On 28 October 2015 the space probe Cassini, which has been orbiting Saturn for the last 10 years, will pass within 50 km of the surface of Saturn's moon Enceladus. This is an extremely close approach by an interplanetary spacecraft (by comparison the New Horizons mission only got as close as 12,500 km above the surface of Pluto) and… Continue reading Enceladus Flyby 28 Oct 2015
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
Why is the Sky Blue?
Explains the scientific reasons behind blue skies on Earth. It contrasts Earth's atmospheric effects with those on the Moon, where the sky appears black due to a lack of atmosphere, and Mars, where a reddish-brown hue results from iron oxide dust.
Lunar Eclipse 28 September 2015
On 28 September 2015 there will be an total eclipse of the Moon, which will be viewable from many areas of the world. It will be an interesting sight and worth getting up at an unsociable hour to see it, especially since there won't be another total lunar eclipse until 2018. The Moon during a recent… Continue reading Lunar Eclipse 28 September 2015
How the length of a day changes over the year
The length of a solar day varies throughout the year, ranging from about 23 hours 59 minutes 38 seconds in mid-September to 24 hours 30 seconds around Christmas. This variation is caused by the Earth's elliptical orbit and axial tilt, affecting the Sun's apparent motion and leading to differences in natural time measured by sundials versus clock time.
Is There Anyone Out There? updated post
Thank you to everyone who has downloaded my books. One recent commenter pointed out that the links in the post point to the Amazon UK website and it was unclear how someone based outside the UK would download the books. I have therefore updated the post to make it easier for readers outside the UK to… Continue reading Is There Anyone Out There? updated post
