A Geek and Freelancer Writing About the Awesomeness of Science
Moree is a country town in New South Wales and is just over 120 kilometres from the Queensland border. It has a rich history dating back to 1862 and was home to the country’s second Earth Station, a relay point linking satellites and telecommunications equipment across the Pacific Ocean. The Earth station also played a... Continue Reading →
Between 1 July, 1957, and December 31, 1958, scientists from 67 different countries took part in the International Geophysical Year (IGY). The worldwide study focused on the Earth’s physical properties and processes, covering scientific fields such as meteorology, seismology, oceanography, glaciology and others. Not only did it lead to some of the most important discoveries... Continue Reading →
Former astronaut Andy Thomas turned 70 years old today (December 18). Besides having a distinguished career with NASA, he has achieved much as an Australian in space. Even now, Thomas continues to champion the development of the space sector in our country. Thomas grew up in Adelaide and was fascinated with space from a young... Continue Reading →
On October 16, 2021, the Australian Antarctic Division’s (AAD) brand-new icebreaker RSV Nuyina arrived in its homeport of Hobart for the very first time. The ship will carry expeditioners to and from the bottom of the world, resupply Australia’s sub-Antarctic and polar stations and will be crucial in future scientific discoveries. Nuyina builds upon a... Continue Reading →
Many millions of years ago Australia was part of a large landmass called Gondwana. South America, India, Africa, Madagascar, New Zealand and Antarctica were also part of it and dinosaurs had free range. As the supercontinent broke apart because of plate tectonics, Australia’s dinosaurs became isolated and evolved differently from their counterparts in other areas... Continue Reading →
The Polly Woodside has been a Melbourne icon for many years. The ship has a rich history that dates back to 1885 but it had been left to rot by the mid-1960s. Sold to the National Trust of Australia (Victoria) for one cent in 1968, Polly was painstakingly restored to its former glory by a... Continue Reading →
When researchers head “out into the field” in Antarctica for longer periods of time and need something more robust than a tent, there are Igloo Satellite Cabins and Googie Huts. While unusual in appearance, both fibreglass accommodations are Australian designed and have been serving the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) for decades. The South Pole is... Continue Reading →
Australia’s scientific research flagship, the RV Investigator, celebrates five years of service this month. The vessel is maintained by the CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) and studies a wide variety of Earth sciences—including oceanology, meteorology and biology. It’s nearly 100 m long, is designed to spend up to 300 days a year on... Continue Reading →
Scientist Dorothy Hill was hugely influential in Australian geology. She was a crucial part in the first major studies of the Great Barrier Reef and was the first woman to become a professor at an Australian university. A lot of her work took place at the University of Queensland (UQ). The Engineering and Science Library... Continue Reading →
People have been looking up at the night sky for thousands of years but radio astronomy was new in the 1950s. One of the first fully functioning radio telescopes in the Southern Hemisphere was the one at Parkes Observatory. It is located 20 kilometres (12.4 miles) north of the town of the same name and... Continue Reading →