Monthly Archives: May 2021

The Fermi Paradox

The age-old question of whether life exists on other planets in the Solar System is one that may not be solved for centuries. Frank Drake and Sara Seager spent years developing their respective equations (shown below) that can be used to predict the probability of aliens existence, but the concept of life outside of EarthContinue reading “The Fermi Paradox” Continue reading

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My Perspective of the Universe

Throughout this astronomy class, my eyes have been opened to the vastness, complexity, order, and majesty of the universe. In learning about our solar system and the processes which formed the planets and everything about them, I have seen how many different pieces must come together in order for the Earth to spin, orbit theContinue reading “My Perspective of the Universe” Continue reading

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Extremophiles

Extremophiles are organisms that not only can survive, but thrive in extreme environments. These are organisms that love the freezing or boiling temperatures, very acidic or very basic conditions, or super high-pressure, salty, or dry environments. There are even extremophiles that hate oxygen and thrive when there is none present. Extremophiles live in places thatContinue reading “Extremophiles” Continue reading

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Blog 8—A fictional explanation to the Fermi paradox

As we learned from our class, there are several possible explanations to the Fermi paradox. One of them is that the aliens are hiding from us. For this blog, I would like to share a fictional theory in the novel “The Three-Body Problem.” In this book, the author expands the idea that aliens are hidingContinue reading “Blog 8—A fictional explanation to the Fermi paradox” Continue reading

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Blog 7—The Greenland Shark

In this blog post, I would like to introduce one of the species on Earth with some extreme characteristics. I think its existence is an extension to the concept of life in our common sense. Somniosus microcephalus, also called the Greenland shark, or grey shark. They can reach a maximum length of 7 meters, whichContinue reading “Blog 7—The Greenland Shark” Continue reading

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Our Neighbor the Space Octopus

While the potential of finding microorganisms on Mars has intrigued us here on Earth for a while now, more advanced life may live on Jupiter’s fourth largest moon: Europa. In fact, Professor Monica Grady has proposed that, not only is life on Europa likely, but said life may include organisms with intelligence similar to thatContinue reading “Our Neighbor the Space Octopus” Continue reading

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Lucy Spacecraft

I chose to research Lucy, a future NASA mission, for my final blog. Throughout the semester, my favorite topics we have covered in class have been ones revolving around space exploration. I am fascinated by the complex missions that humans send out into space. Lucy is an upcoming mission set to launch from Cape CanaveralContinue reading “Lucy Spacecraft” Continue reading

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Dear Aliens – a retrospect

Well, that’s a wrap. With the inevitability of Earth’s annual progression around the writhing sphere of fire and fusion that sustains our life, another semester comes to a close and another class comes to an end. However, just as all things must end, all things must begin. Days, summers, worlds, perspectives, you name it. SoContinue reading “Dear Aliens – a retrospect” Continue reading

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solar system superlatives: Earth

Welcome to the last episode of solar system superlatives. I know it’s hard to believe, but, alas, all good things must end. In an effort to dry the tears brimming in all our eyes, I wanted to end this blog series on a happy note and on a celebration of vitality – by looking atContinue reading “solar system superlatives: Earth” Continue reading

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no planet orbiting me, but still feeling like a star

i’m a tour guide for vandy, and a big point that i emphasize on all my stops is that, regardless of your abilities and background, you can find classes in all subjects that will interest you. and then i follow it up with a story, because no one really flies hundreds of miles to nashvilleContinue reading “no planet orbiting me, but still feeling like a star” Continue reading

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