Author Archives: nickwtheastronomer

Tardigrade: The Winter Soldier

Posted on April 27, 2016 by nickwtheastronomer

Earth’s most resilient organism has once again astounded the scientific community. Tardigrades, also referred to as “waterbears”, have successfully demonstrated the ability to survive deep freezing for decades. In November of 1983 a Japanese research team harvested moss while on an anarctic expedition, contained within this harsh environment (as with many other equally harsh areas) […] Continue reading →

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North Korean Space Program’s Latest Breakthrough in Propulsion Technology!

Posted on April 10, 2016 by nickwtheastronomer

Look out NASA, there’s a new kid on the block, and he’s got a shiny new toy. In a highly unprecedented act of transparency and openess, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea allowed members of the Associated Press inside access to their closely guarded Kim Il Sung proving grounds for the debut of their latest […] Continue reading →

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Kepler Concerns

Posted on April 10, 2016 by nickwtheastronomer

One of NASA’s most prized space probes may be in need of some roadside assistance after a scheduled Thursday communication session revealed the craft has entered emergency mode. The Kepler spacecraft was launched in 2009 and is equipped with telescopes and instruments critical to the discovery and analysis of extrasolar planets. Little is known so […] Continue reading →

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The Darkest Planet in the Universe

Posted on April 10, 2016 by nickwtheastronomer

The planet sullenly staring back at you is TrES-2b and no it is not just going through a phase, this exoplanet is indeed the universe’s ultimate goth. TrES-2b is a gas giant which was first detected in 2006 by the Trans-Atlantic Exoplanet Survey (TrES) employing the transit method of exoplanet discovery. In the transit method […] Continue reading →

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Dyson Spheres on the Horizon?

Posted on March 15, 2016 by nickwtheastronomer

We may be getting one step closer to the fabled hallmark of an advanced civilization, the Dyson Sphere. Pioneered by Freeman Dyson in the 1960s, a Dyson Sphere takes the process of energy generation to a level literally out of this world. A Dyson Sphere is a massive assemblage of solar energy collectors placed in […] Continue reading →

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A Mission to Smell Mars

Posted on March 15, 2016 by nickwtheastronomer

Exciting news out of the European continent this week, a joint mission to Mars sponsored by Russia and the European Space Agency is successfully underway. Blasting off from its launch pad in Baikonur, Kazakhstan on March 14th, 2016, the first spacecraft in the ExoMars mission began its approximately seven-month trip to Mars’ atmosphere. The main goal […] Continue reading →

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The Slowest Speed of Light

Posted on February 16, 2016 by nickwtheastronomer

Quickly imagine the speed of light. It’s fast right? I’m sure you’ve been taught that the average speed of light falls somewhere around 3 x 10^8 m/s (6.706 x 10^8 mph) and you are partially correct. But what if I told you that you would have been equally right with an answer of just 38 […] Continue reading →

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Project Orion: Riding Atomic Explosions into Space

Posted on February 16, 2016 by nickwtheastronomer

From the LSD-laden project MK Ultra to the ill-fated foray into psychic warfare that was Stargate Project, the U.S. government has sanctioned some truly strange studies over the past century. But one research endeavor stands out among all the others throught its sheer magnitude, ridiculousness, and surprising potential. I am talking, of course, about Project Orion. […] Continue reading →

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Historical Astronomers in Context: Johannes Kepler

Posted on February 9, 2016 by nickwtheastronomer

Who is Kepler Johannes Kepler’s most renowned contribution to astronomy was his development of the three laws of planetary motion. These three laws correctly defined the elliptic shape of all planetary orbits, established the equal area-equal time interval concept of solar radii, and equated the period of orbit with the size of the orbital elliptic […] Continue reading →

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Fuller-Mooning in the Winter

Posted on January 26, 2016 by nickwtheastronomer

Whoa there. Before you flag this post as inappropriate, answer this question. Was this photo taken at noon or at midnight? If you answered midnight, congratulations! And surprisingly enough, this stunning photo of a full moon could only have been photographed in the winter. But why winter? Don’t we get full moons year-round? This is […] Continue reading →

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