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Category Archives: Class
JUICE Explorer
As discussed briefly in class, the European Space Agency (ESA) just successfully launched the Juice (formerly JUICE: JUpiter ICy moons Explorer) mission on April 14th! I had no idea this mission even existed before it was mentioned, so I decided to explore it further. The goal of this mission is focused on Jupiter’s moons. While […] Continue reading
Posted in Class, Jovians, Space Travel
Tagged astro2110, blog7, Ganymede, jupiter, spacetravel
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Binary on the Golden Records
The Voyager Golden Records are the successors to the pioneer plaques in that they were launched four years later and contain more information than their predecessors. As phonographic record, there are lots of sounds and images of life on Earth contained on them, which can be read in detail here. The cover of the records, […] Continue reading
Posted in Aliens, Class, Space Travel
Tagged astro2110, blog8, golden record, voyager
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Variable Stars and change in the Night Sky
Image of Omicron Ceti (Mira) Source: Digitized Sky Survey 2 Looking up at the night sky it may seem that while the stars do move around, they remain the same brightness all year round. This was a common belief pushed by philosophers like Aristotle, believing that stars are eternal and invariable. However in 1638 Johannes […] Continue reading
The Statistics of Life
Artist interpretation of Kepler-452b, currently the most Earthlike planet discovered, which could potentially have an atmosphere and life Source: NASA Ames/JPL-Caltech/T. Pyle When faced with an effectively boundless universe, it inevitable to ask the question of how many other lifeforms are out there. In asking this question we tend to be a bit biased, looking […] Continue reading
Posted in Aliens, Class, Observables
Tagged astro2110, blog7, drakeequation, Kepler, life, Uncategorized
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Final Post
It has been a long and interesting semester, filled with learning about everything from the laws of gravity, to the instruments of astronomy, and even alien life. Over the course of this semester, my view of the Solar System has changed drastically, both in detail and much more generally. I’ve learned many surprising facts about […] Continue reading
Binary in the Pioneer Plaques
About the size of a license plate, the Pioneer plaques were placed on the Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 spacecrafts with the hopes of reaching intelligent extraterrestrial life. The two circles on the upper left of the plaque represent two hydrogen atoms, the most abundant element in the universe. If you look closely, the line […] Continue reading
Posted in Aliens, Class, Space Travel
Tagged astro2110, blog7
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The Search for Extraterrestrial Life: Exploring Mars, Europa, and Beyond?
Throughout history, humans have been intrigued by the possibility of life beyond our planet. With modern advancements in space exploration and technology, the quest for extraterrestrial life is more achievable than ever before. NASA and other space agencies have initiated numerous missions to explore our solar system and beyond in search of signs of life. […] Continue reading
Farewell, for now
I have always loved the stars, nebulae, planets, and all the space in between, but I never had a chance to seriously study them until this year. I am incredibly grateful that I was able to devote two classes (and a lab!) to learning more about the processes that govern solar system formation and how […] Continue reading
Posted in Class, Stars
Tagged astro2110, astrobiology, blog8, drake equation, earth, ESA, extremophiles, Fermi Paradox, Magnetosphere, NASA, Solar System
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Where is Everybody?
The Fermi paradox is a very simple question whose answer could have massive consequences for the future of humanity: where is everybody? With equations like the Drake equation predicting a huge number of extraterrestrial civilizations, it seems odd that we have detected no signs of life outside of Earth. In this blog post, I will […] Continue reading
Extremophiles: Life Finds a Way in the Most Extreme Places!
Extremophiles are organisms that can survive in extreme environments where other life forms cannot. These harsh environments can have high or low temperatures, extreme pressures, high levels of radiation, and/or extreme acidity or alkalinity. Despite the inhospitable conditions, extremophiles have developed unique adaptations that allow them to survive and thrive. Did you know that three […] Continue reading
Posted in Class
Tagged astro2110, blog7, extremophiles
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