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: It’s the Small Things: Exomoons

Posted on 8 September 2021 by Chris North

The last month or so has seen several cases of small things being discovered. The first is an asteroid, 2021 27PH, which gets closer to the Sun than Mercury. What could we learn about fundamental science from such an object? The second is one of the smallest exoplanets detected, at less than half the mass
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Pythagorean Astronomy: Herding Megacomets

Posted on 29 July 2021 by Chris North

In late June an interesting object was discovered heading inwards from the outer solar system, identified in archival images from a survey of the sky. It was initially thought to be worth keeping an eye on over the next decade or so, as it approaches the orbit of Saturn before heading back out to the
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Pythagorean Astronomy: Cosmic Developments

Posted on 1 July 2021 by Chris North

Our understand of the Universe has changed a great deal in the last 100 years. From Einstein’s theories of relativity and measurements of the expanding Universe, to the discovery of the Cosmic Microwave Background and the mysterious Dark Energy. But what are the current mysteries and unknowns that we still want to uncover? And how
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Pythagorean Astronomy: Black holes – too big and too small

Posted on 3 September 2020 by Chris North

If there’s anything that pricks up the ears in astronomy, it’s black holes. And this month we have not one, but two black hole stories. And, depending on how you count them, four black holes, though two of them no longer exist – if that sounds confusing, then don’t worry, it’ll become clear! Regular listeners
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Pythagorean Astronomy: Solar Obiter – Not Suitable for Vegetarians

Posted on 30 July 2020 by Chris North

In astronomy, the month of July has been the month of two things: comets, and Mars. Comet Neowise, or to give it it’s full title C/2020 F3 NEOWISE, has graced the skies of the northern hemispheres, becoming the first naked eye comet for some time. Some have even argued it’s the best comet for decades.
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Pythagorean Astronomy: Mass Gaps and Radio Bursts

Posted on 2 July 2020 by Chris North

Science news stories normally revolve around something new that’s been learned, or some question that’s been answered. But sometimes, and these are often the most interesting times, there’s an observation or discovery that raises a whole new set of questions – and the mystery deepens. This month we discuss two such discoveries. First of all,
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Pythagorean Astronomy: SmallSpark

Posted on 5 June 2020 by Chris North

Amid the turmoil of not only coronavirus, but also anti-racism protests across the US and now internationally, it’s been a notable month for spaceflight. At the end of May, SpaceX launched their first crewed Dragon capsule, which became the first private vehicle to dock with the International Space Station. But the private space sector is
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Pythagorean Astronomy: Hubble at 30

Posted on 1 May 2020 by Chris North

The Hubble Space Telescope is 30 years old – something that even its most enthusiastic supporters couldn’t have dreamt of when it launched in 1990. With the help of a host of astronomers and space scientists, Chris North explores the history of the mission and the revolutionary discoveries that have been made. Prof Anu Ojha
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Pythagorean Astronomy: Dimming stars, Galactic waves and misbehaving gas clouds

Posted on 31 January 2020 by Chris North

The astronomy world has been a-buzz with news of Betelgeuse, the bright red star in Orion, which appears to be dimming. Chris North, Edward Gomez and Claudia Antolini discuss how unusual this is, and what it means for the star’s future. Further afield, there’s a newly identified wave in our Galactic neighbourhood, changing our understanding
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