Tag: Star

The top ten coolest things in space

This is a list of what I consider to be the top ten coolest things in space! 1. Thorne-Zytkow object First is a Thorne-Zytkow object. These objects form when a pulsar worms its way into the body of a different star. Although these objects would appear to be almost normal, they would house all sorts of strange elements that would never appear in a regular star. The only one that we know of in the entire universe is called HV 2112. 2. The Fermi Bubbles Second, the […]

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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 […]

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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? […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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All about Galaxies

What is a galaxy? The scientific definition of a galaxy is a “gravitationally bound system of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar gas, dust, and dark matter.” In simple terms, this means a large clump of things that you might find in space.  The differece between a galaxy and the universe One of the most common misunderstandings about galaxies is the difference between a galaxy and the universe. Here is how you can tell them apart: First, the universe is everything. Every atom, every star, every black hole, every […]

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All about stars

Stars are some of the most interesting things to study and there is so much to learn about them. In this post, I will cover the main types of stars, the life of a star, and some interesting facts. Classification of stars Most stars are classified though the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. This is an easy way to see what type of star you are looking at based on how hot and bright it is. The band going down the middle is called the main sequence. Most stars, like […]

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