Author Archives: astroteacher
Interpreting Change
Time and our limited perceptions frequently obscure the impermanence of the world. On a recent hike in the coastal redwoods, a solitary old growth tree stood. A short fence surrounded it, and a nearby sign announced it as an example … Continue reading
The Immediacy of Data
Scientific discoveries rarely take the fast track. The 2020 election cycle can teach us an important lesson about the nature of the scientific endeavor. Namely, how researchers rarely have the instantaneous “aha” moment when everything becomes clear and a scientific … Continue reading
Infecting Students with Enthusiasm For Astrobiology
The virus that causes COVID-19 offers a teachable moment for thinking beyond our earthly limits In Kim Stanley Robinson’s novel Aurora (2015, Orbit Books), a starship undertakes a multi-generation voyage to the star Tau Ceti to colonize the moon of … Continue reading
Looking Behind Abstractions
Very large and very small numbers are abstractions. Frequently they are useful in illuminating some natural phenomena, however many people have a difficult time comprehending such numbers. We don’t usually deal with these sorts of numbers in our everyday lives. … Continue reading
Musings on the Planet 