Category Archives: General

Seager Equation

Posted on April 30, 2023 by oilrigatoni

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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Until Next Time!

Posted on April 30, 2023 by sadiekarr

(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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Astrobiology & The Search For Life

Posted on April 30, 2023 by brandodan

Astrobiology is the study of life that occurs somewhere other than Earth, as we’ve learned in class, and this blog post emphasizes its developments and possible future directions. There have been substantial scientific, technological, and programmatic advances achieved in the hunt for extraterrestrial life since the 2015 publication of NASA’s Astrobiology Strategy. Understanding the beginnings […] Continue reading →

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How Extremophiles Work

Posted on April 30, 2023 by brandodan

As we talked about in class a few weeks ago, Extremophiles are living things that flourish under challenging conditions.They are amazing because they can endure situations that would be fatal to the majority of other life forms. They originate from Archaea, Eubacteria, and Eukarya, the three branches of the three-domain categorization scheme. Extremophiles have caused […] Continue reading →

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Post 8

Posted on April 29, 2023 by berlinbe

Now that the class has concluded, I would like to reflect on astronomy and the importance of the material that we learned. Astronomy is a fascinating topic, not only because of the nature of exploring the universe, but because it has implications for nearly every other science. From studying astronomy, we make revolutions in subjects […] Continue reading →

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Final Post

Posted on April 29, 2023 by dromalley

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 →

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some final thoughts

Posted on April 27, 2023 by Emma Williams

When I started this class, I didn’t expect to find so many connections between astronomy and they other subjects I’m interested in! I am majoring in philosophy and political science, subjects that I believed to be totally independent from the physics and history of our universe. Thankfully, I was very wrong! I still am shocked […] Continue reading →

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Blog #6: Detecting Extrasolar Planets

Posted on April 9, 2023 by Astro 2110

The photo above features the transit method of detecting extrasolar planets. Detecting extrasolar planets is a very delicate and challenging task for scientists. The distances between stars and relative sizes of stars compared to planets make it extremely hard to pick them out. Stars are also typically a billion times brighter than planets. There are […] Continue reading →

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Blog #5: Pluto

Posted on April 9, 2023 by Astro 2110

The above photo was captured by the New Horizons Spacecraft and enhanced by NASA in 2015. Pluto is classified as a dwarf planet and is located in the Kuiper Belt in the far reaches of the Solar System. The average surface temperature on Pluto is around -233°C. This is because Pluto receives very little sunlight […] Continue reading →

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Jupiter’s Great Red Spot

Posted on April 9, 2023 by brandodan

The Great Red Spot on Jupiter is a deep, powerful vortex that is broader than Earth and has been churning for hundreds of years. Its driving mechanism differs from that of other vortices, suggesting that it derives its energy from denser and deeper layers of the atmosphere. The energy mechanisms causing the Great Red Spot […] Continue reading →

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