UK Eclipse 2015 Photos
[](https://orbitingfrog.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img7345.jpg) Today's partial Solar eclipse is off to a great start here in Witney, where the…
A Tour: From You to the Largest Structure in the Universe
Line 1. Letâs start with 'typical' humans. The average human adult male is 1.75 metres tall - that's 3.83 cubits or 5.74 feet. The average female is 1.62â¦
Electrolysis of Water: with Pencils and a 9V Battery
HâO might be the most familiar chemical compound on the planet. Many people know that water is HâO, but most wouldn't think about what that means in a chemicalâ¦
Mazda Makes My Year by Calling Me a 'Rebel'
[](https://www.mazdarebels.com/en-gb/content/the-astronomer/) Iâve been called a lot of things but ârebelâ hasnât come up too often. Not that I mind. As partâ¦
8 Images That Can Totally Change Your Perspective
I got into a conversation recently about how some astronomical photos can totally change your whole perspective of yourself and your place in the Universe.â¦
Star Trek: The Rewatch
Warning: 400 words of geekery ahead! Iâve embarked on an extremely nerdy and wonderful new project: a podcast about rewatching Star Trek. Each week weâ¦
I Went to Norway to See the Aurora
I was lucky enough to visit Norway last week. I lead a group chasing the aurora (as best you can in cloud!) over the top of Norway from Tromsø to the Russianâ¦
1.6 Tonnes of Rubbish Burning Up in the Atmosphere
Albert Einstein was ESAâs 4th Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV). After delivery lots of supplies to the International Space Station if departed last weekâ¦
Supercooled Water and Towers of Ice
Solid, liquid, gas. The three states of matter are something I first explored in primary school and water was the best example. You can easily see water frozen…
How to Make Glowing Jelly
Here's a really simple and fun experiment to do at home: make glowing jelly (or jello, American friends)! The method is really easy - you're just making jellyâ¦
On the Awfulness of PowerPoint, Keynote, Prezi and Everything Else
I have given a lot of talks over the past few years and I've seen more than I can count. This year I saw one of the worst presentations ever - literally in myâ¦
Summer Sights
Once you have a Meade ETX-90 Telescope aligned and ready to go (no small feat, at times) you can see some pretty cool objects in the Summer sky. Saturn is…
The Earth Is Being Photographed Tonight: Say Cheese!
Smile for the camera... in space! In fact it's cameras as two spacecraft will be taking images of the Earth tonight - there might still be time to get your…
Cool Space Facts for Young Children
I thought it would be fun to ask Twitter what space fact they would tell kids aged 7. Today I spoke to a class of young children about the Solar System andâ¦
Ig Nobel Awards 2012
Highlights from this yearsâ Ig Nobel Awards for achievements that first make people laugh and then make them think: MEDICINE PRIZE: Emmanuel Ben-Soussan andâ¦
Different Rainbows
Walking trough the park today we were caught by a heavy rain shower that literally came out of the clear blue sky. Whilst dashing through town to our car weâ¦
Norway and the Aurora
[](http://www.flickr.com/photos/nitin-p/6932911587/) I returned last night from a trip to Norway to see the aurora. I posted previously about my stint as aâ¦
Awesome figure alert!
The magnetic fields of the inner Solar System animated for your geomagnetic-storm-predicting needs.
Scale of the Universe
This is a fantastic, scrollable Universe explorer written in Flash. Learn just how big - and small - everything is. Marvellous.â¦
Sex in Space
Ever considered the idea of sex in space? The 100-mile high club? You know, that thing James Bond does in Moonraker. A friend of mine was musing about this onâ¦
Faster Than a Speeding Cyclist
After a particularly awful few days of bus commuting, I have been considering the merits and pitfalls of my method of travel to work. Mostly I began by tryingâ¦
Solar System by Numbers
Had a bit of fun this weekend creating these oh-so-factual images of the Sun and Planets. There are up to 10 numbers used to create each image - each oneâ¦
Ways to End the World
A friend recently asked me how I think the world might end. It’s a good question - lots of fun too, as a scientist. There seem to be countless ways to bring…
Glowing Samples
[](http://oldblog.orbitingfiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/uvcups1.jpg) Iâve not much to say about this other than that it is a very cool image. I took itâ¦
Make Your Own Spectrometer
Note: This experiment involves sharp objects and should only be performed by children if under supervision. As long as care is taken, this is a fun experimentâ¦
Measure the Speed of Light Using Your Microwave
Astronomers studying star formation, like myself, use telescopes that can see though the pretty, optical exteriors of nebulae into the dark interiors whereâ¦
Line Up
Hereâs a great image of all the bodies in the Solar System in order of size. It only goes down to a diameter of 200 miles - otherwise it would get very sillyâ¦