Tag Archives: astro2110

We Come in Peace! (If you can Find Us)

It’s a common theme for me within this class to fixate on the possibility of life beyond Earth, and I’m glad to do that once again with today’s blog post. I want to respond to the book’s claim that life on Mars is an “extraordinary claim”. While it’s true the bold assertion like the one […] Continue reading

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Think of the Coral Reefs

Climate Change is for real. That is true, without a doubt. Like no cap. Furthermore, all evidence points to the species Homo sapiens as the culprit. Due to our overuse of fossil fuels, releasing previously sequestered carbon into the atmosphere, our industrial and agricultural practices releasing other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and the total […] Continue reading

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Blog #4: Nuclear Fusion

Nuclear fusion is the process that drives star light formation and prevents the force of gravity of the star from collapsing into itself. In a nuclear fusion reaction, two smaller nuclei, typically hydrogen isotopes, bond together to form a helium atom while immense amounts of energy are released. The fusion between smaller atoms continues to […] Continue reading

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Don’t Flip Out! Earth’s The Real Chick Magnet

To begin with, some background is necessary. The Earth has a magnetic field surrounding it, which enables our planet to deflect cosmic rays and incoming particles. This in turn protects our atmosphere and allows us to maintain it at a stable temperature and pressure. In essence, it is essential for the maintenance of most life […] Continue reading

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Blog #3 Formation of the Solar System

The formation of the Solar System is truly a testament to our good fortune of life being possible on a planet located in the “Goldilocks Zone” near the Sun. The initial conditions allowed for not only Earth to be composed of rocky elements such as carbon but for the Earth to be protected from flying […] Continue reading

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Opportunity and Spirit

Opportunity and Spirit are two rovers that have been to the incredible Red Planet – Mars.  Opportunity launched out of Florida in 2003 and landed on Mars in 2004, which was soon after its twin Spirit landed. Opportunity is one of the more well known rovers, in that it broke a record of operating for […] Continue reading

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The Formation of the Solar System

So far, there are several hypotheses about the formatio […] Continue reading

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The Future Spacecraft

With countless spacecraft having been launched throughout a long history of space exploration, what is next for NASA? Pictured above is a computer-rendered image of NASA’s Orion Spacecraft Looking to shoot beyond the Moon and delve into the nearly untapped knowledge of Mars, the Orion project is what’s next on NASA’s agenda, as they prepare […] Continue reading

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Hohmann Transfer Orbit

In Andy Weir’s The Martian, NASA plans to send a supply probe to Mars to save the stranded astronaut Mark Watney through what’s called the ‘Hohmann Transfer Orbit‘. What exactly is the Hohmann transfer orbit? And when the carrying capacity of rockets is limited, why does a probe following this orbit saves limited and precious […] Continue reading

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Earth and Us

I’ve always wondered how rare it is for Earth to exist and support life on it, and now I know that out of the billions of solar systems, Earth is the only planet we know of to support life on it currently. Earth had to be at just the right distance from the Sun for […] Continue reading

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