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By far my favourite thing about my job as an astronomer is those rare moments when I get to see beautiful distant galaxies, whose light left them millions to billions of years ago. It’s a combination of pure awe and scientific curiosity that excites me about “galaxy hunting”. In astronomy today, much of our work […] … learn more→
Tag Archives: Astronomy
Hunting galaxies far far away – here’s how anyone can explore the universe
Why is astronomy hardly taught in school?
Astronomy has some advantages over other branches of science to reach students easily. Also to awaken their interest in scientific knowledge in general and contribute to their training as future citizens. The pleasure of observing the sky and the striking nature of the images offered by large telescopes, or the possibility of finding answers to the […] … learn more→
From rural Kenya to a PhD in astronomy: how partnerships made it possible
I grew up in a Kenyan village with dark skies and vivid stars. We admired the sky and listened to stories about it told by the elders. There were few expectations that the children in our village would ever understand the sky’s secrets as this was unimaginable at the time. I excelled at maths and […] … learn more→
How astronomers could find the ‘real’ planet Krypton
The search for exoplanets, worlds orbiting stars other than our own, has become a major field of research in the last decade – with nearly 2,000 such planets discovered to date. So the release of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice got me thinking: does Superman’s home planet of Krypton actually exist? Or at least […] … learn more→
Can astronomy explain the biblical Star of Bethlehem?
Bright stars top Christmas trees in Christian homes around much of the world. The faithful sing about the Star of Wonder that guided the wise men to a manger in the little town of Bethlehem, where Jesus was born. They’re commemorating the Star of Bethlehem described by the Evangelist Matthew in the New Testament. Is […] … learn more→
Comet families similar to our own are found around another star
A detailed study of comets orbiting the young nearby star Beta Pictoris is published in the journal Nature, and it reveals striking similarities to the comets found in our solar system. Over the past 30 years, 11 stars have been identified that appear to have comets orbiting around them, known as exocomets (akin to exoplanets). […] … learn more→
Look out: close encounters of the asteroidal kind
An asteroid named 2012 DA14 will come within 27,700 kilometres of Earth early on Saturday morning Australian time (around 6:30am AEDT). At this distance the asteroid will pass within the orbits of several geostationary satellites. Should we be worried? Alert but not alarmed is probably a better approach. We do not know of any large […] … learn more→
A far-off solar system
Our solar system exhibits a remarkably orderly configuration: The eight planets orbit the sun much like runners on a track, circling in their respective lanes and always keeping within the same sprawling plane. In contrast, most exoplanets discovered in recent years — particularly the giants known as “hot Jupiters” — inhabit far more eccentric orbits. […] … learn more→
