What really makes up everything? Science of atoms, galaxies and everything in between!
In case you missed part one of the JWST series, check it out here for explanations of more of the first images, as well as an insight into how the telescope works! But now, its time to move on to the JWST targets I find most intriguing- planets! WASP 96b: A distant world of discovery… Continue reading JWST: A new era of planetary science
You can watch this as a YouTube video if you’d like! Linked below 🙂 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDIHwIQ5xeY After a fantastic response to my Kepler’s Laws posts, I decided to continue with my Equations of Space series, and return to one of my favourite areas of science, astrobiology! What is the Drake Equation? Essentially, it is a long… Continue reading The Drake Equation
Neptune is the furthest planet from the sun, at a whopping 30 Astronomical Units (where 1AU = distance between earth and sun). Its distance and low albedo (how much light it reflects) mean that it's not visible to the naked eye- so its discovery was somewhat more complex than the other planets, most of which… Continue reading Triton and other Mysteries of the Neptunian System
Last night I managed to convince my dad to go comet hunting with me, so we trekked over to the field (as our garden is surrounded by annoyingly tall trees that block the sun at 4:30 and any stars that aren't directly overhead) to try catch a glimpse of Comet Neowise before it disappeared. We… Continue reading Stargazing 101- comets and new kit
Thanks to seismology, Earth-observing satellites and geology, we have a pretty good idea of what the interior of the Earth looks like, although we are discovering new things year on year! I recently took part in an online course about Deep Earth Science, and another all about Moons, so I thought I would share some… Continue reading The Structure of the Solar System
Where are we in the universe? When I was younger, whenever I was tasked with addressing Christmas letters or thank yous, I would always be overly specific- house, street, town, county, country, earth… ending with The Universe! But where in the universe actually are we?  Starting off with the basics: Earth is the 3rd planet… Continue reading Our place in the universe!
TRAPPIST-1 is a star system about 40 light years away from Earth! The star (TRAPPIST-1a) is an ultra cool red dwarf not much larger than Jupiter, though it is much more massive (as in, has more mass) and was discovered in 1999, but its first exoplanets were only found in 2015 by the TRAPPIST telescope!… Continue reading What would it be like to live around TRAPPIST-1a?
In my last post, I talked about the possibility of life existing within the sun’s habitable zone. Although it is an easy method of elimination when it comes to using precious telescope time, this narrow minded approach is becoming less relevant as we discover more about the conditions in the outer solar system. Read on,… Continue reading Astrobiology 104: Looking for Life beyond the Habitable Zone
In my last post, I talked about how cool exoplanets are, and how we can find them, and look for life there. But there is a small possibility that we won’t have to travel so far to find life. Although unlikely to be intelligent life, there are some locations that NASA has highlighted, and plans… Continue reading Astrobiology 103: Looking for life closer to home
It is an exciting time for space travel! Preparations for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) is well underway, multiple space agencies have announced their cooperation for the Lunar Orbital Gateway, and private companies are competing to launch the first tourists commercially! Let’s take a look at some of the awesome projects that will almost certainly… Continue reading The Future of Human Spaceflight
Never Trust An Atom 