Astronomy, space and space travel for the non scientist
Astronomy Items
This post is a bit more technical than usual and discusses stellar aberration, the apparent movement of stars as a result of the motion of the Earth. It is an interesting case of the application of the scientific method. Observations were made to test a scientific theory, but unexpected results were found, which in turn… Continue reading Stellar aberration
This year, for the majority of Christians, 21 April is Easter Sunday, one of the most important dates in the Christian calendar. Although Easter is a is a festival celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, it is also widely marked by non-Christians in the UK, particularly as there are two very welcome public holidays on the preceding… Continue reading Easter – 21 April 2019
For those who missed my post on 1 April 2016 here is a re-blog of the amazing discovery of the first intelligent alien life. ---Original post below News is just reaching us of the most amazing astronomical discovery which I am ever likely to experience in my lifetime, one which I never thought I would see. As regular… Continue reading An amazing discovery
On the night of 20/21 January 2019 there will be a total eclipse of the Moon, which will be viewable from many areas of the world. This will be worth making the effort to see, especially for my readers in the western USA and Canada for whom it will occur at a sociable hour. The… Continue reading 21 January 2019 lunar eclipse
This year, the northern hemisphere winter solstice will fall on 21 December in Britain. On this date there are the fewest hours of daylight and the Sun is at its lowest maximum elevation. The origin of the word solstice is from two Latin words: sol, which means Sun, and sistere, to stand still. At the time of the winter… Continue reading December 21 2018 – the solstice
