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 127280
Where do planetary rings come from, and what are they made of? (Beginner) Aug 05 93322
Is there oxygen in the atmospheres of other planets? (Intermediate) Aug 05 142493
Does the Moon rotate? (Beginner) Aug 04 95562
How can we tell what the interiors of planets are like? (Advanced) Jun 04 89493
How long has there been water on Earth? (Intermediate) Apr 04 100031
How fast does the Earth go at perihelion and aphelion? (Intermediate) Mar 04 154775
How do unmanned space probes avoid running into things? (Beginner) Nov 03 83036
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 85468
Why doesn't the hydrogen on Jupiter explode? (Intermediate) Sep 03 68099
What do astronauts eat in space? Can they grow food? (Beginner) Feb 03 265186
Why do spacecraft need heat shields coming back to Earth but not leaving? (Intermediate) Jan 03 74907
Why are Saturn's rings flat? (Intermediate) Dec 02 101877
How big a change in the Earth's orbit would be required to destroy all life? (Intermediate) Nov 02 116210
Will the Leonid meteor shower go away? (Beginner) Nov 02 64045
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 72961
What are the names of the earth, moon, sun, and solar system? (Beginner) Oct 02 579591
What's that dark spot on the Sun? (Beginner) Aug 02 69631
How can I calculate the position or path of the Sun for a given time and location? (Intermediate) Aug 02 134148
Does the Moon rotate? Are there other moons that always keep one face toward their planet? (Intermediate) Jul 02 496161
What would happen if an asteroid 10 kilometers across hit the Earth? (Beginner) Jul 02 335227
Can astronauts produce water in space? (Intermediate) Jun 02 79070
Did life originate on Earth, or did it come from somewhere else? (Intermediate) May 02 87628
Is the Moon moving away from the Earth? When was this discovered? (Intermediate) May 02 1039393
Why are the compositions of comets and asteroids different? (Intermediate) May 02 73079
Who discovered each planet? (Intermediate) May 02 214540
How do we feel heat? (Intermediate) May 02 119439
How was the starting point for the Julian Date system chosen? (Advanced) May 02 80609
Why is it called astronomy when all the other sciences end in -ology? (Beginner) May 02 61865
How does libration allow us to see more than 50% of the Moon? (Advanced) Apr 02 61564
Why are stars and planets round? (Beginner) Feb 02 187446
Did astronauts really go to the Moon, or is it a hoax? (Beginner) Feb 02 135571
How much time do astronomers spend looking through telescopes? (Beginner) Jan 02 74656
How much money do astronomers make? (Intermediate) Jan 02 184106
What's the best college for astronomy? (Intermediate) Jan 02 114318
What kind of schooling is necessary to become an astronomer? (Intermediate) Jan 02 173897
What skills do astronomers need? (Beginner) Jan 02 127418
What's the best thing about being an astronomer? (Beginner) Jan 02 70601
What do I need to do to become an astronomer? (Beginner) Jan 02 214286
What kinds of jobs do astronomers do? (Intermediate) Jan 02 100071
What's the difference between astronomy and astrology? (Beginner) Jan 02 306185
What's the difference between astronomy and astrophysics? (Intermediate) Jan 02 150995

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