Author Archives: Drew Hamilton

Life from Earth, elsewhere

Posted on April 28, 2014 by Drew Hamilton

In class, we have discussed the possibility that life on Earth did not originate on Earth, but came to Earth on an asteroid or other impactor. But another idea is that the inverse is true: Later impacts on Earth sent life to other locations in the Solar System. Recent simulations suggest that some of the… Continue reading →

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The origins of life and the Drake equation

Posted on April 28, 2014 by Drew Hamilton

In using the Drake equation to discuss and estimate the probability of non-Earth life in our universe, one factor we estimated was the probability of life developing on a given planet in the habitable zone. The problem with making such an estimate as students in an Astronomy 201 course, of course, is that we all… Continue reading →

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Metallic hydrogen

Posted on April 9, 2014 by Drew Hamilton

In learning about the interiors, we’ve heard a lot about metallic hydrogen. To me, it was a confusing idea, simply because I only really hear about hydrogen in the context of being a gas or being a compound such as water or methane. Furthermore, it was not clear what phase metallic hydrogen would be, since… Continue reading →

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The definition of “planet”

Posted on April 8, 2014 by Drew Hamilton

Ever since the IAU gathered in Prague in 2006 and published a new scientific definition of “planet”, there has been debate on how well they did, and whether they were right to “demote” Pluto from planet to the new “dwarf planet” classification. I aim here to critique the IAU’s definition of a planet. First, here… Continue reading →

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The global warming “controversy” and the politicization of science

Posted on March 16, 2014 by Drew Hamilton

Despite popular, largely politically-based claims to the contrary, global warming is a scientific observation explained by an accepted, well-defined scientific theory. Most debate over whether global warming exists and how it is caused occurs not among scientists who study climate change, but among the general public, mostly due to a lack of understanding and what… Continue reading →

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If the Moon were only 1 pixel

Posted on March 16, 2014 by Drew Hamilton

Someone named Josh Worth made a to-scale model of our solar system wherein the Moon is only one pixel in diameter, and it’s totally awesome. The horizontally-scrollable webpage starts at the Sun, and moves right, with text interspersed into the vast distance between planets. What’s so cool about this particular model is that it represents… Continue reading →

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The Space Race

Posted on February 17, 2014 by Drew Hamilton

The Space Race was a competition of sorts between the United States and the Soviet Union that started in 1955 and led to the first artificial satellites being sent into orbit, the first humans being sent into space, and the first humans landing on the Moon. The USA was the first to announce intentions to… Continue reading →

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Gravitation and the theory of everything

Posted on February 16, 2014 by Drew Hamilton

Over the last several class periods, we have talked a lot about the force of gravitation. Incidentally, gravitation is considered one of the four fundamental forces of nature, along with weak force, strong force, and electromagnetic force. Interestingly, though, gravitation is the only one of these that is explained by a separate theory—the general theory… Continue reading →

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Historical Astronomers in Context: Isaac Newton

Posted on February 9, 2014 by Drew Hamilton

Isaac Newton (December 25, 1642 – March 20, 1727) spent some time working on gravitation and how it affects the orbits of planets. He eventually published the Principia Mathematica, which introduced Newton’s law of universal gravitation, i.e. In September 1666, when Newton was 23 and attending Trinity College, Cambridge (in England), the Great Fire of London… Continue reading →

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Balancing eggs on the spring equinox

Posted on January 27, 2014 by Drew Hamilton

It is a popular myth that the spring equinox is the one day of the year that raw eggs can be perfectly balanced on end. When I was in elementary school, entire classes at my school would go outside with a bunch of eggs and try to balance them in a row. More often than… Continue reading →

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