Archives
- November 2024
- October 2024
- September 2024
- August 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- July 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
Currently Used Categories
Tag Cloud
- astro201
- astro2110
- astrobiology
- astronomy
- blog1
- blog2
- blog3
- blog4
- blog5
- blog6
- blog7
- blog8
- blog9
- blog10
- brahe
- Class
- Comets
- Copernicus
- earth
- Europa
- extremophiles
- galilei
- galileo
- gravity
- history
- HW2
- HW6
- jupiter
- Kepler
- life
- Mars
- me
- Moon
- NASA
- Newton
- planets
- pluto
- saturn
- Solar System
- space
- technology
- telescopes
- tides
- Time
- Uncategorized
Category Archives: Aliens
Blog 6: The Fermi Paradox
The Fermi Paradox is the apparent contradiction between the lack of evidence for extra-solar civilizations and the fact that there is a high probability that many Earth-like planets exist that are older than ours and that it would conceivably be possible to explore the galaxy in a couple million years. Simply stated, where are the … Continue reading Blog 6: The Fermi Paradox → Continue reading
The Fermi Paradox and The Great Filter
Simply stated, the Fermi Paradox asks the question, “Where Are All The Aliens?” The life-projecting equations we’ve discussed in class, such as the Drake and Seager Equations, all seem to suggest that thousands, millions, or billions of other forms of life should be out there in the universe. But if that’s the case, why haven’t … Continue reading The Fermi Paradox and The Great Filter → Continue reading
Posted in Aliens, Class
Tagged astro2110, blog6, Fermi Paradox
Comments Off on The Fermi Paradox and The Great Filter
The Rare Earth Hypothesis
I was inspired by Victoria’s post to think more about the Fermi Paradox, and specifically, explanations of the uniqueness of intelligent life on Earth. The Rare Earth Hypothesis is one such explanation; it postulates that conditions favorable to life (and particularly intelligent life) are incredibly rare in the universe. It is in opposition to hypotheses […] Continue reading
Posted in Aliens, Exoplanets, Terrestrials
Tagged astro2110, blog7, earth, Fermi Paradox, Moon, Solar System
Comments Off on The Rare Earth Hypothesis
Adaptive Archaea
Discovered in 1970, Archaea might be the least well-known of the three domains of life (the others being Bacteria and Eukaryota), but it is a fascinating and diverse group of organisms and quite possibly the first on Earth. Like bacteria, archaea are unicellular, prokaryotic organisms, meaning that they lack nuclei and other membrane-bound organelles in […] Continue reading
Posted in Aliens, Terrestrials
Tagged astro2110, astrobiology, blog6, life, Solar System
Comments Off on Adaptive Archaea
Where is everybody?
Despite evidence that suggests that there should be extraterrestrial civilizations, we have not yet detected any signs of these civilizations. This issue is called the “Fermi Paradox,” after Enrico Fermi—a Nobel Prize-winning physicist. Compared to the lifespan of the universe, our sun is relatively young at 4.6 billion years old, so there are older stars […] Continue reading
Enceladus
Enceladus is a medium-size moon of Saturn, with a diameter of about 500 km. Its surface temperature is quite chilly, ranging between 32.9 K (-240 degrees Celsius) and 145 K (-128 degrees Celsius); this is partially because of its distance from the Sun, and also because of its highly reflective surface. The entire moon is … Continue reading Enceladus → Continue reading
Posted in Aliens, Class
Tagged astro2110, blog5, enceladus, Solar System: Jovians, Solar System: Moons
Comments Off on Enceladus
The 1 Shocking Discovery NASA Doesn’t Want You To Know…
VectorStock For most, the discoveries of NASA are taken at face value and seen as trustworthy. However, for a growing number of conspiracists, alternative facts are rising into prevalence. I would like to introduce one of these alternative facts in this blog post. Although it may seem unbelievable, hopefully after a proper explanation, you … Continue reading The 1 Shocking Discovery NASA Doesn’t Want You To Know… → Continue reading
Posted in Aliens
Tagged astro2110, blog3, Mars, Solar System
Comments Off on The 1 Shocking Discovery NASA Doesn’t Want You To Know…
Is There Life on Mars?
Mars, our red-tinted planetary neighbor, has long attracted human curiosity. Due to its unusual color, it was named after the Roman god of war. Although it is so much smaller than our planet (only about half Earth’s diameter and one-tenth its mass), it shares certain Earth-like features, particularly volcanoes and a great canyon. These structures, […] Continue reading
Posted in Aliens, Historical, Terrestrials
Tagged astro2110, blog3, Mars, Solar System
Comments Off on Is There Life on Mars?
Life off Earth
I’m truly baffled by the sheer size and scale of the Universe in comparison to the scale of the life I live, and the implications of that scale on finding life off of Earth. At any point in time, my attention is engulfed by only 10 or so meters of my surroundings, and often only … Continue reading Life off Earth Continue reading
Enter The Hypolith
Hypoliths are photosynthetic bacteria that inhabit the desert. Despite the Namib desert in Namibia being one of the most extreme environments on Earth, hypoliths thrive under quartz rock under these harsh conditions. This desert can go years without rain and it is subject to constant solar radiation and scorching heat. With very little water and … Continue reading “Enter The Hypolith” Continue reading
Posted in Aliens
Tagged astro2110, blog7, extremophiles, Uncategorized
Comments Off on Enter The Hypolith