Author Archives: williamjturner

Would Landing on Europa Make Us Europeans?

Posted on March 30, 2020 by williamjturner

As I commented in a previous blog post, one of the most fascinating questions that a person studying the solar system can ask is whether life exists outside of our Earthly home. Within this question lay an abundance of philosophical arguments, all counteracting one another and seeking to define the ‘correct’ answer to this question.Continue reading “Would Landing on Europa Make Us Europeans?” Continue reading →

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What Else is Out There?

Posted on March 15, 2020 by williamjturner

Ever since I was a child, I have enjoyed science-fiction movies and literature. As a subset of this genre, I truly enjoy when these movies incorporate aliens into the equation. The idea that there may be life outside of our own solar system is simultaneously fascinating and terrifying. The discovery of aliens would be theContinue reading “What Else is Out There?” Continue reading →

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It Does Matter If Your Grandchildren Can See Polar Bears

Posted on March 15, 2020 by williamjturner

One of the – quite literally – hottest topics in the world right now (at least prior to the outbreak of the Coronavirus) is the threat of climate change to our world. Climate change is undeniable as scientists have proven over and over that the composition of Earth’s atmosphere is changing (primarily due to pollutionContinue reading “It Does Matter If Your Grandchildren Can See Polar Bears” Continue reading →

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The Historical Advancement of Astronomy

Posted on February 10, 2020 by williamjturner

After completing the homework assignment on historical astronomers, I found myself diving into the internet to find out more on the astronomers we researched. This trip down the wormhole of the internet led me to an article about Isaac Newton, titled: “What if there was no Apple tree?” This article ponders what would have happenedContinue reading “The Historical Advancement of Astronomy” Continue reading →

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Observing the Sky at Night

Posted on January 21, 2020 by williamjturner

One of my favorite pastimes is observing the sky at night and seeing which constellations I can point out. While I am no expert by any stretch of the imagination, I like to think that I have a basic knowledge of several “main” constellations — Orion’s Belt, the North Star, the Big / Little Dipper,Continue reading “Observing the Sky at Night” Continue reading →

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An Introduction

Posted on January 13, 2020 by williamjturner

This post is intended to introduce readers to the blog and its author, Jesse Turner. My name is Jesse Turner and I am a senior at Vanderbilt University. I am originally from Nashville, TN, and my hometown links directly to my choice of image below. As a native Tennessean, my favorite football team is theContinue reading “An Introduction” Continue reading →

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