Astronomy Items
The author shares a curated list of five recommended science books, emphasizing that they are well-reviewed and written by experts in their fields. The selection includes titles from prominent scientists including Neil Degrasse Tyson and David Deutsch, targeting a general audience interested in science.
Updated 7 December 2025 The ashen light is a faint glow, which many people claim to have seen on the night side of Venus. The Italian astronomer Giovanni Riccioli (1598 -1671) first reported it back in 1643, 33 years after Galileo had made the first observations of Venus with a telescope and discovered the planet… Continue reading The Mystery of the Ashen Light of Venus
Updated 30 November 2025 A lot has happened since I wrote a post back in June 2025 about the Artemis programme. At the time it looked like America would be landing astronauts on the Moon in mid-2027. However in October, concerned by delays in SpaceX’s Starship HLS, the NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy revealed that… Continue reading NASA’s Artemis Moon Missions Update
Solar sails are the only method of spacecraft propulsion in which no fuel is needed. Until recently spacecraft powered by solar sails were the stuff of science fiction. However, following the success of the Japanese spacecraft IKAROS in 2010 the crowd-funded Light Sail 2 spacecraft in 2019 and NASA's ACS3 in 2024, spacecraft powered by… Continue reading Solar Sails: Fuel-Free Space Travel
Lunar libration is a 'wobble' caused mainly by the Moon’s elliptical orbit and axial tilt. It allows us to see about 59% of the Moon's surface over time, effectively revealing 18% of the 'far side' that would otherwise be hidden. This post discusses this interesting phenomenon. Updated 7 January 2026 Many people think that the… Continue reading How we can see some of the Moon’s far side
Explaining Science 