Author Archives: ccatanese1

Culminating (Post 8)

Posted on May 4, 2022 by ccatanese1

Throughout the course of this semester I have had the opportunity to learn so much about our Solar System as well as the universe as a whole. Blogging about current events in astronomy has taught me a lot about the projects that are being funded and the steps astronomers are taking to research new areas. […] Continue reading →

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Extremophiles (Post 7)

Posted on May 4, 2022 by ccatanese1

Extremophiles are types of organisms that can survive in abnormal or extreme conditions. The picture above is a popular tourist destination in Yellowstone National Park known as “Grand Prismatic Spring.” The spring is extremely hot at 160 degrees Fahrenheit but it is famous for its vibrant colors. These colors are actually caused by a type […] Continue reading →

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The Artemis Moon Rocket (Post 6)

Posted on April 17, 2022 by ccatanese1

NASA has continued ground tests this week for the Artemis I mega moon rocket. The rocket encountered a hydrogen leak on Thursday so it seems like there is still some improvements that must be made until the rocket is ready to be launched. The Artemis mission manager said that all of the problems that the […] Continue reading →

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Planet 9 (Post 5)

Posted on April 17, 2022 by ccatanese1

The Kuiper Belt is a doughnut shaped group of ice, rock, comets, and dwarf planets, beyond Neptune. There have been discussion recently about whether there is a ninth planet within the Kuiper Belt. These discussions began back in 1846 after the discovery of Neptune, but they became more focused when it was discovered that the […] Continue reading →

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Thousands of Other Planets (Post 4)

Posted on March 23, 2022 by ccatanese1

Other planets and galaxies in space have been the subject of many science fiction novels and television shows, most notably Star Trek. This week, NASA officially confirmed that 5,000 exoplanets outside of our Solar System exist. This discovery is monumental within the astronomy community, because although it has been speculated that there are millions or […] Continue reading →

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Climate Change and Cryptocurrency (Post 3)

Posted on March 22, 2022 by ccatanese1

Climate change is a pressing issue in that it has the capability to completely destroy the way humans live life on Earth. One of the main types of emissions is CO2 and it is causing our atmosphere to heat rapidly. Cryptocurrency is a new trend that is focused on decentralizing finance and allowing owners of […] Continue reading →

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The James Webb Space Telescope (Post 2)

Posted on February 19, 2022 by ccatanese1

The Hubble Space Telescope has been a staple in the NASA space program since its launch in 1990. It has led to monumental discoveries and pictures such as the famous Hubble Deep Field; however, 30 years later, technology has evolved tremendously and so, NASA has launched a new telescope aimed at succeeding it. Planning of […] Continue reading →

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Posted on February 10, 2022 by ccatanese1

Nicolaus Copernicus (February 19, 1473 – May 24, 1543) is very well-known for his heliocentric theory which postulated that the sun is the center of the solar system. It had been widely believed that the earth was the center of the universe and it wasn’t until Copernicus that this belief began to shift. Initially the […] Continue reading →

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The Scale of the Universe (Post 1)

Posted on January 30, 2022 by ccatanese1

The universe is so massive that it can be difficult for humans to comprehend its scale, so I will break it down using something that we can easily understand. Earth is 1 AU (astronomical unit) from the sun or 150 million KM. If a human were travelling this distance in a car at 100 miles […] Continue reading →

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About Me

Posted on January 26, 2022 by ccatanese1

Hello!  My name is Christian and I am from Florida and am currently a senior at Vanderbilt majoring in economics. I am really excited to be enrolled in Dr. Grundstrom’s Solar System class and can’t wait to more about space. I am somewhat familiar with blogging as I had to blog for a pop science […] Continue reading →

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