Author Archives: Brian

The Future of Space: Defense and Exploration

Posted on May 3, 2022 by Brian

Our recent studies of impacts and life in the universe have made me consider the future of astronomy and space travel. The incessant threat of a catastrophic impact means that there will always be a focus on impactor defense here on Earth, and humanity’s natural urge for expansion and exploration will surely result in futureContinue reading “The Future of Space: Defense and Exploration” Continue reading →

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Where are all the Aliens? Natural and Self-Inflicted Explanations for the Fermi Paradox

Posted on May 3, 2022 by Brian

Broadly speaking, our views on the probability of extraterrestrial life have gotten more optimistic over time due to a long series of discoveries that have increased our estimates for the size of the universe, the frequency of planets, the frequency of liquid water on worlds, and the ability for life to thrive in extreme conditions.Continue reading “Where are all the Aliens? Natural and Self-Inflicted Explanations for the Fermi Paradox” Continue reading →

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Chicxulub Impactor Found?

Posted on April 16, 2022 by Brian

In class, we discussed the Chicxulub impact, which is highly likely to have triggered the extinction event that killed the dinosaurs. Despite the large size of the impactor, the catastrophic impact and 65 million years of geological processes have hidden the exact nature of the impactor from scientists. While iridium deposits in sedimentary rock layersContinue reading “Chicxulub Impactor Found?” Continue reading →

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The Future of Exoplanet Analysis

Posted on April 16, 2022 by Brian

The search for extrasolar planets and alien life is a fascinating research focus that sits at the intersection of astronomy, physics, planetary science, and biology. As we have discussed in class, discovering exoplanets is a very difficult task, but we have discovered roughly 5,000 exoplanets to date and are making significant progress in that area.Continue reading “The Future of Exoplanet Analysis” Continue reading →

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The Martian: Scientifically Accurate?

Posted on March 22, 2022 by Brian

The Martian is one of my favorite books, and the movie adaptation was fantastic as well (mild spoilers ahead). As someone who enjoys science and science fiction, I loved the realism and accurate technical problems that Mark Watney faces. The fundamentals of life on Mars—the time needed to travel there, delays and difficulties communicating withContinue reading “The Martian: Scientifically Accurate?” Continue reading →

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Solar System Formation and Coincidences

Posted on March 22, 2022 by Brian

Our solar system has many characteristics that can seem like odd coincidences. Why are all of the planets in the same orbital plane? Why are their orbits all nearly circular instead of being more eccentric? Why do they all orbit in the same direction around the Sun? The nebular theory of solar system formation, asContinue reading “Solar System Formation and Coincidences” Continue reading →

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Retrograde Motion

Posted on February 19, 2022 by Brian

It is often easy to look back at historical astronomical theories and think that they were silly or nonsensical. Of course, hindsight is 20/20, and with what ancient astronomers knew at the time, it makes sense that they created bizarre models of the universe. Retrograde motion is a phenomenon that gave scientists a lot ofContinue reading “Retrograde Motion” Continue reading →

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Posted on February 9, 2022 by Brian

2) Johannes Kepler (December 27, 1571—November 15, 1630) was incredibly important to astronomy and science as a whole because he bridged the gap between medieval and ancient “natural philosophy” to modern science. He was religious and, especially earlier in his life, placed a strong emphasis on integrating creation into his theories. This was common atContinue reading “Historical Astronomers in Context” Continue reading →

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“Powers of Ten” and the Scale of the Universe

Posted on January 30, 2022 by Brian

I didn’t remember until I started the video, but I had seen “Powers of Ten” before in some science class many years ago. This staying power, evidenced by my recollection and the countless Youtube comments saying similar things, is proof of how mind-blowing the concept of scale is. Scale determines what we can comprehend andContinue reading ““Powers of Ten” and the Scale of the Universe” Continue reading →

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Brian’s Intro Blog

Posted on January 25, 2022 by Brian

This is my first introductory blog for ASTR 2110. The image above is a picture taken by Hubble of the Pillars of Creation, a structure in the Eagle Nebula. I chose this image because I really like the colors and it is one of my favorite space pictures. You can read more about the pillarsContinue reading “Brian’s Intro Blog” Continue reading →

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