Monthly Archives: March 2020

Possible Effects of Solar Flares

If a large solar flare were to directly hit the Earth, it would significantly affect all of the electronics on Earth. Us being so dependent on electronics, this would be crippling to essentially all forms of communications, payment and many other important functions of life. Most cars would shut down due to many new carsContinue reading “Possible Effects of Solar Flares” Continue reading

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A Different Formation of Earth

  The creation of the universe and its components can sometimes be a rather contentious topic. Whether it is a story based in religion, folklore, or science, people have always looked to find and answer to the our beginnings. Recently, an article on Science Daily writes about a new theory about the formation of Earth. TheContinue reading “A Different Formation of Earth” Continue reading

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Quasars

In the mid 1900’s, scientists were pointing radio telescopes toward the sun, the milky way, and other starts. In doing this they found small and extremely bright objects called Quasars. Over the next few decades, scientists had issues figuring out exactly what these objects were. It turns out that Quasars are caused by massive black […] Continue reading

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The Revolutionary James Webb Telescope

In a previous post, I wrote about the Hubble telescopes revolutionary Hubble Legacy Field image. This ended the era of Hubble, which was the source of most of the discoveries of our solar system over the past decades. The new James Webb telescope is now set to be put into orbit in 2021, and itContinue reading “The Revolutionary James Webb Telescope” Continue reading

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What Else is Out There?

Ever since I was a child, I have enjoyed science-fiction movies and literature. As a subset of this genre, I truly enjoy when these movies incorporate aliens into the equation. The idea that there may be life outside of our own solar system is simultaneously fascinating and terrifying. The discovery of aliens would be theContinue reading “What Else is Out There?” Continue reading

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It Does Matter If Your Grandchildren Can See Polar Bears

One of the – quite literally – hottest topics in the world right now (at least prior to the outbreak of the Coronavirus) is the threat of climate change to our world. Climate change is undeniable as scientists have proven over and over that the composition of Earth’s atmosphere is changing (primarily due to pollutionContinue reading “It Does Matter If Your Grandchildren Can See Polar Bears” Continue reading

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It’s Getting Hot in Here

I thoroughly enjoyed our class discussion about the origins of the hot, molten core of Earth. It is cool to think about how the modern heat in our planet’s interior is a result of thousands of years of activity and energy transfer. As we learned in class, a planet derives internal heat from three sourcesContinue reading “It’s Getting Hot in Here” Continue reading

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detecting exoplanets

Extrasolar planets, aka exoplanets are planets that orbit stars other than our own. Astronomers employ several methods to detect these planets. One such method that fascinates me is the transit method, which is used by looking for a drop in brightness in a small world caused when they pass in front of their parent star.Continue reading “detecting exoplanets” Continue reading

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How Does the Sun Create Enough Energy to Reach the Entire Solar System?

The heat and light energy, that which allows for life on Earth and provides energy for the entire solar systems, comes from a powerful yet simply process from deep within the core of the sun. This process is called nuclear fusion. Essentially, single protons, which can also be defined as singular hydrogen molecules, fuse togetherContinue reading “How Does the Sun Create Enough Energy to Reach the Entire Solar System?” Continue reading

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Atmospheres of the Terrestrial Worlds

The difference in surface conditions of the first four terrestrial planets can be explained almost solely by their atmospheres rather than their proximity to the Sun. Mercury has very little atmosphere to where it does not really play a factor in this, but the stark differences between Venus, Earth and Mars can be explained throughContinue reading “Atmospheres of the Terrestrial Worlds” Continue reading

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