Deep Astronomy

What is the Best Telescope?

Sat, 6 Aug 2011 17:42:00 -0400

You're ready to buy a telescope, you have some money saved up, you've convinced your significant other that you can get one, but you have NO IDEA which one to buy! How can you get the best telescope for your money? Which one is best? What can you see with them? All of this and more is addressed in this article.

Comet Elenin and the Japanese Earthquake

Wed, 12 May 2011 23:22:00 -0400

Here is an analysis of the likelihood that Comet Elenin caused the earthquake in Japan on March 11, 2011

The Hypernova of VY Canis Majoris

Wed, 11 May 2011 19:28:00 -0400

VY Canis Majoris is one of only about 10 stars like it in the Milky Way. It is over 3,600 times the size of our Sun and is consuming its nuclear fuel at an astonishing rate. It releases more energy in six seconds than our Sun does in an entire years. And it is getting ready to die.

Space Telescopes: What Are They Good For?

Fri, 25 March 2011 11:28:00 -0400

Space Telescopes are providing the most amazing discoveries in cosmology an astronomy. They show us parts of the universe impossible to see any other way.

How Do We Know Black Holes Exist?

Sun, 13 March 2011 23:38:00 -0400

It's a natural question to ask how we know black holes exist if we can't see them. This video step through the history of thinking on the idea of black holes and our first actual observations of one.

Asteroid Facts

Tues, 1 March 2011 20:51:00 -0500

There is a genuine threat to our existence looming over our heads in the form of asteroids and comets. These near-Earth Objects are being monitored by NASA so we can better plan if one is heading our way.

How the Hubble Space Telescope Will Die

Fri, 25 February 2011 11:42:00 -0500

If we do nothing, in 2024 the Hubble will die. This video outlines what will happen.

How The Universe Was Formed

Sun, 20 February 2011 21:12:00 -0500

About a half a million years after the big bang, the cosmos began to cool, as it cooled, the hot subatomic particles that constituted the early universe began to slow down and stop colliding with each other long enough so that protons, neutrons and electrons could form.

The First Earth-Sized World of Kepler

Fri, 18 February 2011 13:23:00 -0500

We have found 500 planets in orbit around other stars. Most of these exoplanets are very large gas-giants, many much larger than Jupiter and are detected by measuring small dips in brightness as the planet moves across the disk of the host star.

Pluto Needed a Timeout Anyway

Wed, 16 February 2011 23:44:00 -0500

I originally wrote this in August of 2006 after the IAU demoted Pluto to a minor planet. I have decided to include it since it was sitting dormant on the site.

The Hubble Deep Field in 3d

Wed, 16 February 2011 20:23:00 -0500

In 2004, Hubble astronomers did something quite extraordinary: they pointed the most powerful telescope every build by human beings at absolutely nothing, and for no other reason than they were curious. Here is what they saw.

Above the Mysterious Fog Surrounding the Milky Way

Tue, 8 February 2011 22:36:00 -0500

The center of our galaxy, the Milky Way, is home to a supermassive black hole surrounded by clusters of young stars and giant molecular clouds. On November 9th, 2010, a group of scientists at NASA's Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope announced the discovery of two bubbles of energy erupting from the center of our galaxy.

What is the Universe Expanding Into?

Sat, 5 February 2011 12:23:00 -0500

Since we know the universe is expanding and accelerating as it does so, it makes perfect sense to ask the question, In this video, I try to offer an explanation.

Where Are the First Stars and Galaxies?

Thu, 3 February 2011 22:36:00 -0500

We have data from when the universe was only 400,000 years old. We also have images from the Hubble Space Telescope showing us the earliest galaxies - a time when the universe was 460 million years old. And we have almost no data in between. Where are the first stars and galaxies?

What Would It Be Like To Travel Into A Black Hole?

Tues, 1 February 2011 22:56:00 -0500

Is travel into black holes possible? What would such a journey look like? This video gives us some idea of what a journey into a black hole would be like and what strange physics are in play in this realm of very strong gravity.

The James Webb Space Telescope: The Largest Telescope Ever Launched

Mon, 31 January 2011 10:20:00 -0500

The James Webb Space Telescope is among the most sophisticated instruments ever built, using technology that had to be invented specifically for its mission. Everything must deploy and work flawlessly the first time, it is too far away to fix and there is no space shuttle to take us there.

Olbers Paradox: Why is the Sky Dark at Night

Sun, 29 January 2011 19:27:00 -0500

There is enough luminous matter in the universe to completely light up the night sky brighter than the surface of the Sun. So, why isn't the sky lit up brighter than the Sun?

The Decay of Heaven

Sun, 29 January 2011 14:26:00 -0500

In our universe, every galaxy is racing away from all the others. Each one inexorably flung into the deepest regions of cre ation, traveling on an uncontrollable journey through spacetime that will not en d until the embers of all of their stars have faded into darkness.

What Caused the Big Bang?

Wed, 26 January 2011 11:17:42 -0500

The question of what caused the Big Bang is one of the most difficult facing humanity. We may never find an answer, and even if we do, we probably won't understand it. It's difficult to imagine an event occurring without a cause, and yet, that is precisely the prospect we are faced with when it comes to this question.

How I Overcame My Math Blocks

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 03:14:22 -0700

As a kid I did very poorly in school. I graduated high school with a 2.4 grade point average, due largely to my lack of ability to do any math problem whatsoever. From multiplication tables in elementary school, to algebra in high school, I couldn’t do it. Any of it.

Digg's Front Page: What It's Like to Have 60,000 People Read My Stuff

Mon, 20 Nov 2006 03:14:22 -0700

Last September, I had a very strange experience. An article I wrote about vacuum energy made it on the front page of Digg. It was a silly article inspired by something I read on livescience.com.

I awoke the next day and around lunchtime checked the traffic to my site, I sat dumbfounded as my site had almost 30,000 views. By the end of the day 60,000 people had visited my site and read my little article.

Your First Telescope

Mon, 13 Nov 2006 15:32:54 -0700

A telescope should make your first night out full of “WOW” moments, not “WTF?”

The period just after you buy your telescope should be a time of excitement and discovery, not frustration and regret.

Imagine that you've bought a telescope that just by looking at it you know how it works. It's a point-and-look affair that doesn't have any electronics to learn or expensive accessories to figure out. You put the eyepiece in the holder and start pointing it up at things.

The Redneck Astronomer

Sat, 11 Nov 2006 01:20:01 -0700

I have very humble, simple roots and I seem to be interested in everything. Most of the time, I segregate all of the worlds I inhabit - put everything in my life into little compartments. Sometimes, however those worlds collide.

And it really freaks me out when that happens.

Astronomers Discover Dark Matter: Warn Us Not to Step In It

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 15:12:21 -0700

Whatever it is that makes up most of our universe is dark, heavy, and it’s all over the place. Be very careful where you step, it may never come off your shoe.

Why Do You Want a Telescope?

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 03:02:14 -0600

My first piece of advice is to take your time. Don’t be in a hurry to buy the wrong telescope. If you’re all that anxious, go outside and try to find some naked-eye objects like a planet or the Orion nebula. The universe isn’t going anywhere (if it is, then you have bigger problems to think about that what telescope to buy) and a little time taken to think about these issues will pay off, I promise. I’ve seen way too many people spend thousands of dollars on a great telescope that just sits in the garage.

What You Need to Know Before Buying a Telescope

Wed, 25 Oct 2006 02:15:11 -0600

If you're not outside looking at the stars with a big smile on your face or a feeling of awe in your heart, you're not doing it right.

How to Avoid Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation Sickness

Thu, 12 Oct 2006 01:03:37 -0600

The universe is one very big microwave oven. Right now, this very minute, you are sitting inside, and being baked by, microwave radiation. Oh sure, the Universal Microwave is pretty cold, only 2.7 degrees above absolute zero, but the timer has been on for 13 billion years and it looks like we're only half done.

Apophis: The Asteroid That Could Smash Into The Earth on Friday, April 13th, 2036

Thu, 28 Sep 2006 15:21:42 -0600

Apophis is an asteroid with an orbit slightly larger than that of the Earth. Discovered in June 2004, astronomers have determined that it will make a very close flyby on April 13th, 2029, where it will pass to within 5 Earth diameters of us. The exact path the asteroid follows on its flyby in 2029 will determine whether it smashes into the Earth seven years later.

Who is this guy anyway?

Sun, 24 Sep 2006 17:36:11 -0600

I suppose every site has to have an 'About Me' page. I just finished mine. It's probably a little terse for most of you (Jeez man, how much do you guys want?). Anyhoo, this little blurb should get a start on answering some of the emails (yes, there's a picture too for whatever that's worth).

Life in the Universe Part 1: Just on Earth, or Everywhere?

Fri, 22 Sep 2006 15:10:21 -0600

I made another video. This time about the search for life in the universe. The question of life in the universe really is an either/or issue: Either life is just on Earth and nowhere else, or it's everywhere.

How to Destroy the Earth With a Coffee Can

Wed, 19 Sep 2006 17:20:34 -0600

This is my entry into the ProBlogger Group Writing Project. It is a 'discussion' of how to harness the vacuum energy inside a coffee can to destroy the planet.

The Hubble Deep Field: The Most Important Image Ever Taken

Wed, 06 Sep 2006 16:52:22 -0600

In 1995, the Hubble Space Telescope stared at a small patch of sky completely devoid of stars. They opened the telescope shutter and stared at that patch for 10 days. The resulting image was nothing short of humbling on a universal scale.

5 Ways Dark Matter Affects Your Daily Commute

Tue, 22 Aug 2006 17:35:22 -0600

Believe it or not, no one has any idea what makes up 99% of the universe. That's right, 99% of the universe is made up of stuff we can't see, hear, smell, taste, touch, observe, wish, conjure, inspect, detect, invoke, materialize, remember, summon, or enchant.

We can infer that it's there though. In fact, it's recently been proven that whatever the universe is made of must exist (that's a relief, huh?), even though we can can't detect it using any means currently in existence.

How can we infer it? By looking at the effect it has on the part of the universe we can see, smell, touch, taste, etc. In the spirit of scientific collaboration (and with the hope that I'll get an NSF grant to study it more), I have offered the following further evidence that whatever makes up the universe must exist by observing and cataloging its effects on my daily commute to work:

Why this site is not a blog

Sun, 20 Aug 2006 18:28:10 -0600

Deciding to start a website can be a somewhat heart-wrenching experience. I knew that I wanted to start one, and that I wanted to start one based on astronomy. The problem was, by the time I got around to doing it, there were countless thousands of websites about astronomy all over the internet. Some were from places you'd expect: a variety of government facilities like NASA and NSF, university astronomy departments, amateur astronomy clubs, and individual astronomer sites.

Since the advent of blogging however, an explosion has taken place of people starting their own websites dedicated to such noble pursuits as looking up at sky, commenting on space policy, providing an online observer log, posting images taken from their telescopes, or educating visitors about astronomy.

Welcome to DeepAstronomy.com!

Thu, 17 Aug 2006 22:29:41 -0600

It's here and we're ready! Stop by our new site to keep up to date on what's cool in astronomy.

You know you want to, all the cool kids are doing it.