Author Archives: joshkphilips

My Changing Perspective of the Universe

Posted on April 27, 2014 by joshkphilips

Image Source Prior to my enrollment in this class, I rarely thought about the Universe around me. Furthermore, I never truly comprehended the vastness of the Universe. In fact, although I do have a better understanding about the immense size of the cosmos, I feel as though I still cannot fathom the true size of […] Continue reading →

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Extremophiles Aiding the Search For Extraterrestrial Life

Posted on April 26, 2014 by joshkphilips

Image Source About six months ago, scientists retrieved samples of water that are nearly two billion years old from the depths of a mine in Timmins, Ontario. They are now attempting to determine whether or not any life exists within the liquid. If in fact lifeforms are present within the water, this would be yet […] Continue reading →

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80% of the Universe That We Can’t See

Posted on April 8, 2014 by joshkphilips

Image Source Over the past couple of centuries, we have learned a great deal about our Universe. However, the more we seem to learn about the cosmos, the more we realize that we do not understand. When Jan Oort and Fritz Zwicky first hypothesized the existence of dark matter in our Universe, a breakthrough in […] Continue reading →

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Weird Life on Titan?

Posted on April 7, 2014 by joshkphilips

Image Source People are fascinated by the Universe for a variety of reasons. Some are intrigued by black holes, while others may be obsessed with the formation of stars and planets. But one thing is for sure, the possibility of life elsewhere is definitely an exciting topic no matter what you’re interested in. When we […] Continue reading →

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Exploration of Europa

Posted on March 17, 2014 by joshkphilips

Image Source For years now, scientists have been fascinated with Jupiter’s fourth largest moon known as Europa. What makes Europa such an interesting subject is the fact that it is home to a saltwater ocean beneath a layer of ice. Such characteristics make Europa the most likely other place in our Solar System to have […] Continue reading →

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Geological Activity of Mercury

Posted on March 17, 2014 by joshkphilips

Image Source For many years, scientists have regarded Mercury as a planet that has little to offer, as it is more or less a ‘dead’ planet. Mercury has acquired such dull attributes given its treacherous location in the Solar System. Its proximity to the Sun allows the sun-facing side of mercury to reach temperatures of […] Continue reading →

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Alcubierre Warp Drive

Posted on February 14, 2014 by joshkphilips

Image Source Physicists and astronomers today are confident that the age of our universe is about 13.8 billion years. However, they are also confident that our universe is much bigger than 13.8 billion light years. But how can this be if nothing in our universe can travel faster than the speed of light? The fact […] Continue reading →

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World’s Largest Telescope To Expand Our Horizons

Posted on February 13, 2014 by joshkphilips

Image and Information Source Currently, the largest telescope in the world is the Gran Telescopio Canarias, which has an aperture size of about 10.4 meters. However, plans to build an even larger telescope were recently approved. This new telescope will be built at the summit of Hawaii’s Mauna Kea volcano, and will cost an alarming […] Continue reading →

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Posted on February 9, 2014 by joshkphilips

Isaac Newton is one of the most important scientists in history. Although he lived during the late 17th century, his work has impacted the fields of mathematics, physics, and astronomy of today’s world. His notable accomplishments include the establishment of modern Physics, and the discovery of both the gravitational force and the three Universal Laws […] Continue reading →

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Beyond The Speed of Light?

Posted on January 27, 2014 by joshkphilips

How concrete are our laws of physics? Could there be a way to bend the laws and essentially travel beyond the speed of light? Could such an ability open the possibilities for interstellar space travel? These are some of the questions that surround the intriguing idea of wormholes. Two wormholes could in theory act as […] Continue reading →

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