I Am Really Bored Today

I Am Really Bored Today

Nov 06

Sometimes the thrill of uncovering the true nature of the Universe doesn't quite last all day. Today... well it's really boring and slow. I tried to work - I really did. I stared at a paper I am writing for at least an hour but nothing came out of my head and into the document. Wait, I lied; there was a spelling correction I think.

Cardiff’s New Telescope Opens

Cardiff’s New Telescope Opens

Oct 24

The Cardiff HAlf metre Newise Telescope (CHaNT) officially opens today with a public event. The new, half-metre telescope is big enough to see Andromeda's companion galaxies, to study the red spot on Jupiter and to see stars which, frankly, I never thought I'd see from Cardiff!

Omnipresent Astronomy

Omnipresent Astronomy

Jan 29

The recent pass of Comet Holmes and today's close approach of Asteroid 2007 TU24 (shown below, image from space.com) have gotten me thinking again about open source astronomy. I have always been fascinated by the internet and how modern networking technologies bring things into one big mesh, and astronomy fits right into this. All we have to do is synchronise our watches. Let's say I have a...

Altitude Sickness

Altitude Sickness

Nov 29

For those of you following my adventures around the globe via Twitter, Flickr and the like, you may be aware that I recently suffered quite a blow. During my third night observing at the JCMT I began to experience respiratory distress due to the altitude of 13,500 feet. After ascending a flight of stairs (and I had climbed the very same stairs several times over the course of the night) I became...