Author Archives: Myles7235

Blog Post 8: How astro2110 Has Changed My View On Astronomy

Before coming into astro2110, I knew very little about astronomy. Now, after completing the course, my appreciation for astronomy has greatly increased. A few days before the semester started, one of my friends who is an astronomy nerd laughed at me for not knowing the phases of the Moon. I thought to myself, “I’m a […] Continue reading

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Blog Post 7: What Will Happen If We Do Find Life Out There In Space?

The common question when thinking about life in space is always “Is there even life in space”? But few people think about what would actually happen next if we were to find life out there beyond the stars. If we ever do receive a message from extraterrestrial beings, many people have this vision of it […] Continue reading

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Blog Post 6: Gravitational Slingshot

Have you ever played with a slingshot to shoot small items such as pebbles as a kid? Astronomers can also tap into their inner child by using a gravitational slingshot in space. A gravitational slingshot happens when a small object uses the gravitational pull of a larger object to speed itself up. Take a spacecraft […] Continue reading

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Blog Post 5: Ultima Thule

Most people have New Years goals of going to the gym more or spending more time with their family. The New Horizons team had a New Years goal to capture a clear image of Ultima Thule, the furthest known Kuiper belt object at that time, on a New Years flyby. Most people will look at […] Continue reading

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What would happen if an asteroid struck present-day Earth?

We normally only see asteroids striking Earth in science fiction (what a relief!). NASA actually has an observatory whose sole purpose is to track both asteroids and comets and that appear like they might come close to Earth. During December of 2022, there were 5 asteroids that were placed on watch. Two of these asteroids […] Continue reading

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Blog Post 3: What will happen when our Sun dies???

Just as all things have a beginning, all things have an end. Unfortunately this applies to our Sun as well. As a kid, I used to think that the Sun was basically just like a lamp light in the sky. When a lamp runs out of batteries, all you have to do to make it […] Continue reading

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Blog Post 2: Celestial Navigation

In order to navigate the vast seas when traveling in today’s time, we can easily use modern technology to pinpoint exactly where we are in the ocean. A prime example of this type of technology would be GPS systems. However, GPS systems haven’t been around forever. Celestial navigation is the art of determining both the […] Continue reading

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Chosen Astronomer Galileo Galilei was born on February 15, 1564, in Pisa, Italy. He died on January 8, 1642, in Arcetri, Italy. You can find more great information about him here. Historical events The first Japanese invasion of Korea happened in 1592. As a response, Ming China sent an army to Korea to ward off […] Continue reading

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When I was in elementary school, I never understood why Pluto was called a dwarf planet. I called Pluto a “baby planet” because it looked so tiny compared to the rest of the planets. I thought the reason that it was called a dwarf planet was because of its smaller size. The International Astronomical Union […] Continue reading

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This is my first ever headshot that was taken on Vanderbilt’s campus. You can find some cool facts about links between music and astronomy here Continue reading

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