Category Archives: Historical

William Herschel believes in ghosts!

Posted on January 20, 2015 by karenagrebenc

picture from: www.redorbit.com One of my favorite moments in the Neil deGrasse Tyson-hosted show Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey takes place in the first moments of one of the first few episodes.  It “flashes back” to the early 1800’s, showing a cartoon involving the famous astronomer William Herschel and his young son, John, walking along the […] Continue reading →

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The Cosmic Calendar

Posted on January 14, 2015 by michellelei

The universe is a staggering 14 billion years old – most of us can’t comprehend that length of time, so to put things into perspective, one can fit the entire history of the universe into one calendar year. With this “cosmic calendar,” the universe’s lifetime can be more easily understood by you and me. The… Continue reading The Cosmic Calendar Continue reading →

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Extraterrestrial Detection

Posted on April 29, 2014 by thomasridgway

Perplexed by the lack of communication by extraterrestrial beings, Freeman Dyson proposed a new tool for searching for intelligent life. …

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Vikings and Astronomy

Posted on April 28, 2014 by forestcsharp

This link details how the ancient Vikings were themselves keen astronomers. As the article details, the Vikings utilized the ever-popular Polaris as a guiding light during sea travel. They would measure the angle relative to Polaris to determine cardinal directions for … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Life from Earth, elsewhere

Posted on April 28, 2014 by Drew Hamilton

In class, we have discussed the possibility that life on Earth did not originate on Earth, but came to Earth on an asteroid or other impactor. But another idea is that the inverse is true: Later impacts on Earth sent life to other locations in the Solar System. Recent simulations suggest that some of the… Continue reading →

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The origins of life and the Drake equation

Posted on April 28, 2014 by Drew Hamilton

In using the Drake equation to discuss and estimate the probability of non-Earth life in our universe, one factor we estimated was the probability of life developing on a given planet in the habitable zone. The problem with making such an estimate as students in an Astronomy 201 course, of course, is that we all… Continue reading →

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Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

Posted on April 28, 2014 by jblubin

“We are a way for the Cosmos to know itself,” said Carl Sagan.  Astronomy is not only the oldest science, but also a window through which mankind peers through in attempt to glimpse the fleeting answers to our deepest and most fundamental questions. As a direct result of the this class, I find myself looking … Continue reading Standing on the Shoulders of Giants → Continue reading →

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Are We Alone?

Posted on April 28, 2014 by jblubin

The famous science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke was quoted as saying, “Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.” A truer statement is hard to come by. Yet quote also sparks tremendous debate and intrigue among those whose ears come across it for the … Continue reading Are We Alone? → Continue reading →

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Looking Forward

Posted on April 27, 2014 by Chad F

This class has taught me to never doubt human innovation.  Man has been looking to the stars since the beginning and the milestones we have made over the centuries are astounding.  Ancient peoples figured out orbital speeds and distances of the planets by just observing the night sky, and nowadays, we have traversed open space […] Continue reading →

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The Solar System is in us

Posted on April 26, 2014 by haydenwalling

The solar system is an amazing place filled with a vast spectrum of unique objects, and the most notable of them all is us. We and everything else in the solar system are comprised of the same materials that came from the same place, but only we have grown and developed to appreciate that fact. […] Continue reading →

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