Relaunching My Science Blog: Welcome to Explaining Science

The logo for the Explaining Science Popular Astronomy blog

In 2019, the Science Geek blog was relaunched as Explaining Science, featuring a new name, logo, and domain. The blog continues to target a similar audience with accessible articles on astronomy and space. Additionally, a YouTube channel was launched in 2020, offering diverse video content under a Creative Commons license.

The darker mornings.

Updated 14 December 2025 As I complete this post from my home in Manchester, England, it is 4:30 pm and alreadyย  dark outside. Many people think that it will continue to get dark earlier each day in the afternoon until we reach the winter solstice , which in 2025 occurs on 21 December in the… Continue reading The darker mornings.

Schiaparelli’s landing on Mars

The Schiaparelli spacecraft on Mars

The Schiaparelli Spacecraft tragically failed to land on Mars, crashing at 300 km/h. Launched on March 14, 2016, with the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, it aimed to study Martian surface conditions. It only planned to be operational for a week because it lacked solar panels, relying solely on a non-rechargeable battery.

July 8 2011- The Final Mission

On 8 July 2011 Atlantis took off for the final 13 day mission of the Space Shuttle programme and it remains to this day the last American spacecraft to carry humans into orbit. The landing of Atlantis on 21 July 2011, which brought the Space Shuttle programme to a close - Image from NASA. Developmentย of… Continue reading July 8 2011- The Final Mission

The evenings are drawing out already

Revised 14 Decemberย 2025 As I complete this post, it's completely dark outside and it's only 5 o'clock in the afternoon. Today is 14 December, and most people I come across thinkย that it will continue to get dark earlier and earlier in the afternoons until 21 December (the date of the winter solstice in 2025), the… Continue reading The evenings are drawing out already