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Author Archives: mirandaskunz
A Semester in Review
My interest in astronomy stems from the pleasure I get just looking out at the stars, trying to find constellations and contemplating the vastness of the universe. Throughout this semester, however, I have learned that astronomy is so much more than just looking at stars. There are so many factors to consider in astronomy, from […]
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The Golden Record
In the early 1970s, plaques containing information about humans and Earth were sent out on plaques on the Pioneer spacecraft. By the late 1970s, these plaques were upgraded to golden records on the Voyager probes. These phonographic records, designed to inform aliens who might discover the probes about humans, included 115 images, greetings in 55 […]
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Oxygen on Europa?
Europa, which is one of the four largest moons orbiting Jupiter, is currently one of the top candidates for potential life. Europa’s surface is made of ice, but beneath all this ice, is an ocean of water. This water is likely due to tidal heating caused by Jupiter and is evidenced by the magnetic field […]
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Neutrinos and Other Strange Things in Space
An article on SPACE.com lists the “Top 10 Strangest Things in Space” including antimatter, exoplanets, quasars, and many others. I thought this list gave a very interesting overview (and cool pictures) of these more cutting-edge areas of astronomical research. It also explained why the existence of these things are significant. For example, galactic cannibalism may […]
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Mars Colonization: Would You Go?
A recent survey by the Huffington Post found that 7% of people would volunteer for a one-way mission to Mars. It also found that 15% of people thought it was somewhat or very likely that humans would establish a colony on Mars within their lifetime. If a colony was established, there was a lot of […]
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Posted in Space Travel, Terrestrials
Tagged astro201, blog6, Mars, Solar System
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Exploring Climate Change in Google Earth
The video below is an introduction to a series of videos that utilize Google Earth to inform viewers of problems involving climate change and global warming. The “tours” can be downloaded here. These tours are very informative and allow the user to pause them to explore the Google Earth content on their own. I think […]
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Posted in Outreach, Terrestrials
Tagged astro201, blog5, climatechange, Solar System
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A Young Black Hole?
As viewed from Earth, most black holes are about 17,000 to 21,000 years old. Recently, however, NASA scientists discovered what may be an infant black hole (pictured below). This black hole is only about 1,000 years old as seen from Earth and is located 26,000 light years away. It is left over from the supernova […]
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A Young Black Hole?
As viewed from Earth, most black holes are about 17,000 to 21,000 years old. Recently, however, NASA scientists discovered what may be an infant black hole (pictured below). This black hole is only about 1,000 years old as seen from Earth and is located 26,000 light years away. It is left over from the supernova […]
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Galileo: A Man with No Last Name
I have always wondered why we always refer to Galileo by his first name. We don’t have Johannes’ laws of planetary motion or Albert’s theory of relativity, but Galileo Galilei is just Galileo. I remember learning in elementary school that people are referred to by their last names as a sign of respect. Certainly, the […]
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Posted in Historical
Tagged astro201, blog3, galileo
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Historical Astronomers in Context
Johannes Kepler was born on December 27, 1571 and died on November 15 1630. After Tycho Brahe died, Kepler inherited and analyzed his data regarding planetary motion. Kepler is responsible for discovering the three laws of planetary motion: that planets have an elliptical orbit around the Sun, that planets sweep out equal areas in equal […]
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