Tag Archives: blog8

Bracewellvon Neumann Probes

Posted on April 30, 2022 by solarelizabeth

Human space travel is slow and each mission must be meticulously planned. What if there were a way we could learn more about the universe more efficiently? John Von Neumann, in charge of computing the design of a bomb, wondered how else he could use his computing skills. He developed the idea of self-reproducing automation. […] Continue reading →

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Blog#8 Final Thoughts regarding Drake equation 

Posted on April 29, 2022 by Irene

Throughout this semester of study, I have been convinced that life on Earth is unique. Although we have only studied the solar system in-depth, the volcanic IO, the freezing Pluto, and the variety of planets and moons with different extremes of weather have furthered my awareness of how unique Earth’s conditions are. Even though planets […] Continue reading →

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How the Creators of “Interstellar” Came up with what a Black Hole Should Look Like

Posted on April 29, 2022 by timmyshaheen

As Christopher Nolan was creating “Interstellar,” he wanted to make sure that the film was as scientifically accurate as possible, so he hired a theoretical physicist named Kip Thorne to help. The largest contribution that he had to the creation of the film was his help rendering the stunning black hole. It was Thorne that […] Continue reading →

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My Journey toward Astronomy

Posted on April 29, 2022 by sissichen17

As the course ASTR 2110 – Solar System calls to the end, I would like to write something about myself. I applied to Vanderbilt University in biomedical engineering, which was a very different subject from physics & astronomy. I started to be enthusiastic about physics and astronomy in childhood when staring into the infinite space […] Continue reading →

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All Things Must Come to an End

Posted on April 28, 2022 by Natalie_paige

I’ll admit, at first when I had to go out observing I wasn’t thrilled at the idea of leaving my cozy dorm to walk a good 15 minutes to stare at the night sky. However when I got there and really had a chance to stop and really look at the sky and see the […] Continue reading →

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Using Fungus in Space?

Posted on April 28, 2022 by jesszhang782

There are a lot of barriers to humans living in space. But two of the problems may have an innovative solution involving fungus. A major problem is radiation. Once you get farther away from Earth, Earth’s atmosphere and magnetic field can no longer pro… Continue reading →

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Where Are the Aliens?

Posted on April 28, 2022 by Lindsey

Based on various calculations and estimations made by scientists all over the world, there is a very high probability that aliens (i.e. life elsewhere in the universe) exist. However, we have never encountered any tangible or irrefutable evidence of aliens. This contradiction is called the Fermi Paradox. One possible explanation for this paradox is that […] Continue reading →

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What if life existed in every solar system?

Posted on April 27, 2022 by Quint Gfroerer

The Drake equation investigates the likelihood of intelligent, communicating life existing on other worlds in our galaxy. But what if life could easily exist on other worlds, and there was life in every solar system around us? What could this potentially mean for us? First, we must consider the fact that the closest star to […] Continue reading →

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Blog 8: Planet Womb Discovery

Posted on April 27, 2022 by camsto42

Wombed Planet This weird picture is set to resemble a massive planet scientists have just discovered. This planet is about nine times the size of Jupiter, and its in its very early stage of formation. This star was discovered through the use of a Hawaiian telescope, and it was discovered floating “unusually far” from its […] Continue reading →

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Key Takeaways

Posted on April 26, 2022 by parallaxHubble

When I enrolled in this class at first, I knew that quite obviously the class would be focused on learning more about the Solar System (as the title of the class was quite literally “The Solar System’). However, I think that what we covered in this class did help me learn much more about theContinue reading “Key Takeaways” Continue reading →

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