Author Archives: alfredprah

Astrobiology, The Future.

Posted on April 27, 2019 by alfredprah

Space Travel I am still trying to decide whether my admiration for Elon Musk is because of his electric vehicles (S-3-X-Y) or his passion for space exploration. The topic of space exploration leads me to a scientific field I would like to talk about briefly, Astrobiology. Wikipedia defines Astrobiology as “an interdisciplinary scientific field concerned … Continue reading Astrobiology, The Future. → Continue reading →

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Extremophiles 101

Posted on April 27, 2019 by alfredprah

Extremophiles produce some of the color at the Grand Prismatic Spring Wikipedia defines “an extremophile as an organism that thrives in physically or geochemically extreme conditions that are detrimental to most life on Earth.” This means that if extremophiles were your classmates, they will totally be the cool kids in the class. Not only are … Continue reading Extremophiles 101 → Continue reading →

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Exoplanets 101: Does the earth have a twin?

Posted on April 7, 2019 by alfredprah

Potential Habitable Planets An extrasolar planet is a planet that orbits a star that’s not our sun. Even though these planets can be recognized, and their sizes measured, they are light years away so it would take astronomers thousands of years to reach these extrasolar planets. To detect these planets, scientists use either one of … Continue reading Exoplanets 101: Does the earth have a twin? → Continue reading →

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The Sun – the heart of our solar system

Posted on March 12, 2019 by alfredprah

Planetary System The star at the center of the solar system plays a special role for us here on earth. It was formed about 4.5 billion years ago, in the Orion spur (in the milky way galaxy). It was born from the collapse of a cloud and dust called the “solar nebula”. It then condensed … Continue reading The Sun – the heart of our solar system → Continue reading →

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Radioactivity 101. Is the sun radioactive?

Posted on March 12, 2019 by alfredprah

sun spots and solar flares Chemical reactions occur because atoms strive for stability. Just like the outer electrons require a certain number of electrons to become stable, the nucleus requires a certain number of protons and neutrons to achieve this stability. The decomposition (breaking down) of the nucleus to achieve this stability is what we … Continue reading Radioactivity 101. Is the sun radioactive? → Continue reading →

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Retrograde Motion simplified.

Posted on February 11, 2019 by alfredprah

The path of Mars, as viewed from the Earth.          Retrograde motion is the apparent backward motion of a planet caused by its being lapped by another planet, or vice-versa.1  These two planets are usually on two different orbits, a larger one and a smaller one, and they move around the sun … Continue reading Retrograde Motion simplified. → Continue reading →

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Posted on January 29, 2019 by alfredprah

1. Isaac Newton: 25 December 1642 – 20 March 1726/27. 2. I admire Isaac Newton (12/25/1642-03/20/1726) a whole lot and here is why: He was modest enough to build on the work of Kepler’s law, instead of making his own from scratch. Through his work, we were able to have a deeper understanding of gravitation and its … Continue reading Historical Astronomers in Context → Continue reading →

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Can we travel at the speed of light?

Posted on January 20, 2019 by alfredprah

How fast is light? Nothing on earth is known to move faster, and in my opinion, we are actually very fortunate to be able to measure it. Aside the fact that light enables us to see, I am appreciative of it even more because if it were to get any faster by any stretch, astronomers … Continue reading Can we travel at the speed of light? → Continue reading →

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Meet Alfred Prah

Posted on January 15, 2019 by alfredprah

Hey class, I am so excited to be enrolled in ASTR 2110-01.  My life revolves around 2 worlds, my bed and the gym. Depending on how our first test goes, I might make this class my 3rd  🙂 Advertisements Continue reading →

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