Tag Archives: History

Podcast #27: Tides and Flerfers

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Welcome to the 27th episode of the Urban Astronomer Podcast!  This is a special episode where I break from tradition and try for something completely new: Unscripted content, delivered solo, with just a few notes to guide me!  In the first segment, I explain how tides work, and in the second I muse on what makes Flat Earther’s reject established scientific knowledge. I recently got back from the 2018 Symposium of the South African Astronomical Society, where I plugged this … Continue reading →

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Podcast #25: Clyde Foster at ScopeX 2017

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Welcome to the 25th episode of the Urban Astronomer Podcast, which is also the 1st episode of 2018. Happy New Year!  Over the past few episodes, I’ve been running a series of public lectures that I recorded at ScopeX 2017.  ScopeX is an annual telescope and astronomy expo held every year at the Military History museum in Johannesburg.  This is the last lecture in the series, on the topic of the Apollo Program. Clyde Foster was the speaker. News Next … Continue reading →

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Podcast #24: Willie Koortz at ScopeX 2017

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Welcome to Episode 24 of the Urban Astronomer Podcast, and a Happy New Year to each and every one of you.  This episode features the keynote lecture from ScopeX 2017, delivered by Willie Koortz.  Willie is an electronic technician working for the South African Astronomical Observatory, and is one of South African astronomy’s more interesting characters. ScopeX Lecture In his talk, he discusses South Africa’s role in the early days of the Space Age, looking at professional-amateur collaborative projects like … Continue reading →

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Picking fights with a flat-earther

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They tell us we’re living in a post-truth world, whatever that’s supposed to mean.  All I know is that there’s a growing number of people who look at the vast store of human knowledge, and reject it.  People who hear experts speak on science, politics, medicine, and say “Nope! I saw a YouTube about this, and I know better!”.  And there’s no starker demonstration of this than the modern flat-earther. How does this happen? What makes sane adults, with an education … Continue reading →

Johannes Kepler

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If you’ve ever heard of the Kepler Telescope, it should come as no surprise to learn that it’s named after an astronomer. The Kepler Telescope is involved in the search for habitable planets beyond our solar system — but why would it be named after an astronomer who was born in 1571? Johannes Kepler was lucky enough to be taught by some of the greatest astronomers of his time. In return, he discovered three major laws regarding how planets move. … Continue reading →