Author Archives: jiayu

A semester wrestling pessimism and optimism

Posted on April 28, 2019 by jiayu

Here are two things I’ve been doing this semester (in addition to taking this course) Watching Star Trek: The Next Generation Taking an investigative writing course focusing… Read more “A semester wrestling pessimism and optimism” Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , , | Comments Off on A semester wrestling pessimism and optimism

Are civilizations doomed? One possible explanation for the Fermi Paradox

Posted on April 28, 2019 by jiayu

It’s the age old question: are we alone in the universe? It’s a topic we began wrestling as children, well before we even had basic knowledge of… Read more “Are civilizations doomed? One possible explanation for the Fermi Paradox” Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Are civilizations doomed? One possible explanation for the Fermi Paradox

Comet tails: an origin story

Posted on April 7, 2019 by jiayu

4.6 billion years ago, our solar system was just a big cloud of gas and dust. A lot of it gathered together and formed the sun. Most… Read more “Comet tails: an origin story” Continue reading →

Posted in Observables | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Comet tails: an origin story

Oops, I accidentally welded!

Posted on March 12, 2019 by jiayu

Welding is the use of high heat to melt two metal pieces together so they fuse into one. It’s tricky and not a relaxing hobby done on… Read more “Oops, I accidentally welded!” Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , | Comments Off on Oops, I accidentally welded!

A New Non-Aurora!

Posted on March 12, 2019 by jiayu

Photographers had known about it for decades, but scientists didn’t get wind of it until 2016. It’s a streak, purple or white, across the night sky. It… Read more “A New Non-Aurora!” Continue reading →

Posted in Observables | Tagged | Comments Off on A New Non-Aurora!

A down-to-earth explanation of zero-gravity

Posted on February 11, 2019 by jiayu

Astronauts floating against a starry backdrop. Food suspended in a spacecraft. These images are what have constructed our cultural understanding of space as a place where the… Read more “A down-to-earth explanation of zero-gravity” Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , | Comments Off on A down-to-earth explanation of zero-gravity

Two Times Sir Isaac Newton Could have Died

Posted on January 29, 2019 by jiayu

Sir Isaac Newton (Jan. 4th, 1643 — Mar. 31st, 1727) is important to astronomy because he formulated the mathematical and physical ideas that would give future astronomers… Read more “Two Times Sir Isaac Newton Could have Died” Continue reading →

Posted in Historical | Tagged , | Comments Off on Two Times Sir Isaac Newton Could have Died

Bright Lights (and not much else)

Posted on January 21, 2019 by jiayu

Matchbox Twenty’s Bright Lights. CeeLo Green’s Bright Lights Bigger City. My personal favorite is Sara Bareilles’s Bright Lights and Cityscapes. There is no shortage of songs about… Read more “Bright Lights (and not much else)” Continue reading →

Posted in Observables | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Bright Lights (and not much else)

The final frontier

Posted on January 11, 2019 by jiayu

The evidence of space’s inspirational power is everywhere! Maybe you wanted to be an astronaut. Maybe you cried with your best friend watching E.T., grew up watching… Read more “The final frontier” Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , | Comments Off on The final frontier