Author Archives: Irene

Throughout this semester of study, I have been convinced that life on Earth is unique. Although we have only studied the solar system in-depth, the volcanic IO, the freezing Pluto, and the variety of planets and moons with different extremes of weather have furthered my awareness of how unique Earth’s conditions are. Even though planets […] Continue reading →

The famous Fermi paradox is the conflict between the lack of clear, obvious evidence for alien life and various high estimates for their existence (Wikipedia). Since the Universe has an almost infinite amount of stars and planets, given that the chance of having intelligent life is not zero (there is Earth and human beings), it is almost […] Continue reading →

Pauli Exclusion Principle (Wikipedia): every electron is indistinguishable from another. Two identical electrons cannot locate in the same volume of space with the same exact properties (energy, spin, direction) Thus, the electron has to be excluded from this space or remain at the higher energy level.  When a main-sequence star (Wikipedia) comes towards the end […] Continue reading →

Pluto, formerly considered one of the nine planets, has always been controversial. Nonetheless, since the International Astronomical Union redefined the meaning of planet (A planet is a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic […] Continue reading →

Our world is composed of elements all of which are made of protons, neutrons, and electrons. Protons are positively charged while electrons are negatively charged. Unstable (i.e., radioactive) atomic nuclei can become more stable after the emission of particles and energy, a process called radioactive decay. These emitted particles or energy (the latter emitted as […] Continue reading →