Tag Archives: Class

The Fermi Paradox : Are We Alone?

Posted on May 2, 2022 by Johann West

The Fermi Paradox Picture The universe is magnificently huge, and hence should have countless opportunities for life to develop, but that then begs the question, where are all the aliens? Due to the expansion of the universe being faster than the speed of life, there may be life throughout many galaxies, or even most of …

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Future Visits to Solar System Worlds

Posted on May 2, 2022 by AndreaS

Now that I have learned a great deal about the Solar System, I am looking forward to keeping track of the ongoing and future missions sending spacecraft to various worlds in the solar system. This post will outline some highlights of upcoming missions, as well as their objectives. Additionally, these missions are the ones focused […] Continue reading →

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Extremophiles in Space

Posted on May 1, 2022 by AndreaS

Extremophiles are lifeforms that can survive in what we would consider extreme conditions, such as very hot, cold, acidic, or salty environments. Since the various worlds we have observed in the Solar System are vastly different from Earth, astrobiologists predict that if any lifeforms exist in these places, they would be extremophiles. In this post, […] Continue reading →

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Barophiles

Posted on April 30, 2022 by solarelizabeth

The barophiles we have found are tiny organisms, usually bacteria, living in areas with intense pressure. They are found on ocean floors where pressure can reach about 400 atm. For reference, the atmospheric pressure at sea level is 1 atm. Some barophiles known as obligate barophiles cannot survive in low pressures. The barophile Halomonas salaria […] Continue reading →

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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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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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You Live There?

Posted on April 28, 2022 by Natalie_paige

Before humans and animals and even plants dominated the Earth, it was full of prokaryotic life. Extremophiles are types of prokaryotes that can not only survive, but thrive in extreme environments. There are several types of extremophiles. Acidophiles: like acidic environments, (pH levels of 3 and below) Alkaliphiles: alkaline environments, and like pH levels 9 […] Continue reading →

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Detecting Extrasolar Planets

Posted on April 17, 2022 by solarelizabeth

Extrasolar planets can be difficult to detect because they are tiny, far away, and dim, but the Doppler Method provides an indirect way to find them. This method involves looking for alternating blueshifts and redshifts in the star’s spectrum, which reveal a star’s motion around its center of mass. This motion could reveal the presence […] Continue reading →

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Jovian Layers

Posted on April 17, 2022 by solarelizabeth

The formation of our solar system helps explain the composition of the Jovian planets. Past the frost line, hydrogen compounds condensed into ices. The four jovian planets started as icy planetismals, but Jupiter and Saturn captured much more hydrogen and helium gas than Uranus and Neptune during solar system formation. This is probably because Jupiter […] Continue reading →

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You Can’t Sit With us

Posted on April 2, 2022 by Natalie_paige

The famous used to be planet kicked out by none other than Neil deGrasse Tyson is now considered a dwarf planet, ever since 2006. Pluto was reclassified because it didn’t meet the three criteria the IUA uses to define a full sized planet Criteria Must orbit a star  It must be big enough to have […] Continue reading →

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