An Introduction

If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how men would believe and adore, and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God which had been shown! But every night come out these envoys of beauty, and light the Universe with their admonishing smile.
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nature (1836)

\(\quad\)There's something inexplicably enchanting about those flickering specks scattered across the night sky.. without even knowing what they are, it's possible to stare endlessly at them without losing interest. It is for that reason that my favorite place is the beach at night.

\(\quad\)Empty, except for the wind brushing against your face and the cool sand wrapping itself around your toes, and noiseless except for the steady thundering of crashing waves, the beach is where I've spent countless hours simply looking up. Those glittering specks evoke a calming peace in me, renew my sense of wonder, and elicit deeper thinking. Without even knowing what they really are, looking at the stars would still be one of my favorite things in life.

\(\quad\)However, the more I learn about the Universe, the more incredible they become. Those specks of light represent just a tiny fraction of an infinite dominion of similar formations, separated by millions of miles, many with planets not unlike those that inhabit our own solar system. The scope and scale of the Universe seems impossible to fully grasp from our fixed position here on Earth.

\(\quad\)Reading science fiction has allowed me to leave my place on Earth and enter the far reaches of the unknown. Though entirely conjecture, science fiction attempts to fill the void created by the infinite expanse and possibility of the Universe and allows the reader to fulfill the currently impossible dream of venturing out to explore. Since these dreams will likely remain unfulfilled within my lifetime, at the very least, I can explore the Universe through Astronomy. I'd like to know what's out there and learn more about what lies in the darkness between the stars in our sky.

\(\quad\)I'm currently a freshman living in Matthews Hall. My main academic interests are Economics, History, and Spanish. However, I've always been interested in Space and am taking Astronomy 16 to see if I'd like to pursue studying Astronomy in college. In terms of my preparation for this class, I've only taken an AP Physics course in high school that focused on mechanics. In this regard, I am likely a bit behind many of my classmates who have already taken Physics 15a. However, in terms of mathematical background, I'm currently enrolled in Math 21b: Linear Algebra and took Math 21b: Multivariate Calculus last semester.

\(\quad\)This blog will primarily serve as a way to share my homework solutions with the TFs, but I will also be posting about topics related to Astronomy and what we are learning in class. I'm very excited to take this class, and though it may be difficult, I can't wait to learn more about the Universe!