Updated 16 December 2015 It is more than 68 years since the launch of Sputnik 2 on November 3 1957 by the Soviet Union. It was only the second spacecraft to go into space and followed the successful launch of Sputnik 1 in October 1957. Sputnik 1 was a small metal sphere whose only piece… Continue reading Sputnik 2
Author: Steve Hurley
Hi I am Steve Hurley. Although I work in the IT industry. I studied for a PhD in astronomy in the 1980s. My real passion is explaining scientific concepts to a non-scientific audience. My blog (explainingscience.org) covers various scientific topics, but primarily astronomy. It is written in a style that it is easily understandable to the non scientist.
Publications and videos
For links to my books and videos please visit www.explainingscience.org
Daylight Saving Time ends 2022
In the early hours of Sunday 30 October the clocks go back an hour throughout most of Europe and daylight saving time (DST) comes to an end. In this post I'll talk about the practice of putting the clocks backwards and forwards and why it is falling out of favour The beginning of DST… Continue reading Daylight Saving Time ends 2022
4 October 1957 – Sputnik 1
Updated 17 December Despite the somewhat difficult relations between Russia and the West in the last few years, it is worth looking back over 68 years to October 1957 and the launch of the first artificial satellite Sputnik 1. This historic event, which caught many in the West by complete surprise, was the beginning of… Continue reading 4 October 1957 – Sputnik 1
Frank Drake and the Drake equation
I was saddened to find out about the recent death, at the age of 92, of Frank Drake, one of the pioneers of SETI. One of the things he is most famous for is the equation bearing his name which estimates the number of intelligent civilisations in our galaxy, the Drake equation. As a tribute… Continue reading Frank Drake and the Drake equation
Fake Astronomical Images
A friend of mine, the keen amateur astronomer Colin Henshaw, brought the following photograph to my attention. It appears to show the Moon rising over Mossel Bay in South Africa. Although it was passed off as a genuine image, in fact it must be a fake. If you study the Moon, it is how it… Continue reading Fake Astronomical Images
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