Category Archives: Class

Thermophiles on Venus

Thermophiles are a type of extremophiles that can survive above 45 degrees Celsius. These organisms are usually bacteria, and here on Earth they are found in hot springs. I wanted to talk about the possibility of life existing on Venus, not on the surface (it is far too hot there – 475 degrees Celsius). But, […] Continue reading

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Drake Equation

How many civilizations are there in our galaxy? As a kid, I was awestruck by the knowledge of just how small we are as compared to the universe. The concept of “me” is nothing more than a tiny stardust living in 1 of the 100 billion star systems in our galaxy. However, if there are […] Continue reading

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Seager Equation

So the Seager Equation was made to mimic Drake’s Equation. It doesn’t find communicable aliens, but rather just that life which is detectable from Earth. It also doesn’t specify intelligent life, so it searches for any discernible life at all, from microbes to megafauna. The equation goes like this: N* : Number of observable stars […] Continue reading

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The Apollo 11 Quarantine

When Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins returned from space after the Apollo 11 moon landing, they were immediately placed into a quarantine. This was the first manned mission to the moon, and the scientists weren’t sure if there would be any dangerous particles on the moon that the astronauts might bring back to […] Continue reading

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Fermi Paradox

When ordinary people ask, where are the aliens? We usua […] Continue reading

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Blog #8 – Black Holes and How to Find Them

Black Holes are quite a popular topic in astronomy, but I still would like to talk about them for my last post, since they are truly revolutionary. Black Holes, in short, are gravity’s ultimate victory over stars. After a star supernova explosion, the core of a star remains. But if this core weighs more than […] Continue reading

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Blog Post 8: How astro2110 Has Changed My View On Astronomy

Before coming into astro2110, I knew very little about astronomy. Now, after completing the course, my appreciation for astronomy has greatly increased. A few days before the semester started, one of my friends who is an astronomy nerd laughed at me for not knowing the phases of the Moon. I thought to myself, “I’m a […] Continue reading

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Until Next Time!

(Tatooine’s “Twin Suns“) I have always thought that astronomy and everything to do with Earth and outer space were so freaking cool (and terrifying), but it wasn’t until this year (taking both ASTR 1010 and 2110) that I got to really dive into the area of study. It’s a lot harder for me than some […] Continue reading

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Blog Post 7: What Will Happen If We Do Find Life Out There In Space?

The common question when thinking about life in space is always “Is there even life in space”? But few people think about what would actually happen next if we were to find life out there beyond the stars. If we ever do receive a message from extraterrestrial beings, many people have this vision of it […] Continue reading

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Launching Spacecraft with Nuclear Bombs

You might be familiar with the Orion Spacecraft, which is the vehicle being used in NASA’s Artemis series of lunar missions. However, have you ever heard of Project Orion? Most conventional spacecraft are propelled using chemical reactions which create high velocity exhaust that is focused through a rocket nozzle. Newton’s Third Law dictates that the […] Continue reading

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