Book Review – Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything
Author: Joshua Foer Rating: [usr=3.5] The fact that I was bought this book by a family member for my birthday probably owes as much to the title as it does to its content. Nevertheless, it was a fascinating insight into the lost world of...
Where is the sky? Not where you might think
Stars, Cells and Silos: what astronomers and doctors can teach us about collaboration and innovation
Next week I'll be in Helsinki, speaking at the Upgraded Life Festival about why healthcare professionals and astronomers should work together more. At first the fit might not seem obvious. What do those who diagnose disease have in common with people studying stars?...
Why we shouldn’t ask kids what they want to be when they’re older
Many of us are guilty of what I think is a well-intentioned mistake: we ask children to imagine the jobs they want to do when they are older. When they don't know we give them suggestions. We do it, perhaps, because we were asked the same question as children....
Book review – Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Global Politics
Author: Tim Marshall Rating: [usr=4] Daytime TV is a natural consequence of the self-employed. Quite often when I am working on something I have the news channels on in the background, keeping track of what is going on in the world. Whenever I watched Sky News,...
A way to visualise the scale of the universe
I talk to a lot of people about the universe. Tens of thousands of people a year, ranging from 3-year-olds to 93-year-olds. And one of the things everyone finds hard to comprehend is the sheer scale of the universe. We're used to dealing with a daily existence...
Ten Starter Items for the Astronomy Beginner
Updated December 2021* I often get asked about ways you can start out in astronomy. What bits of kit to buy. Perhaps it is a hobby you want to take up, or you're looking for a gift for a space mad boyfriend/wife/nephew/daughter. So here I've put together a top...
Planet Nine (and a reminder of what is and isn’t a planet)
The internet and news media are awash with news of "Planet Nine". For the last few years astronomers have known that some of the objects orbiting the Sun beyond Pluto appear to be mysteriously aligned. One possible explanation for this is that there is a large body...
Stargazing in the Sahara
On a recent holiday to Morocco I was lucky enough to spend one night sleeping in the Sahara desert. Cut off from the rest of the world, I have never been to a place more beautiful or more quiet. Only when you're somewhere that remote do you realise just how much...
Mars Orbiter spies Phobos in front of Red Planet
Unlike our Moon, which is about one quarter the size of Earth, Phobos, the largest of Mars's two moons is tiny - just 25 kilometres across. That makes it smaller than London. In this new image, released from The Mars Orbiter, Phobos is seen passing in front of Mars...