The End of the Sun: How Large Stars Die The Sun has been a constant source of light, warmth, and life for all of human history. But, will it always be this way? What will happen as the Sun ages? Will it get colder? Hotter? Larger? Smaller? Believe it or not, the answer to ALL of these questions is—yes! Have you ever…
Please check back soon for a recording of this presentation! Exoplanets: Other Worlds Beyond Our Solar System People have known about planets since ancient times. But all of those planets orbit our sun. What about all the other stars? Astronomers have been hoping to find planets around them—exoplanets—for centuries. Yet did you know that not a single exoplanet was found to orbit…
Please check back soon for a recording of this presentation! Brown Dwarfs: More Numerous than Stars? What if a star tries to form but doesn’t quite make it? What happens then? Have you heard that such objects might be more common in our universe than normal stars? And that, despite this, none are visible with the unaided eye, and that astronomers with…
Please check back soon for a recording of this presentation! The Life and Death of Normal Stars Are you aware that the great majority of stars are smaller than our sun? That stars can live for millions of years before they die? Or billions of years? Or even trillions of years? It seems almost unbelievable! What factors influence star lifetimes? Do…
Please check back soon for a recording of this presentation! Star Birth: How Our Night Sky Came to Be Zoom link: https://msu.zoom.us/j/98568624049 Password: MSU Did you know that everything we understand about star birth has been learned only in the last hundred years? There are so many questions for scientists to answer! What does it actually mean for a star to be…
Please check back soon for a recording of this presentation! Our Marvelous Moon – Part 2! Join: https://msu.zoom.us/j/93351955313 Password: MSU This past November, we learned about the Moon’s orbit. This month, we will learn more about the Moon itself! Did you know that both the size and the distance of the Moon were already known to ancient astronomers over two thousand years…
Did you know that in just a few weeks, Jupiter and Saturn will appear closer together in the sky than at any time since the year 1623? Have you noticed that there are star clusters and even some galaxies in the sky right now that you can see with your unaided eye? Have you heard that the best meteor shower of the…
Our Amazing Moon: More Complicated Than You Would Expect! Did you know that the Moon is responsible for how our calendars look? Do you know what a “supermoon” is? (Or Hunter’s Moon? Or a Blue Moon?) Can you see the man in the Moon? (Or the woman? Or the bunny?) Are you able to tell time using the Moon’s phases and position?…
Our Amazing Moon:More Complicated Than You Would Expect! Did you know that the Moon is responsible for how our calendars look? Do you know what a “supermoon” is? (Or Hunter’s Moon? Or a Blue Moon?) Can you see the man in the Moon? (Or the woman? Or the bunny?) Are you able to tell time using the Moon’s phases and position? Have…
Did you know that this October, Mars will be closer to Earth than it will be for any time in the next 15 years? Have you noticed that Mars has increased in brightness all year, and is now about forty times brighter than a year ago? Are you aware that Earth has had more missions to Mars fail than to all other…