Category Archives: General

For my 2023 class…

Posted on January 11, 2023 by drgrundstrom

If you’re in my 2023 Solar System class, please put a comment here showing that you’ve found my blog and that you’re following it :)  Please include your first name.  Note that you MUST be logged in to your own WordPress blog when commenting or else you’re doing it wrong! Also make sure you have bookmarked […] Continue reading →

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blog post 08

Posted on May 4, 2022 by graceward02

This class opened my eyes to some really cool astronomy subjects. Astronomy is a subject that I never really got the chance to study in grade school. Since coming to college, and learning more about our universe, my perspective on life has changed. Learning about how vast our universe is, how our solar system formed, […] Continue reading →

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blog post 07

Posted on May 4, 2022 by graceward02

The Fermi Paradox is the conflict between the lack of evidence of extraterrestrial life and high estimates for its existence. The main explanation people have come up with for this paradox is that intelligent life is rare. Using this explanation, it makes sense why there would be many places with rudimentary life, but without intelligent […] Continue reading →

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Blog 7:Fermi Paradox

Posted on May 4, 2022 by Charles Littleton

The Fermi paradox is the conflict between the lack of evidence for extraterrestrials and the high estimates for their existence . The name came from the Italian-American Physicist Enrico Fermi. He was roughly quoted as saying “Where is everybody?” This paradox has been explained by saying that the number of intelligent civilizations is very low. […] Continue reading →

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Wrapping Up

Posted on May 4, 2022 by alexbawa

Looking back at my first post on this blog, it’s cool to see that my first and last posts touched on black holes. I accomplished exactly what I set out to do: answer questions that I wouldn’t otherwise set the time aside for. The most exciting part of the whole process is that I have […] Continue reading →

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Blog 5: Eris

Posted on April 17, 2022 by Charles Littleton

Eris is a trans-Neptunian object and is the second-largest dwarf planet in the solar system. It was discovered in 2005. It is .28 % the mass of Earth. Eris has one large moon, Dsymonia.It is about  96 AU away from the sun. Its orbital period is 559 Years. Its surface has methane ice. This shows […] Continue reading →

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Blog 6: Planet Nine

Posted on April 17, 2022 by Charles Littleton

Planet Nine is a hypothetical planet on the edge of the solar system. Its gravity would explain the weird orbit of objects beyond Neptune. It is predicted to be 5 times the size of Earth. It is assumed to be about 400- AU The Scientists who created this hypothesis believe that the star formed much […] Continue reading →

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Cool Parts of the Atmosphere of Venus

Posted on March 22, 2022 by Charles Littleton

Composition of Venus’ Atmosphere 96.5% Carbon Dioxide 3.5% Nitrogen Venus lacks a magnetic field. Its ionosphere separates it from outer space and the sun’s wind. 4 Billion Years Ago it is assumed that the atmosphere of Venus was a lot like earth’s atmosphere. There could have been liquid water. The area 50-65 km above the […] Continue reading →

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What was Theia?

Posted on March 22, 2022 by Charles Littleton

Theia was about the size of Mars. It orbited with Earth.  It crashed into the Earth and the debris helped create the moon. The core of Theia combined with the core of Earth. Scientists disagree on this and some believe that it formed into multiple moons. It is hypothesized to have orbited in the L4 […] Continue reading →

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How Astronomy may harm Life on Earth

Posted on March 22, 2022 by gcomartin

A new study by Nature Astronomy has tapped an estimate for the greenhouse gas emissions of the astronomy industry. Unfortunately, despite the fact that the global astronomy industry is much smaller than many other industries, its emissions are strikingly large. The number estimated by this study is a staggering 20 million tonnes of CO2 annually. […] Continue reading →

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