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Zara Michaels
@zara_michaels
The first astronomical calculator
The Antikythera Mechanism is the word's oldest surviving mechanical calculator. The device was discovered in an ancient shipwreck in 1900 and dates between the 3rd and 1st centuries BC.
When manually rotated by a handle, the gears span dials on the exterior showing the Moon's phases, the timing of lunar eclipses, and the positions of the five planets then known (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn) at different times of the year.
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Lila H.
@lila_vhh172
A Short History of the Scientific Revolution
The scientific revolution
Human history is often framed as a series of episodes, representing sudden bursts of knowledge. The Agricultural Revolution, the Renaissance, and the Industrial Revolution are a few examples where ...
Pseudo-Science
Much of the knowledge about the natural world during the middle ages dates back to the teachings of the Greeks and Romans. Many did not question these ideas, despite the many flaws.
- Aristotle taught everything beneath the moon was comprised of four elements: earth, air, water, and fire.
- Greek astronomer Claudius Ptolemy thought that heavenly bodies such as the sun, moon, planets and various stars all revolved around the earth in perfect circles.
- The ancient Greeks and Romans held to the idea that illnesses were the result of an imbalance of four basic substances and was related to the theory of the four elements.
Rebirth and Reformation
- During the Renaissance, there was a renewed interest in the arts and literature. It led to a shift toward more independent thinking.
- In 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the Roman Catholic Church. Luther promoted his thoughts by printing and distributing them, encouraging churchgoers to read the Bible for themselves. This led to the Protestant Reformation.
- In the process, the criticism and reform led to placing the burden of proof ahead in understanding the natural world, paving the way for the scientific revolution.
Big Bertie
@bbertie
Why we explore Mars—and what decades of missions have revealed
Mars
- Mars has captivated people since we first saw the reddish hue object in the night sky. In the late 1800s, telescopes revealed a surface full of patterns and landforms thought to be a...
Mars and Earth: The similarities
Everything we've learned about Mars over the last century suggests that the planet was once able of hosting ecosystems.
- Mars is just over half the size of Earth.
- Gravity is only 38 percent than that of Earth's.
- It rotates around its axis at about the same speed as Earth, meaning that a day on Mars is just 40 minutes longer than on Earth.
- One year on Mars takes about 687 Earth days.
- Mars has the same amount of habitable surface as Earth. It also contains ice on the polar caps.
But Mars is wrapped in a thin carbon dioxide atmosphere and cannot support earthly life forms.
Why explore Mars
When scientists view the Martian surface, they see branching streams, river valleys, basins, and deltas, suggesting that the planet may have once had a vast ocean covering its northern hemisphere. It was likely wrapped in a thick atmosphere able to maintain liquid water.
But somehow, the planet went through a dramatic transformation. Exploring Mars can help scientists learn about climate change that can alter planets. Learning more about Mars may equip us to someday make a living there.
Mohamed Byrne
@mbyrne20
Asteroids
- Asteroids are rocks which revolve around the sun. They are usually too small to be considered as a planet since they can be as small as 2 meters but they can be as big as 94...
The formation of asteroids
Asteroids are what's left after the formation of our solar system from billions of years ago.
It is believed that the reason why they were formed were because of the birth of Jupiter. Its birth hindered any planetary bodies to form in the space between Mars and Jupiter, which resulted to the small objects that were present to crash onto each other and fragment themselves.
The two theories that back this up are the Nice model and the Grand Tack.
Categorizing asteroids
The different types of asteroids are:
- Main belt asteroids - Lies in between Mars and Jupiter; holds more than 200 asteroids
- Trojan asteroids - found outside the main belt; usually orbits larger planets
- Near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) - circles close to earth; there are three types of NEAs, Apollo, Aten, and Atira
- The C-type - carbonaceous asteroids
- The S-type - silicaceous asteroids
- The M-type - metallic asteroids
- The V-type - has a basaltic and volcanic crust
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