On 30 November 2023 the 28th United Nations Climate Change conference (COP 28) will open at Expo City, Dubai My somewhat pessimistic view is that our chances of significantly reducing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere over the next 10-15 years or so don’t look particularly promising - mainly because there is the competing objective… Continue reading COP26 Two years on
In 2023 September 23 is the date of the September equinox and is also the first day of autumn (or the first day of spring if you're one of my readers in the Southern Hemisphere). In this post I’ll talk about the equinoxes and discus the commonly held, but incorrect, view that they are the… Continue reading September 23 2023 the equinox
Updated March 2026 In The End of the Universe I remarked on the surprising similarity between conditions in the very early Universe, just after the Big Bang, and the far future of the Universe. In this post I’ll give an overview of Roger Penrose’s model of the Universe in which it passes endlessly through a… Continue reading A Cyclical Universe
Although a small number of extremely wealthy space tourists have paid millions of dollars for orbital spaceflight, by their very nature only a handful of people can take part in these spaceflights each year. It looks like Virgin Galactic will start commercial spaceflights aimed a larger audience soon. According to the Virgin Galactic Website Galactic… Continue reading Commercial Space Travel
In the Universe's far future, star formation will cease, and it will contain white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes. Over immense timescales, stellar remnants will decay, and black holes will evaporate through Hawking radiation. Ultimately, the Universe will consist solely of low-energy photons and dark energy, mirroring its early state.
Explaining Science 