Category Archives: Universe

The Fermi Paradox

Posted on May 3, 2023 by jackdoyle25

The well-known Fermi Paradox is a simple question with no clear answer: “where are all the aliens?” Given the immense size of our galaxy (not to mention the size of the entire universe), it seems likely that life would have bloomed on other planets, and that on at least some planets, this life would be […] Continue reading →

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Blog #8 Drake Equation

Posted on May 1, 2023 by Astro 2110

Photo summarizing the Drake Equation and possible variables. The Drake Equation is our best estimate for the number of communicating extraterrestrial civilizations that exist in outer space with whom we might be able to communicate. The equation was originally devised in 1961 by the astrophysicist Frank Drake and focuses on a series of assumptions about […] Continue reading →

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Black Hole

Posted on April 30, 2023 by niqretnuh

When I was a kid, I struggled to understand the meaning of a “black hole”. I was baffled how an object can suck in everything around it and never be full. In elementary school, my science teacher told us that “your chair were to contract indefinitely, it will become a black hole that will be […] Continue reading →

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Blog #7 Extremophiles

Posted on April 30, 2023 by Astro 2110

Photo of an extremophile water bear captured using an electron microscope. Extremophiles are creatures which are capable of living in extreme environments beyond what one might imagine are the limits of life. Extremophiles have attracted attention from the scientific community because of their potential to exist in the most extreme environments in outer space. One […] Continue reading →

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Blog Post 8: How astro2110 Has Changed My View On Astronomy

Posted on April 30, 2023 by Myles7235

Before coming into astro2110, I knew very little about astronomy. Now, after completing the course, my appreciation for astronomy has greatly increased. A few days before the semester started, one of my friends who is an astronomy nerd laughed at me for not knowing the phases of the Moon. I thought to myself, “I’m a […] Continue reading →

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Until Next Time!

Posted on April 30, 2023 by sadiekarr

(Tatooine’s “Twin Suns“) I have always thought that astronomy and everything to do with Earth and outer space were so freaking cool (and terrifying), but it wasn’t until this year (taking both ASTR 1010 and 2110) that I got to really dive into the area of study. It’s a lot harder for me than some […] Continue reading →

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Asteroid Mining

Posted on April 30, 2023 by sahilreddy2

Hayabusa: A robotic spacecraft by JAXA to acquire a sample from the asteroid Itokawa Asteroid mining can be crucial in helping us to acquire rare materials in our solar system. The asteroid belt has 8% metal-rich asteroids and 75% volatile-rich carbonaceous asteroids.  Currently the technique is mainly just theoretical as we don’t have the infrastructure […] Continue reading →

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The Fermi Paradox

Posted on April 30, 2023 by sahilreddy2

A possible solution to the Fermi Paradox? The Fermi Paradox attempts to answer the question about extraterrestrial life that so many humans have thought about for centuries. Enrico Fermi a physicist, in 1950, while discussing extraterrestrial life he began to wonder if aliens did in fact exist then how have they not expanded throughout the […] Continue reading →

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The History and Future of the Universe: A Time Scale

Posted on April 30, 2023 by Europa

If you’d like to feel the crushing weight of existential dread as we approach the end of this course, and for me, the end of my time at Vanderbilt, I have just the video for you! It’s a YouTube video called “Age of Universe: Time in Perspective,” and it uses a time-to-volume comparison in order […] Continue reading →

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Final Thoughts..

Posted on April 27, 2023 by dougkyles422111

Blog 8? That doesn’t sound right. It feels like yesterday I designed my website and wrote my first post. Throughout the course of Astronomy 2110 I have explored the universe in many aspects. What sticks with me most, however, is how exactly we got to our current deep understanding of the universe.  Would Kepler have […] Continue reading →

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