Author Archives: zoodrey

We are so unbelievably tiny!

Posted on April 29, 2013 by zoodrey

above is a photo of what one artist pictures the Milky Way to look like. I googled “What the Earth looks like in the Milky Way” to see a range of ideas and predictions that currently exist. The Google Image results got me thinking. We are absurdly small. The Sun is massive compared to us, … Continue reading » Continue reading →

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11 of the Weirdest Solutions to the Fermi Paradox

Posted on April 29, 2013 by zoodrey

The Fermi Paradox is the current contradiction between the estimates about the existence of extraterrestrial civilization and our current lack of proof and interaction with such a civilization. According to Wikipedia’s page on the Fermi Paradox, Fermi argues that The Sun is a young star and here are billions of stars in our galaxy that are more … Continue reading » Continue reading →

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Astronomy and its Misconceptions

Posted on April 10, 2013 by zoodrey

I was browsing earlier and decided to think back on some of the assumptions I had about our Solar System before beginning this class. I stumbled upon this page and was proud to say that although I was not THAT clueless, I was guilty of some of the common misconceptions about Astronomy. It was interesting to … Continue reading » Continue reading →

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And Then There were 8

Posted on April 10, 2013 by zoodrey

Bye pluto We all learned the acronym back in elementary school: My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas. Now the joke going around is that we have to learn My Very Evil Mother Just Served Us Nothing. Not only is Pluto killing our childhood knowledge, it’s also being mean to moms! So the … Continue reading » Continue reading →

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There Aren’t any 5 star Restaurants in Space…

Posted on March 19, 2013 by zoodrey

Can you imagine eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner by squeezing it out of a tube? If your childhood dream of becoming an astronaut had ever come true, that’s exactly what you’d be doing rather than enjoying your Randwich. Menu options for astronauts visiting Mercury, according to NASA, include freeze-dried powder, cube sized food, and tube stuffed … Continue reading » Continue reading →

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Why do we associate stars with being white?

Posted on March 14, 2013 by zoodrey

If you asked your neighbor what colors the stars in the sky are, 9/10 (with the 10th probably being an astronomer) would answer white. Why do we associate stars with being white? They actually emit all colors of the rainbow; the color emitted is based on the temperature of the star. So, you may think … Continue reading » Continue reading →

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Why are polarized sunglasses helpful?

Posted on February 20, 2013 by zoodrey

What do polarized sunglasses do differently than regular sunglasses? Polarized sunglasses affect the direction of light reflection. We know that light travels in waves in a random assortment of direction. Polarization is all of the horizontal reflection of light off of reflective surfaces. When light hits an object, it will reflect parallel to the surface. … Continue reading » Continue reading →

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Happy Valentine’s Day! I bought you a Star!! <3

Posted on February 20, 2013 by zoodrey

Your very own Star! Websites exist that allow you to buy a loved one a star.. often for as low as $14.95, such as this one. You even get to choose from different gift packages to satisfy all your star naming cravings. That must really be a good way to win a girl over… buy … Continue reading » Continue reading →

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Tycho Brahe: Historical Astronomers in Context

Posted on February 6, 2013 by zoodrey

sweet mustache! the 411 on Tycho Brahe: Brahe proposed a theory different than the one we support today (where the Moon orbits the Earth which orbits the Sun with the other planets) ; Brahe supported a geo-heliocentric solar system with the Moon and the Sun orbiting Earth and the remaining planets orbiting the Sun still. He … Continue reading » Continue reading →

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Tycho Brahe: Historical Astronomers in Context

Posted on February 6, 2013 by zoodrey

sweet mustache! the 411 on Tycho Brahe: Brahe proposed a theory different than the one we support today (where the Moon orbits the Earth which orbits the Sun with the other planets) ; Brahe supported a geo-heliocentric solar system with the Moon and the Sun orbiting Earth and the remaining planets orbiting the Sun still. He … Continue reading » Continue reading →

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