Tag Archives: Uncategorized

Aurora Borea-listen !

Looking at the picture above, it’s not hard to see why people often travel to observe the grandeur of the Aurora Borealis (aka ‘Northern Lights’). However, some who have seen it claim that alongside the visual spectacle, there’s an added auditory surprise: the Northern Lights make noise! According to CNN, evidence of sounds from theContinue reading “Aurora Borea-listen !” Continue reading

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What the heck is a light year?

You’ve probably heard the term light year a lot. You likely heard a planet or star described as a certain number of light years away. But what exactly is a light year? And why do we use light to measure time and distance? How fast does it really go? Light moves at approximately 300,000 kilometersContinue reading “What the heck is a light year?” Continue reading

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Introduction

Hello! My name is Will Lopes (rhymes with ropes) and I’m from the Jersey Shore. I’m a freshman and am very undecided, but I like languages, so I will probably at least have a Spanish or Portuguese minor, but that’s all I know so far. I am super excited to take this class and beContinue reading “Introduction” Continue reading

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Introduction

Hello! My name is Adison Fields and welcome to my astronomy blog! I am a sophomore at Vanderbilt and am majoring in math. I had Dr. G for the astronomy 1010 lab last semester and thought it was so cool, so I am really looking forward to this class as well! Here is a linkContinue reading “Introduction” Continue reading

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Extremophiles, and What They Mean For Life in Space

Extremophiles are organisms on Earth that thrive in extreme environment that most other organisms wouldn’t be able to survive in. They are found in places that at a glance, seem unlivable, places like inside volcanoes, or deep in the ocean under extreme pressures. So why do these extremophiles matter when thinking about space? The ideaContinue reading “Extremophiles, and What They Mean For Life in Space” Continue reading

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Sirens of Titan

The lectures from this unit, especially chapter 11 about the Jovian planets, reminded me of one of my favorite books; Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut. The novel is a comical science fiction story that chronicles the origin of Malachi Constant, a profit predestined to be sent into space and return to start a newContinue reading “Sirens of Titan” Continue reading

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Space Junk

Space junk is a potential threat to human space exploration. In the frictionless vacuum of space, even a small particulate left behind by a past voyage can become deadly, fracturing seals and damaging the integrity of any spacecraft as it travels at extremely high speeds. So far, we’ve been relatively lucky—the sheer size of spaceContinue reading “Space Junk” Continue reading

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Planetary Distances to the Sun

Okay, hear me out – Mercury is the closest planet to every other planet in the Solar System, on average. When I read this it kind of blew my mind but after reading this article it makes a lot of sense. This is true because Mercury is on a very tight orbit around the sun.Continue reading “Planetary Distances to the Sun” Continue reading

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Gravity’s Effect on Light

Light appears almost instantaneous to the naked eye. This seems especially evident on the Fourth of July, watching a firework explode, only for the boom to hit you seconds after the colorful light hits your eyes. It does not seem like something so fast and instant could be affected by a force such as gravity.Continue reading “Gravity’s Effect on Light” Continue reading

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Spring Tides and Neap Tides: How the Angle of the Sun and Moon Directly Impact How Earth is Stretched

The size and fluctuation of tides are directly related to geography and the physics of various places around Earth. The average size of tides, however, rises and falls each month in direct correlation to the angle of the Sun and Moon in relation to Earth. These extremes are called spring tides and neap tides, andContinue reading “Spring Tides and Neap Tides: How the Angle of the Sun and Moon Directly Impact How Earth is Stretched” Continue reading

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