Category Archives: Science

Partial solar eclipse – 29/3/25…

Building on the technique I developed last summer for observing the Sun (see “Sept ’24 – Solar Observations from Summer ’24…” from 25/9/24 on my blog), I was well-placed to observe today’s partial solar eclipse. Here is an image I took, showing both the Moon passing between Earth and the Sun, and a few sunspots:Continue reading “Partial solar eclipse – 29/3/25…”

A Problem with Fundamental Physics…

In my opinion, the purpose of Physics is to determine the key physical processes governing how the natural world works, and to write down the associated mathematical Laws which describe them. From Galileo to Newton to Einstein, building on the work of thousands of scientists, much (obviously not all) of the focus has been onContinue reading “A Problem with Fundamental Physics…”

A mathematical model of the launch of Apollo 11 to Earth-parking-orbit…

I’ve always been interested in the technology of spaceflight, and particularly the 1960s solutions to the problem using the Saturn-V launcher. I think it is the complexity of the machine, combined with its extraordinary thrust and the drama of being the first to take humans to the Moon that is so captivating. I was notContinue reading “A mathematical model of the launch of Apollo 11 to Earth-parking-orbit…”

Astronomers Thrill at Giant Comet Flying into Our Solar System – Scientific American

The internet is bubbling with news stories about comet C/2014 UN271 (Bernardinelli-Bernstein). Current size estimates are that the comet is about 100-370 km across – much bigger than the previous size winner, Hale-Bopp in 1997 at 60km. There are big uncertainties at the moment, with C/2014 UN271 some 20 AU away. Those uncertainties will narrow,Continue reading “Astronomers Thrill at Giant Comet Flying into Our Solar System – Scientific American”

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Seeks to Grab a Piece of Asteroid Bennu – Scientific American

NASA is hopefully going to grab up to 2kg of rick samples from asteroid Bennu and give us a fantastic insight into early planetesimal formation in the solar system… The spacecraft’s first attempt to gather material from the space rock’s surface could become the largest nonlunar sample return in history Source: NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Seeks toContinue reading “NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Seeks to Grab a Piece of Asteroid Bennu – Scientific American”

Possibility of Dark Bosons Entices Physicists – Scientific American

A fascinating article in Sci-AM suggests possible hints of dark bosons in heavy isotopes that could be clues to new physics: Source: Possibility of Dark Bosons Entices Physicists – Scientific American Stories about possible new physics arise all the time, but this one sounded a bit more fascinating than usual!

I recently visited the Royal Observatory at Greenwich…

from my original blog on 1/9/19: I last came here over 20 years ago and enjoyed a night-time tour with the opportunity to look through the great 28″ refractor. Even today, this telescope it still one of the largest refractors in the world. However, its location near London makes for rather poor seeing through light-pollutedContinue reading “I recently visited the Royal Observatory at Greenwich…”

Hav you ever wondered how the planets formed? …

Have you ever wondered how the planets formed? Now you can see for yourself with the updates that are starting to come through from the New Horizons probe’s flyby of Ultima Thule… “We’re looking at one of the first building blocks that came together to form the planets and moons,” says Jeffrey Moore, a researchContinue reading “Hav you ever wondered how the planets formed? …”

ALICE: Where does the Solar System end and inter-stellar space begin?

One of the interesting questions in Astronomy is where does the Solar System end and inter-stellar space begin? There’s a nice result being shared by NASA from the ALICE instrument on the ‘New Horizons’ spacecraft that is helping with that question and confirming observations from the Voyager spacecraft. ‘New Horizons’ is the spacecraft that flewContinue reading “ALICE: Where does the Solar System end and inter-stellar space begin?”