Author Archives: jakesindelar

Take Me To Your Leader

Posted on April 24, 2017 by jakesindelar

    In 1950, Enrico Fermi famously asked: “Where is everybody?” With humanity’s rise in technological progress, we could colonize the galaxy within a couple million years. If we apply the Cosmological Principle (We are not special) to our galaxy, the cosmos should be crawling with life. With over half a trillion planets in our…Read more Take Me To Your Leader Continue reading →

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Not Too Hot, Not Too Cold

Posted on April 24, 2017 by jakesindelar

    Earth is the only planet in our universe that we currently know supports life. For a planet to harbor life as we know it, it must lie in a star’s habitable zone. Being positioned in the zone is not enough, however. Countless planets orbit their suns at the proper distance and do not…Read more Not Too Hot, Not Too Cold Continue reading →

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Chaotic Earth

Posted on March 31, 2017 by jakesindelar

From Earth’s birth 4.6 billion years ago, it has been through some violent trauma. From worldwide ice ages and raging fire storms, it is a wonder that we made it here in one piece….or most of us. Asteroids regularly come in contact with Earth, wreaking havoc on the surface below. These meteors interfere with nature’s…Read more Chaotic Earth Continue reading →

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Life On Other Worlds

Posted on March 31, 2017 by jakesindelar

The search for exoplanets is one of the most exciting projects in science today. The possibility of earth-like worlds harboring intelligent life is what has electrified most science fiction geeks. With enough funding, the possibilities are endless! Our ability to detect these elusive worlds has improved since our first discovery two decades ago. In late…Read more Life On Other Worlds Continue reading →

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The Terrestrial Worlds

Posted on March 31, 2017 by jakesindelar

The planets of the Solar System dramatically vary from massive gaseous, ringed giants to miniature rocky terrestrials. The celestial bodies are also at such great distances that no map of our Solar System can truly illustrate both the distances and relative sizes to scale. The terrestrial planets are relatively similar in size and composition, but…Read more The Terrestrial Worlds Continue reading →

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The Earth’s Gravity

Posted on February 12, 2017 by jakesindelar

  Gravity on Earth acts on all objects with the same force. No matter their mass, objects fall and accelerate at a constant rate. Due to the air resistance of different shapes, this is not always apparent. On a planet or moon lacking oxygen, the law could be simpler to demonstrate. On Earth, falling objects…Read more The Earth’s Gravity Continue reading →

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2017 Solar Eclipse

Posted on February 12, 2017 by jakesindelar

Visible solar eclipses are relatively rare phenomenon to witness. They occur whenever the moon gets between the Sun and the Earth. The eclipse must occur with a new Moon to completely blot out the Sun. Because the Moon must be in the right location and phase, these eclipses don’t happen very often. There are three…Read more 2017 Solar Eclipse Continue reading →

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Visualizing the Fourth Dimension

Posted on February 8, 2017 by jakesindelar

Model of how our universe is expanding, though in reality, there are no edges or middle. At first glance, the story Flatland appears to be a child’s story of geometric shapes and imagination. While these elements are surely contained, the novel can be used to better conceive of the fourth dimension and Hubble’s Law: namely…Read more Visualizing the Fourth Dimension Continue reading →

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Jake’s First Post!!

Posted on January 14, 2017 by jakesindelar

Hey guys! This is my first blog post for my Astronomy 2110 class. Me and my class! My name’s Jake Sindelar and I’m a freshman here at Vandy. I live in Omaha, Nebraska and am the oldest of 7!! I have just discovered how fascinating the field of astronomy last semester after taking Astronomy 1010 and…Read more Jake’s First Post!! Continue reading →

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