Top Astronomy and Astrophysics research from the week of 7/12/2020

Next week’s night sky If you have a telescope or binoculars, next week will be full of awesome things to see! Monday is the new moon, This means that the sky will be extra dark, making the stars look more luminous in the sky! Also on Monday, Saturn is at apposition! This means that it will be the brightest it will be all year. Coupled with the new moon, this should make for a spectacular sight! On Friday, from 05:20 -08:00 GMT, Europa’s shadow will pass through […]

Read more

All about spectroscopy

Spectroscopy is probably the most important tool the scientist can use to find out more about our universe. What is spectroscopy? In its simplest form, spectroscopy is the measurement of light coming off of an object. We can graph this information in spectrum to make it easier for us to understand. Below is an example of a graphed spectra: These dips and spikes happen at a certain wavelength. Because wavelengths correspond to color, we can visualize the data in a graph like this. What causes these lines? […]

Read more

All about comets, meteorites, and asteroids

So what really are the differences between a comet, a meteorite, and an asteroid? What is a comet? A comet is a collection of gas and dust that is frozen together in deep space. These objects spend most of their lives in clouds with other comets. However, sometimes a stray comet gets pulled into a closer orbit around the sun. When that happens, something spectacular happens! The comet starts to melt, shooting off two enormous tails: one made of dust, the other, gas. Most of the time […]

Read more

Comet Neowise is visible this week!

Comet Neowise is now visible both just after sunset and in the morning! This is a rare “naked eye comet” meaning that one can see the comet without any telescopes or binoculars. Although it will be harder to spot this comet in the evening, it is worth a shot! Just after sunset, look to the northwest. The lower the horizon, the easier it will be! Once you are looking northwest, look for a streak in the sky. See the chart below to find out exactly where Neowise […]

Read more

Top Astronomy and Astrophysics research from the week of 7/5/2020

Next week’s night sky A lot of cool things are happening early  this week! On Sunday 7/12, the moon will be in its last quarter. On Monday, July 13, ceres will reverse direction! If you have a telescope, this is an incredibly cool thing to watch. To find ceres, navigate to this website: Stellarium Web Online Star Map, and then look up ceres. On Tuesday, July 14th, Jupiter will be at apposition! This means that it will be brightest and closest it will be all year! You […]

Read more

All about nebulae and supernovae

You might have heard about supernovae as the largest explosions in the galaxy, or seen beautiful pictures of nebulae, but what really are they? What is a nebula? In one sentence, a nebula is the remnants of an old star that provides a birthplace for new stars. A supernova is a gigantic explosion that happens when the largest stars in the universe explode. How are nebulae formed? Stars are constantly in the middle of a tug of war, with the internal forces of the star trying to […]

Read more

All about neutron stars and pulsars

You might have heard about neutron stars and pulsars referred to as exotic deep space objects, but what actually are they? Neutron stars Let’s start with neutron stars. Neutron stars are formed from the stars in the universe that are almost the heaviest, but not quite. When these massive stars collapse, the product is called a neutron star. To learn more about the process of collapsing, click here: https://theastroenthusiast.com/all-about-black-holes/. Usually, the stars that make neutron stars are 400 Million miles across, but these stars are squished into […]

Read more

All about black holes

You might have seen black holes referenced as wormholes, portals, or inescapable balls of doom. But what really are they? The NASA definition of a black hole is “A black hole is a place in space where gravity pulls so much that even light can not get out.” What does this mean? Gravity and black holes Gravity is a force that interacts between every object, pulling them together. Your body exerts gravity on your phone, and vice versa. It is just that these forces are too small […]

Read more

Top Astronomy and Astrophysics research from the week of 6/28/2020

Next week’s night sky: This is a great week to take a look at the moon! It will be especially bright on Monday, so be sure to look for its large craters and dark seas. Look down below for a map of what you can see on the moon. On Monday, at 5 in the morning, the moon will be only 2 degrees away from Saturn! Look around the sky near the moon for a brighter object. If you have binoculars or a telescope, you should be […]

Read more

Stargazing on July 4th

The fourth of July is a great time to go out with the family to go stargazing! This weekend, there will be some cool things to look at. Looking at the moon Consider looking at the moon, as it will be very large and luminous. The dark maria, or seas, will be on full display! These are actually formed by ancient lava flows, which smoothed the surface as they cooled. The most famous of these “seas”, the sea of tranquility, is where the first men on the […]

Read more