Physical Science

Galaxies have been viewed as the building blocks of our universe since the 1930s.  Before that time, galaxies were a subject open to speculation. Wonder at the universe has always provoked theories about how our universe and the galaxies it held…
Read more

A sunspot is a visibly darker area, appearing in the photosphere of the sun. They are a temporary phenomena, each individual sunspot having a longevity that can vary from a few hours to a couple of months. The spots appear…
Read more

Throughout the universe, things are in constant flux.  Stars are formed and galaxies are consumed, and no one would ever notice if not for the many advances in astronomy.  In the early days of travel, being able to decode the…
Read more

People do it everywhere else, so why not in space? The modern fascination with sex may no longer escape NASA’s public policy as calls emerge for the agency to define proper etiquette for “getting it on” in a weightless environment….
Read more

Tide is defined as the periodic rise and fall of the oceans water level due to the pull of the gravity from the sun and the moon. Most ocean fronts experience two low tides and two high tides every day….
Read more

The difference between globular clusters and open clusters is significant and fairly obvious. These two types of star clusters harbor different types of stars. Also, the strength of gravitational bonds between the stars differs significantly. Open clusters Open clusters are…
Read more

In 1924, American astronomer Edwin Hubble discovered a Cepheid star—a pulsating or variable luminosity star— in the Andromeda nebula. Until then the Andromeda nebula was believed to be a cluster of stars and dust within the Milky Way. Indeed, the…
Read more

Janus is one of the inner satellites of the ringed planet Saturn, the sixth planet from the sun.  It is the tenth largest moon of Saturn.  Janus is the god of time in Roman mythology. Janus has one head that…
Read more

Astronomers are reporting that the super-massive star, Betelgeuse, located 640 light years from Earth in the Orion constellation, is rapidly losing mass and shrinking. When a star the size of this red super-giant begins collapsing it can only lead to…
Read more

Planetary Nebulae: What Are They? “Space-the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. Our mission: to boldly go where no-one has gone before.” –Captain Jean-Luc Picard In its own way, this has been the mission statement of…
Read more