Author Archives: Leo Silva

Culmination of ASTR-2110 Blog Post

Posted on December 5, 2024 by Leo Silva

a. I was most surprised by how much we can discover about celestial bodies from our long distances. In the cases of other stellar systems, we may not know so much, but within our own, we’re able to study other bodies and make deductions about their properties to such a granular level– and this was […] Continue reading →

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What are the Odds?

Posted on December 5, 2024 by Leo Silva

The Drake Equation is a formula proposed to estimate the number of technologically advanced civilizations within a given galaxy that may be capable of communicating with us. It doesn’t calculate anything with certainty but, instead, aims to stipulate that if we give X, Y, Z, criteria, what would we expect to see? How many civilizations […] Continue reading →

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JWST’s Revolutionary Discoveries

Posted on November 15, 2024 by Leo Silva

Since its launch on December 25th, 2021 and arrival at its final “positioning” on July 11th, 2022 (Wikimedia, Timeline of James Webb Space Telescope), the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has made a myriad of revolutionary findings that challenge our previous understanding/theories of the Universe. Due to its intentional design aimed at helping us understand […] Continue reading →

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Some “Firsts” of Exoplanets

Posted on November 15, 2024 by Leo Silva

Before the discovery of any exoplanets (prior to 1992), scientists hypothesized that star systems will planets (planetary systems) similar to our own solar system might exist around other stars– even without having confirmed evidence of them in the same way we do today. In some ways, they expected that these other planetary systems would likely […] Continue reading →

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The Potential for Nuclear Fusion on Earth

Posted on October 20, 2024 by Leo Silva

Stars like the Sun have been powering themselves through the use of nuclear fusion for billions of years, and the Sun is expected to be powered for billions more before it runs out of its source of hydrogen fuel through the proton-proton chain. As outlined on my previous blog post, one second of energy created […] Continue reading →

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Nuclear Fusion: The Heartbeat of Stars

Posted on October 20, 2024 by Leo Silva

In order for stars to generate the enormous amounts of energy that they do, a very specific, energy-intensive process is needed: nuclear fusion. It is this process that allows stars to shine brightly for billions of years. But how exactly does nuclear fusion work? In short, in the cores of stars, temperatures reach the millions […] Continue reading →

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Sextants in Celestial Navigation

Posted on September 16, 2024 by Leo Silva

Blog #2 – Leo Celestial navigation– also known as “astronavigation”– is a practice of nearly 4,000 years (HistoryHit, How Celestial Navigation Changed Maritime History) where an individual can determine their location in space or the Earth’s surface using the positions of other celestial bodies such as the Sun, Moon, other planets, and stars. Throughout history, […] Continue reading →

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Historical Astronomers in Context -Leo

Posted on September 9, 2024 by Leo Silva

Johannes KeplerAccess more information about him here:1) New Mexico Space Museum2) American Museum of Natural History The Thirty Years WarAccess more information about the Thirty Years War here:1) History.com Publication of Shakespeare’s WorksAccess more information about the publication of Shakespeare’s works here:1) Royal Shakespeare Company René DescartesAccess more infromation about René Descartes here:1) Internet Encyclopedia […] Continue reading →

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Considerations of the Grandfather Paradox with the Speed of Light

Posted on August 29, 2024 by Leo Silva

The Grandfather Paradox The Grandfather Paradox is a concept in theories about time travel. More specifically, the paradox introduces the dilemma that if you were to travel back in time to a point before your grandfather met your grandmother, and you happened to prevent them from meeting (i.e. killing your grandfather), you would, by extension, […] Continue reading →

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Leo – Intro Post

Posted on August 25, 2024 by Leo Silva

Hello, my name is Leo Silva and I’m a senior here at Vanderbilt. I major in H&OD and minor in Astronomy (completely unrelated). For many years now I have loved the puzzling nature of learning about space, especially when it comes to pioneering studies of topics that could bring forth answers to some of our […] Continue reading →

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