Fundamentals
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What is the Scientific Method?
Have you ever read about a scientific discovery, and wondered, “How the heck can we possibly know?” Without a background understanding of the scientific method, that’s a difficult question to answer — because we first need to define what we…
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What is the Cosmological Principle?
What if I were to ask you: Are there any unique places in the universe? That is, does any one location in the universe have a special vantage point? Does the universe look different from different locations? You might say…
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Astronomical Measurements
I’m sure many of you know of Han Solo’s famous Kessel Run — which he made in “less than 12 parsecs.” He says this as if he’s declaring a new time record, like I might brag that I ran a…
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What was the Big Bang?
Have you heard of the Big Bang? I still remember the first time I heard about it. I was little; I can’t remember if I’d fallen in love with astronomy yet. But I do remember sitting in my living room,…
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Black Holes: What the Movies Get Wrong
Any of you recognize this? To those who don’t, it probably looks like a pretty unimpressive, blurry ring. In fact, this is the first ever image of a black hole, taken with an interferometer the size of the Earth. If…
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How Were Atoms Discovered?
Welcome to my fourth “Science Answers” post! If you have a question, you can ask it in the comments here, or ask it in an email. Or find me on Facebook! Q: (1) How did scientists find elements in the first place?…
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What Makes a Star Blue?
Albireo is the distinctive double star in the head of the constellation Cygnus. You can find it yourself if you look for the Summer Triangle amid the dusty trail of the Milky Way across the night sky. The brighter, orange…
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How Lightning Strikes
There’s a saying that “lightning strikes whatever’s tallest.” But this is only partly true. Tall objects do attract lightning bolts, but there’s a second condition for lightning to strike: electrical conductivity. Meaning, a lightning bolt will only strike an object…
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What Causes the Lunar Phases?
We see it almost every night of our lives. For thousands of years, the greatest philosophers and astronomers alike have watched its face change and wondered why. Step outside and observe the moon every day for a month and you…
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Life vs. Rocks: What Makes Them Different?
Welcome to my third “Science Answers” post! About a month ago, I sent out a post requesting science questions from all of you; you can find it here. This post addresses the third of the questions I was asked. If you…
