Space is this vast, unchartered sea where wacky worlds we’ve imagined (and have yet to imagine) can, and probably do, exist. We know so little of it, and yet, it has taught us much about ourselves. The discovery of exoplanets continue to contextualize our SS, and meteorites (along with returned samples) proceed to yield insights into the building blocks of our planets. I am reminded of a point Dave Stevenson made in his introductory course on planetary interiors — we know the Earth’s core is made of iron not by “looking down”, but because of iron meteorites that fall to us from above (turns out with seismic data alone, you can’t rule out the possibility that the core is some Niobium alloy). And what of life elsewhere in the universe? What does it look like? How will it revolutionize our understanding (shaky at best) of life’s origins? Much to learn, and much space to learn from…

When not conducting research, I’m either at the gym, binging some show, or discovering new restaurants in the area.