Author Archives: sadiekarr

Until Next Time!

Posted on April 30, 2023 by sadiekarr

(Tatooine’s “Twin Suns“) I have always thought that astronomy and everything to do with Earth and outer space were so freaking cool (and terrifying), but it wasn’t until this year (taking both ASTR 1010 and 2110) that I got to really dive into the area of study. It’s a lot harder for me than some […] Continue reading →

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Godzilla the Extremophile

Posted on April 30, 2023 by sadiekarr

(Diagram of the various conditions in which different types of extremophiles live) Extremophiles are organisms that live in, you guessed it, “extreme” environments, like volcanoes, the bottom of the ocean, acidic areas, etc. When we talked about extremophiles in class, we mostly looked at microbes and bacteria- the little guys. But I want to talk […] Continue reading →

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Space Potatoes!

Posted on April 9, 2023 by sadiekarr

(Diagram showing various asteroids, very potato shaped, you may notice) As Dr. G says, “When I say Asteroids, you say Space Potatoes!” But what exactly does that mean? The reason we liken asteroids to potatoes is because of their shape (unfortunately, they do not taste as good as those beautiful starchy tubers) (Side note: in […] Continue reading →

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Lightning on Jupiter

Posted on April 9, 2023 by sadiekarr

How fitting that mysterious lightning has been observed on the planet named after the god of sky and storms! Lightning on Jupiter has been reported multiple times over the years during multiple space missions: the 1979 Voyager mission, 1990s Galileo Jupiter mission, and again during the 2007 New Horizons mission. Now that we’ve got Juno […] Continue reading →

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Retrograde… what the heck

Posted on February 12, 2023 by sadiekarr

(Diagram showing Ptolemy’s early explanation of retrograde motion) Understanding retrograde can get a little confusing. Before taking astronomy, I’d only ever heard the term used by the astrology girlies. I thought maybe it was another “constellations are not real” scenario- but retrograde is real! Early astronomer Ptolemy (c. AD 100), as he observed the night […] Continue reading →

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A Pretty Crazy Dude

Posted on February 2, 2023 by sadiekarr

(Historic Astronomer Tycho Brahe) Tycho Brahe is one crazy dude. Mostly awesome crazy. He was born December 14, 1546, and died October 24, 1601. Tycho Brahe was the greatest naked eye observer of all time. He had incredibly great vision and documented what he saw. He was relatively well off and was about to build […] Continue reading →

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Solar Eclipses 😱😎

Posted on January 22, 2023 by sadiekarr

(Eclipse over Jackson, Wyoming by Ronan Donovan via NatGeo) In August 2017 a total solar eclipse was witnessed by many, cutting across the United States. My family, here in Nashville, TN, was able to see it! Even though it was a Monday, and I should have had classes, my school was cancelled for the day […] Continue reading →

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About Me!

Posted on January 17, 2023 by sadiekarr

Hi! My name is Sadie Karr, I’m a freshman here at Vanderbilt, and I plan on studying English Literary Studies. I’m mostly in astronomy for the AXLE science credit, but I am totally fascinated by all things space and didn’t hesitate to take a second semester of astronomy with Dr. G. This picture is of […] Continue reading →

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