Author Archives: sharpew

An out of this world semester…

Posted on May 1, 2013 by sharpew

What a wild ride it has been for me in astronomy 201. I really didn’t know what I was getting myself into. I am not strong in science, I took this course because I needed a credit for MNS and i sounded really interesting, and I didn’t know anyone in the class when it began. […] Continue reading →

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Extremo-cool-creatures

Posted on May 1, 2013 by sharpew

Extreomophiles are mircobes that can survive in ‘extreme’ environments. Our knowledge of these life forms forces us to reconsider the possibility of life on other planets because environments that seem inhospitable to us humans are actually hospitable for these extremophiles. There are several known types of extremophiles: thermophilies that can withstand extremely high temperatures, psychrophiles that can […] Continue reading →

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Social Astronomy!

Posted on April 10, 2013 by sharpew

I am always interested in new ways that information, ideas and stories can be shared or exchanged online. I love all forms of social media including blogs, tumblr, twitter, google plus, you name it. It always helps me learn a new concept if I have a variety of ways to interact with the subject, like […] Continue reading →

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Kepler 2.0 Looks for Earth 2.0

Posted on April 10, 2013 by sharpew

Within the last week, a new break through has been made in the search for extrasolar planets, or planets orbiting another star other than our Sun. As we’ve know, other stars, or other distant suns, hold the possibility of other solar systems. Ideally, these solar systems may contain another Earth-like planet, which could possibly lead […] Continue reading →

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(Infa) Red-Hot Photography

Posted on March 19, 2013 by sharpew

For my 6th blog post, I want to share one of my favorite videos I have found this semester. The video, titled, “Movements in Red”, by photographer Andrew Hurtleff, shows what our world would look like if we could pick up infared wavelengths. Near-infared light, as seen in the video, is detected by light-sensitive chips in Hurtleff’s […] Continue reading →

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The Sound of the Solar System!!

Posted on March 18, 2013 by sharpew

Recently I have started a new habit before bed, I try to watch one TED talk a night. I’ve really enjoyed this experience, and I have learned a lot about things I otherwise would never come across. I really love the variation in the talks, and it reminds me how much knowledge is out there! A few […] Continue reading →

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DETECTING OXYGEN!

Posted on February 19, 2013 by sharpew

According to a New Scientist article from FEBRUARY 19TH, 2013, a new telescope in Chile might be able to detect oxygen on exoplanets (planets outside our solar system). This means that it would be able to detect alien life!! According to the article, our currently developed telescopes can identify the different elements of exoplanet’s atmospheres by studying the substances that absorb […] Continue reading →

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A very ‘pINTERESTING’ blog post

Posted on February 19, 2013 by sharpew

After reading about all the various forms of social media, apps, etc that involve astronomy, I wanted to write about another really awesome incorporation of astronomy into our online resources.. Pintrest! I use Pintrest to gather, sort and categorize a wide variety of ideas, including DIY crafts, style, recipes  home decor, fitness tips, etc. For anyone […] Continue reading →

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Kepler & Shakespeare: Historical Astronomers in Context

Posted on February 5, 2013 by sharpew

  Johannes Kepler: December 27, 1571 – November 15, 1630 Kelper worked with Tycho to explain the motions of planets. By studying Tycho’s observation of Mars’ orbit, Kepler found that planets orbit in eclipses, not circles.  Kepler solidified his findings into three key laws, known as Keplers laws of planetary motion. More Kelper Soo, what else happened […] Continue reading →

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Party Planning– for a solar eclipse!

Posted on January 28, 2013 by sharpew

On May 20, 2012 an Annular eclipse was visible in the continental US. This eclipse marked the first annular eclipse visible for the US in EIGHTEEN years! That’s almost my entire life span! For additional information on this eclipse, click here. The eclipse was visible in several locations in California, Utah and New Mexico. Being an East coast girl, I […] Continue reading →

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