Copernicus is generally credited with having first described the “true” arrangement of the solar system at a time when Science was being reborn after the Dark Ages. So revolutionary was his book De Revolutionibus that he withheld it for more than 10 years before finally publishing a small number of copies in 1543. As he … Continue reading Kepler: Greater than Copernicus
Telescopes in Space
Why do we put telescopes in space? The reason is not to get "closer" to the things we are trying to observe! Although the Earth's atmosphere extends much further, we generally think of space as starting about 100 km above the Earth's surface (see here for more details) and that's a tiny distance compared even … Continue reading Telescopes in Space
Online Astronomy Resources
There are many great resources available online to support your learning in the astronomy module of the course. In this post, which I'll update as we go along, I'm going to list a few of my personal favourites, some of which link directly to the required course content but others are included as a way … Continue reading Online Astronomy Resources
Mr Tarrant's physbang 'blog 