Alastair Williams

Is it just because they lack knowledge? Or they don’t recognise when an idea is clearly bullshit? Or is there simply not an audience for it?

The other angle is the space industry, which again suffers from overly credulous reporters. There’s nothing wrong with calling out some of the ridiculous companies and projects out there, but very few journalists actually do it.

I want to believe people want to know about this, but that they are put off by poor articles that don’t explain anything or go for sensational stories.

On the other hand, I like the idea of writing posts that use recent papers or popular astronomy news topics as a way to explain the background theory. Most people know almost nothing about dark matter (astronomers included, but that’s another story) or anything else about the cosmos around us.

But as I’ve written before, this is really rare. If a headline tells you about a recent discovery of aliens, or of dark matter, or of a new fundamental theory, 99% of the time it will be completely false. And that just breeds mistrust in science

More to the point, progress in physics and astronomy is mostly a slow process of accumulation. There’s a temptation in science media to label everything as a breakthrough or a revolution. .

They are plenty of ex-astronomers (me among them) who went on to do other things, but few of them are going to be interested in more readable forms of papers they already know how to read, if they want to.

Do people really want to read easily understood descriptions of recent papers in astronomy or physics? Astronomers probably don’t, or if they do, the audience of potential astronomers is so small and so poorly paid that they don’t make a viable audience.

The Week in Space and Physics: The Next Footprints on the Moon On NASA's effort to get back to the Moon, the future of space stations, interstellar comets, and the last satellite around Venus.

In today's post I look at NASA's struggles to get back to the Moon, the perihelion of interstellar comet 3I/Atlas, and the end of our last probe around Venus (we really should send another one!)
🔭🧪 #astronomy #space #nasa

The Week in Space and Physics: Was There Life on Mars? On a discovery on Mars, the folly of a new Moon race, Trappist 1e, and the approach of an interstellar comet

Mars may have once hosted life. In 2024, Perseverance found minerals that, on Earth, would be clear biosignatures. A big discovery—but not yet proof of life beyond Earth. Plus: TRAPPIST-1e, a folly of a new Moon race, and the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS.

#space #astronomy #science

This is really not a surprise - the details of the project always made it impracticable. Fun idea, but not a realistic way to reach the stars any time soon.

In this incredible image, the Earth eclipses the Sun. Viewed by the returning astronauts of Apollo 12, and credit goes to them and to NASA.
#space #art #historyofastronomy

What Lies Beyond: Exploring Interstellar Space Forget reaching the stars, first we need to explore the space between them

What is it that lies beyond the edge of the solar system? What fills the space between the stars? These are questions we are beginning to answer - and, for the first time, we have probes that are venturing out into this untouched terrain.
#science #space

How to Learn Physics for Free A guide for the curious

Two years ago I published a list of serious and free physics resources. The idea was to create a guide for those studying physics, either alone or as part of a course.

I'm now working on an update - and, if you know of free and good physics resources like those here, I'd love to hear of them.

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A concept from 1969 of a space station. It was to be made of old Apollo stages, and to make sure the astronauts living there did not suffer from endless weightlessness, the station was supposed to constantly spin as it orbited the Earth.

Credit, of course, to NASA.
#space #art #NASA

Who Was Felix Baumgartner? Skydiver Who Jumped From Space Dies In Paragliding Accident At 56 Felix Baumgartner, the Austrian daredevil best known for his 2012 supersonic skydive from the stratosphere, has died in a paragliding accident in Italy. He was 56 years old. According to reports, Baum...

Via #TimesNowNews - Felix Baumgartner, the Austrian daredevil best known for his 2012 supersonic skydive from the stratosphere, has died in a paragliding accident in Italy. He was 56 years old. www.timesnownews.com/world/who-wa...

What Dark Energy Means For The End of Time On the mysteries of dark energy and the fate of the universe

Dark energy is pretty cool right? Or maybe it isn't. To be honest we don't know all that much about it.

But it sure seems like it is going to play a big role in deciding the fate of the universe. And that makes it interesting enough for an article on the stuff. Check it out here!

You have to admire the dedication.

Personally, I'm working on a paper outlining why my toaster must have been built by aliens.

The Week in Space and Physics: The Third Interstellar Comet On interstellar comets, navigating to the stars, the social lives of quarks, and the lost rivers of Mars

My newsletter this week: on interstellar comets, how New Horizons is reviving the ancient art of celestial navigation, the top quark and toponium, and a study of the lost rivers of Mars.

Oh, and some gorgeous celestial art thanks to the brilliant James Webb telescope.

🧪🔭

It's going to be an incredible moment if or when we snap a picture of an interstellar comet from the surface of another world.

This is an artist's impression of ESA’s mission Ariel, shown here to study the atmosphere of an exoplanet orbiting another star. Four other exoplanets are visible in the image.

Our Ariel mission will take us from 'discovering' towards 'studying and understanding' exoplanets.

The mission will survey about 1000 exoplanets, ranging from rocky planets to gas giants, to better understand the link between exoplanets and their parent stars 👉 www.esa.int/Science_Expl...

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In ten years time, when Americans are asking what went wrong, the last six months will be the answer.

Is this like the Pope Mobile?

It certainly feels like America is on the verge of a mistake that will be felt decades into the future.

In 2012 the NRO gave NASA two 2.4m diameter mirrors. One is part of the Nancy Grace Roman Telescope. What happened to the other? Is it forgotten in some warehouse somewhere, awaiting the funds to build another Hubble? Or did something else happen to it?

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Argonaut: Europe's lunar lander programme The European Space Agency (ESA) lunar lander programme, Argonaut, represents Europe’s autonomous, versatile and reliable access to the Moon. The programme is a key part of ESA’s lunar strategy and wil...

Have you already looked at this: www.esa.int/Science_Expl...?

Europe has also been involved in building modules for Gateway and did quite a bit for the Orion capsule.

Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s hilarious, but my laughter would be less nervous if one of the guys didn’t have control of the biggest military in the world and the other one didn’t have rockets, a satellite network, and thousands of tactical-ready pickup trucks just sitting around.

I admit, I did have to pause the article as I was listening to it and put some Wu-Tang Clan on instead to make up for this shocking omission.

Yes, I'd heard from a few people inside NASA that they were reasonably positive about him. I imagine they'll try to replace him with someone more pliant, more willing to cut climate science, and who cares less about science. Isaacman was probably as good as we could hope for under Trump.