“There are more Exoplanets than stars in our galaxy”
How many stars are there in our own galaxy, the Milky Way? A number frequently bandied about is 100 billion. […]
Bluebottle entanglements; or how to ruin your day at the beach
The southern hemisphere is coming into summer; it’s done this every year for as long as I can remember. For
Tidal waves; prisoners of celestial forces
We are told that a tide waits for no one, the impatient cousin of time. In its early 13th century idiom
The Burrens: An understated beauty
The Celts must have known a thing or two about rocks. They certainly recognized the bare hillslopes of western County
The Moine Thrust: An idea that unravelled mountains
PreambleI first heard about the Moine Thrust (northwest Scotland) during my undergraduate studies at Auckland University. Our department structural geology
The Pink and White Terraces, Magic Lanterns, and 19th Century Narratives
Preamble A collection of late 19th century lantern slides made by Arthur Whinfield, a native of Worcester, England, has recently
Crème brûlée, jelly sandwich, and banana split; the manger a trois of layered earth models
Some things in science are just too difficult to comprehend: the temperature at the center of the sun (15,000,000oC), the
A chance encounter with James Ussher, circa 1650
A chance encounter of a different kind. The 9th century Book of Kells is exhibited in the Trinity College library
Martian organics; one more step in the right direction
Organic compounds (i.e. molecules that contain carbon bonded to hydrogen) are not the prerogative of earth. They have been identified
Bishop James Ussher, and the beginning of everything
[I had the opportunity to browse some of Ussher’s notes and scribblings during a visit to Trinity College, Dublin –