earth-moon

Credit: NASA

“The strongest affection and utmost zeal should, I think, promote the studies concerned with the most beautiful objects. This is the discipline that deals with the universe’s divine revolutions, the stars’ motions, sizes, distances, risings and settings . . . for what is more beautiful than heaven?”

– Nicolaus Copernicus, Polish astronomer and mathematician (1473–1543)

 

Welcome!

Probably everyone reading this knows that what is under our feet effectively makes up Geology and what is far above our heads constitutes Astronomy.  While scientists, long ago, conveniently partitioned nature into these two areas of study, reality involves a whole and open system that connects the gravitational effects of local celestial neighbors to the very structure of our planet.  The Institute for Celestial Geodynamics (IfCG) investigates these complex physical couplings and seeks to discover quantitative evidence, often spatial-statistical, that will reveal hidden relationships between Earth’s geodynamics and the Moon, Sun, and planets.  A new paradigm can be a little unnerving, so duck, cover, and hang on and join us in this exciting adventure!