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Category Archives: Class
ExploreMoons
Jupiter has a total of 53 named moons. That is more than any other planet in our solar system. The four largest moons ( Io, Europa, Callisto, and Ganymede) are called the Galilean Satellites. They were named after the astronomer Galileo who first discovered them. These four each have distinct characteristics that distinguish them fromContinue reading “ExploreMoons” Continue reading
Meet the Snottite
I would like to introduce you to the Snottite. The Snottite is a microbial mat of extremophilic bacteria that hang around walls and ceiling of caves just like stalactites. That’s maybe why they have the same suffix. But yes, it does get its name for its mucus like consistency but they are every bit extremophile. […] Continue reading
Posted in Class
Tagged astro2110, blog7, extremophile, extremophiles, Io, Uncategorized
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Where are they?
The likelihood of life outside of our planet is a heavily debated topic. Overall, it seems reasonable to assume that with all of the unexplored universe around us, and the conditions required to sustain life that are not all that hard to find, there should be plenty examples of life elsewhere. Despite this, and the overwhelming beliefContinue reading “Where are they?” Continue reading
Posted in Aliens, Class
Tagged astro2110, blog8, extraterrestrial, fermiparadox
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Blog 8: My Newly Formed Perspective
It’s weird to think about how this will be the final assignment for our astronomy class. Throughout the semester, my understanding of the vast universe we exist in has deepened, further changing my perspective of our world and humanity’s role within it. In this class, we studied the basic processes of the universe, from itsContinue reading “Blog 8: My Newly Formed Perspective” Continue reading
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Tagged astro2110, blog8, Solar System
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Microscopic but Adorable!
One of the biggest indicators that there is other life in the universe we can see by looking at our own world. All around us, in some of the most unexpected places, we can find thriving extremophiles. These tiny creatures live under conditions that no other living beings on Earth could. Despite their seemingly odd love of intenseContinue reading “Microscopic but Adorable!” Continue reading
Posted in Class, Science
Tagged astro2110, blog7, extremophiles, tardigrades
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All about Aurora
The Northern Lights are one of the most intriguing phenomena of the natural world, and have been attributed to many different things throughout history. The name itself comes from Galileo, who names them after the Roman goddess Aurora, who in Greek was known as Eos and described as rosy-fingered. Many cultures have their own interpretationsContinue reading “All about Aurora” Continue reading
Looking Back Over This Semester
I’ll begin this post by warning that it’s going to be a rather frank conversation about some mental health stuff. Nothing concerning or whatever, but I thought I’d put that out front. Throughout this semester, I have struggled with my mental health. For me, this is mostly in the form of OCD, particularly obsessive thoughtContinue reading “Looking Back Over This Semester” Continue reading
The Fermi Paradox and Great Filters
We briefly discussed the Fermi Paradox in class. However, one major potential “explanation” of the paradox went undiscussed: the idea of various “great filters.” These great filters are supposedly things that naturally arise in the course of life’s and/or civilization’s development that prevent them from becoming long-lasting intelligent life forms. These could be a wideContinue reading “The Fermi Paradox and Great Filters” Continue reading
Posted in Aliens, Class
Tagged astro2110, blog7, Fermi Paradox
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Space Exploration: History, Ethics, and Potentially-Conflicting Interests
But why, some say the Moon? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask, why climb the highest mountian [sic]? Why – 35 years ago – why fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas? We choose to go to the Moon, we choose to go to the Moon in this decadeContinue reading “Space Exploration: History, Ethics, and Potentially-Conflicting Interests” Continue reading
Posted in Class, General, Historical
Tagged astro2110, blog8, Solar System, space exploration
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Protein and the Tardigrade
The poster child of extremophiles, the tardigrade, is well known for its abilities to survive the heights of the Himalayas and the vacuum of space. Also, it has the fitting nickname of the “water bear”, and the similarities to a bear might extend further past just looks. Tardigrades have been completely reanimated after being driedContinue reading “Protein and the Tardigrade” Continue reading
Posted in Class, Science
Tagged astro2110, blog7, tardigrade
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