“The distribution of solar flares is similar to earthquakes: we have many small solar flares, and a big one is very rare. However, when a big flare occurs, the impact on our economy and society may be enormous. Satellites may be damaged, and the electrical power grid may be damaged over a very wide area.Continue reading “Predicting solar flares”
Author Archives: Graham Jones
Where did our sense of curiosity come from?
My recent article for I-M on solar eclipses and the Fermi paradox is now available online. As Daniel C Dennett, a philosopher and cognitive scientist, has observed, searching for explanations is a central feature of our species. Where does our sense of curiosity come from? As an exercise in fun speculation, I propose it couldContinue reading “Where did our sense of curiosity come from?”
The dog days of summer
The hottest days of summer are known as the dog days. There’s a fun bit of astronomy behind this expression: it’s the time of year when Sirius — also known as the dog star — rises just before the sun. The August pre-dawn sky, with Sirius rising in the east just ahead of the sun.Continue reading “The dog days of summer”
The pump of curiosity
The summer 2020 issue of I-M Intelligent Magazine… … includes “an exercise in fun speculation” by me on a potential link between solar eclipses and the Fermi paradox. According to the Copernican principle, there is nothing special about the earth’s place in the universe. Except for the awkward fact that — on current evidence —Continue reading “The pump of curiosity”
The fellowship of the ring
Yesterday was the first big eclipse of 2020: an annular solar eclipse across Africa and Asia. We broadcast it live on timeanddate.com, with the help of our streaming partners around the world. Special thanks go to Neelam and Ajay Talwar, who gave us a beautiful feed of “the ring of fire” from Sirsa in northernContinue reading “The fellowship of the ring”
Cosmic inflation, 40 years on
“It is very natural for scientists to come up with the same idea at the same time. Researchers read articles from around the world and from this, new ideas are born.” My latest piece for Physics World is an interview with Katsuhiko Sato. Forty years ago, Sato was one of a small number of physicistsContinue reading “Cosmic inflation, 40 years on”
Ephemeral moments with two planets, the moon, and the sun
A little ephemeral moment will play out over the evenings of 21 and 22 May: the two innermost planets — Mercury and Venus — will be close together on the western horizon. Image: EarthSky Venus (which, as you may have noticed, has been spectacularly bright recently) will come into view about 20 minutes after sunset;Continue reading “Ephemeral moments with two planets, the moon, and the sun”
Galileo: work-from-home wizard (and other tales from lockdown)
My latest piece for Sky & Telescope looks at six moments in history when astronomers found themselves locked down with nowhere to go… https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/galileo-work-from-home-wizard-and-other-tales-from-lockdown/ Thank you to the inimitable Neil Pitts for the Galileo cartoon ^_^
Can you solve this logical-thinking puzzle?
Image: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute For anyone locked down and in need of some mental exercise, here’s a quick Japanese challenge. If you only speak English, the puzzle is impossible to solve. If, however, you speak Spanish — or one of a number of other languages, including French, Welsh or Hindi — it becomes an exerciseContinue reading “Can you solve this logical-thinking puzzle?”
The deeper purpose of education
The 2020 Annual National Convention of TESOL-SPAIN took place last week at the University of Salamanca. Image: Fernando Vázquez Yáñez/Creative Commons My personal highlight was a talk on “Positive Language Education” by Sarah Mercer, head of English Language Teaching at the University of Graz in Austria. She began by posing two questions that formed partContinue reading “The deeper purpose of education”
