Astro2110 – The Solar System

Hiking up in Bob Marshall Wilderness area near the Continental Divide

This is what I guess you could consider my first official post for my astronomy class. The first of what I’m sure will be many.

I love adventure. Its that simple for me. I love getting out there and doing. The picture you see above is from my hiking trip through the wilderness. For those unfamiliar with the term, it really does mean zero civilization. We climbed the Rockies in northern Montana that make up the continental divide. Spent 7 days hiking, camping, and exploring the vast wilderness that’s out there.

I’m also a licensed pilot, and I picked that up at 17. I finished flight school in 65 hours, which is something commendable for someone of any age, let alone 17. I solo-ed, which means flew alone, at 22 hours. My first time flying alone was really something else. I’ve got some pretty crazy stories from the time I’ve spent up in the air, and I’m happy to talk about them any time someone asks. A couple previews include the time my engine cut out over the runway when I was coming in to land, or the time I nearly crashed into a military C-130. (The tower’s fault not mine). I’m actually an excellent pilot and am happy to take friends up anytime they want to go.

Since I’ve covered my ground and air adventures, I’ll end with my personal favorite, which is my aquatic explorations. I’m a PADI Rescue Diver. My dive experiences also include an Advanced Diver card and a few specialties that I picked up towards my Master Diver rating, that I plan to finish by the time I leave college. I’m Wreck, Night, Deep, Boat, and PPB certified, meaning I am qualified and experienced enough to properly execute any of these types of dives. Background aside, diving has been an incredible joy for me because as much as myself and others have explored the ocean, we’ve only covered mere fractions of what the deep holds.

I am very involved with the Vanderbilt Rugby club here on campus, so if you ever need some afternoon entertainment on a Saturday, stop by the lower Rec field and watch us play. Anyways, adventuring aside, I do basically everything else a normal college guy does. Sleep, eat, and complain about working. Looking forward to exploring some deep space this semester.

-Justin Garrett

Hi, I’m Samihah Islam, a student in Dr. Grundstrom’s Astronomy class at Vanderbilt. I’m a sophomore-recently-switched-computer science major, formerly premed (weren’t we all). My hobbies include graphic design, baking, and disappointing my parents.

Photo: taken by a friend.

 The Suburbs picture (Wikipedia)

This is a picture of an album that I like called The Suburbs by Arcade Fire. I’m excited to start working on this blog!

Hi, everyone! I’m Paxton, and this is my astronomy blog.

Here is a picture of me as a freshman in high school at a space museum I visited for extra credit in my earth science class. 

(photo by my mom)

I can’t wait for a great semester!

My Family and I recently went on a cruise and I made it to the Bahamas. Pictured behind me is my mother and my sister. They wanted no part in the picture. It was an enjoyable and memorable trip

My name is Brianna and I love food and astronomy.

Photo taken by me. Nikon D3100.

This is a picture of the most amazing dish I’ve had so far in my life. I think one way to get to know a person is to know the things that they like, so I would say that my perception of this meal is one very accurate way to get to know me.

The best single word I can use to describe this is a ceviche. Those are raw cuts of salmon topped with rice puffs, some kinds of leafy greens I can’t name, with a scoop of lemon sorbet in the middle. But the very best part of this dish, the part that made me want to lick the plate (public etiquette be damned), was the coconut milk on the bottom. This wasn’t your average tropical watery stuff–they somehow prepared it, or added ingredients to the coconut base to enhance it so much it could have been nectar of the gods.

I had the privilege of this culinary experience during 2015 summer restaurant week in New York City at a place called Perry St. Nashville does its own restaurant week, if you want your own experience.