Author Archives: interplanetira

The Fate of Our Solar System

Posted on May 1, 2018 by interplanetira

With this being the final blog of the semester, I thought it would be fitting to write about the eventual fate of our Solar System – In approximately 5 billion years, as our Sun’s lifetime on the Main Sequence comes to end, the Sun (through the process of converting  gravitational potential energy to thermal energy) […] Continue reading →

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The Drake Equation

Posted on May 1, 2018 by interplanetira

The Drake Equation is a formula that is commonly used to stimulate discussion of the possibility of extraterrestrial life-  not to necessarily quantify the number of communicating civilizations. The Drake Equation uses many variables to quantify estimates for the number of communicating civilizations, but a number of them are quite controversial as they are not […] Continue reading →

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Life on Europa?

Posted on April 9, 2018 by interplanetira

For thousands of years, humans have considered the possibility of life existing on other planets – specifically those in our own solar system. Perhaps one of the most prime candidates for harboring life in our Solar System (other than our own planet, of course) is Europa – one of Jupiter’s 4 largest moons. Europa, the […] Continue reading →

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Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Posted on February 12, 2018 by interplanetira

“Twinkle Twinkle Little Star How I Wonder What You Are Up Above the World So High Like A Diamond in the Sky Twinkle Twinkle Little Star How I Wonder What You Are” We all know the song, but do we know the science behind it? What actually causes stars to twinkle? Despite what that question […] Continue reading →

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Don’t Take Light Lightly

Posted on February 12, 2018 by interplanetira

  When you hear the word “light”, a few things might pop into your mind – the Sun, lightbulbs (or artificial lights in general), or maybe even the colors of the rainbow. What you probably don’t think about are the other forms of light on the Electromagnetic Spectrum. The fact of the matter is that […] Continue reading →

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Posted on February 5, 2018 by interplanetira

Nicholas Copernicus, the father of modern astronomy, was born on February 19, 1473 in Toruń, Poland. As the son of a wealthy merchant, he had considerable freedom to explore and research anything he wanted. Initially, he had chosen to attend the University of Bologna where he studied medicine and law. While there, however, he stayed […] Continue reading →

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A Speck on a Speck in a Speck in a Speck…

Posted on January 22, 2018 by interplanetira

Humans are very arrogant creatures, and we often forget just how small we are in relation to the rest of the Universe. So much so that our units of measurement are very impractical to use on a larger scale, so we will mostly be using light seconds, minutes, hours, day, months and years to talk about […] Continue reading →

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Snowman Shenanigans (Blog #0)

Posted on January 19, 2018 by interplanetira

My name is Ira Morgan and I am a freshman here at Vandy! This is my friend Mia (right) and I enjoying the snow on Tuesday by building a snowman on Wyatt Lawn! I look forward to learning about Solar Systems this semester!   Continue reading →

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