Home: Authors: Andy Fleming

amateur astronomer, cosmology, astrophysics

Enjoy some time under the stars looking at one of the Northern Hemisphere’s most spectacular deep sky objects. There’s a cluster of stars in the constellation of Hercules that’s well worth your attention.

Carl Sagan was one of the key popularisers of science in the twentieth century. This article reviews the life of a remarkable astronomer, astrobiologist, NASA/JPL key figure and scientist who believed passionately about bringing scientific knowledge and scepticism to the general public.

We’ve all heard about the threat from Deep Space of Asteroid Impacts. Now we’ve learned of an effective mechanism that some scientists believe will help us to avoid Armageddon.

Evidence is mounting that Mars was once a wet and warm world, similar to the early Earth. What went wrong with the Red Planet -- is it possible that future explorers may find fossils from a more habitable time -- indeed did microbial life survive until the present time?

It’s one of the most well-known pattern of stars in the Northern Hemisphere, visible at mid-latitudes throughout the year. Spend some time on a clear night appreciating some of its beautiful double stars.

There is an embarrassing fact lurking at the heart of modern physics and cosmology, that could overturn some of its most cherished theories. Most of our universe appears to be made of something that we can’t see with our telescopes or detectors, and physicists still don’t know what it is. It’s called Dark Matter and Dark Energy.

We may think it’s large, but in stellar terms our Sun is a run-of-the-mill yellow dwarf star. Some stars are gargantuan in size, and as a star’s mass is intrinsically interwound with its energy output they live fast and die young

From a superb account of the history of cosmology to alternative universes, hidden dimensions, string theory and the multiverse, this book brings the reader up-to-date with cutting edge scientific enquiry. It’s made all the more enjoyable as it was written in a superb style by a key contemporary populariser of science, Michio Kaku.

The Earth’s sister planet now looks superb after sunset. Take some time to enjoy one of the solar system’s jewels.

It’s not long until summer in the Northern Hemisphere, and there are some lovely astronomical objects coming into view on the eastern horizon with binoculars and telescopes. From clusters of stars to planetary nebulae, some time spent under a beautiful starry sky will reap dividends.