by Apostolos Christou On the 11th of July 2021, we were informed that Virgin Galactic’s CEO Sir Richard Branson and his fellow passengers onboard VSS Unity reached “the edge of space”. But why “the edge” and not simply “space”, surely space is a well-defined domain so that one either reaches Read more…
Exploring and learning new things have always been a passion for humankind. We like new challenges. Sputnik widened our perspective in 1957. Shortly followed by Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space, in 1961. Today, only 60 years after Gagarin’s historical achievement, we have spacecraft all around the Solar System. Read more…
How many moons can you see with the naked eye? The answer may surprise you.. Of the hundreds of moons orbiting the planets of our solar system, all but four are too faint to see with the naked eye. One of the four is, of course, Earth’s own Moon. The Read more…
From when the first pressure suits of high-altitude military and experimental aircraft pilots were adapted for applications in Space in the 1960s, the spacesuit as we know it has continued to evolve. Let’s take a look at where things are at with the spacesuits of today and the direction in Read more…
The planet Mars has been shining brightly in the night sky for the better part of a year now, and a number of spacecraft have been speeding towards it most of that time. Among them, Mars 2020 mission, with plans to land the Perseverance rover on the Red Planet on 18th February 2021 shortly before 9pm GMT. Mars remains clearly Read more…
The Armagh Robotic Telescope (ART) is the youngest, and most advanced, telescope housed at the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium (AOP). It has been 10 years since first light was achieved, and we would like to take this opportunity to talk to the man behind the telescope. Professor Simon Jeffery has Read more…
It’s easy to forget that it was only 25 years ago that the first planet around another Sun-like star was discovered. Since then, research into ‘exoplanets’ has become one of the most active areas of astronomy, with links being made with groups working on theoretical models of how planetary systems Read more…
CHALLENGE ALERT! This weekend celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 14 when Commander Alan Shepard hit arguably one of the most spectacular golf shots of all time…on the moon! A truly out-of-this-world shot! To get you involved at home, we have launched a really special #AOPApolloChallenge! We want you to Read more…
Season 1 has come to an end, and I still honestly can’t believe it has happened. I am so thrilled that we were able to create a podcast in, what is arguably, the most horrendous year in all human history. Heather From the get-go, Courtney and I had a vision. We didn’t want this Read more…
by Apostolos Christou An international team of planetary scientists led by astronomers at AOP have found an asteroid trailing behind Mars with a composition very similar to the Moon’s. The asteroid could be an ancient piece of debris, dating back to the gigantic impacts that formed the Moon and the Read more…