by Colin Stuart | Nov 28, 2016 | Astronomy news, Astronomy Presents, Explainer
Updated December 2021* I often get asked about ways you can start out in astronomy. What bits of kit to buy. Perhaps it is a hobby you want to take up, or you’re looking for a gift for a space mad boyfriend/wife/nephew/daughter. So here I’ve put...
by Colin Stuart | Jan 21, 2016 | Astronomy news, solar system, Uncategorised
The internet and news media are awash with news of “Planet Nine”. For the last few years astronomers have known that some of the objects orbiting the Sun beyond Pluto appear to be mysteriously aligned. One possible explanation for this is that there is a...
by Colin Stuart | Feb 5, 2015 | Astronomy news, Uncategorised
Unlike our Moon, which is about one quarter the size of Earth, Phobos, the largest of Mars’s two moons is tiny – just 25 kilometres across. That makes it smaller than London. In this new image, released from The Mars Orbiter, Phobos is seen passing in...
by Colin Stuart | Feb 5, 2015 | Astronomy news, Uncategorised
Italian astronaut Sam Cristoforetti has one of the best views of anyone at the moment. Orbiting above our heads at 17,500 mph on the International Space Station, she can see up to 16 sunsets and sunrises in a single day. She also gets a unique view on the rest of us...
by Colin Stuart | Feb 2, 2015 | Astronomy news, Uncategorised
Saturn is a lot of people’s favourite planet due to its resplendent rings. Some of those rings – made of house-sized chunks of ice – have recently been snapped by the Cassini space probe alongside the planet’s diminutive moon Epimetheus (just...
by Colin Stuart | Jan 29, 2015 | Astronomy news, Uncategorised
The Hubble Space Telescope is the gift that keeps on giving. For more than 20 years now it has been churning out spectacular views of the cosmos. And this latest image of the galaxy NGC 7714 is no exception. It beautifully illustrates how, over time, gravity...
