Ask an Astronomer Team

Lynn Carter

Lynn uses radar astronomy to study the planets, especially Venus. She got her PhD in Astronomy from Cornell in Summer 2004 and is now working at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. on the Mars Express radar.

Display # 
Title Created Date Hits
How did Mars get so dusty? (Beginner) Feb 04 52387
Are Kuiper Belt Objects asteroids? Are large Kuiper Belt Objects planets? (Intermediate) Jan 04 94364
Which part of the sky did the famous 'wow' signal originate from? (Intermediate) Nov 03 56623
Have astronomers discovered Earth's second moon? (Intermediate) Sep 03 132966
How far is each planet from Earth? (Intermediate) Aug 03 1062744
If clocks run slow in a gravitational field, how can we know the true age of the Solar System and Universe? (Intermediate) Jun 03 61658
Since Earth is spinning, why do we land in the same place when we jump or fall? (Intermediate) Jun 03 254647
Do asteroids ever do anything good in the Solar System? (Beginner) Jun 03 61202
If Mars is only about 35-60 million miles away at close approach, why does it take 6-8 months to get there? (Intermediate) May 03 142863
How can I nominate myself for a Nobel Prize in Physics? (Beginner) Apr 03 46121
Can the Space Shuttle abort and return to Earth before reaching orbit? (Intermediate) Apr 03 48116
How do we detect incoming meteorites? (Intermediate) Mar 03 55517
!How do I make a scale model of the Solar System? (Intermediate) Mar 03 90780
What is the biggest crater recorded on Earth? (Beginner) Feb 03 75124
What's the biggest meteorite? (Beginner) Feb 03 67469
How does the parachute in a model rocket work? (Advanced) Feb 03 115730
How many meteorites hit Earth each year? (Intermediate) Feb 03 261280
Did I find a rock that came from the Moon? (Beginner) Feb 03 54915
Where did the name 'Earth' come from? (Beginner) Jan 03 338914
Why doesn't the ammonia and methane in Jupiter's atmosphere sink into the core? (Advanced) Jan 03 47940
Why is the Moon so bright? (Beginner) Jan 03 147514
What are some astronomy science fair projects? (Beginner) Dec 02 98854
How can water be chemically trapped in rocks? (Intermediate) Dec 02 66334
Who named the planets and who decides what to name them? (Beginner) Nov 02 337944
Can I buy a star? (Beginner) Nov 02 171248
Will the sun go supernova in six years and destroy Earth (as seen on Yahoo)? (Intermediate) Oct 02 169831
What are the different kinds of astronomers? (Intermediate) Sep 02 347825
Are meteorites hot or cold when they hit Earth? (Intermediate) Sep 02 125651
What's the object I saw that moved across the sky and then got very bright? (Beginner) Sep 02 112021
Are there telescopes that can see the flag and lunar rover on the Moon? (Beginner) Jun 02 408566
How do I become both an astronaut and an astronomer? (Intermediate) May 02 92729
Why does the SETI project search for radio signals? (Intermediate) Apr 02 68596
What color is Venus? (Beginner) Jan 02 362496
How do I build a model rocket? (Intermediate) Oct 01 341548
How are asteroid compositions and classifications determined? (Intermediate) Jul 01 71284
How can I tell if the rock I found is a meteorite? (Beginner) Mar 01 62740
Why aren't there any green stars? (Intermediate) Sep 00 119053
What would happen if an impact caused Earth to stop rotating? (Beginner) Aug 00 155301
How do I polar align my telescope? (Beginner) Jul 00 57766

Random Question

Most Recent

Editor's Pick

Most Popular


Our Reddit AMAs

AMA = Ask Me (Us) Anything

Q&A Categories