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Scroll to the bottom of this post to play the audio. On November 3rd this year, Professor Jim Al-khalili was to give three lectures in Liverpool on the same day (Quantum Physics, Advances in Mathematics in Medieval Islam and On the Shoulders of Eastern Giants: the Forgotten Contribution of the Medieval Physicists). I did feel a bit of a stalker, I attended all three, but fortunately I was not alone. It is not often that I get to personally witness the scientific method in real life. The most illuminating part of the day of the three lectures was the the Q and A following the second lecture. A questioner put her hand up and stated clearly that she had a correction rather than a question. She had heard the professor talk about the concept and symbol for the number zero. During his lecture, the professor had recalled the contribution from the Babylonians, Mayans and Indian mathematicians. The questioner had been researching the substantial contribution from the Egyptians in this area which the professor had no

Next year April 12th  2011 marks the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's,  mankind's,  first steps  into space. It was a product of the accumulated technology of many countries over many years but particularly driven by the the political landscape resulting from the 2nd world war. Since then successful robotic missions have visited the planets, asteroids and comets. 24 men have gone to the moon and a dozen have even walked on its surface. Subsequent achievements have fallen short of the expectations raised in the wake of Gagarin's flight. Gagarin himself  spoke openly about his desire to go to the moon and Mars. That sounds like a pipe dream now but back in 1961, he was absolutely serious and realistic. So what happened? Had the space race been won when Neil and Buzz landed on the Moon? Had the motivation borne out of political rivalries of the cold war finally been exhausted? Perhaps, the problems closer at home of poverty, population growth, environmental concerns  raced to the top of the political agenda

A man playing golf on the moon is one of the images permanently etched into the collective memory of humanity's first exploration of the moon. The so called “golf player” was Alan Shepard the guy with him was Dr Edgar Mitchell whilst Stuart Roosa orbited the moon in the command module. Today, Ed Mitchell, two months away from his 80th birthday is the only remaining member of the Apollo 14 crew. On a recent visit to Pontefract, organised once again by Ken Willoughby, he describes his personal journey to the moon. Amongst other things he highlights his javelin throw which, by a narrow margin, beat the golf ball, as a picture in his presentation illustrates. He spent nine hours on the surface of the moon during two EVAs on February 5th and 6th 1971. Apollo 14 was his only space flight and he left NASA in the following year. Ed Mitchell is perhaps best known for his epiphany moment on the return journey to Earth when he experienced a unique spiritual sensation which has dominated his professional and personal l

Nestling in a valley amongst the rolling green hills of the Eifel region of western Germany is the 100m Effelsberg steerable radio telescope. Similar to the Lovell telescope at Jodrell Bank which is on the plains of Cheshire in northwest England which can be seen from miles away. The  Effelsberg telescope  is situated in a valley so it easy to pass close by and not see it. It is an international facility. Participating in Very Long Base Interferometry (VLBI) where physical links are necessary with other countries it also hosts astronomers from many other countries  and participates in global research projects. Although its website may appear a littel dated, Effelsberg has a surprisingly rich online presence including the current schedule and of course the now mandatory webcam. Effelsberg is a leading player in a new international project called LOw Frequency ARray or LOFAR.  Lofar targets the low frequency range between 10MHZ and 250MHZ. However, for many years commercial FM radio stations, the local emerge

If you had the task of gathering all of humanity’s knowledge of cosmology in one place, how would you do it? Answers to questions such as, How big is the Earth? At what date and time will the Moon be full again? What makes the Sun shine? How old is the Universe? Today a good place to start the project would be to scour the sources online. In about 150AD Claudius Ptolemaeus, better known as Ptolemy, a Greek national with Roman citizenship living in Egypt, attempted to do just that. He is best known for his encyclopaedic work written in ancient Greek “Syntaxis Mathematica”, perhaps better known as the Almagest from the Arabic Al magisti “the greatest”. He was an industrious author of many scientific and mathematical treaties but he also collected works going back hundreds of years. The Almagest was the premier source of knowledge for describing the cosmos for almost two thousand years. Nothing of the original survives, only hand written copies of hand written copies. Today's episode is partially about one su

Sir Patrick Moore is primarily known for his work on the long running TV series, The Sky at Night but he is an author, musician and an observational astronomer, too. He is also a former director of the Armagh Planetarium, a co-founder of the Society for Popular Astronomyand a former president of the British Astronomical Association. His autobiography was published when he was Eighty in 2003. It is upfront, strongly opinionated, potentially uncomfortable in places for some and remarkably honest. He writes unapologetically with the political correctness of an earlier generation. He recounts his meetings with many of the key contributors in science and astronomy of the late twentieth century. It is a unique personal account of the development of astronomy and science during a fascinating period humanity's exploration of space. An absolute “must read” for those of us who grew up with Sky at Night. I met  Sir Patrick Moore at his home in Selsey, called Farthings, on 20th of August 2009. He was an extremely hosp

Today’s episode is a special recording with Professor Barrie Jones of the Open University. Special because during the Eighties, I studied several of the courses which he helped to develop and presented on the the late night OU TV programs. Professor Jones joined the Open University in 1972 and since 2006 is the emeritus professor of astronomy. He recalls people he worked with at Cornell including Tom Gold, Frank Drake, Carl Sagan and the early days of Gamma Ray astronomy from balloons.

In size, mass and orbit Venus is the nearest Earth has to a twin in the Solar System. It is the brightest object in the sky after the sun and moon, hottest planet in the solar system, has a day longer than its year, is named after the Roman goddess of love and yet it has a deadly atmosphere and its the one planet that gets closer to the Earth than any other. In this episode, recorded in late 2008, Professor Fred Taylor, Jesus College Oxford, talks about the Venus Express mission. ==================================== This week’s quote is my rather obtuse reference to the runaway greenhouse effect on the planet Venus. Its from Will Rogers and its what he says to his niece on  seeing Venus de Milo in the Louvre in Paris. “See what will happen if you don't stop biting your fingernails?”

On this day 40 years ago the crew of Apollo 11 fulfilled one of mankind’s longest held dreams and walked on the surface of the Moon. One of them Buzz Aldrin in episode 12 of ATUK, recalled a little of that experience. Today’s episode is a short recording with Fred Haise when he visited Pontefract as arranged by Ken Willoughby. Incidentally, Jim Lovell is also visiting Pontefract in Yorkshire on October the 2nd 2009. If you are close to northern England on that date consider stopping by. Of the twelve men who walked on the Moon only nine remain. Apollo 13 astronauts Fred Haise along with Jim Lovell and Jack Swigert were arguably the subject of the 20th century’s most dramatic events and the subject of the film Apollo 13. Fred Haise never made it to the surface of the Moon. He served on the back-up crew for the Apollo 8, Apollo 11, Apollo 16 moon missions and was also scheduled as commander for the cancelled Apollo 19 mission. As a backup he could have been on the first mission to the moon (Apollo 8), first m

A different, interesting and at times a little silly episode this week. Professor Pamela L Gay from the Southern University Edwardsville Illinois (SUEI) and Swinburne Astronomy Online but you will may be familiar with her voice on the probably most popular Astronomy podcast Astronomy Cast. This recording was made in Oxford during her visit in March this year. ==================================== This week’s quote is from Anne Morrow Lindberg “Good communication is as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after.”

Everyone who comes across the Antikythera mechanism goes through a phase initially of disbelief and then the awe inspiring realisation that something almost from another world actually exists in ours. Imagine William Shakespeare writing Hamlet using a laptop. Surely a ridiculous proposition he was about 300 years too early for that. He didn’t but today’s topic is just as incredible but thanks to the presence of physical evidence- true. The bronze department of the Museum in Athens has a small device slightly bigger than a pocket dictionary which has spent 2000 years under the Mediterranean Sea. Its is a hand made hand operated mechanical mechanism which may have looked like a multi handed clock. This remarkably compact device can display the calendar, predict eclipses, illustrate the phase of the moon, indicate the position of most of the planets and even takes account of the precession of the lunar orbit. The mechanism is driven by a collection of precision gear wheels made in Greece about 100 BC and nothing

Science is the product of human intellect, creativity and imagination. It helps answers the profoundest of all questions. Where did life come from? How old is the Earth? What is the structure of the universe? How did humans come to be? As the history of science shows, as it progresses so does the nature, accuracy and reliability the answers to such questions. The scientific picture of the physical world is a provisional and an ever changing one. Science is not the only way to understand the world and our place within it.  Majority of the time humans have existed most of them have been equally content and secure with different answers to the same fundamental questions. For them ancient holly texts provide unambiguous solutions. Science is not needed because it is not required. The debate between science and religion is as intriguing and contentious today in the 21st century as it has always been. Science progresses by actively challenging its core tenants through the rational exercise of reason. On the other

Chris Lord  of Blackpool & District Astronomical Society continues the story of the telescope leading up to its use by Galileo for astronomical observations. Ibn Sahl and Ibn al-Haythem were two scholars who during the 10th and 11th century developed the fundemental mathematical principles of refraction, reflection and dispersion and kick started the science of optics. Chris concludes this 2nd part at that point in history which marks the beginning of the telescope - Galileo's profound astronomical discoveries in 1609.

Hans Lipperhey's patent application in the Netherlands for a telescope was formally denied on 2nd October 1608. Nonetheless, it is that individual, that place and that date which history associates with the invention of the telescope. Most of us are aware of the fundamental astronomical discoveries Galileo went on to make with it in the following year but could they have been made earlier? Three thousand years ago, in what today is  Iraq , the  Nimrud lens now in the British Museum is clearly recognised as a lens. It probably could not have been used as part of an astronomical telescope but it is evidence that strongly indicates that lenses were in use long before Lipperhey and Galileo. The Pharos lighthouse in Alexandria is another illlustration of the advance understanding of optics in ancient times. Chris Lord is an accomplished amateur astronomer and member of Blackpool & District Astronomical Society. He has recently completed a major piece of research in telescopes and optics to mark the Internationa

As episode 21 indicated, the power of science fiction to motivate the imagination is perhaps as strong as science itself. 1957 is known for the launch of Sputnik but it was also the year that the scientist Fred Hoyle published a science fiction novel called The Black Cloud. One of its readers in Italy would be inspired by it to  become an astronomer and embark on a career which involves the scientific study such clouds. Professor Paola Caselli was that reader and since the autumn of 2007 has been the professor of Astronomy at the University of Leeds where Fred Hoyle had been a student. Her area of interest is the study of those regions of space of dust and gas (“dark clouds”) from which stars and planet eventually form. Dust comes in many forms – cosmic, cometery and interplanetary dust which is responsible for the zodiacal dust we can see from Earth. Professor Caselli investigates cosmic dust grains (atoms or molecules of Silicon, Magnesium, Carbon and others) which act like magnets and help suck out the

Professor Mark Brake from the University of Glamorgan has an eclectic interest. An academic, broadcaster and author of science and popular science books, he is the organising chair for the the third conference of the Astrobiology Society of Britain: ASB3: The Living Universe, will take place in Cardiff between July 1-4, 2008. We spoke about the relationship between science & science fiction and astrobiology.

As the European city of Culture, Liverpool has more than its fair share of activities this year. Many have an astronomy connection. In today's episode Andy Newsam from Liverpool John Moores University, Joanne Coleman from the British Association for the Advancement of Science talks about the Science Festival between 6th and 11th of September and Gary Evans from the sciencephoto library on a unique exhibition of astronomical images called Earth to the Universe which is already underway. All of these take place in Liverpool as it celebrates its role as the 2008 European City of Culture. Infact, if you do see this in time and are close enough to Liverpool there is in interesting lecture this Thursday 17th June 18:30, Chadwick Lecture Theatre, University of Liverpool. Robert Fosbury, is talking about How Astronomers Image the Sky.

There are many ways to participate in and learn about astronomy online. In today’s episode, three examples of how the web is being used to share resources and build communities around Science http://www.sciencefile.org Space http://www.space.co.uk and Astronomy http://www.fedastro.org.uk . Many astronomical societies are preparing or have already completed a program of speakers for the 2008/9 season. If you are a member I would encourage you exploit one or better still all three resources featured in today’s episode to advertise you societies events. You will be surprised at the visitors who may turn up.

Since the days of Sputnik and Apollo, Space technology has matured to an extent that it is almost a routine commercial activity. China, India and Japan are well established players in addition to USA and Russia. Next year the Virgin Galactic will embark on space tourism. Since its establishment in 1975, the European Space Agency ( ESA) has come a long way. The original 10 founding member countries have now grown to 17 with a broad mission to “Explore Space”. All member countries are European as you would expect – except one. With the same disregard for geography that allows Israel to join the Eurovision song contest, Canada also plays a part in ESA. ESA has many projects active or in the pipeline and last month initiated an astronauts recruiting program. You have to be from one of the 17 member countries and you can even apply online. David Southwood is the ESA Director of Science. The following conversation with him was recorded at the Space conference. Thanks to the guys at space.co.uk (Paul and Martyn)

As the most energetic photons, gamma rays are rare, difficult to observe, require special telescopes & detectors, and not many of them make it to the surface of the earth anyway. So why is gamma ray astronomy important? Its not an area of astronomy that amateurs usually dip even their big toe in and something entirely new for me. Talking jointly with a Dr Stella Bradbury and Dr Joachim Rose at the department of Physics was a little scary, but turned out to be extremely informative. They spoke about their work at many observatories, including Veritas Array. I spoke to them a couple of weeks ago and you will hear the reference to the launch of Gamma Ray Large Area Telescope (GLAST). That launch has been delayed to June 3rd. For realtime GRB alerts see here.