Pythagorean Astronomy: Staring at the dawn of time

Posted on 16 February 2023 by Chris North

Chris North and Edward Gomez discuss the first attempt to launch a rocket from UK soil, albeit via a piggyback on (or under) a plane. There’s also an interesting supernova, the first exoplanet confirmation from JWST. Meanwhile, on Mars, does no news mean bad news for China’s Zhurong rover? We also speak to Dr Ian
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Pythagorean Astronomy: Happy Birthday JWST!

Posted on 23 December 2022 by Chris North

The 25th December marks an anniversary in the world of astronomy (as well as Sir Isaac Newton’s birthday, of course) – the launch of JWST, the infrared space telescope launched to explore the Universe in unprecedented detail. One year on from launch, Chris North and Edward Gomez look at a few of the results that
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Pythagorean Astronomy: The future of Space Exploration

Posted on 1 December 2022 by Chris North

With the Artemis I mission mid-mission (at the time of recording), Chris North and Edward Gomez look at what this means for the future of human space exploration, and more ambitious missions to the Moon (and beyond). Meanwhile, back here on Earth, the European Space Agency have announced their next crop of astronauts. The list
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Pythagorean Astronomy: On Board with DART

Posted on 2 November 2022 by Chris North

At the end of September, NASA’s DART mission was deliberately crashed into the asteroid Dimorphos. Not carelessness, but a deliberate act with a view to testing planetary defense. After all, if we discover something large heading towards Earth, we might want to be able to nudge it off course. Here in Wales, the Comet Chasers
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Pythagorean Astronomy: Gravitational Field Trip – part 2

Posted on 21 September 2022 by Chris North

This is the second part of a gravitational field trip to the LIGO Hanford Observatory in Washington State, in the US. Last month we talked about how the detectors work, and the scientists and engineers who operate them. This time, we take a longer-term look, not just into the future but also into the past,
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Pythagorean Astronomy: Gravitational Field Trip – part 1

Posted on 4 August 2022 by Chris North

This month, we go on a field trip to the LIGO Hanford Observatory, one of a number of detectors that are searching for gravitational waves. In part one of this trip, we hear from a number of people working at the detector. Dr Mike Landry, Head of the LIGO Hanford Observatory, explains how – and
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Pythagorean Astronomy: Amateur Advances

Posted on 2 July 2022 by Chris North

Amateur astronomers regularly make important contributions to astronomy research. That can be through observations of meteor showers, or images of solar system objects. But it’s not always about pretty pictures, and some amateurs also make measurements that feed into our understanding of a broad range of astronomical phenomena, providing a network of telescopes that far
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Pythagorean Astronomy: Space Environmentalism

Posted on 30 May 2022 by Chris North

In the 65 years since Sputnik 1 was launched in 1957, the number of artificial satellites in orbit has been increasing. In the last two years, the number of satellites has doubled, largely thanks to the huge “constellations” launched by companies such as SpaceX. The number of satellites has a detrimental impact on astronomical observations,
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Pythagorean Astronomy: Routine Spaceflight?

Posted on 7 May 2022 by Chris North

It’s not often that a new astronomical phenomenon is named, but this month we have a new one. The name might not be that original, but there have been the first observations of something known as a “micronova”. Lasting just a few hours, a micronova is much fainter than a typical “nova”, making them much
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Pythagorean Astronomy: Shadow of war

Posted on 30 March 2022 by Chris North

With the invasion of Ukraine casting a shadow over the world, Chris North and Edward Gomez (returning from a long hiatus!) look at the impact of the war on astronomy and space science, mindful that these pale in importance when compared with the death and destruction taking place on the ground. From the international collaboration
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