eye! NASA recently posted this photo of Messier 90. Messier 90, also called NGC 4569, is a spiral galaxy located in the constellation Virgo about…
  • A Brief Introduction to Black Holes
    On April 10, 2019, astronomers released the first-ever image of a black hole. This image depicts a supermassive black hole in the center of a giant elliptical galaxy known as…