Tag Archives: astronomy

How Tiny Are We?

One of the most beautiful aspects of astronomy is learning about our place in the vast universe. Although we humans often feel as if we are the center of the universe, we are so tiny and so young compared to the whole cosmos. At around 20 years of age, most of us probably feel as […] Continue reading

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Astronomy’s Lasting Influence on Human Thought

If my short study of Astronomy has taught one thing, it is how influential Astronomy has been on our way of thinking as a species. This influence can be seen in ancient times, when civilizations such as in Mesopotamia, Mesoamerica, Egypt, China, India, and Greece placed Astronomy and Astrology at the centers of their ideology, […] Continue reading

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Did the U.S. Navy detect Alien Aircraft?

The Fermi Paradox is a fundamental piece of where human civilization currently stands concerning the question of life on other planets: if the probability of life in the universe is so high, why have we not interacted with this life before? One of the answers to this is question is simple: life from other worlds […] Continue reading

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Pale Blue Dot

Over the course of the semester, I learned a lot of things. I started off learning about the size and scale of the universe, and the enormous distances between planets and stars. We can’t even travel a tenth of a light year in our lifetime in the fastest spaceship we own. Our furthest spacecraft, Voyager … Continue reading Pale Blue Dot Continue reading

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Where Do We Go from Here?

Given that NASA is a government agency, it’s a little worrisome how it’s funding can be pretty wantonly taken and given as the government sees fit. (That’s why privatization of the space industry through companies like Elon Musk’s SpaceX is so necessary) However, Nasa is currently budgeted .5% of our national budget- that’s 18.4 billion-so […] Continue reading

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The Fermi Paradox

After already having done research on the Drake equation and its implications for extra-solar life, the next question begs to be answered. If there really are so many earth-like planets out there that may have evolved intelligent life, why haven’t we heard from any of them? This is the underlying question that lies behind a […] Continue reading

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On This Day in Astronomy History…

On this day, April 9th, 59 years ago in 1959, NASA introduced the world to their first ever astronauts, the Mercury 7.  A press conference was held in D.C. to announce the line up, and reveal America’s next move in the space race against the Soviet Union. This came a year after NASA had introduced […] Continue reading

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Life on Europa?

For thousands of years, humans have considered the possibility of life existing on other planets – specifically those in our own solar system. Perhaps one of the most prime candidates for harboring life in our Solar System (other than our own planet, of course) is Europa – one of Jupiter’s 4 largest moons. Europa, the […] Continue reading

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Planet X: The Real 9th Planet?

With Pluto’s demotion to a “dwarf planet,” the solar system was left with 8 planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. It now seems that the number 8 may not survive for long, as researchers are now searching for a 9th planet that they think exists in the far-away outer solar system. […] Continue reading

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Pluto: the Eccentric “Planet”

Most of us have heard of Pluto’s downgrade from the category of planet to “dwarf planet,” but it is less well-known why it was demoted. One of the main reasons had nothing to do with size and everything to do with Pluto’s strange orbit. Instead of orbiting with the sun roughly at the center of […] Continue reading

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