Astronomy

Ok, to start with, I feel that I should stress that I mean Astronomy, not astrology, and that there will be no "star signs" discussed in this blog, and it is highly unlikely that they will ever be discussed on my page. This is not because I dont think that they dont have merit, just that they have no place amongst the scientific facts that will hopefully be conveyed to you, my dear reader, on these pages.
   Right, so lets get straight down to it shall we? I was initially going to blog about quantum entanglement and resonance theories tonight, but I have decided that, with recent develpments in the feild, and the fact that I can see a good 100 stars from my bedroom window tonight, a blog post about astronomy is much more appropriate. Indeed, my primary field of interest is astronomy and astrophysics, with little real difference existing between the two fields.
 Firstly then, I would like to discuss the STEREO space probes, which are two probes that are in orbit around our Sun, and are sending back many fantastic 3D images of the turmoil that occurs on the surface of our star. This is done in the hope that it will enable a greater understanding of the innermost workings of stars, and indeed help us to understand the "cycle" of peaks and troughs in the suns energy output, which can lead to large CMEs (Coronal Mass Ejections) which could cause massive disruption to our modern way of life. Of course, this is not the only recent development in astronomy, as the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics has recently unveiled a 3 dimensional map of the local universe, which took them 10 years to make. I know at this point you're wondering what the point of such a map is, but it shows us invariably the sheer magnitude of our universe, which is an important step in our understanding of how the universe fits together and perhaps how it began in the first place.

  Moving away from largescale astronomy, to the area that I am much more familliar with at the moment, which is stargazing and the use of telescopes to view and map the night sky. Yes ladies and gentlemen, this does indeed count as a form of astronomy, and it is not merely a hobby for older people and geeks with nothing else better to do. I know it is incredably cheesy to say this, but one cannot truly appreciate the fact that we live on a small planet in the middle of a vast space until you have stood outside on a clear, pitch dark night, and looked up at the sky. Indeed, one of the most incredible moments of my life so far was standing up near a place called Gallows Hill, a few minutes from my house, watching a meteor shower, and observing the milky way galaxy in all of its beauty. Until you have seen this, I would refrain from using terms such as "breath-taking" or "awe-inspiring" because, in my experience, there is nothing quite like the realisation that we are but tiny specs of dust in comparison to the solar system and the universe itself that stretches out into the reaches of an eternity that our knowledege can never hope to fully comprehend.
  So, I would encourage you all, one night this summer, to go outside at night, go somewhere dark and look up at the sky, and try to see something interesting. I will willingly answer questions about what can be seen this summer, and provide tips on how best to see things such as galaxies and planets. Happy stargazing everyone!!!