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Tag Archives: blog1
The Last 2 Minutes of History
Down on Earth, it’s easy to think the passage of 100 years is a long time. After all, it’s certainly longer than a human’s life expectancy. However, after hearing that modern humans can only be accounted for in 2 minutes of history, it’s hard to believe that the time spanning from the origins of modern … Continue reading The Last 2 Minutes of History → Continue reading
Posted in Class, Universe
Tagged astro2110, blog1, cosmiccalendar
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A Speck on a Speck in a Speck in a Speck…
Humans are very arrogant creatures, and we often forget just how small we are in relation to the rest of the Universe. So much so that our units of measurement are very impractical to use on a larger scale, so we will mostly be using light seconds, minutes, hours, day, months and years to talk about […] Continue reading
First Galaxies Formed Today
…according to the cosmic calendar. The cosmic calendar is a visualization method to help comprehend the age of the universe. This calendar puts the beginning of the universe at the start of the first of January, and the end of December 31st at our current point in time. In this demonstration model, January 22nd (today!) … Continue reading First Galaxies Formed Today → Continue reading
Posted in Galaxies, Universe
Tagged astro2110, blog1, cosmic calendar, Uncategorized
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Seasons, Solstices and Equinoxes
What causes the seasons? Not only is this asked on page 32 of Chapter 2, but it is often asked by many individuals residing on Earth. However, a surprisingly few number of people actually know. Seasons occur because the title of Earth’s axis causes sunlight to fall differently on Earth at different times … Continue reading Seasons, Solstices and Equinoxes → Continue reading
Seasons, Solstices and Equinoxes
What causes the seasons? Not only is this asked on page 32 of Chapter 2, but it is often asked by many individuals residing on Earth. However, a surprisingly few number of people actually know. Seasons occur because the title of Earth’s axis causes sunlight to fall differently on Earth at different times … Continue reading Seasons, Solstices and Equinoxes → Continue reading
Earth Measured Relative to the Cosmic Scale
The Universe is an unbelievably vast entity. Earth’s radius is about 6.4*106 meters. In overwhelming contrast to this, the radius of the observable universe is approximately 4.4*1026 meters. That is a difference of 20 orders of magnitude. If the earth’s radius, and the universe as a whole, was scaled down such that the earth was the size of … Continue reading Earth Measured Relative to the Cosmic Scale → Continue reading
Earth Measured Relative to the Cosmic Scale
The Universe is an unbelievably vast entity. Earth’s radius is about 6.4*106 meters. In overwhelming contrast to this, the radius of the observable universe is approximately 4.4*1026 meters. That is a difference of 20 orders of magnitude. If the earth’s radius, and the universe as a whole, was scaled down such that the earth was the size of … Continue reading Earth Measured Relative to the Cosmic Scale → Continue reading
Proxima b
We’ve alluded to exoplanets and habitable zones in class, but you may be wondering just how similar these planets are to Earth – and if we can even get there. Proxima b is a rocky mass larger than Earth that orbits our Sun’s closest neighbor, Proxima Centauri. Astronomers have determined that Proxima b lies in … Continue reading Proxima b → Continue reading
Posted in Class, Exoplanets, Physics, Universe
Tagged astro2110, blog1, lightyears
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2017 Solar Eclipse
My junior year at Vanderbilt University began in the most spectacular way – witnessing a total solar eclipse through a skylight within Nashville airport, immediately upon arrival. Surrounded by a gathering of fellow traveller’s experiencing this magical moment, the moment in which the Sun was reduced to a radiant ring wrapped around the black outline […] Continue reading
Posted in Light, Observables
Tagged astro2110, blog1, eclipse, Solar Eclipse, Solar System
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Space is Faster than Light (Blog 1)
One facet of the universe that always left a bad taste in my mouth was the ostensible “speed limit” set by the speed of light (around 300,000 km/s). If the Universe is so vast, why is there a limit set by something that, for all we know, is not what makes up the Universe? I … Continue reading Space is Faster than Light (Blog 1) Continue reading