I started my Explaining Science blog nearly 11 years ago in April 2014. Back then I wasn't sure how long I'd want to keep it going. But now in 2025 I still find that I enjoy blogging very much. In July 2020, the year of the first covid-19 lockdowns in the UK, I started the… Continue reading Creating Videos
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Understanding the Magnitude Scale in Astronomy
Astronomers use the magnitude scale to measure the brightness of celestial objects, originally developed by Greek astronomers. Standardized by Norman Pogson in 1856, the scale uses whole and fractional values. Today, it encompasses all luminous objects, with both apparent and absolute magnitudes.
Gliese 710: The Closest Future Star Encounter
In approximately 1.3 million years, Gliese 710 will approach the Solar System at a distance of 0.166 light years, the closest known encounter. This orange star, significantly less luminous and cooler than the Sun, could disrupt the Oort cloud, potentially sending comets toward Earth and increasing the risk of impact events.
Fact-Checking a December Solstice Article
Sometimes a video can convey a message better than a simple blog post and videos tend to reach a slightly different audience. I do get irritated by poor reporting of science topics in the mainstream media (maybe I am getting grumpy? 😊 ). So here’s a video about the errors in the article about the… Continue reading Fact-Checking a December Solstice Article
Easter March 31 2024
Revised 18 December 2025 -original post published in 2024 In 2024, for the majority of the world’s Christians, March 31 was Easter Sunday, one of the most important dates in the calendar. Although Easter originated as the festival celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, it is also widely marked by non-Christians in the UK, particularly as… Continue reading Easter March 31 2024
