An Equinox is a biannual event, at which point the Sun is positioned directly above the equator. On these days, both the northern and southern hemisphere experience roughly the same length of daytime and night time hours. The name equinox comes from the Latin terms 'aequi' and 'nox' (aequinoctium) which mean 'equal' and 'night' respectively. It is an event that has been … [Read more...]
What Is An Equinox?
Is The Universe Infinite
With the big questions like this, it is easy to tie yourself in knots. There are usually many answers, as people approach the question from different disciplines and areas of expertise. This article from Swinburne University is a perfect example of this. But it is important we keep asking, and searching because the journey to the answer is as important as the answer itself. In … [Read more...]
Why Do Sunspots Appear Dark?
What is a sunspot? Sunspots are dark areas on the surface of the Sun that were first discovered in the seventeenth century. We know that Galileo and Scheiner both observed these spots in 1611, and it is likely that Thomas Harriot observed them first a year earlier in 1610. Today we know that sunspots are regions of intense magnetic activity, but when they were first … [Read more...]
What Was Before The Big Bang?
What Was The Big Bang? The Big Bang theory, is the theory that describes how the universe came into existence billions of years ago. The theory was first proposed by Georges Lemaître in 1927, who postulated that the universe came into being in a single moment and at a single point. That from this point, the universe has been expanding in all directions. Lemaître's work … [Read more...]
Where Are The Space Shuttles Now?
The Era Of The Space Shuttle The space shuttle was an American spacecraft designed to carry payloads and crew members into low Earth orbit, as part of the Space Shuttle Program. It, along with the accompanying launch system, was the United States’ primary spacecraft for transporting astronauts and cargo into space from 1981 to 2011. It was conceived in the 1960's and the … [Read more...]