Wormholes Series : Intro

Alongside black holes and white holes, wormholes have held a position of wonder in real physics as well as science fiction. A wormhole is a theoretical cosmic object that connects two different points in space and time. As per Einstein, wormholes could theoretically connect two different universes. American physicist John Archibald Wheeler coined the term … Continue reading Wormholes Series : Intro

The Spacetime Interval.

When going through the questions and comments of the recent Zodiac series, I found a lot of questions regarding the spacetime interval and realised I didn't go into it in any great detail in last years relativity series. Silly me! When I discussed the spacetime interval in the past, I explained it in the mathematical … Continue reading The Spacetime Interval.

Gravitational Waves

On the 11th of February 2016, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) announced that they had detected the first evidence of the existence of gravitational waves the previous September. At the time this was a massive triumph for the team that observed them and made headlines worldwide. So what are gravitational waves? In 1916, … Continue reading Gravitational Waves

Finale – The Constellation Capricorn.

A little bit of housekeeping is in order. Technically speaking I probably should have started with Capricorn but given Aquarius is in January I started with that. Nonetheless, the Sun in our series will have gone through all the signs of the zodiac on its journey around the ecliptic. As we have started housekeeping I … Continue reading Finale – The Constellation Capricorn.

The Constellation Sagittarius

Sagittarius lies at the centre of the galaxy and is represented in mythology as a Centaur pulling back a bow. From the northern hemisphere, the brighter stars are easily recognised from an asterism known as the teapot. The brightest star in Sagittarius is Epsilon, a rapidly spinning binary star. At 143 light years from us, … Continue reading The Constellation Sagittarius

The Constellation Scorpius

Scorpius, more commonly known as Scorpio in astrology, lies between Libra and Sagittarius on the Sun's journey of the ecliptic. Although the constellation is seldom called Scorpius officially, it is the correct name. The sun is only within the bounds of Scorpius for 6 days from November the 23rd until the 28th.Scorpius is Latin for … Continue reading The Constellation Scorpius

The Constellation Libra

For the reputation that Libra has amongst astrologists, witch doctors and fortune tellers as a fire sign, Libra is actually very faint in the night sky with no first magnitude stars. Libra, Latin for "weighing scales" has been known since ancient times. In Mesopotamia, the Sun God of the people Shamash was the patron of … Continue reading The Constellation Libra

The Constellation Cancer

Cancer, also known as "the dark sign", is a medium sized constellation surrounded by Gemini to the West, Leo, Canis Minor and Hydra. The Brightest star in Cancer is Beta Cancri which only has an apparent magnitude of 3.5. So it's brightest star isn't overly bright and neither are the rest of them hence the … Continue reading The Constellation Cancer

The Constellation Gemini.

Gemini, known as the "Heavenly Twins", is one of the easiest constellations to recognise with over 80 stars visible without a telescope. For astronomy it is one of the most examined constellations due to its diversity. It is rich with various types of stars, galaxies, meteor showers and planetary nebulae. In Greek mythology, Castor was … Continue reading The Constellation Gemini.

The Constellation Taurus

Taurus, the bull, is one of the most prominent constellations in the night sky. Not only is it referenced in almost all classical mythology, it dates back to the early Bronze Age! Taurus is likely to be the first constellation noted give its prominence and was once known as the bull of heaven. In Roman … Continue reading The Constellation Taurus