Category Archives: Moons

Extremophiles, and What They Mean For Life in Space

Posted on April 14, 2020 by phildowd

Extremophiles are organisms on Earth that thrive in extreme environment that most other organisms wouldn’t be able to survive in. They are found in places that at a glance, seem unlivable, places like inside volcanoes, or deep in the ocean under extreme pressures. So why do these extremophiles matter when thinking about space? The ideaContinue reading “Extremophiles, and What They Mean For Life in Space” Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Galaxies, Moons, Stars | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Extremophiles, and What They Mean For Life in Space

How Life Could Start and Exist on Europa

Posted on April 4, 2020 by gabezharovtothemoon

Although our understanding of the evolutionary process is deep, the exact time and process through which the first life forms on Earth arose is still not entirely clear. The panspermia hypothesis speculates that life exists throughout the universe and is distributed through asteroids, comets, and space dust, and that life on Earth was brought fromContinue reading “How Life Could Start and Exist on Europa” Continue reading →

Posted in Moons, Science | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on How Life Could Start and Exist on Europa

Could There be Life on Europa?

Posted on March 29, 2020 by phildowd

Europa is one of Jupiter’s Galilean moons, meaning it’s one of the four largest moons that orbit Jupiter. What makes it particularly special is that it is considered one of the most likely places in our solar system (outside of Earth) that might contain life. Now, at a glance, it seems like that shouldn’t beContinue reading “Could There be Life on Europa?” Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Moons, Sun | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Could There be Life on Europa?

Big Planets’ Moons and Life Outside “Habitability”

Posted on March 29, 2020 by remieri

Astrobiology has long relied on the concept of a “habitable zone”, that is a zone around a star that is the right distance from said star to hold liquid water, and therefore life. This concept is absolutely valuable, especially insofar as it allows us to classify new exoplanets and identify potential exoplanets that may hostContinue reading “Big Planets’ Moons and Life Outside “Habitability”” Continue reading →

Posted in Aliens, Class, Jovians, Moons | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Big Planets’ Moons and Life Outside “Habitability”

Why Does Titan Have an Atmosphere?

Posted on March 28, 2020 by Reece Boggs

It’s pretty perplexing as to why Saturn’s moon, Titan, has such a thick atmosphere but a planet like Mars does not. Since the most widely accepted explanation of why Mars has such a thin atmosphere is it losing its magnetosphere as its core cooled and does not contain nearly as much metallic iron has theContinue reading “Why Does Titan Have an Atmosphere?” Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Moons, Science, Terrestrials | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Why Does Titan Have an Atmosphere?

Jupiter’s Moons

Posted on March 28, 2020 by emily

Scientists believe that Jupiter has 79 moons, the most in the solar system. This is most likely because Jupiter is more massive, therefore is can hold on to more massive stuff the orbit around it. Additionally, the fact that Jupiter developed further away from the Sun in the formation process giving it access to moreContinue reading “Jupiter’s Moons” Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Moons | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Jupiter’s Moons

Earth’s (Temporary) Second Moon

Posted on March 16, 2020 by Lily

This title may be a little misleading. Yes, there is a small object that is currently trapped in the Earth’s orbit, however this is a small asteroid by the name of 2020 CD3. This asteroid is typically orbiting the Sun, however recently got trapped in the gravitational pull of the Earth, so, for now, itContinue reading “Earth’s (Temporary) Second Moon” Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Moons, SolarSystem | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Earth’s (Temporary) Second Moon

How do we name our Solar System?

Posted on March 9, 2020 by Avery Bradley

We all remember learning the mnemonic device in elementary school: My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Noodles (or whatever variation you prefer). Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, the eight planets of our solar system. But what do these names actually mean? How do planets and moons and other stuff inContinue reading “How do we name our Solar System?” Continue reading →

Posted in Moons | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on How do we name our Solar System?

Nashville’s “Snow Moon”

Posted on February 9, 2020 by jackfumagalli

On the evening of Saturday February 9th, the Nashville area saw an abnormally large moon known as a super-moon. This was also a special moon because it was also known as the “snow moon.” The “snow moon” is a full or new moon of astronomical and cultural significance around the globe. The super-moon phenomenon occursContinue reading “Nashville’s “Snow Moon”” Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Moons | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Nashville’s “Snow Moon”

Methane-Based Life

Posted on April 27, 2019 by Jonathan Roberts

Is liquid water necessary for life to form? If judging strictly from the only life we know, of course. However, humanity’s exploration of the universe has just begun, and we can’t say for sure what lies beyond Earth. Other worlds within our solar system have organic compounds that life could possibly evolve from. In particular, … Continue reading Methane-Based Life → Continue reading →

Posted in Aliens, Moons, Science, Space Travel | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Methane-Based Life