OUR PLANETS Gazing beyond our moon, one may notice we share our energy source with seven other planetary neighbors! Contemplating our solar system siblings may remind us of creating a planet diorama, or perhaps we reminisce on the great Pluto debate. Most of us, though, do not have an accurate mental image of these planets, especially because we cannot see them well with our eyes or basic telescopes. At best, we observe tinted specks of light; however, each planet in our solar system has a complex atmosphere correlating to a distinct color.

THE MOON IN RADIO Taking optical images of the night’s sky is one task; capturing celestial objects in other wavelengths is another beast. You may not realize imaging sky in radio is even possible – but not only is it possible, it’s very useful! “Seeing” the sky in radio allows astronomers to discover objects not visible to the human eye or optical telescopes. Some distant objects, for example, are impossible or difficult to see in the visible light spectrum because of visual obstructions like dust and gas clouds.

THE MOON Earth’s natural satellite, humans’ perpetual muse, and mythology’s anti-sun. The Moon is responsible for a natural rhythm that shapes the tides, the circalunar clocks of nature, and the consistency of seasons. On the more romantic side, the Moon is well-known for its presence in songs, poems, paintings, and other musings (not to mention the pop culture references… I’m looking at you, Twilight). Still, however familiar we feel with the Moon, most of us have never inspected it more closely than with the naked eye.