Many people know that Polaris, the brightest star in the constellation Ursa Minor (The Little Bear), is also known as the pole star. Indeed, the name Polaris itself was invented in the sixteenth century and is derived from the Latin stella polaris -pole star. The location of Polaris - Image credit Wikimedia Commons Polaris is… Continue reading The changing pole star
Tag: Moon
Short Guide to the Moon – ebook
While others spent lock down perfecting their baking skills or becoming experts in home exercise routines, I have been beavering away revising and reissuing the book I originally wrote about the Moon five years ago. I am very pleased to offer this to my readers for free for the next five days, and I hope… Continue reading Short Guide to the Moon – ebook
How tides work
Although the Moon is much smaller and less massive than the Earth its gravitational field still has significant effects on the Earth. The most noticeable of these are tides, the periodic rise and fall of sea levels. High and low tides- Images from Wikimedia Commons Causes of Tides The average Earth- Moon distance… Continue reading How tides work
Staying on the Moon
Until the outbreak of the global pandemic there was a good chance that mankind would return to the Moon in the next ten years, even if the deadline of project Artemis to have a manned mission in 2024 was a little ambitious. It will be some time before the effects of the current crisis on… Continue reading Staying on the Moon
British coverage of Apollo 11
Last year as all my readers will know was the fiftieth anniversary of the first Apollo Moon landing. Image credit NASA Although the pictures and video from the Apollo 11 mission, including Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the Moon, are famous throughout the world and are freely available on platforms such as YouTube, it is… Continue reading British coverage of Apollo 11
