If one is lucky enough to live in a rural location you can look up on a clear night and see the Andromeda Galaxy which is 2.5 million lightyears away. That isn’t true for those that live in, or close to a town, village or city. From the heart of a city, one would beContinue reading “What is Light Pollution and Why Should You Care?”
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The International Space Station at 20
This week marks the 20th anniversary since the International Space Station was first inhabited. Let’s take a look at what it is and what happens there. The International Space Station is an orbiting space station and laboratory. It was built and is operated by an international consortium of space agencies. The five agencies involved areContinue reading “The International Space Station at 20”
Constellations Explained
Many of us have heard of constellations. Often, one may be familiar with a few of them. But what are they and where did they come from? In general, a constellation is a group of stars that are said to resemble a person, animal, mythological being or object. The thing to remember here is thatContinue reading “Constellations Explained”
Citizen Science
Citizen Science is the term used to describe science conducted by amateurs. In the past all scientists were amateurs. Science was often the hobby of gentlemen scientists who funded their own research. For example Charles Darwin was born into a wealthy family. Nowadays most scientists are professionals. Employed mostly by universities and other research institutesContinue reading “Citizen Science”
Hubble Space Telescope Turns 30
The Hubble Space Telescope or HST for short celebrates its 30th birthday this week. The telescope was launched on 24th April 1990. It is named after astronomer Edwin Hubble. The HST is in orbit around the Earth at a height of approximately 540 Km. The advantage of having a telescope like Hubble in space isContinue reading “Hubble Space Telescope Turns 30”
Introduction
My name is Paul and I want to welcome you to my new blog, The Science Shed. My interests include astronomy, physics, chemistry, computer science and photography. I plan to mostly write about astronomy but I will likely cover some of the other areas along the way as they all overlap. I plan to shareContinue reading “Introduction”
