Category Archives: Class | Astr 2110

Asteroids and nucleotides | blog VIII

Posted on May 1, 2022 by clviggiano

Just five days ago, researchers identified the last two nucleotide bases in asteroid samples that had previously been unrecognized. Professor and researcher Yasuhiro Oba at Hokkaido University in Japan, alongside a team of scientists, successfully identified the missing cytosine and thymine nucleases. Unlike the other bases, Cyt. and Thy. have very delicate structures, making them […] Continue reading →

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Acidophiles, pH, and life on Venus | blog VII

Posted on May 1, 2022 by clviggiano

The pH scale is used to gauge the acidity and ranges from 0-14, with lower values being more acidic and higher values being more alkali. 7 is the neutral level between the two. Substances like battery or stomach acids have pHs around 0 or 1; water and blood are around 7, with drain cleaner or […] Continue reading →

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Planetary migration theory | blog VI

Posted on April 15, 2022 by clviggiano

Discoveries of extrasolar planets and the growing pool of knowledge surrounding them has raised innumerable new questions. Many of these worlds do not follow the patterns or rules of planetary composition, location, etc. that exist within our own solar system. One of the biggest ones in response to these inconsistencies—is our current solar nebula formation […] Continue reading →

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486958 Arrokoth | blog V

Posted on April 15, 2022 by clviggiano

486958 Arrokoth claimed its rank as a notable solar body after the New Horizons flyby in early 2019, a mission executed in conjunction with the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, and Southwest Research Institute. This object, often tagged with its informal name of Ultima Thule, is Trans-Neptunian Object (TNO) located on the outskirts of the […] Continue reading →

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Mercury and its core | blog IV

Posted on March 20, 2022 by clviggiano

Measuring just over one-third of Earth’s diameter, Mercury is the smallest terrestrial planet in the solar system. However, relative to other worlds, Mercury’s core constitutes a very large part of its volume. Despite the vast difference in their scale, “Mercury’s inner core is indeed solid [and] very nearly the same size as Earth’s inner core,” […] Continue reading →

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Aurora borealis and australis | blog IV

Posted on March 16, 2022 by clviggiano

Aurora borealis and australis (the northern and southern lights, respectively) are an atmospheric phenomenon that results from strong solar winds hitting our atmosphere. The magnetic field captures some of the electrically-charged particles bombarding the Earth, and effectively guides them towards the two poles. Atoms and molecule collide with particles from the Sun in a process […] Continue reading →

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Black holes and spacetime | blog post II

Posted on February 16, 2022 by clviggiano

Black holes are areas in spacetime where the gravitational force is so strong that nothing can escape. This includes forms of electromagnetic radiation like light. Current general relativistic models depict black holes as a taking on spheroid shapes, with an interminably long “tail” leading to its point of singularity. Singularity is a geometric point where […] Continue reading →

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Posted on February 6, 2022 by clviggiano

Johannes Kepler (December 27th, 1571 – November 15th, 1630) was a German-born astronomer who carried out much of his scientific research in Prague. Inarguably, Kepler’s most important contributions to astronomy were his three laws of planetary motion, the first two of which he published in 1609, and the third a decade later. The first law states […] Continue reading →

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Post 1 | Motions of the Universe

Posted on January 26, 2022 by clviggiano

While some people may think of space as an unmoving void, the reality of the matter is that motion plays integral roles in the interactions between celestial bodies. In fact, space is moving constantly, and in a myriad of different ways. Earth moves on its axis; the planets in our solar system orbit around the […] Continue reading →

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Introduction — image by me

Posted on January 24, 2022 by clviggiano

Hi! My name is Carson Viggiano, I’m majoring in Spanish, Portuguese, and Arabic and minoring in Political Theory. I’ve always loved the sky, cloud formations, and constellation patterns, so I’m really excited about this class.

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