Tag Archives: Class

blog post 03

Posted on March 22, 2022 by graceward02

Nuclear fusion reactions power stars. In nuclear fusion, 2 atoms’ nuclei merge and form a heavier single nucleus. The leftover mass becomes energy. In stars like the Sun, this is generally the transformation of Hydrogen to Helium (proton-proton chain). Other, more massive stars, use the CNO cycle (uses more elements) to accomplish energy transformation. The […] Continue reading →

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Earth’s Atmosphere and Life

Posted on March 21, 2022 by solarelizabeth

Earth’s atmosphere is conducive to life in a way other terrestrial worlds’ atmospheres are not.  This is because of the greenhouse effect, which keeps Earth warm and allows water to exist in its liquid form. Other planets such as Mercury which do not have an atmosphere or the greenhouse effect are extremely hot during the […] Continue reading →

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The Sun’s Nuclear Fusion

Posted on March 20, 2022 by solarelizabeth

The Sun has been producing a huge amount of energy for over 4 billion years through nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion is the process by which the Sun converts mass to energy. Albert Einstein’s equation, E=mc^2, reveals that a little bit of mass has a huge amount of potential energy which indicates why the sun has […] Continue reading →

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Born from the Stars

Posted on March 17, 2022 by Johann West

It may be hard to believe, but in all technicality, everything in the solar system, including humans, are born from star dust. Let’s start at the beginning, at the big bang. The matter released from the big bang made up the first generation of stars, only containing the elements hydrogen and helium. Eventually, when the …

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blog post 02

Posted on February 21, 2022 by graceward02

NASA’s James Webb Telescope was launched on December 25, 2021. It is a collaborative effort between NASA (United States), The European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency. This telescope has four main areas where its data will be used: considering the first light in the universe, early assembly of galaxies in the universe, birth […] Continue reading →

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Historical Vanderbilt Astronomer

Posted on February 20, 2022 by AndreaS

If you have spent much time in E. Bronson Ingram residential college on Vanderbilt’s campus, you may have noticed that part of the dorm is named after one Edward Emerson Barnard. As it turns out, Barnard was an astronomer who attended the university from 1883-1887. His research focused on observation and photography of stars and […] Continue reading →

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Light: Wavelength, Frequency, and Energy

Posted on February 20, 2022 by solarelizabeth

A prism splits white light into a spectrum of colors ranging from red to violet. These colors correspond to different wavelengths, frequencies, and energy levels. Light with a longer wavelength has a lower frequency and lower energy level, and light with a shorter wavelength has a higher frequency and higher energy level. Violet light has […] Continue reading →

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Solstices and Equinoxes

Posted on January 30, 2022 by solarelizabeth

The seasons change as Earth orbits the sun. Earth’s hemispheres receive different amounts of sunlight during each season because of the 23.5 degree tilt of Earth’s axis. When the Earth is at a point in its orbit that the northern hemisphere is tilted toward the sun, it is summer for the northern hemisphere. This is […] Continue reading →

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Starting Up

Posted on January 25, 2022 by Quint Gfroerer

By me This picture is from when I visited my sister abroad over Thanksgiving Break. I am Quint Gfroerer, I’m from Atlanta, GA, and I am a junior majoring in neuroscience and minoring in astronomy. Continue reading →

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Welcome!

Posted on January 23, 2022 by AndreaS

Hello my name is Andrea and I am a senior studying chemical engineering at Vanderbilt. This blog will explore space and space-related content. Enjoy! Continue reading →

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