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Author Archives: rightascensionanddeclinolan
Space Exploration: History, Ethics, and Potentially-Conflicting Interests
But why, some say the Moon? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask, why climb the highest mountian [sic]? Why – 35 years ago – why fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas? We choose to go to the Moon, we choose to go to the Moon in this decadeContinue reading “Space Exploration: History, Ethics, and Potentially-Conflicting Interests” Continue reading
Posted in Class, General, Historical
Tagged astro2110, blog8, Solar System, space exploration
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Religious Pushback to Science: The Scopes Trial
When you first studied biology, you likely saw a picture like this: Though discussing evolution seems commonplace today, it wasn’t always accepted. Notably, the debate over teaching it in schools bubbled up in our backyard just under one hundred years ago: the 1925 Dayton, Tennessee, Scopes Trial. In this post, I’ll tell you about theContinue reading “Religious Pushback to Science: The Scopes Trial” Continue reading
Black Holes and White Holes and Wormholes, Oh My!
They’re some of the most formidable entities in the universe: their strength is unmatched, they make their own rules, and if you get into a serious tussle with one, you’re almost guaranteed to lose. No, I’m not talking about moms. I’m talking about black holes, of course! Duh… If you’ve ever learned about astronomy, chancesContinue reading “Black Holes and White Holes and Wormholes, Oh My!” Continue reading
Posted in Class, Physics, Universe
Tagged astro2110, Black Holes, blog6, relativity, white holes, wormholes
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Historical Views of Comets
According to NASA, comets are “frozen leftovers from the formation of the solar system composed of dust, rock and ices. They range from a few miles to tens of miles wide, but as they orbit closer to the sun, they heat up and spew gases and dust into a glowing head that can be largerContinue reading “Historical Views of Comets” Continue reading
Posted in Class, Historical, Observables
Tagged astro2110, blog5, Comets, Solar System
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Pivoting from Principle
Astronomy is awesome. It lets us make cool observations (e.g., things that inform our understanding of the foundations of the universe, like the Cosmic Microwave Background), helps us ask big questions (e.g., why does the universe exist?), and reminds us that not all questions have answers (e.g., we can’t really expect an answer to theContinue reading “Pivoting from Principle” Continue reading
The Northern Lights: Mythical Explanations
For thousands of years, humans have looked to the sky, and every time we uncover an astronomical surprise, we try to explain it. Today, we use the scientific method to do so; in comparison, older societies frequently created myths. In this blog post, I am going to explore some of the myths surrounding the NorthernContinue reading “The Northern Lights: Mythical Explanations” Continue reading
Posted in Class, Historical, Observables
Tagged astro2110, blog3, northern lights
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Reconciling Science and Religion
In 1615, Galileo wrote a letter to the Grand Duchess Christina (read: the Church) “to accommodate Copernicanism with the doctrines of the Catholic Church … [by] arguing that the Copernican theory was not just a mathematical calculating tool, but a physical reality” (source). In his letter, Galileo claimed – among other things – the following:Continue reading “Reconciling Science and Religion” Continue reading
Posted in Class, Historical, Science
Tagged astro2110, astronomy, blog2, church, galileo, geocentrism, religion, Solar System
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Copernicus in Context
Astronomer: Nicolaus Copernicus (19 February 1473 – 24 May 1543) Copernicus purported seven postulates in his Commentariolus, and the postulates became the foundation of the heliocentric cosmology (David Weintraub, “Copernicus” (Nashville, TN, 2020)). The postulates were the following (quoted directly from Weintraub): There is not a single center for all the celestial orbs or spheresContinue reading “Copernicus in Context” Continue reading
Muons and Time Dilation
In my opinion, one of the coolest parts of astronomy is relativity, the theory describing the warping of spacetime. If you’ve ever seen Interstellar, you’ve been exposed to one part of the theory: time dilation. In short, time dilation is a phenomenon that causes time to pass more slowly in one place than another (relativeContinue reading “Muons and Time Dilation” Continue reading
Hello!
My name is Nolan Siegel, and I am looking forward to blogging this semester! I’m a student at Vanderbilt University studying political science and economics (with minors in astronomy and scientific computing), and I like asking big questions about the universe and my place within it. ASTR 2110 is my fourth astronomy course, and IContinue reading “Hello!” Continue reading