A Geek and Freelancer Writing About the Awesomeness of Science
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 →
The first exoplanet was discovered in 1992 and it opened up a new era of planetary science. Eight years later, a group of astronomers at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) took a series of infrared images of a brown dwarf. What they didn’t know at the time was they had also taken the first ever... Continue Reading →
Sir Douglas Mawson is one of Australia’s all-time greatest explorers. He’s best known for his trips to Antarctica and work in geology. From 1984–1996, his image was on the front of the $100 paper banknote. But how and why was he chosen for it? Sir Douglas Mawson Born on 5 May, 1882, Mawson and his... Continue Reading →
Before being reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006, Pluto was considered the ninth and final planet of the Solar System. It was discovered in 1930 but it wasn’t until 1978 when astronomers discovered a second object. Named Charon, the moon was nearly half the diameter of Pluto and defied all expectations. While working at... Continue Reading →
Jupiter’s moon Io is the most volcanically active body in the Solar System. Its slightly larger than our own Moon and over 150 volcanos have been discovered on it, some of which shoot material 300 kilometres into space. At a distance of 422,000 kilometres, Io orbits extremely close to Jupiter and the two are locked... Continue Reading →
A pulsar is a rapidly spinning dead star chunk that emits beams of electromagnetic radiation, like the lights on a lighthouse, out into space. They were first witnessed in 1967 by astronomer Jocelyn Bell Burnell and are one of the strangest objects the universe has to offer. In a controversial decision, Bell Burnell missed out... Continue Reading →
While people around the world celebrate Valentine’s Day today, a famous astronomical photo turns thirty years old. In 1990, the Voyager 1 spacecraft—then at a distance of 6.4 billion kilometres from Earth—turned around and took pictures of all the planets. When the images were collected and placed together, they created a family portrait of the... Continue Reading →
Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, that all life on Earth is related and that it changes to better suit its environment over time, is just as important to science today as it was when it was first introduced over 150 years ago. All plants and animals (humans included) experience small genetic changes with each new... Continue Reading →