Author Archives: Mercedes

Blog 05 – Enceladus

Posted on November 3, 2024 by Mercedes

The image shows the lower portion of Enceladus’ jets taken in 2010. Image and information gathered from the NASA website. Enceladus, one of Saturn’s moons, got its name in Greek mythology because Saturn (Cronus) was the leader of the Titans. Despite its namesake, it is only about 310 miles across which is about the size […] Continue reading →

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Blog 04 – Proxima b

Posted on October 19, 2024 by Mercedes

The closest star system to Earth is Alpha Centauri, a three-star system. A planet, Proxima b, approximately 1.3 times the mass of ours orbits off the smallest star, Proxima Centauri. This planet orbits its star even closer than Mercury does the Sun and only takes 11 days to complete a single one! Despite this, Proxima […] Continue reading →

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Blog 03 – Forming the Solar System

Posted on October 17, 2024 by Mercedes

The current idea of the solar system’s formation is the nebular theory, which states that it occurs in a five-stage process. First, there is the shock of a gas cloud called a supernova which causes the cloud to collapse. Next, gravity causes the heating, flattening, and spinning. It changed the shape and temperature of the […] Continue reading →

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Blog 02 – History of Astronomy

Posted on September 19, 2024 by Mercedes

Ancient Mesopotamia is the earliest known source of modern astronomical research. Babylonian MUL.APIN texts provide data on stars’ locations and celestial descriptions dated to 1200 BCE. The group used their fingers and 360 units (comparable to modern 360 degrees) to chart the sky, distances, and celestial movement and occurrences. They used their star passages to […] Continue reading →

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HW3- Historical Figures in Context

Posted on September 13, 2024 by Mercedes

Tycho Brahe (1546-1601) Tycho Brahe was important in the history of astronomy. He created many new astronomical instruments and accurately calibrated them. Tycho was one of the first to correct for “atmospheric refraction.” In addition to this, he and his assistants discovered several anomalies that would lead to the future astronomical developments and models. Photo […] Continue reading →

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Blog1 – Additional Observation Tools

Posted on September 1, 2024 by Mercedes

People create so many different apps for observation for so many unique purposes such as understanding the scale of the universe, observing the Solar System day or night, and learning mind-blowing facts about space. For my first official blog, I wanted to explore a few other options outside of Stellarium that are available for free […] Continue reading →

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Blog0 – About Me

Posted on August 26, 2024 by Mercedes

Hi! My name is Mercedes. I am a transfer student new to Vanderbilt. I love to travel and explore. This picture is from when I lived in the PNW. My father is in the military (I personally do not recommend that path, but feel free to investigate your options here). His job has given me […] Continue reading →

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