Author Archives: Chris K.

The End

Posted on April 23, 2018 by Chris K.

I n Astro 2110, we have looked at every from the birth of the universe to possibility of life outside of our own solar system. It has been an interesting journey, and since this class is coming to end I figure we take a moment to look at how the universe itself will die. Like … Continue reading The End → Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Universe | Tagged , | Comments Off on The End

First Contact and a Spin of the Wheel

Posted on April 19, 2018 by Chris K.

Are we alone in the universe? This question has fascinated both scientists and philosophers alike for centuries and although we have not yet found life on other planets, sheer probability alone tells life must exist outside of Earth. If any of this life is intelligent, further questions arise. We’ve sent messages to other worlds through … Continue reading First Contact and a Spin of the Wheel → Continue reading →

Posted in Aliens, Class | Tagged , | Comments Off on First Contact and a Spin of the Wheel

Cold Worlds, Burning Hatred

Posted on March 29, 2018 by Chris K.

Scientific discoveries are not made in a vacuum, and sometimes even the most brilliant and correct ideas are considered to be false due to horrifying and malicious ideologies. Albert Einstein’s discovery of relativity revolutionized the world of physics and astronomy. It provided a unified way to understand the universe and was backed up by both … Continue reading Cold Worlds, Burning Hatred → Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Historical | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Cold Worlds, Burning Hatred

Uranus Is Full of Gas

Posted on March 29, 2018 by Chris K.

There are many things unique about Uranus. It rotates on its side, it was the first planet discovered with the use of a telescope, and it is the only planet named after a Greek deity instead of its Roman equivalent. In hindsight, the Roman name Caelus probably would have been a better choice. It may … Continue reading Uranus Is Full of Gas → Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Historical | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Uranus Is Full of Gas

Nuclear PR

Posted on March 12, 2018 by Chris K.

The ability to harness nuclear fusion could revolution human society. From the time the universe was about twenty minutes to today, nuclear fusion has only been possible in extreme of environments. The blistering cores of stars, the supernovae explosions of red giants, and a handful of other celestial events were the only things that produced … Continue reading Nuclear PR → Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Public Policy | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Nuclear PR

Tell Us How the Heavens Flow: the Life and Execution of Giordano Bruno (Blog #3)

Posted on February 8, 2018 by Chris K.

On February 17th, we will pass the 418th anniversary of Giordano Bruno’s execution. Bruno, while not as well-known as some of other cosmologists and theologians of the 16th century, proposed many theories which today are considered scientific fact. He took the Copernican model of the universe and took it to absolute extremes. While the Earth … Continue reading Tell Us How the Heavens Flow: the Life and Execution of Giordano Bruno (Blog #3) → Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Historical | Tagged , | Comments Off on Tell Us How the Heavens Flow: the Life and Execution of Giordano Bruno (Blog #3)

Of Light and Glass (Blog #2)

Posted on February 7, 2018 by Chris K.

Humans had been studying the stars for thousands of years before the first telescopes had been invented. The naked eye was enough to understand basic astronomical phenomena in the solar system, but if we wanted understand more, the human eye would need some help. Although they were primitive and only had magnifications of around three … Continue reading Of Light and Glass (Blog #2) → Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Instruments | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Of Light and Glass (Blog #2)

Copernicus in Context

Posted on February 1, 2018 by Chris K.

Nicolaus Copernicus (b. 2/19/1473, d. 5/24/1543) is a man who revolutionized the field of astronomy. Unlike his contemporaries, who were satisfied with a Ptolemaic universe driven by Aristotelian physics, Copernicus wasted to understand the heavens and stars as accurately as possible. Although not the first to do so, Copernicus devised a new model for the … Continue reading Copernicus in Context → Continue reading →

Posted in Historical | Tagged , | Comments Off on Copernicus in Context

Speck of Dust and Cosmic Sand (Blog #1)

Posted on January 18, 2018 by Chris K.

As of the time of writing, Voyager 1 is over 21.1 billion kilometers away from its launch point of Earth. This distance seems long to most, but in the grand scheme of things it is almost nothing at all. This distance represents only 0.2% of that of a lightyear, meaning that a photon released from … Continue reading Speck of Dust and Cosmic Sand (Blog #1) → Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Space Travel | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Speck of Dust and Cosmic Sand (Blog #1)

Post #0

Posted on January 14, 2018 by Chris K.

Hello, my name is Chris K. and I’m a senior at Vanderbilt University. This will be my blog for ASTR2110 and I hope everyone enjoys it. Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , | Comments Off on Post #0