An astronomer takes us on a tour of the universe to learn about the birth of stars and planets and how they get their spin.
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
Articles on Earth orbit
Displaying 1 - 20 of 35 articles
When the Orion Crew Capsule orbits the Moon there will be no one on board. But the mission will mark a key step in bringing humans back to Earth’s dusty sidekick.
Current trends suggest that powerful nations are defining the rules of resource use in space and satellite access in ways that will make it hard for developing nations to ever catch up.
The winter solstice is past, but bundle up – January is when winter really arrives in many parts of the Northern Hemisphere.
Activities in space today are far more numerous and complicated compared to 1967, before humans had landed on the moon or Elon Musk had been born. Two experts explain the need for better laws to keep space peaceful.
The largest orbital telescope ever made will allow astronomers to study the atmospheres of alien planets, learn about how stars form in the Milky Way and peer into the farthest reaches of the universe.
The Inspiration4 mission sent four civilians to space for three days. Though still funded by a billionaire, the mission is a step forward in the nascent space tourism industry.
The Earth is constantly changing in natural ways, but most of those changes are very slow. Humans are speeding up other changes with global warming.
Gravity is something every person on Earth intuitively understands: It is what keeps you on the ground. But how come gravity pulls down, rather than pushes up? Einstein came up with the answer.
Both Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin are sending spacecrafts – and their billionaire founders – into suborbital flight. But what differentiates a suborbital flight from a trip around Earth?
Astronomers know a lot about what’s in outer space – and think it’s possible it never ends.
In the early morning of May 26, 2021, there will be a super blood-red lunar eclipse. The show will be spectacular and can all be explained by the orbits of the Earth and Moon.
Chances are small that space junk will destroy property or harm a person, and existing space law could deal with such an event. But current law doesn’t address the bigger problem of space pollution.
The Tiangong space station is set to become a second long-term habitat for humans in orbit around Earth.
The distance between the ISS and Earth is the same as about 3,850 football fields. To bring the station down, rockets will lower it a bit, and then gravity will send it crashing the rest of the way.
Leap years were devised in Julius Caesar’s time, to fix the pesky problem that Earth’s year isn’t exactly 365 days. But 15 centuries later, our calendars were still slightly askew.
Satellites monitor climate change, guide people with GPS and keep us connected through texts and social media, but they’re under threat.
Layers of rock provide a historical record of variations in the Earth’s orbit, revealing information about the planet’s climate billions of years ago.
A bright comet visible in December provides an excellent viewing opportunity for night sky lovers – even potentially with the naked eye.
The tilt of Earth’s axis as it orbits the sun results in the seasonal changes.
Top contributors
-
Director of the Abrams Planetarium, Michigan State University
-
Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern Queensland
-
Associate Professor in Archaeology and Space Studies, Flinders University
-
Associate Professor in Astronomy, Monash University
-
Associate Professor, The University of Melbourne
-
Professor, Griffith University
-
Senior Curator (Astronomy), Museums Victoria and Honorary Fellow at University of Melbourne, Museums Victoria
-
Postdoctoral Fellow in Aeromechanics, The University of Texas at Austin
-
Professor of Physics, University of the Witwatersrand
-
Postdoc astrophysicist, Mississippi State University
-
Professor of Physics and Astronomy & Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University
-
Lecturer in Sound Design, Edinburgh Napier University
-
Pre-Doctoral Researcher, Edinburgh Napier University
-
Professor of Computing, Edinburgh Napier University
-
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Students and Teaching Professor of Astronomy & Astrophysics, Penn State
