Pythagorean Astronomy: Solar Eclipses and Planck results

Posted on 26 February 2015 by Chris North

Chris North In March 2015 there will be an eclipse of the Sun. From the UK (apart from a couple of very tiny northern parts) it will be visible as a partial eclipse. In this month’s episode Edward Gomez and I chatted about eclipses and their historical significance. February 2015 also saw the release of
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Partial Solar Eclipse 2015: talks and observing

Posted on 26 February 2015 by Chris North

On 20th March there will be a partial eclipse of the Sun visible from the UK. From Cardiff it will be visible as a partial eclipse in the morning. To accompany this rare event we are working with National Museum Wales, Cardiff, to present a series of talks about the Sun and eclipses on the
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Pythagorean Astronomy: Beagle 2, and the “Year of the Dwarf Planet”

Posted on 4 February 2015 by Chris North

Chris North In January it was announced that images from spacecraft orbiting Mars had probably located signs of Beagle 2, the unfortunate UK mission to the red planet which went missing back in 2003. This month I chatted to LCOGT’s Edward Gomez, who has been following proceedings, about what this means – including that the UK now holds the
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Universe in the Classroom Host First Obseving Session In Welsh Primary School

Posted on 3 February 2015 by Sarah Roberts

Over the last year, Universe in the Classroom and the Las Cumbres Observatory have been working together to build a robotically controlled telescope for use by Welsh primary school children and today the first observation workshop took place at Moorland Primary School in Cardiff. The workshop, led by one of the project’s Stellar Role Models, invited year
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Inspiring Science Education UK Newsletter: January 2015

Posted on 21 January 2015 by Chris North

The Inspiring Science Education project really is hitting full steam ahead this year, with the repository populated with tools and resources across a wide range of science topics. There are some excellent opportunities for you to take advantage of as well: a free prize draw for school lab equipment, an international competition, and two upcoming teacher CPD
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Pythagorean Astronomy: ExoMars

Posted on 19 December 2014 by Chris North

It has been announced that the UK will lead the design and build of Europe’s next rover to Mars. Part of the European Space Agency’s ExoMars programme, this robotic explorer will drill down up two metres to search for signs of microbial life beneath the Martian surface. To find out about the rover, its mission, and the challenges
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Pythagorean Astronomy: Adventures of Philae

Posted on 27 November 2014 by Chris North

Chris North On 12th November 2014, the Philae lander separated from its mothership, ESA’s Rosetta spacecraft, and made history by making the first ever soft landing on a comet. It wasn’t quite as soft as hoped, with Philae experiencing more than its fair share of ups and downs, but it provided an nerve-wracking few days
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Landing on a comet

Posted on 23 October 2014 by Chris North

Excitement is building around the world as the Philae lander, part of ESA’s Rosetta mission, prepares to touch down on the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. As part of the Spatial Awareness series, Cardiff University’s Chris North chatted to Oxford’s Becky Smethurst and QUB’s Alan Fitzsimmons – currently on top of a mountain in Chile preparing to observe the
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Pythagorean Astronomy: AstroCamp 2014

Posted on 30 September 2014 by Chris North

Chris North Autumn and spring are the time of year when you typically find star parties – groups of astronomers meeting to do some stargazing, share hints and tips, and generally socialise. One of the friendliest I’ve been to is “AstroCamp”, which meets twice a year at a campsite on the outskirts of Cwmdu, between
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The Astronomer – An Unexpected Journey

Posted on 30 September 2014 by Jenifer Millard

It was the summer of 2012 and we’d had our new telescope for a few months. A go-to mount, more inches, more power – more frustration. A go-to mount, we thought. Brilliant, we thought. We’ll be able to find everything we want at the touch of a button … we thought. Months down the line
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