Author Archives: Leo Silva

The Potential for Nuclear Fusion on Earth

Posted on October 20, 2024 by Leo Silva

Stars like the Sun have been powering themselves through the use of nuclear fusion for billions of years, and the Sun is expected to be powered for billions more before it runs out of its source of hydrogen fuel through the proton-proton chain. As outlined on my previous blog post, one second of energy created […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Science | Tagged , | Comments Off on The Potential for Nuclear Fusion on Earth

Nuclear Fusion: The Heartbeat of Stars

Posted on October 20, 2024 by Leo Silva

In order for stars to generate the enormous amounts of energy that they do, a very specific, energy-intensive process is needed: nuclear fusion. It is this process that allows stars to shine brightly for billions of years. But how exactly does nuclear fusion work? In short, in the cores of stars, temperatures reach the millions […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Physics, Science | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Nuclear Fusion: The Heartbeat of Stars

Sextants in Celestial Navigation

Posted on September 16, 2024 by Leo Silva

Blog #2 – Leo Celestial navigation– also known as “astronavigation”– is a practice of nearly 4,000 years (HistoryHit, How Celestial Navigation Changed Maritime History) where an individual can determine their location in space or the Earth’s surface using the positions of other celestial bodies such as the Sun, Moon, other planets, and stars. Throughout history, […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Historical, Instruments | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Sextants in Celestial Navigation

Historical Astronomers in Context -Leo

Posted on September 9, 2024 by Leo Silva

Johannes KeplerAccess more information about him here:1) New Mexico Space Museum2) American Museum of Natural History The Thirty Years WarAccess more information about the Thirty Years War here:1) History.com Publication of Shakespeare’s WorksAccess more information about the publication of Shakespeare’s works here:1) Royal Shakespeare Company René DescartesAccess more infromation about René Descartes here:1) Internet Encyclopedia […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Historical | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Historical Astronomers in Context -Leo

Considerations of the Grandfather Paradox with the Speed of Light

Posted on August 29, 2024 by Leo Silva

The Grandfather Paradox The Grandfather Paradox is a concept in theories about time travel. More specifically, the paradox introduces the dilemma that if you were to travel back in time to a point before your grandfather met your grandmother, and you happened to prevent them from meeting (i.e. killing your grandfather), you would, by extension, […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Considerations of the Grandfather Paradox with the Speed of Light

Leo – Intro Post

Posted on August 25, 2024 by Leo Silva

Hello, my name is Leo Silva and I’m a senior here at Vanderbilt. I major in H&OD and minor in Astronomy (completely unrelated). For many years now I have loved the puzzling nature of learning about space, especially when it comes to pioneering studies of topics that could bring forth answers to some of our […] Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , | Comments Off on Leo – Intro Post