Author Archives: gradytlynch

Warp Drive: Science Fiction or Future Reality?

Posted on April 20, 2014 by gradytlynch

This video segment explores the possibilities of creating a warp drive spacecraft that isn’t bound by the cosmic speed limit of lightspeed. The idea highlighted in the video is that fluctuations in spacetime itself would propel the spacecraft, as opposed to the spacecraft propelling itself through space. This complex theoretical process is described in the […] Continue reading →

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The Fate of Earth

Posted on April 20, 2014 by gradytlynch

This infographic tales prediction to the extreme as it outlines the future of earth, taking us from a mere 1000 years in the future to the impossibly far away end of our universe as we know it. Produced by IIB Studio, this diagram tests the limits of our ability to estimate and predict the future. […] Continue reading →

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Much Stars So Wow 2014-04-06 17:17:05

Posted on April 6, 2014 by gradytlynch

This charismatic account of the first rogue planet discovered touches on many interesting points. The video discusses our ever-changing definition of what constitutes a planet. At first, we simply defined a planet as anything we observed that was similar to our 8 local planets. However, after incredibly massive planets (around ten times the mass of […] Continue reading →

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Lagrange Points

Posted on April 6, 2014 by gradytlynch

This video by Sixty Symbols gives an in depth look at lagrange points, delving into the physics of orbiting bodies. The video outlines the five lagrange points of the Earth-Sun system. L1 is between the Earth and Sun, L2 is slightly farther from the Sun than Earth, and L3 is on the opposite side of […] Continue reading →

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What is a Quasar?

Posted on March 15, 2014 by gradytlynch

This brief video explains our current understanding of quasars, and how the generate so much energy and are able to be seen from so far away. As the video discusses, when quasars were first observed in the 1960’s, there was a great deal of interest generated about these distant yet incredibly bright objects. As we […] Continue reading →

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Antimatter Spacecraft

Posted on March 15, 2014 by gradytlynch

Despite the incredible distance to neighboring stars, there are scientists working on spacecraft that can theoretically take us to these distant worlds. One of the most interesting spacecraft concepts for the future is an Antimatter Spacecraft. The fundamentals of this design are outlined in HowStuffWorks’ article, “How Antimatter Spacecraft Will Work”. The article first gives […] Continue reading →

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E=mc² is Incomplete

Posted on February 17, 2014 by gradytlynch

This brief and to the point video breaks down the nature of Einstein’s famous equation E = mc^2. Using the simple analogy of a right triangle, it shows how an object with mass can never achieve light speed. In everyday life, the “pc” component of Einstein’s equation doesn’t matter, as objects can rarely travel significantly […] Continue reading →

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Travel Inside a Black Hole

Posted on February 16, 2014 by gradytlynch

Although we usually think of black holes as extremely massive objects, anything in the universe with mass can theoretically become a black hole. As this video discusses, it is mathematically possible for a black hole to form with the mass of the earth, or even Mount Everest. However, the object’s Schwarzschild radius, the size it […] Continue reading →

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Posted on February 9, 2014 by gradytlynch

Johannes Kepler’s contribution to astronomy can be matched by few. The laws of planetary motion appropriately named Kepler’s laws are still used to this day for approximating planetary orbits. His equations and observations gave us insight into the relationship between orbital period and orbital distance. Ultimately, Kepler’s contributions to astronomy played a key role in […] Continue reading →

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The Precession of Earth’s Axis

Posted on January 27, 2014 by gradytlynch

I’m a very visual learner, so when trying to understand the phenomenon of axial precession, I sought out a visual representation of what exactly is going on. This video perfectly explains (for this level class) the causes and implications of axial precession. It leaves us with an advanced understanding of how axial precession affects our […] Continue reading →

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