Author Archives: therestisstardust

Where Do We Go from Here?

Posted on April 29, 2018 by therestisstardust

Given that NASA is a government agency, it’s a little worrisome how it’s funding can be pretty wantonly taken and given as the government sees fit. (That’s why privatization of the space industry through companies like Elon Musk’s SpaceX is so necessary) However, Nasa is currently budgeted .5% of our national budget- that’s 18.4 billion-so […] Continue reading →

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The Fermi Paradox

Posted on April 29, 2018 by therestisstardust

After already having done research on the Drake equation and its implications for extra-solar life, the next question begs to be answered. If there really are so many earth-like planets out there that may have evolved intelligent life, why haven’t we heard from any of them? This is the underlying question that lies behind a […] Continue reading →

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Are We Alone?

Posted on April 3, 2018 by therestisstardust

  I’ll actually take the liberty of answering that. Of course not! How, in our exponentially infinite and ever expanding universe, could it have been us that just happened to luck out on the single life supporting planet? There is certainly other life out there, it’s just a matter of where and what type. Operating […] Continue reading →

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Shine on, Crazy Diamond

Posted on March 16, 2018 by therestisstardust

All the light we see and information we receive in our day to day lives is all thanks to the sun- but do we ever really stop to think what allows the sun to produce to light we so rely on? The sun actually relies heavily on quantum physics to even exist- which sounds very […] Continue reading →

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All the Light We Cannot See

Posted on February 9, 2018 by therestisstardust

Could I really claim to be interested in astronomy whatsoever if I didn’t express my overwhelming fascination with dark matter? Seriously though, I get the feeling that most people without a solid background in astronomy don’t grasp how much of a real phenomenon dark matter is. The name itself sounds like something made up from […] Continue reading →

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Archeoastronomy

Posted on February 8, 2018 by therestisstardust

Last year, I decided to go out on a limb and enroll in ASTR 3000, which is better known as Principles of Astrophysics. I figured as an engineering major, the physics aspect wouldn’t be too unfamiliar- but little did I anticipate that the class would make me fall deeply in love with the subject of […] Continue reading →

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Kepler in Context

Posted on February 3, 2018 by therestisstardust

Kepler, during his lifetime from December 27th, 1571- November 15th, 1630,  made incredible contributions to the field of astronomy. His most famous and impactful contributions are certainly his observations regarding the motion of planets, which have been immortalized as Kepler’s Laws. His discoveries about planetary motion stated that planets move in elliptical orbits, they sweep out […] Continue reading →

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What’s Your Sign?

Posted on January 22, 2018 by therestisstardust

Ok… I’ll admit when I was younger I was really into astrology. It was a fascination fed partly by my mom, who kept around a copy of “The Secret Language of Birthdays” and would consult it regularly, nodding in solemn agreement with the book’s judgement of character. I had a horoscope app on my first […] Continue reading →

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