Astronomers working on the European Southern Observatory's (ESO's) Visible and Infra-Red Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA) have today published the biggest ever dataset of infra-red images of the Milky Way. A few of the images captured by the ESO VISTA project. Full details about this composite can be found at https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2413a/ Importantly, capturing images using infra-red … Continue reading Mammoth effort to image our galaxy in infra-red
Why believe in the Big Bang?
It is often said that the reason why we “know” the Big Bang took place is because the Universe is expanding and if time were played backwards then everything would have started from the same point at the same moment in time. That moment, when everything started moving apart, is what we call the Big … Continue reading Why believe in the Big Bang?
Astronomy versus Cosmology
The word "astronomy" means the arrangement of the stars but we apply it to the arrangement of the entire Universe, not just stars. It is an observational science, since experiments are difficult to perform on solar systems and galaxies - let alone the entire Universe. Cosmology, on the other hand, is more philosophical and is … Continue reading Astronomy versus Cosmology
Home Study Projects
Constantly going over things that you have already learned can get a bit boring so if you want to extend your knowledge over the summer holiday then it's a good idea to do so using some fresh material. Finding suitable resources can be tricky so let me suggest some materials that are provided online at … Continue reading Home Study Projects
Astronomy in a Nutshell
There are no equations in our Astronomy module - just a bundle of facts, models and theories. To make learning (and revising) easier, the knowledge that you need can be linked into seven pairs of ideas as listed below; 1. Models of the Universe: Geocentric versus Heliocentric 2. Observing the Universe: Naked Eye versus Using … Continue reading Astronomy in a Nutshell
Mr Tarrant's physbang 'blog 