Category Archives: Class

Alien civilizations. How many are there?

Throughout my life, I have always been curious of what lies beyond our sky and more importantly who lies there? After discussing the Drake Equation in class and also the probabilities and alignments necessary for there to be life, I am going to address this topic. According to the Guardian, scientists say that the amount […] Continue reading

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Culminating (Post 8)

Throughout the course of this semester I have had the opportunity to learn so much about our Solar System as well as the universe as a whole. Blogging about current events in astronomy has taught me a lot about the projects that are being funded and the steps astronomers are taking to research new areas. […] Continue reading

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Black Hole Systems

Stars are capable of being pulled into the orbit of black holes due to their incredible mass. As the stars begin to orbit the black hole, mass from the star is pulled towards the black hole in the form of gas from the star’s atmosphere. NASA believes that the black hole collects the mass asContinue reading “Black Hole Systems” Continue reading

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The Myths of the Fermi Paradox

For decades, the Fermi Paradox has been cited as evidence that if other intelligent life existed out there in our universe they would have inevitably made their way to Earth by now as a part of interstellar exploration or colonization. The paradox is named for Enrico Fermi, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist credited with building theContinue reading “The Myths of the Fermi Paradox” Continue reading

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The Future of Space: Defense and Exploration

Our recent studies of impacts and life in the universe have made me consider the future of astronomy and space travel. The incessant threat of a catastrophic impact means that there will always be a focus on impactor defense here on Earth, and humanity’s natural urge for expansion and exploration will surely result in futureContinue reading “The Future of Space: Defense and Exploration” Continue reading

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Extremophiles: The Deinococcus Radiodurans

Extremophiles are organisms that live in extreme environments; these environments are usually under high pressure and temperature. These organisms use certain enzymes, ‘extremozymes’, that help them exist in such an intense environment. Extremophiles were more prominent in the evolutionary history of the planet. They date back to more than 40 million years ago, and they…Continue reading » Continue reading

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Fermi’s Paradox

Fermi’s paradox is the paradox where is there is no clear evidence for extraterrestrial life. This paradox was named after physicist Enrico Fermi, who made the point that we hadn’t seen any extraterrestrials. Where is everybody else? The Fermi paradox has possible solutions that are split into 3 categories: we are alone; civilizations are common,…Continue reading » Continue reading

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Where are all the Aliens? Natural and Self-Inflicted Explanations for the Fermi Paradox

Broadly speaking, our views on the probability of extraterrestrial life have gotten more optimistic over time due to a long series of discoveries that have increased our estimates for the size of the universe, the frequency of planets, the frequency of liquid water on worlds, and the ability for life to thrive in extreme conditions.Continue reading “Where are all the Aliens? Natural and Self-Inflicted Explanations for the Fermi Paradox” Continue reading

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The Fermi Paradox : Are We Alone?

The Fermi Paradox Picture The universe is magnificently huge, and hence should have countless opportunities for life to develop, but that then begs the question, where are all the aliens? Due to the expansion of the universe being faster than the speed of life, there may be life throughout many galaxies, or even most of …

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Future Visits to Solar System Worlds

Now that I have learned a great deal about the Solar System, I am looking forward to keeping track of the ongoing and future missions sending spacecraft to various worlds in the solar system. This post will outline some highlights of upcoming missions, as well as their objectives. Additionally, these missions are the ones focused […] Continue reading

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