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Virgin Galactic boldly goes where no tourists have gone before
Posted on September 24, 2010 | No CommentsSub-orbital space tourism took a step forward on Monday 22 March 2010 when Virgin Galactic’s first spaceplane, VSS Enterprise, took to the air for the first time. The amazing craft […] -
50 Years of SETI: where are the aliens?
Posted on September 24, 2010 | 7 CommentsFifty years of SETI with radio telescopes has so far proved negative. We have found no messages of peace and goodwill, no galactic internet, no extraterrestrial propaganda or advertising. […] -
Moses, Joshua and the wandering planet
Posted on September 24, 2010 | 1 CommentWe all know how the Sun, our Earth and the rest of the Solar System condensed out of a vast protoplanetary disc some 4.5 billion years ago. There were some […] -
How Venus will kill you in less than 10 seconds
Posted on September 24, 2010 | 8 CommentsVenus was once thought to be a lush, life-bearing planet, but modern research has revealed an utterly lethal world. What perils await explorers of “Earth’s evil twin”? Is there […] -
Will a rogue star cause chaos in the Solar System?
Posted on September 22, 2010 | No CommentsAt first glance Gliese 710 is not a very distinguished star. A K7 class orange dwarf a bit more than half as massive as the Sun, it currently lies about […] -
Altair, Deneb and Vega: three easy to spot stars
Posted on September 22, 2010 | 2 CommentsAround this time of year, go outside after 9pm on a clear night and look at the sky. Even if it is not quite dark a bright star will be […] -
Blue Streak: the UK’s Cold War rocket
Posted on September 22, 2010 | 6 CommentsThe Blue Streak rocket was an advanced British missile of the 1950s which nearly became a space rocket before ending up a casualty of government apathy. Let’s look at Blue […] -
Hubble images orphan star
Posted on September 22, 2010 | 4 CommentsAstronomers in search of really, really big stars look to the Tarantula Nebula. Also known as 30 Doradus (or even NGC 2070), this is a very active star-forming region in […]