Tag Archives: astro201

Our Guiding Star

Posted on April 29, 2014 by reidrcreviston

So many stars come and go based on the time of year, where we are located on the planet, how much of the sky is visible, etc.  Although we can only see some stars on some nights there is one star that we can always see.  This star is the North Star also known as […] Continue reading →

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Jovian s, the planets we can not touch

Posted on April 29, 2014 by reidrcreviston

When we think of Planets we think of all of the ones that we have either stepped foot on or would like to step foot on someday.  Even though we haven’t visited any of the other planets due to their distances and weather we could hypothetically walk on all of them if we had the […] Continue reading →

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Solutions to the Fermi Paradox

Posted on April 29, 2014 by almetetj

Ever since Enrico Fermi first posed the infamous Fermi Paradox, people have been coming up with potential solutions to answer why humanity has yet to come into contact with other intelligent life. While nobody can definitively claim to have found the answer to Fermi’s question, the Steven Webb from the University of Florida has published […] Continue reading →

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The Future of Astronomy

Posted on April 29, 2014 by zkorman

We can only discover more things out there; we can only learn more and find new questions to ask. I am very excited to see what the future holds for us, the only known intelligent life, the universe’s only known way to look at itself. We will soon find Earth-like planets in our celestial neighborhood. We … Continue reading The Future of Astronomy → Continue reading →

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The Infamous Alcubierre Drive

Posted on April 29, 2014 by zkorman

What is the true future of propulsion? Better yet what is the definition of propulsion? For most, it is the art of ejecting mass at velocity in one direction in order to, using Newton’s 3rd law, “propel” something in the other direction. Well for the rest of this post let’s forget that definition of propulsion, and widen … Continue reading The Infamous Alcubierre Drive → Continue reading →

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Astrobiology and Cinema: The Europa Report

Posted on April 28, 2014 by forestcsharp

  Just last year, a film was released that questioned the viability of life on Jupiter’s moon Europa. Barring too many spoilers, the crew and their ship face several non-biological roadblocks on their quest for life in a film whose … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Vikings and Astronomy

Posted on April 28, 2014 by forestcsharp

This link details how the ancient Vikings were themselves keen astronomers. As the article details, the Vikings utilized the ever-popular Polaris as a guiding light during sea travel. They would measure the angle relative to Polaris to determine cardinal directions for … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Life from Earth, elsewhere

Posted on April 28, 2014 by Drew Hamilton

In class, we have discussed the possibility that life on Earth did not originate on Earth, but came to Earth on an asteroid or other impactor. But another idea is that the inverse is true: Later impacts on Earth sent life to other locations in the Solar System. Recent simulations suggest that some of the… Continue reading →

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The origins of life and the Drake equation

Posted on April 28, 2014 by Drew Hamilton

In using the Drake equation to discuss and estimate the probability of non-Earth life in our universe, one factor we estimated was the probability of life developing on a given planet in the habitable zone. The problem with making such an estimate as students in an Astronomy 201 course, of course, is that we all… Continue reading →

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Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

Posted on April 28, 2014 by jblubin

“We are a way for the Cosmos to know itself,” said Carl Sagan.  Astronomy is not only the oldest science, but also a window through which mankind peers through in attempt to glimpse the fleeting answers to our deepest and most fundamental questions. As a direct result of the this class, I find myself looking … Continue reading Standing on the Shoulders of Giants → Continue reading →

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