Dr Chris North is the Ogden Science Lecturer in Cardiff University's School of Physics and Astronomy. He also holds an STFC Public Engagement Fellowship entitled "The Dawn of Gravitational Wave Astronomy". Chris is also an astronomy researcher by training, focusing most recently on the Herschel Space Observatory.
14th May 2009 marked the the launch of the Herschel Space Observatory. Herschel was a cornerstone mission for ESA, the European Space Agency, with the goal of unveiling the hidden Universe. In this special bonus edition of Pythagorean Astronomy, marking 10 years since Herschel’s launch, we’ll find out how it did this, and what astronomers Read more
A roundup of the month’s news from around the Solar System – and beyond. You don’t think of mars rovers having drawers, but that’s exactly what has just been installed on the Rosalind Franklin Rover, part of ESA’s ExoMars mission. This is no ordinary drawer, of course, but the “Analytical Laboratory Drawer”, designed to test Read more
***Deadline Extended: 14th June 2019*** For the third year running we are once again hosting a 3 day non-residential workshop for A/S level students interested in continuing on to Physics degrees. Taking place in Cardiff University School of Physics and Astronomy the workshops will run Tuesday 25 – Thursday 27th June 2019. The event will run 10:00 Read more
A roundup of the month’s news from around the Solar System – and beyond. Starting with the Moon, where the first attempt by a privately funded organisation to land on the Moon has ended in a crash-landing. Despite the sad end, the Beresheet mission was otherwise a success, and a promising start for privately funded Read more
Do you have a Year 7 and/or 10 student you feel deserves to have their efforts and achievements in physics recognised? You can reward them with an Ogden Trust School Physicist of the Year Award. The recipients don’t need to be your highest achieving students academically as this award is for enthusiastic students who may Read more
The School of Physics and Astronomy invites applications from motivated undergraduates for Summer Internship positions. Successful applicants will spend 6-8 weeks in Cardiff working with researchers, staff and students within the school. Further details for each internship, including how to apply, are available on the internship page, or through the links below Michelson Interferometer Interface Design Read more
In December 2018 an object hit the Earth’s atmosphere at over 100,000 kph over the Arctic Ocean, entirely unnoticed, until the orange streak was spotted in satellite imagery. Meanwhile, two missions are currently exploring much larger asteroids – Japan’s Hyabusa-2 mission to Ryugu and NASA’s Osiris-REX mission to Bennu. Chris North and Edward Gomez discuss Read more
Chris North and Edward Gomez discuss the latest events from around the Solar System. Hayabusa 2 has successfully hopped down onto the surface of Ryugu, meanwhile an Israeli lander has been launched to the Moon, where it will also hop about. Further afield, there are new clues to the origin of Neptune’s odd little moon Read more
Chris North and Edward Gomez discuss the latest events from around the Solar System. At the start of the year, the Chinese Space Agency successfully landed their latest lander (Chang’e 4) on the far side of the Moon. The lander also carried a rover, Yutu 2, which has begun exploring the lunar surface, and a Read more
Chris North, Mat Allen and Sarah Roberts discuss the highlights of 2018, and look forward to 2019. From missions to the inner Solar System, landers on Mars, and rovers on asteroids, lots has happened. In 2019, we’re looking forward to New Horizon’s flyby of Ultima Thule out in the Kuiper Belt, more results from the Read more
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