Category: space
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“I believe in evidence.”
– Isaac Asimov, The Roving Mind (1997), (2 January 2 1920 – 6 April 1992) Scientist and science fiction author Asimov’s output of novels and books popularising and explaining science was prodigious. As a rationalist he often railed against superstitious and pseudoscientific beliefs that tried to pass themselves off as genuine science and had this…
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What is a light-year?
A light-year is a measure of distance – not time (or anything to do with Disney’s Toy Story). It’s used to indicate the distance to stars and galaxies. It’s the distance light travels in one year in a vacuum, which is about: – 4.2465 light-years OR 5.88 trillion miles OR 9.46 trillion kilometres Light travels…
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How far is that star?
Basically, far! The Sun is the closest (and brightest) star. It is about: – 93 million miles – 150 million kilometres The next closest star (Proxima Centauri) is invisible to the unaided human eye and you need to be in the Southern Hemisphere to see it with a telescope (it’s too dim to see with…
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“Be less curious about people and more curious about ideas.”
– Maria Salomea Skłodowska Curie (Marie Curie) (7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934) She was a was a Polish and naturalised-French physicist and chemist. The first woman to win a Nobel Prize. The first person to win a Nobel Prize twice. The only person to win a Nobel Prize in two different scientific fields.…
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You Can Still Read NASA’s Deleted “First Woman” Graphic Novels
With thanks to Keith Cowing of NASAWatch.com Credit: https://nasawatch.com/education/you-can-still-read-nasas-deleted-first-woman-graphic-novels/ ____________________________________________________________________ The following is mainly taken from NASAWatch.com‘s page about this story. In 2021 NASA issued the first of two interactive comic books/graphic novels (“First Woman: Dream to Reality”) depicting young women dreaming of – and then training for – a future that would comprise the…
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One Penny for Space
Will you sign the petition? I have. Credit: https://pennyforspace.vercel.app/ ____________________________________________________________________ One Penny for Space is a petition to ask the UK government to increase spending on space to 1%. Click on the badge below to learn more about the petition by Peter Hague of Plutocracy. ____________________________________________________________________ PS: I love coffee. BuyMeACoffee, leave a message with a…
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Do you share a birthday with an astronaut? (no.64)
Were you following a weekly list of forthcoming astronaut* birthdays? Did you share a birthday?! If not, perhaps it will be you who adds your name to the list?! Or maybe, one of the 100+ additional astronauts has beaten you?! These astronauts have flown since this original list was pulled together. We have started listing…
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Do you share a birthday with an astronaut? (no.63)
Were you following a weekly list of forthcoming astronaut* birthdays? Did you share a birthday?! If not, perhaps it will be you who adds your name to the list?! Or maybe, one of the 100+ additional astronauts has beaten you?! These astronauts have flown since this original list was pulled together. We have started listing…
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Do you share a birthday with an astronaut? (no.62)
Were you following a weekly list of forthcoming astronaut* birthdays? Did you share a birthday?! If not, perhaps it will be you who adds your name to the list?! Or maybe, one of the 100+ additional astronauts has beaten you?! These astronauts have flown since this original list was pulled together. We have started listing…
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Do you share a birthday with an astronaut? (no.61)
Were you following a weekly list of forthcoming astronaut* birthdays? Did you share a birthday?! If not, perhaps it will be you who adds your name to the list?! Or maybe, one of the 100+ additional astronauts has beaten you?! These astronauts have flown since this original list was pulled together. We have started listing…
Stargazing Guy 