Author Archives: Emily Chen

So Where Are the Aliens?

Posted on April 14, 2020 by Emily Chen

Our galaxy should be teeming with civilizations, but where are they? If we imagine that we would be able to survive long enough to become interstellar travelers, and that we begin to colonize habitable planets around nearby star systems, we would have dozens of outposts around nearby stars within a few centuries. We would beContinue reading “So Where Are the Aliens?” Continue reading →

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Jovian Planet Interiors

Posted on March 28, 2020 by Emily Chen

The Jovian planets are often called “gas giants,” making it sound as if they were entirely gaseous. However, this name can be misleading, as it is true Jupiter and Saturn became giant primarily because they captured so much hydrogen and helium gas, but their strong gravity compresses most of the “gas” into forms of matterContinue reading “Jovian Planet Interiors” Continue reading →

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What Causes the Northern Lights?

Posted on March 10, 2020 by Emily Chen

The aurora borealis, or aurora australis if in Southern Hemisphere, is one of nature’s most dazzling phenomena consisting of massive bands of colorful light streaking across the sky. This spectacular light show, despite its captivating beauty, actually portrays the deadly solar radiation spewing out from the sun and largely dissipating when coming into contact withContinue reading “What Causes the Northern Lights?” Continue reading →

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Spacecraft in the Solar System

Posted on March 10, 2020 by Emily Chen

As we have learned so much about the solar system, much of our knowledge comes from telescopic observations, ground-based and those in Earth’s orbit, as well as spacecraft explorations. Robotic spacecraft operate primarily with preprogrammed instructions and carry radios that allow them to communicate with controllers on Earth. Having sent robotic spacecraft missions to numerousContinue reading “Spacecraft in the Solar System” Continue reading →

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