Category Archives: Science

The Potential for Nuclear Fusion on Earth

Stars like the Sun have been powering themselves through the use of nuclear fusion for billions of years, and the Sun is expected to be powered for billions more before it runs out of its source of hydrogen fuel through the proton-proton chain. As outlined on my previous blog post, one second of energy created […] Continue reading

Posted in Class, Science | Tagged , | Comments Off on The Potential for Nuclear Fusion on Earth

Nuclear Fusion: The Heartbeat of Stars

In order for stars to generate the enormous amounts of energy that they do, a very specific, energy-intensive process is needed: nuclear fusion. It is this process that allows stars to shine brightly for billions of years. But how exactly does nuclear fusion work? In short, in the cores of stars, temperatures reach the millions […] Continue reading

Posted in Class, Physics, Science | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Nuclear Fusion: The Heartbeat of Stars

The Moon and The Tides

Did you know that tides are caused by the Moon’s gravitational pull? (Photo from The Business Insider) Usually about every 12 hours coastal places around the world experience high and low tides in a constant cycle. This is due to the subtle pull of the Moon’s gravitational forces on the Earth’s water supply. Along the […] Continue reading

Posted in Class, Science | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Moon and The Tides

Historical Astronomers in Context

I chose the Astronomer Isaac Newton. Photo of Sir Isaac Newton Historical Events: The End of the English Civil War: It ended on September 3rd, 1651 with Oliver Cornwall’s victory at Worcester. It was a war that occurred in the British Isles between the supporters of Charles I and opposing groups in each of Charle’s […] Continue reading

Posted in Historical, Science | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Historical Astronomers in Context

Culmination Blog

This will be my final blog for this course. I just want to say that I learned so much, and I am grateful for what I learned. My eyes have been opened up, and I learned so much information that I never knew. My favorite part of this course was the actual observing of celestial […] Continue reading

Posted in Class, Science, Universe | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Culmination Blog

Light Has Momentum?

How is that possible – And how can we take advantage? We know that light has no mass. And, according to classical mechanics, momentum is given by 1/2mv^2; in other words, according to classical mechanics, light cannot have momentum. But, as we know, light is different — and oh so interesting! By virtue of energy […] Continue reading

Posted in Class, Physics, Science | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Light Has Momentum?

Blog 8

Welcome to my last blog on topics related to our Solar System! It has been fun time writing random stuff running through my head and calling it a blog. Here’s another: It’s really interesting to see the connections between worlds in science fiction and worlds in our solar system. For example, let’s compare Mustafar and […] Continue reading

Posted in Class, Physics, Science, Universe | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Blog 8

It’s a Great, Big Universe…

The thing about space is, it’s big. There’s always something new being discovered even in the solar system; ancient astronomers used to think Venus was a star, and now we’re discovering actual stars that even have their own solar systems. More exceptions are being discovered to rules that our own system led us to think […] Continue reading

Posted in Class, Science, Universe | Tagged , | Comments Off on It’s a Great, Big Universe…

Black Holes

Black holes have always been one of the most fascinating things about our universe. I’m sure everyone remembers how the internet went insane when this photo was released. Black holes are everywhere in popular media like movies and video games. The concept that something so massive exists and nothing can ever escape from it astonishes […] Continue reading

Posted in Class, Science | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Black Holes

The Ultimate Thrillseekers

Extremophiles, as their names insinuate, are capable of withstanding extreme conditions that would kill any other organism. The tardigrade, informally known as the “water bear”, is the most well known of these and can comfortably reside in ludicrous environments despite barely being any bigger than a millimeter. So how does this pertain to astronomy? Well, […] Continue reading

Posted in Class, Science | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The Ultimate Thrillseekers