Inside the sky at night

If there’s one thing I love, it’s a misnomer. Shooting stars, planetary nebulae, guinea pigs… none of them does what it says on the tin. Another great example is the term ‘physical constant’. These ar

In the 17th century, the great maritime nations were vying to solve a puzzle that had confounded philosophers for many centuries: how to determine exact positions on the Earth’s surface. And in Britai

I looked out of the window before bed while on holiday in Orkney in mid-August and was delighted to see my first-ever noctilucent cloud display! The reflections in the still waters of the Bay of Firth

Talking Pictures TV talkingpicturestv.co.uk SKY 328 | FREEVIEW 82 FREESAT 306 | VIRGIN 445 Fate Takes a Hand (1961) (Wednesday 1 October, 7am) Drama. Director: Max Varnel. Starring: Ronald Howard, Val

The beauty of sky gazing is how simple and adaptable it is. Begin whenever you have some time outside or near a window where you can see the sky, even if it’s just a patch. When you feel emotionally overloaded or flat, try it for a few minutes at a time.

Astronomers love a challenge. They place their observatories on the highest mountains, in the driest deserts, on the coldest ice shelves, beneath the deepest oceans, in orbit around Earth and the Sun,