Daily Archives: April 28, 2014

Astrobiology and Cinema: The Europa Report

Posted on April 28, 2014 by forestcsharp

  Just last year, a film was released that questioned the viability of life on Jupiter’s moon Europa. Barring too many spoilers, the crew and their ship face several non-biological roadblocks on their quest for life in a film whose … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Vikings and Astronomy

Posted on April 28, 2014 by forestcsharp

This link details how the ancient Vikings were themselves keen astronomers. As the article details, the Vikings utilized the ever-popular Polaris as a guiding light during sea travel. They would measure the angle relative to Polaris to determine cardinal directions for … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Life from Earth, elsewhere

Posted on April 28, 2014 by Drew Hamilton

In class, we have discussed the possibility that life on Earth did not originate on Earth, but came to Earth on an asteroid or other impactor. But another idea is that the inverse is true: Later impacts on Earth sent life to other locations in the Solar System. Recent simulations suggest that some of the… Continue reading →

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The origins of life and the Drake equation

Posted on April 28, 2014 by Drew Hamilton

In using the Drake equation to discuss and estimate the probability of non-Earth life in our universe, one factor we estimated was the probability of life developing on a given planet in the habitable zone. The problem with making such an estimate as students in an Astronomy 201 course, of course, is that we all… Continue reading →

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Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

Posted on April 28, 2014 by jblubin

“We are a way for the Cosmos to know itself,” said Carl Sagan.  Astronomy is not only the oldest science, but also a window through which mankind peers through in attempt to glimpse the fleeting answers to our deepest and most fundamental questions. As a direct result of the this class, I find myself looking … Continue reading Standing on the Shoulders of Giants → Continue reading →

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Are We Alone?

Posted on April 28, 2014 by jblubin

The famous science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke was quoted as saying, “Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.” A truer statement is hard to come by. Yet quote also sparks tremendous debate and intrigue among those whose ears come across it for the … Continue reading Are We Alone? → Continue reading →

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What is Next?

Posted on April 28, 2014 by katiew

Learning about the solar system and our entire universe has made me more curious about astronomy. At the beginning of the semester, I had trouble wrapping my head around the vastness of the universe. The number of stars, planets, and galaxies is unbelievable, especially because there is still so much that we don’t know. Although […] Continue reading →

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Another Earth?

Posted on April 28, 2014 by hindsolar

One of the biggest questions we have grappled with in the latter portion of class is whether or not there are any earth-like planets. Well, we now have a planet that may be quite similar to Earth. This has been given the name Kepler-186f. It is the same size as Earth, and has temperatures that […] Continue reading →

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