Ask an Astronomer Team

Britt Scharringhausen

Britt studies the rings of Saturn. She got her PhD from Cornell in 2006 and is now a Professor at Beloit College in Wisconson.

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Title Created Date Hits
The Moon slows the Earth's rotation, but how fast was it spinning billions of years ago? (Intermediate) May 06 140159
Where do planetary rings come from, and what are they made of? (Beginner) Aug 05 101191
Is there oxygen in the atmospheres of other planets? (Intermediate) Aug 05 158702
Does the Moon rotate? (Beginner) Aug 04 103023
How can we tell what the interiors of planets are like? (Advanced) Jun 04 99564
How long has there been water on Earth? (Intermediate) Apr 04 107278
How fast does the Earth go at perihelion and aphelion? (Intermediate) Mar 04 174938
How do unmanned space probes avoid running into things? (Beginner) Nov 03 90530
Why did the Pioneer and Voyager take only 2 years to reach Jupiter, while Galileo and Cassini took more than 5 years? (Intermediate) Nov 03 95057
Why doesn't the hydrogen on Jupiter explode? (Intermediate) Sep 03 77090
What do astronauts eat in space? Can they grow food? (Beginner) Feb 03 272557
Why do spacecraft need heat shields coming back to Earth but not leaving? (Intermediate) Jan 03 82746
Why are Saturn's rings flat? (Intermediate) Dec 02 110920
How big a change in the Earth's orbit would be required to destroy all life? (Intermediate) Nov 02 131536
Will the Leonid meteor shower go away? (Beginner) Nov 02 71225
A line drawn perpendicular to a line through the tips of the horns of the crescent moon doesn't point to the Sun! Why not? (Advanced) Nov 02 83000
What are the names of the earth, moon, sun, and solar system? (Beginner) Oct 02 602406
What's that dark spot on the Sun? (Beginner) Aug 02 77537
How can I calculate the position or path of the Sun for a given time and location? (Intermediate) Aug 02 144518
Does the Moon rotate? Are there other moons that always keep one face toward their planet? (Intermediate) Jul 02 511093
What would happen if an asteroid 10 kilometers across hit the Earth? (Beginner) Jul 02 411031
Can astronauts produce water in space? (Intermediate) Jun 02 86259
Did life originate on Earth, or did it come from somewhere else? (Intermediate) May 02 96694
Is the Moon moving away from the Earth? When was this discovered? (Intermediate) May 02 1088995
Why are the compositions of comets and asteroids different? (Intermediate) May 02 82350
Who discovered each planet? (Intermediate) May 02 225746
How do we feel heat? (Intermediate) May 02 129689
How was the starting point for the Julian Date system chosen? (Advanced) May 02 90076
Why is it called astronomy when all the other sciences end in -ology? (Beginner) May 02 72778
How does libration allow us to see more than 50% of the Moon? (Advanced) Apr 02 70056
Why are stars and planets round? (Beginner) Feb 02 197144
Did astronauts really go to the Moon, or is it a hoax? (Beginner) Feb 02 146664
How much time do astronomers spend looking through telescopes? (Beginner) Jan 02 81978
How much money do astronomers make? (Intermediate) Jan 02 192330
What's the best college for astronomy? (Intermediate) Jan 02 123630
What kind of schooling is necessary to become an astronomer? (Intermediate) Jan 02 183415
What skills do astronomers need? (Beginner) Jan 02 137473
What's the best thing about being an astronomer? (Beginner) Jan 02 76229
What do I need to do to become an astronomer? (Beginner) Jan 02 249820
What kinds of jobs do astronomers do? (Intermediate) Jan 02 105682
What's the difference between astronomy and astrology? (Beginner) Jan 02 342595
What's the difference between astronomy and astrophysics? (Intermediate) Jan 02 164513

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