Update 30 August 2025 I have extensively expanded and rewritten all three “A Short Guide to…” e-books. I will make these books available on Kindle for a competitive price. However, in future I won’t do any deals where I offer free or discounted prices on these books for a limited time period. I believe the… Continue reading eBooks from Explaining Science 2024
Tag: Science
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.
September 22 2024 – the equinox
In 2024 September 22 is the date of the September equinox and is also the first day of autumn (or the first day of spring if you're one of my readers in the Southern Hemisphere). In this post I’ll talk about the equinoxes and discus the commonly held, but not quite correct, view that they… Continue reading September 22 2024 – the equinox
The Space Shuttle 10 years on
Ten years ago, on 8 July 2011 Atlantis took off for the final mission of a Space Shuttle, bringing to close a programme which had lasted nearly 40 years and had cost the equivalent of $220 billion in 2021 dollars. In this post I'll review this fascinating and unique piece of technology. The landing of… Continue reading The Space Shuttle 10 years on
The evenings are drawing out already
Updated 13 December 2025 ------------------------------ As I complete this post, it's completely dark outside and it's only 5 o'clock in the afternoon; most people I come across think that it will continue to get dark earlier and earlier in the afternoons until the date of the winter solstice which for the UK in 2025 falls… Continue reading The evenings are drawing out already
