Pythagorean Astronomy: BONUS – Stephen Hawking’s Theories

Posted on 28 March 2018 by Chris North

To accompany the March episode of Pythagorean Astronomy remembering Professor Stephen Hawking, we’re also releasing the uncut(!) version of the interview with Professor Peter Coles, in which he discusses the theories for which Stephen Hawking is famous – in particular Hawking radiation. Don’t forget to listen to the full March 2018 episode. An added bonus
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Summer Internships

Posted on 28 March 2018 by Chris North

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. We are currently offering the following projects: Gravitational Waves Outreach Internship (any undergraduate) Gravitational Waves Research Internship (any undergraduate) *deadline1st April 2018* Ogden Trust Internship (Cardiff Undergraduates only)
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Astronomy Data in Maths & Physics

Posted on 27 March 2018 by Victoria Ayley

Overview Three lesson plans at three different levels designed to help students develop their maths and physics skills via application, as well as hoping to inspire an interest in astronomy in the process. During the lessons students will learn how to classify galaxies, determine the age of galaxies, and calculate the age of the Universe
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Pythagorean Astronomy: Tumbling Space Cucumbers and 5000 sols on Mars

Posted on 1 March 2018 by Chris North

Ever taken a selfie on your birthday? Well, that’s just what the Mars Rover Opportunity did to celebrate its 5000th “sol” (martian day) on Mars. This doesn’t sound like much, but 5000 sols is about 14 years – not bad for a rover that was only expected to last about 3 months! The selfie –
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Pythagorean Astronomy: Glitterballs, habitable exoplanets and supermassive stars

Posted on 31 January 2018 by Chris North

Space is getting crowded, so the recent launch of a space glitterball (called the “Humanity Star”) by RocketLabs has irked astronomers. Our suggestion: why not go and look at the space station instead? And if you’re interested in things to not get too hyped up about, the so-called “Super Blue Blood Moon” was another example
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Subscribe to our podcast

Posted on 11 January 2018 by Chris North

You can now subscribe to the Pythagorean Astronomy podcast, using your favourite Podcast service – just add our feed address to whatever service you use: feeds.feedburner.com/PythagoreanAstronomy Some suggestions: Subscribe on iTunes Download the Podcast Republic Android app and search for “Pythagorean Astronomy”
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All Our Universe in the Classroom Education Resources in Welsh Language!

Posted on 11 January 2018 by Sarah Roberts

We’re very excited to announce that we can now offer all of our Universe in the Classroom activity guides in welsh language! Wales boasts 3,094 schools of which 483 are welsh medium (meaning education is delivered in welsh language). Universe in the Classroom aims to help improve science teaching at underserved schools in Wales. Due
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Pythagorean Astronomy: Planetary Response Network and 2017 Review

Posted on 30 December 2017 by Chris North

To some, astronomy is a purely a curiosity-driven activity, trying to understand more about the Universe around us. While that is the primary reason for a great many astronomers, there are many ways in which it benefits life down hear on Earth – including the saving of lives. Most recently, this became relevant in the
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Pythagorean Astronomy: The Star That Would Not Die

Posted on 29 November 2017 by Chris North

When a star explodes in a supernova, it’s generally assumed that once the afterglow has faded the star will never be seen again. But astronomers at Las Cumbres Observatory have found a star that seems to have refused to die. This month, Edward Gomez chats to colleague Dr. Iair Arcavi, who led the study of
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QuarkNet Cymru

Posted on 13 November 2017 by Paul Roche

You can detect particles from space! QuarkNet Cymru is an outreach project directed toward GCSE and A-level physics students, and run jointly by scientists at Cardiff University and Swansea University . The project involves several hands-on laboratory activities with various types of instruments for detecting cosmic rays. The equipment is available for loan to schools
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