Author Archives: ritam216

Earth(s) 2.0

Posted on April 26, 2017 by ritam216

The idea of life in other star systems has long intrigued mankind. However, it is likely that before life can be identified we must discover the planets upon which this life would spawn. Within the star system TRAPPIST-1, seven Earth-sized planets have been discovered, three of which are within the star’s habitable zone. The star […] Continue reading →

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Dating Everyday Objects?

Posted on March 30, 2017 by ritam216

Radiometric dating is generally used for items in our solar system that exponentially older than humans. The composition of an object is evaluated for its ratio of parent and daughter isotopes. This ratio will provide a good estimate of an object’s age if we know the corresponding half-life. But can we use this same process […] Continue reading →

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The Hubble’s Cooler Younger Sibling

Posted on February 14, 2017 by ritam216

Somewhat of an actual time machine, the telescope is probably the most well-known instrument of the field of astronomy. While the object itself is not a foreign concept, knowledge about specific telescopes is less common. In fact, aside from the Hubble, I probably could not have named one before this semester. Much to my surprise, […] Continue reading →

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Looking Through a Historical Lens

Posted on February 14, 2017 by ritam216

Much of science is the act of investigating phenomena and elaborating on such investigations done by others. This is an incredibly difficult task to accomplish with modern technology. Incredibly though, there is a great source of proof to show that many peoples of the past were able to make some form of astronomical discoveries and […] Continue reading →

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The Key Effortless Self-improvement

Posted on February 14, 2017 by ritam216

We’d all probably like to believe that astrology is real so we can identify with the redeeming qualities of our own sign and to hold fast to promising horoscopes. However, zodiac signs are not only false because of their vagueness, which allows each sign to at least partially relate to every human, but also due to […] Continue reading →

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Puns and Peace Signs

Posted on January 18, 2017 by ritam216

    A Truly Beautiful Pairing. This photo shows the beauty of North Dakota (and my friend and me) during a recent trip to Standing Rock. Continue reading →

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