Whaddya mean?! Of course the Earth is round. It’s so mind numbingly obvious that the Earth is round. It’s an idea we rarely question. But suppose a curious child asked you to prove it. Pointing at a globe or a photograph isn’t enough for this young scientist. She wants to discover that the Earth is round for herself.
Using Lasers to Un-twinkle the Stars
While twinkling makes stars pretty to look at, it also blurs astronomical images, making it difficult to observe things in fine detail. Fortunately we have a technique that can basically un-twinkle the stars, known as adaptive optics.
The Chile Project
Half a century ago construction began on what would become the largest southern observatory of its time. It was known as the Chile project.
Using Doppelganger Stars to Measure Stellar Distances
Astronomers have developed a new method using “twin stars” to measure stellar distances.
Call of the Void
It is a feeling both wondrous and terrifying. A realization that you are clinging to a rock in motion through the cosmos, and the feeling that the pull of the world might not be enough to hold you.
Orion Complex
The constellation of Orion is easy to see in the night sky. But around it is the fainter Orion Molecular Cloud Complex.
Neutrinos From Outer Space!
Neutrinos are being detected from outer space, and that’s kind of a big deal.
Why Do We Have Meteor Showers?
Why do shooting stars tend to occur in groups known as meteor showers?
The Brilliance of Scientific Assumptions
How extrapolating beyond simple scientific facts takes our understanding into uncharted waters.