The Big Bang: The Beginning of My Project

Joaquin s -

BASIS Mesa, this is Joaquin Sanchez for 2025: A Space Odyssey.

 

I have always loved space, ever since I was only a few years old. I used to stare up into the night sky and wonder what was up there. Then throughout my schooling, I have pursued classes in astronomy and physics in order to get a better understanding of the fundamentals of how the universe forms and acts. Now, I want to explore the mysteries of the universe and be able to understand what can’t be easily understood, like how galaxies interact or even how the universe was formed.

I am working with others to accomplish my senior project, such as with the Southwest Student Research Seminar in which I will be conducting research on binary stars. I will be doing remote observations on several binary star systems, which are pairs of close stars, of my group’s choosing and using the information that we collect to publish a research paper. I am also helping the planetarium at Mesa Community College with their Astronomy Nights, where I work on the projector, the music, and by giving my advisor specific information when he is answering questions. I would highly recommend purchasing tickets (They’re only $6 per person) because they are very informative and are a lot of fun to attend.

If I had to pick something that I’m looking forward to, it would be helping at MCC more in the future, as I found it extremely engaging to tag-team the interesting and unique questions that the audience has. More simply, I’m looking forward to learning more and getting experience as an astronomer.

 

End transmission.



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Comments:

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    sidd_s
    Hi Joaquin, I really think its interesting how you are researching space as a whole. But I did have one question- are you going to consider doing different types of research during your project? For example, you are studying binary stars right now, so in the future would you want to research another concept from space?
    February 18, 2025 at 4:47 pm - Reply
    joaquin_s
    As it stands, the only actual research and analysis I will be conducting in my project is on binary stars, but hopefully in the future I can expand out and cover more topics. Somewhat along the same lines as research, I will be working at the Gilbert Rotary Centennial Observatory, where I can position the telescope wherever I wish (as long as it's visible), so I'll be able to collect information in that manner. It's not exactly research since I won't be analyzing it at all, as it'll just be purely for the purpose of observation.
    February 18, 2025 at 5:37 pm - Reply
    nico_l
    Hey Joaquin, I like that you are taking this into public service with helping at MCC, and I would like to attend one of the Astronomy nights at some kind. I do have a question- have you ever researched binary stars before or is this something new to you? I am assuming that most people including me have not heard of these, so I am curious as to why you are studying them.
    February 19, 2025 at 1:47 am - Reply
    joaquin_s
    Thank for your interest in the astronomy nights, I really do think they're a great event for anyone to attend. To answer your question, I learned about binary stars in the astronomy class I took a few years ago, but that was mostly surface-level. I've never gone this in-depth into the topic, so a lot of this is new to me, especially the calculations. I am studying them because this was a rare opportunity available to a high school student like myself, but that doesn't mean I don't have an interest in them. On the contrary, I think it's super interesting how stars, one of the most intriguing celestial bodies, can not only exist near each other, but also orbit in a stable manner, and even more rarely, physically connect to each other (I'll include a picture of this phenomenon that I ordered from the Las Cumbres Observatory on my next blog post because I think it's just so cool).
    February 19, 2025 at 9:58 am - Reply
    mj_j
    Hey Joaquin! Firstly, I want to say that I am very interested in your project idea, as I have attended an Astronomy Club myself. I can't wait to hear about your observations! My question is simple, but important: What do you hope to take away from the observations you will be making of these grand celestial bodies, and how will volunteering at Mesa Community College help deepen your knowledge about astronomy, or possibly your project specifically?
    February 19, 2025 at 12:05 pm - Reply
    cason_t
    How's it going Joaquin? This sounds like an awesome project to be a part of and the binary stars are quite interesting! I was just curious about the details of your group, what is the group like? Are they doing similar work to you? Good luck with your project!
    February 19, 2025 at 1:39 pm - Reply
    joaquin_s
    What's up MJ? Thanks for your interest in my project. To answer your question, I hope that I can learn how to obtain information about a celestial object through research with my observations. For my work at MCC, it won't necessarily deepen my knowledge about the subject, but it will help me with presenting the topics of astronomy to a general audience, which is a crucial part of astronomy. The goal of my project is to develop observational and instructional skills, as research and outreach are the two fundamental aspects of astronomy, so my various site placements will help me accomplish this.
    February 19, 2025 at 2:53 pm - Reply
    joaquin_s
    Hey Cason, thanks for leaving a comment on my blog! To answer your question simply, my group has five members in it (including me). There are two experts in the subject who both have a lot of experience in the field, and have even taught courses in community colleges previously. They are the ones leading our group, called Purple-A Team. There is also a woman attending college in the course who I don't know a lot about since she's been frequently sick and missing our meetings, and a girl in high school who, much like me, is aiming to learn more and get experience with astronomical research. The five of us are working together to research a few binary star pairs, as well as doing our own individual research on them, and we will collaborate to write a full report on our findings in the coming weeks. In a more general sense, everyone in the "course" comes from very different backgrounds across the Southwestern United States, from astronomy professors, to hobbyists, to college students, to high schoolers with interests in astronomy. Basically, anyone who has an interest could join it (Sorry for the lengthy reply, I just have a lot to say about it). Have a good day!
    February 19, 2025 at 3:03 pm - Reply
    meggiles
    Joaquin! I recall at the beginning of this process, you were a little concerned that you wouldn't be able to find a site placement, and now you seem to have at least 4. Super impressive. Keep going. Also, photos always wanted & welcome! MG
    February 19, 2025 at 3:35 pm - Reply
    joaquin_s
    Ms. Giles, I've come a long way from having a ton of anxiety over not getting any work. Now, I have a ton of anxiety about all of the work I have to do instead. Jokes aside, I really am excited to build my skillset by using this wide array of site placements. I'll include a bunch of photos on my next blog post too, I just didn't have anything that I'd taken yet for this blog.
    February 19, 2025 at 6:56 pm - Reply
    vinesh_k
    The research on binary stars sounds fascinating, and it’s awesome that you’re also getting hands-on experience at MCC’s planetarium. What kind of resources are you looking at to study up on binary star systems?
    February 26, 2025 at 1:31 pm - Reply
    joaquin_s
    Vinesh, I've mainly just been learning about it from the Consortium's meetings, but they also provided a list of videos for us to watch that go over the basics of binary star observation that I found helpful in the beginning.
    February 26, 2025 at 8:49 pm - Reply

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