Daily Archives: May 1, 2018

A new Stellar Catalog

A new two-year long study done by the European Space Agency has created the most comprehensive survey of the universe ever recorded. The Gaia project has cataloged over 1.7 billion stars, 14,000 asteroids and numerous galaxies and galaxy clusters spread throughout the universe. What started out as a relatively small affair eventually exploded into a … Continue reading A new Stellar Catalog Continue reading

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Viruses Are An Option

Viruses, microscopic organisms that exist everywhere, consist of genetic material, RNA or DNA that is surrounded by a coat of protein, lipid or glycoprotein. They are classified… Read more “Viruses Are An Option” Continue reading

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A New Way to Travel Through Space

Solar sails are a new and incredibly interesting propulsion system that is currently undergoing various testing around the globe. Instead of being powered by rockets, solar sails allow spacecrafts to be powered by the sun itself. Just as a sailboat is pushed along by the winds on the ocean, solar sails are pushed along by … Continue reading A New Way to Travel Through Space Continue reading

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A New Way to Travel Through Space

Solar sails are a new and incredibly interesting propulsion system that is currently undergoing various testing around the globe. Instead of being powered by rockets, solar sails allow spacecrafts to be powered by the sun itself. Just as a sailboat is pushed along by the winds on the ocean, solar sails are pushed along by … Continue reading A New Way to Travel Through Space Continue reading

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The Drake Equation

The Drake Equation is a formula that is commonly used to stimulate discussion of the possibility of extraterrestrial life-  not to necessarily quantify the number of communicating civilizations. The Drake Equation uses many variables to quantify estimates for the number of communicating civilizations, but a number of them are quite controversial as they are not […] Continue reading

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Astronomy’s Lasting Influence on Human Thought

If my short study of Astronomy has taught one thing, it is how influential Astronomy has been on our way of thinking as a species. This influence can be seen in ancient times, when civilizations such as in Mesopotamia, Mesoamerica, Egypt, China, India, and Greece placed Astronomy and Astrology at the centers of their ideology, […] Continue reading

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Did the U.S. Navy detect Alien Aircraft?

The Fermi Paradox is a fundamental piece of where human civilization currently stands concerning the question of life on other planets: if the probability of life in the universe is so high, why have we not interacted with this life before? One of the answers to this is question is simple: life from other worlds […] Continue reading

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Pale Blue Dot

Over the course of the semester, I learned a lot of things. I started off learning about the size and scale of the universe, and the enormous distances between planets and stars. We can’t even travel a tenth of a light year in our lifetime in the fastest spaceship we own. Our furthest spacecraft, Voyager … Continue reading Pale Blue Dot Continue reading

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Tardigrades

Tardigrades, also known as water bears, are known to be one of the strongest creatures on earth. They are an extremophile and can survive in almost any environment or climate. They’ve been found “from mountain tops to the deep sea and mud volcanoes; from tropical rain forests to the Antarctic. These micro-animals grow to a max length of about 0.5mm. … Continue reading Tardigrades Continue reading

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Could Ultraviolet rays emitted by stars make planets uninhabitable?

We know that astronomers look to low-mass star systems for signs of life.  But new research from NASA has indicated that these low-mass stars may emit substantial amounts of ultraviolet radiation during their lifetime, hindering if not eliminating the possibility of life on orbiting planets. Of course, astronomers look at terrestrial worlds that lie in … Continue reading Could Ultraviolet rays emitted by stars make planets uninhabitable? Continue reading

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