Author Archives: lillyastro2110

Blog 8: What If You Fell In A Blackhole?

In a black hole, spacetime is curved infinitely. Light cannot escape. Black holes have fascinated mankind for years, but what would happen if you actually reached the event horizon? What would happen if you fell into a black hole? It’s likely you would be pulverized by other objects, burn via light radiation, experience spaghettification, or … Continue reading Blog 8: What If You Fell In A Blackhole? Continue reading

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Blog 7: Wait But Why

Where is everybody? That is essentially the question asked in the Fermi Paradox. Compared to Earth and our solar system, the universe is extremely vast and extremely old. Surely there must be intelligent life somewhere within the depths of the unexplored universe? The Drake Equation (written as N = R* • fp • ne • fl • fi • fc • … Continue reading Blog 7: Wait But Why Continue reading

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Blog 6: Orion and the Space Launch System

NASA is building a new human spacecraft. The Orion spacecraft will carry humans farther than we’ve gone before. In 2014, Orion completed a two-orbit, four-hour flight to test its systems. Looking forward, Orion will launch from the Space Launch System. The Space Launch System (SLS) is the world’s most powerful rocket. Wow! In a series … Continue reading Blog 6: Orion and the Space Launch System Continue reading

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Blog 5: Enceladus’ Ocean

One of Saturn’s moons, we discussed in class interesting details of Enceladus. The most notable of these is the geysers of water and the potential subsurface ocean. Methane found among other particles in the water vapor plume have led researchers to consider a subsurface ocean as the origin of this methane. Because of the high … Continue reading Blog 5: Enceladus’ Ocean Continue reading

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Blog 4: Experience Curiosity

NASA’s Experience Curiosity web application allows viewers to go inside the Curiosity Rover’s mission. Viewers can explore Mars by leading the rover around or learn more about the rover and the mission on guided tours. Experience Curiosity gives highlights of Curiosity’s exploration of the Pahrump Hills region on Mars. You can examine the Pink Cliffs … Continue reading Blog 4: Experience Curiosity Continue reading

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Blog #3: PSR J1719-1438 b

PSR J1719-1438 b is a really cool planet. It’s small and massive, and oh yeah, it’s made of diamonds.   PSR J1719-1438 b orbits around star PSR J1719-1438, which is a neutron star and a pulsar. Basically, because the star’s magnetic field is so great, it sends off waves of radiation. The relationship between the star … Continue reading Blog #3: PSR J1719-1438 b Continue reading

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Blog #2: HAT-P-2’s Heart

A very appropriate post for Valentine’s Day. NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope has discovered a unique quality of a star and its orbiting planet that are some 370 light years away. The gravitational interaction between the two cause some vibrations in HAT-P-2 when its orbiting planet HAT-P-2b gets close. HAT-P-2b is a planet with a mass … Continue reading Blog #2: HAT-P-2’s Heart Continue reading

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Blog #1: Understanding Moon Phases

The moon has always captivated man. The pattern of moon phases is easy enough to understand on its own, but once you add in time of rise and fall and the position of the moon relative to Earth, things get a little more complicated. This website from McGraw Hill offers an interactive way to understand … Continue reading Blog #1: Understanding Moon Phases Continue reading

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First blog post

This is the excerpt for your very first post. Continue reading

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