Author Archives: Nathan Xiao

Not-So-Astronomical Budgets

Posted on May 1, 2018 by Nathan Xiao

Featured image Getting things to space is no small feat. It requires a lot of manpower, intelligence, time, and, unfortunately, money. Space exploration, travel, and research are certainly worthy pursuits – I don’t think many people are opposed to what NASA does. But their projects seem to cost a lot of money, and is sometimes … Continue reading Not-So-Astronomical Budgets → Continue reading →

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50 Ways to Make a (Golden) Record

Posted on May 1, 2018 by Nathan Xiao

Featured image I’ve always found the Golden Record very interesting. It represents a special moment in humanity’s history, when we decided what particular parts of our existence on Earth we wanted to show to any other possible life forms in the universe. What, then, did we decide to put on it? How did we reach … Continue reading 50 Ways to Make a (Golden) Record → Continue reading →

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Almost InSight

Posted on March 17, 2018 by Nathan Xiao

InSight is short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, and is NASA’s next big spacecraft. A little contrived, but its memorable. InSight is a Mars lander designed to study the inside of Mars: the crust, mantle, and core. It does so by measuring the planet’s seismology, heat flow, and precision tracking. … Continue reading Almost InSight → Continue reading →

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gravity.wav

Posted on February 12, 2018 by Nathan Xiao

  Picture: Artist depiction of gravitational waves at work Gravity has long been one of the most transfixing ideas in our universe. For centuries, we have tried to crack the code of what exactly lies beneath our 9.8 meters per second squared. Since the apple first dropped on Newton’s head, we’ve been pining to understand … Continue reading gravity.wav → Continue reading →

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The Map in the Stars

Posted on February 12, 2018 by Nathan Xiao

Getting around is always a difficult task. Even with supercomputers that fit in the palm of our hand and tell us how to get literally anywhere, we still get lost. That being said, it was much more difficult to navigate when all we had were the stars in the sky. Celestial navigation is a craft … Continue reading The Map in the Stars → Continue reading →

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Posted on February 5, 2018 by Nathan Xiao

Galileo Galilei: Born: February 15, 1564. Died January 8, 1642. 3a: In 1605, Jamestown, Virginia was established in the New World. It was the first permanent English colony on American mainland. In 1605, Don Quixote was published. Written by Miguel de Cervantes, it was the first modern novel and became a cultural and literary landmark. 3b: … Continue reading Historical Astronomers in Context → Continue reading →

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Kessel Run in Twelve Parsecs

Posted on January 23, 2018 by Nathan Xiao

The speed of light is one of the few constants in our universe that we consistently look to when it comes to space. It is an astronomical measurement that we only dream of achieving. Seeing the Millennium Falcon shift into overdrive or the Enterprise slip into hyperdrive are only distant fantasies for us Earth-bound creatures. … Continue reading Kessel Run in Twelve Parsecs → Continue reading →

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First Post

Posted on January 19, 2018 by Nathan Xiao

By me  Continue reading →

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