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Gravitational Waves
Up until the first confirmed gravitational wave (GW) direct detection by LIGO/Virgo in 2015, researchers have relied almost exclusively on electromagnetic (EM) radiation (i.e. light) to study our universe. These ‘messengers’ carry different but complementary information, pioneering the growing field of multi-messenger astronomy.
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Exoplanets
Imagine for a moment that you are an alien adventurer who has ventured far from home to explore our solar system (though you, an extraterrestrial, would call it an exosystem). You were sent by your species on a mission to investigate the worlds of this system – to find out if these environments are suitable…
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Seeing The Visible and The Invisible
How are we able to get photos of worlds beyond our own? Stunning pictures of Jupiter, the Sun, and even a photograph of a black hole? There are different methods depending on what you want to see, but it always comes back to understanding two things: photons and electrons.
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James Webb Space Telescope: The Background
In a little over a month, and barring any last-minute complications, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will launch on December 18th. In this blog post I want to talk a little bit about the journey to get to launch day.
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James Webb Space Telescope: Scientific Mission
This month, and barring any last-minute complications, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will launch on December 22nd. In this blog post I want to talk a little bit about what science we can expect from JWST.
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Astrobiology
Astrobiology is a nascent, interdisciplinary field concerned with the origins, evolution and distribution of life in the universe.
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Light
On Earth, our main source of light is the Sun. Solar radiation, or sunlight, provides the energy for photosynthesis – plants create sugars, which when digested, release energy.
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How Gravity Works
How Gravity Works Hi, I’m Rachel. The Astronomer at the Space Centre. Just old enough to walk, I vividly remember sitting on my brother’s toy fire truck, honking the horn and generally just having the time of my life; that is, until my brother came along, shoved me off, and I went tumbling to the…
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Our Place in the Universe
Astronomers have different ways to measure distances depending on how far away the object is.
