Science dealing with the study of space and celestial bodies. Can pertain to the composition, origin, motion, behavior or physical aspects of bodies in space as well as the practical applications of such information (ie: navigation).
Questions tagged [astronomy]
82 questions
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Did astronauts leave footprints on the moon?
Our Young-Earth Creationist physics teacher stated that he does not believe that man actually stepped on the moon. That topic has been well covered here.
One of his arguments, however, was that gravity on the moon was not strong enough for…
Moe
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Is the climber's head-lamp backstory for this long-exposure photo feasible?
I enjoyed reading the fascinating story of how a climber took an amazing long-exposure photo of his climb up, down and around a Peak District landmark.
See: "Blazing a trail! Climber takes spectacular light streak images during Peak District…
JW.
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Did Earth collide with a planet in its early days of formation?
I was watching documentary about Earth's formation National Geographic. They made this following statement.
......An astonishing event is about to take place.The Earth is on a collision course with another planet and about to experience the biggest…
Vinoth Kumar C M
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Can one estimate accurately the time until sunset using the width of one's fingers?
I've now heard from a friend and read about a claim online, which I find unlikely:
You can estimate the time until the sun sets by using your fingers. By extending your arm fully and placing your hand above the horizon, you can count the number of…
PenumbraBrah
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Does the asteroid 16 Psyche contain this much gold?
Some days ago, I read in several news sources [1][2][3] about an asteroid called 16 Psyche that is made up of precious metals such as gold and platinum. It's estimated worth is about $700 quintillion - enough to make everyone on earth a…
user36020
16
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Is there "vastly more matter than anti-matter" in the Universe?
From the Register, talking about the recent CERN antimatter experiment. I'm not concerned with the experiment itself, but rather this claim
This, in turn, would help us understand how come our universe is asymmetrical, home to vastly more matter…
Russell Steen
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Is this animation showing the moon's librations a real capture or generated?
In one of the answers to an entertaining question on Physics.SE about "simple check for the global shape of the earth", there is a link to this awesome demonstration of the libration of the moon:
You can see the date stamp at the top that goes…
Chowzen
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Japan's earthquake and the Earth's axis
I've been hearing a lot lately about how Japan's massive earthquake moved the Earth or changed its axis by 1°-4°.
I personally feel that this is not possible, but I don't have nearly enough knowledge to refute it.
Is this possible?
Why or why not?
Vian Esterhuizen
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Was the vertical cannonshot related by Samuel Rowbotham ever performed?
A common claim in support of "Flat Earth" models is that a cannonball fired precisely vertically drops back upon the cannon, even back down the muzzle. One such claim appears here http://www.atlanteanconspiracy.com/
These claims clearly echo the…
Tom Goodfellow
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More stars visible from the Australian outback than anywhere else on earth?
An ad for Vodafone in Cairns airport, Australia, presents as a fact "worth ringing home about" that you can see more stars from the Australian outback than anywhere else on earth.
While the Australian outback would have less light pollution and less…
Andrew Grimm
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Did NASA's STEREO spacecraft capture an image of a cloaked UFO near Mercury?
Apparently on Dec. 1st a video camera on board a NASA satelite captured a "UFO" during a solar flare, near Mercury (skip ahead to 33 seconds for the relevant footage).
Is it an alien spaceship? The shape is kind of odd looking, similar to the…
Alex
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Can Polaris be seen from the Australian tropics?
According to The Flat-Earth Conspiracy By Eric Dubay , Polaris can be seen, up to approximately 23.5 degrees South latitude.
That latitude is the Tropic of Capricorn which crosses through (the Northern part of) Australia.
Setting aside the bigger…
Salim Djerbouh
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Does NASA use whale oil in the Hubble Telescope?
The History Channel documentary America, the Story of Us states that NASA uses whale oil in the Hubble Space Telescope.
Is there any solid evidence to confirm or dispute this claim?
rootmeanclaire
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More stars than grains of sand?
This article http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3085885.stm claims:
Astronomers in Australia say there are 10 times more stars in the
visible Universe than all the grains of sand on the world's beaches
and deserts.
...
The figure -…
Amelio Vazquez-Reina
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Did the Mayans believe the Earth was flat?
Many places (e.g., here) state that the Mayans thought the Earth was flat.
At the same time, Mayan astronomical knowledge is impressive. They made accurate computations of the length of a solar year and of planets like Venus. Is it really possible,…
Polk
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