Monthly Archives: February 2015

An Ode to Gravity

Oh, gravity.  You have kept me grounded my whole life.  Where ever I have traveled you have kept my feet on the ground and my head out of the clouds.  I can not see you but feel your presence in all aspects of life.  While some look to defy your laws, I look to embrace […] Continue reading

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To infinity and beyond (and then back to zero)!

The Universe is expanding, and at an ever accelerating rate. What does this mean, though? If we consider the Big Bang theory, then all that ever did, currently does, or ever will exist in our Universe (physical or otherwise) was all held within an infinitesimally small point at the start of existence. So, with the […] Continue reading

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Drake Equation: Quantifying Extraterrestrial Life

Hey Everyone, Today I’m going to discuss a major concept in the search for extraterrestrial life. Specifically, I will be discussing the Drake equation and its impact on said search. The Drake equation is an equation designed to approximate the number of extraterrestrial civilizations that exist in the Milky Way. It was developed by Frank Drake […] Continue reading

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Spectroscopy and the identity of elements

Hey Everyone, Today I am going to discuss the details of spectroscopy which explain why different atoms and molecules have different characteristic emission and absorption spectrum. The reason for this unique patterns lies with the the atom’s (or molecule’s) electron energy levels. Each atom and molecule has a unique separation of electron energy levels which […] Continue reading

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Dragonfly Telescope

Telescopes are instruments used in the observation of distant objects by collecting electromagnetic radiation (Wikipedia). Because of their necessity for …

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Mars One Mission

In our society, the career of an astronaut has been painted as an idealistic childhood dream job or the mythical …

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How special is the Milky Way?

The Milky Way is the first galaxy that we call home since the beginning of the human race and it is very likely also the last. We know earth has many rare qualities that made life possible, looking on a larger scale, is our galaxy also a unique snowflake like our planet? Using data collected from the Sloan … Continue reading How special is the Milky Way? Continue reading

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How special is the Milky Way?

The Milky Way is the first galaxy that we call home since the beginning of the human race and it is very likely also the last. We know earth has many rare qualities that made life possible, looking on a larger scale, is our galaxy also a unique snowflake like our planet? Using data collected from the Sloan … Continue reading How special is the Milky Way? Continue reading

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“Is Dark Matter Perfectly Dark?

Dark Matter is perhaps the universe’s greatest enigma. Matter that cannot be seen yet accounts for roughly 80% of universal …

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Things aren’t always as they appear on the surface

When one looks at the great expanse of the Universe, they will see a mix of moons, planets, stars, and galaxies, but what about all of the open “space” in between these celestial bodies? Most are familiar with the fabric of space-time, which is best described by general relativity, as it illustrates in a logical […] Continue reading

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