That may sound like a line from Flash Gordon or Dr Who, but it’s actually an observation made by Damien Hutsemekers and his team at the University of Liège, Belgium, back in 2005.  Quasars are the most distant objects we can see, and therefore the brightest most energetic objects in the universe.  Most significant (where the observation is concerned) is how extremely far they are from each other.  Being nothing more than very young and active galaxies, there should be … Continue reading →

Everybody over a certain age remembers Steve Austin, the test pilot who survived a terrific crash and had to be reassembled with bionic components, from the TV Show The 6 Million Dollar Man, but not many realise that the crash shown in the opening sequence was not a special effect.  On 10 May 1967, Bruce Peterson took the experimental M2-F2 wingless aircraft on its 16th test flight and crashed horribly.  He survived thanks to the extensive surgery he received, but … Continue reading →

The planet Jupiter is famous for its size, it’s four largest moons, it’s Great Red Spot and it’s colourful system of cloudy stripes known as ‘belts’.  These features are all visible through small amateur telescopes, although the smallest telescopes can only make out the two darkest belts – the north and south equatorial belts.  Over the last year, however, one of these belts has gone missing.  Since Jupiter is a gas giant, it is composed mostly of a vastly deep … Continue reading →