Society for Popular Astronomy

Relatively deep subsurface sampling on Mars has yet to be achieved, despite the number of landers that have arrived there since the Viking landers in the 1970s. Of the three space probes currently heading for Mars, the NASA and Chinese probes carry landers, while the .United Arab Emirates probe is a...

Yesterday, China successfully launched its Mars-lander from Wenchang Space Centre on the southern island of Hainan. China's largest lift vehicle the Long March 5 Y-4. In 2020 Mars will be at its closest distance to Earth. It's expected that the probe will arrive at Mars in February. It will attempt ...

What offence Cliff? When I pointed out to the neighbours that their security light was causing a problem for other locals, they simply switched it off. There were no demographic considerations involved. Even small communities can and do blight their environment with intrusive lighting. At least, ext...

We seem to have shot off on a tangent here Cliff. l'm not an overpopulationist,I've seen the data. One thing we can be certain about is that we are unlikely to see evidence of extraterrestrial life in our lifetime, unless, of course, they visit us. Better put the kettle on just in case.

I sympathise with you Cliff. I was lucky. Some years ago the next door neighbours installed a trigger-type security light in their back garden. It was powerful, even lighting up the tops of tall trees on the back field, and I'm sure that a passing ground beetle would have triggered the light, it was...

Your last shot of the comet is quite nice Cliff. That security light in your first pic is really awful. Have you considered having a stroll over there to ask the boss if he will have it shaded, so as to direct the light downwards?
Also, are you aware that there's a bylaw against light nuisance?

Word meanings can change over time. Civilisation used to mean "town-dwelling" ( civil society )' but now it seems to mean any number of things, such has having impeccable manners and being intelligent, etc. Galactic civilisations are also referred to as synonymously meaning intelligent life. Life do...

A neat little sketch Ian. I've just observed the comet for the first time, 11 pm BST, from the gravel path near the sports field and past barricading trees. Opticron 8X40s were used. The comet was not too easy to see with the unaided eye, due to natural summertime air glow and light pollution over t...

Astrophysicists, using the Very Large Telescope ( VLT ) in Chile are searching for a " monster" star that has mysteriously disappeared in the Kinman Dwarf Galaxy 70 million light years away in Aquarius. At its great distance the star cannot be seen, but the research team confirmed its presence in sp...

Oh dear Stella! Now I've gone and replied to your Webb post in the Satellite Observing section...

You noticed it Stella! Well it did buy two mugs of coffee for the Webb team. They were allowed three sips each. I'm using an iPad for the first time and making a few errors in the process. As I'm sure you know, the figure is $8.8 billion.

The launch of the groundbreaking infrared telescope was scheduled for next March, but this has been extended to October 2021. Webb was meant to be launched a decade ago. In 2018, there was a further delay due to worker error and hardware problems. Despite the long delay, the $8.8 awarded by Congree ...

The British built Solar Orbiter has sent back images on its first pass of the Sun. The probe approached the Sun at a distance of 48 million miles and revealed details not seen before, including many mini-solar flares, provisionally named "camp fires". Solar physicist, Lucy Green described the images...

Due to violent lightning storms and heavy rain, the United Arab Emirates Mars orbiter launch from Japan's Tanegashima Space Centre was put on hold earlier today. The Mars orbiter Amal, carried on a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' H-11A rocket, is set to reach Mars in 2021. The launch is to celebrate th...

The pandemic lockdown has provided a stimulus to get out the beloved black & Decker pistol drill, drill bits, taps and tap wrench to attach an adaptor to a 60mm/f.6 Prinz refractor. Remember Prinz telescopes? They burst onto the scene at the Dixon's chain in the Sixties and where at an affordable pr...