Category Archives: Moons

Life on Europa??

One of humanity’s greatest wonders is if life could exist outside of Earth. Surely humans are not the only living creatures to exist in the entire universe, but where could other organisms flourish? Scientists have identified three key criteria that make life possible: liquid water, chemistry, and energy. Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons and the […] Continue reading

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The Cataclysmic Creation of Earth’s Moon

~”We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard” ~ John F. Kennedy Earth’s moon is a vital factor for life on our planet, and it plays a major role for tides and tilt. However, the origin of our […] Continue reading

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Spring Tides and Rising Sea Levels

The effects of human-induced climate change are becoming more and more apparent over time. Some of the most highly impacted areas are those on the water, who, when facing spring tides, can experience dangerous levels of flooding. Spring tides occur when the Sun and the Moon are exerting gravitational force on the same line, both […] Continue reading

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Blog 2 – Forecasting Tides

Image Source Have you ever wondered how we predict the rise and fall of tides? Tides are driven by the gravitational forces of the Earth, Moon, and Sun, and has been a relevant subject to astronomers for hundreds of years. In a general sense, we are able to predict the timing of high vs. low […] Continue reading

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A tidal bore worth traveling for

Mont Saint-Michel at high tide Chapter 4 of the textbook explained how the Moon and the Sun affect ocean tides. We learned that the timing and height of tides at a given location depends on its latitude, the orientation of the coastline, and the depth and shape of any channel the tide has to flow […] Continue reading

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The farmers’almanac

In elementary school, my library teacher always had the Farmers’ Almanac for the year on her desk. The Farmers’ Almanac has a forecaster who works under the pseudonym Caleb Weatherbee. Weatherbee’s predictions are based on a formula that takes many things into account including the Moon phases. Every fall, my classmates and I looked forward […] Continue reading

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Blog 1: Eclipse Chasers

On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will happen in North America. For those in Nashville, a mere 2-3 hour drive will allow viewers to witness it. For some, it is worth the journey to witness this rare occurrence, and for others perhaps not. For a select few, however, it is always worth the […] Continue reading

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Blog 1: Asymmetry of the Moon

By looking at the image above, it’s clear to see that the dark splotches we’ve come to associate with our closest cosmic neighbor, the Moon, are only seen on one side! The farside of the moon is much more uniform with a lot more craters than the side we see. This stark difference has puzzled […] Continue reading

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Dragonfly: Quadcopter on Titan

After the recent rocket launch in preparation for the Artemis mission, I decided to look into the other space exploration projects currently underway. One that stuck out to me is the Dragonfly mission. After the landing of Huygens, a space probe sent from Cassini, in 2005, astronomers have desired a more advanced exploration of Titan. […] Continue reading

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Scientists Dream of Complex Life on Europa

Images from BBC Article on Europan Life and CNET Article on Proposed NASA Rover The search for extraterrestrial life is often focused upon deep space with distances the human mind can barely comprehend. However, evidence has been building that complex life could be present in our cosmological backyard on the icy moon of Europa. The […] Continue reading

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