Author Archives: jackdoyle25

The Limitations of Light Speed

Posted on May 3, 2023 by jackdoyle25

As we all (hopefully) know, nothing can travel faster than the speed of light. Light-speed is the universal speed limit, and no matter or energy can move faster than it, including radio signals or other forms of communication. This limitation makes me rather pessimistic about deep-space exploration. The Milky Way Galaxy is massive, at tens […] Continue reading →

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The Fermi Paradox

Posted on May 3, 2023 by jackdoyle25

The well-known Fermi Paradox is a simple question with no clear answer: “where are all the aliens?” Given the immense size of our galaxy (not to mention the size of the entire universe), it seems likely that life would have bloomed on other planets, and that on at least some planets, this life would be […] Continue reading →

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The Event Horizon Telescope

Posted on April 11, 2023 by jackdoyle25

We’ve spent the semester so far studying the greatest discoveries and breakthroughs in the history of astronomy, from as long ago as Copernicus to as recent as the New Horizons flyby of Pluto. Even more recently, however, an astronomical breakthrough was made that will surely be the subject of textbook pages and lecture slides in […] Continue reading →

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The Great Red Spot

Posted on April 11, 2023 by jackdoyle25

If you look for an image of Jupiter in any article or textbook, you’ll likely see the famous Great Red Spot in that picture. This immense storm on Jupiter’s surface is more than double the size of Earth, and has raged on for centuries. The incredible size and duration of the Great Red Spot begs […] Continue reading →

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The Unimaginable Nature of Space-Time

Posted on March 8, 2023 by jackdoyle25

Most depictions of the space-time continuum display it as a two-dimensional plane in three-dimensional space. In such a model, objects make indents in the plane based on their gravity, with more massive objects having larger indents. This model is helpful to display how gravity works, but it doesn’t capture the whole picture. The planar model […] Continue reading →

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The (Possible) Oceans of Europa

Posted on March 7, 2023 by jackdoyle25

Among all of Earth’s unique aspects and characteristics, the presence of water may be the most significant. Water is necessary to life as we know it; from humans ourselves down to microscopic organisms, all living things need water to survive. It is no wonder, then, that life in the Solar System is exclusive to Earth; […] Continue reading →

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The Wave-Particle Duality of Light

Posted on February 13, 2023 by jackdoyle25

In common perception, most things in our universe fall into two fundamental categories: energy and matter. Energy could be electricity, heat, sound waves, or kinetic motion. Matter is generally a descriptor of things made up from atoms, such as planets or stars or humans ourselves. However, looking at these on a more fundamental level, the […] Continue reading →

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Posted on February 2, 2023 by jackdoyle25

Nicholas Copernicus was the creator of heliocentric theory: the idea that the Earth orbits the Sun, rather than the other way around. He also correctly theorized that the seasons were caused by Earth’s axial tilt. His discoveries paved the way for future astronomers, but in his day, he was regarded as a heretic by the […] Continue reading →

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The Ultimate Race

Posted on January 22, 2023 by jackdoyle25

We take it for granted that the speed of light is the universal speed limit; nothing can go faster than light. The knowledge of light-years is crucial to understanding the images that we see in the night sky. These images are not of the celestial bodies as they currently exist, but as they once were, […] Continue reading →

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Starting Up

Posted on January 10, 2023 by jackdoyle25

This is my first blog post. I’m excited to get to work this semester! This is a picture of my brother (left) and I at a Patriots playoff game against the Titans; the recap of the game can be found on ESPN. Continue reading →

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