Astro2110 – The Solar System

Welcome to Gator’s Guide to the Galaxy. Over the next four months I will be learning about the solar system and posting about things that I find interesting. I am not exactly sure what these posts will be about specifically, but I know that what they will all share in common is that they are about things I think are funky.

I am no expert on the solar system, but I am excited to learn more. One of my favorite resources for learning about all things space is Kurzgesagt, a YouTube channel that “tries to explain the universe and our existence one video at a time.” It maybe isn’t as in depth as a published paper, but it’s very accessible and I’ve found it a great place to start.

Welcome to my astronomy blog! In my first post, I would like to talk about the idea astrology in order to introduce some of my personality and discuss what I learned in the reading this week.

I have a twin brother with a wildly different personality so I have always been skeptical of astrological personality types. Therefore, I have always wondered what it exactly means to be a Leo. I find myself relating to certain characteristics of Leos, however lack other qualities.

After reading Chapter 2 of The Cosmic Perspective, I fully began to understand the true definition of a Leo. In short, it means my brother and I were born during the time of the year where the constellation, Leo, is hidden by the sun. 

Our personalities should have no relationship to the relative location of the sun when we were born. However, the study of astrological signs is an important illustration of the relationship between astronomy and human behavior. 

For my first blog post, I chose this picture of me and my friend after climbing our first 14er in Colorado over the summer. As a first time climber, the climb was extremely challenging. A description of the climb can be found here.

I chose this picture because I think it represents how I felt about the universe after the first class. Like the view from the top of the mountain, the universe is beautiful and inspiring. However, it is also a reminder of how small we are in the grand scheme of things.

Hi! My name is Emily Moody. I am currently a freshman at Vanderbilt University studying elementary education. I am originally from Garden City, New York. This blog is for Astronomy 2110: The Solar System. I’m looking forward to an awesome semester!

My name is Lily and I’m a freshman at Vanderbilt University. I’m majoring in special education and am hoping to add either a second major or a minor in theatre. Yes, intitially this seems like an odd combination, however my ultimate goal in life is to open a theatre company for children and teenagers on the autism spectrum.

Some of my favorite activities include theatre, singing, and swimming. In high school I participated in 17 different shows, in a range of positions from onstage to offstage. Some of my favorite roles included playing Logainne in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Claire in Proof, and Stage Manager for Macbeth. Additionally, I took voice lessons in high school and have continued to take lessons here at Vanderbilt through the Blair School of Music. Finally, I swam for about 6 years on a local swim team until the commitment became too difficult in addition to doing theatre and vocal activities, however I do still try to swim recreationally whenever I can.

Something interesting about myself that almost anyone who knows me would say is that I have a true love for Disney. My family has visited Disney almost every year, and the occasional second trip some years, meaning I have been to Walt Disney World over 20 times as of now. I know many people consider Disney to be childish, but I’ve always seen it as a little escape. I’m always smiling when watching Disney movies and on bad days I’m usually found listening to some of Disney’s greatest hits.

This is my first attempt at a blog post. I’ve never blogged before, so please bear with me as I learn the ropes. Here’s a picture of me and a penguin in South Africa:

And now, here’s a nice gallery of awkward family photos.

This post serves as a trial to make sure that all is set up and formatted correctly, but I do want to include something fun! Below is a picture of the Milky Way Galaxy (the same picture we used in class). I really enjoyed the last lecture because it made me realize just now massive the universe is and how small I am in the grander scheme of things. It was incredibly humbling.