Category: Astro(physics)
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Guest Post – The invisible geometries of the Solar System
This is an abridged version of the article “The invisible geometries of the Solar System” by Roberto Flaibani, first published in Italian on Il Tredicesimo Cavaliere, a…
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Space missions – updates
2015 is an amazing year for space missions (not that 2014 has been a bad one) – plenty of them under way and expectations…
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The once and future Hubble – 25 years in space, and counting
It’s impossible not to celebrate these days the incredible achievements of Hubble’s Space Telescope – which has just turned 25. A joint ESA/NASA project, launched…
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Exoplanet series – strange creatures
Keeping on with my exoplanet series. First of all, some updates in their number, that keep changing – due to new observations, discoveries and so…
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Europa Report. A Review
No, Europa Report is not a Jupiter Ascending ante-literam movie (the fear is legitimate considering the astronomical proximity) and, while I have still to…
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Name (or vote) your favourite Pluto-Charon Features
It seems that nominations and votes are taking up all my time this week. After Hugos, it’s Pluto, and the NASA’s campaign to encourage…
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Jupiter, Destroyer of Worlds
There have been in these last weeks many news discussing aspects of the biggest gas giant of the Solar System, and one of them has caught my…
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Living in the Solar System, a colonist’s guide
If you have always wondered, like me, how would it be in practice living on another world, you can’t possibly miss the series recently…
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Guest Post – Nomad or fictional planets?
This is the translation of an article first published on the Italian blog Il Tredicesimo Cavaliere, created and maintained by Roberto Flaibani. This blog…
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Dawn on Ceres: mission accomplished!
Today March, 6 NASA’s Dawn has finally completed its historic mission and entered Ceres’ orbit after 7.5 year of travel. The first space mission to have…
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Getting ready for Pluto
New Horizons is going to be at its closest to the ninth planet (controversies aside about its status – I assume here Pluto is…
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SF from unusual perspectives: International Relations
That SF has often inspired astrophysicists and theoretical scientists is not something that should come as a surprise. After all, space elevators, while first…
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Writing about space and physics for other blogs / 4
Latest articles published on Serious Wonder, all of them devoted to space missions, present or future. UNDER THE KRAKEN SEA – A NASA SUBMARINE…
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The birth of a star (actually four)
Birth is certainly one of the most emotionally charged phenomena in nature, and a star makes no exception. For much as humans tend to…
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See you on Europa
Yes, “on” it is the correct preposition. It’s not the continent I’m talking about; it is the Jupiter’s moon with the same name. Why…
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All the (Egyptian) names of Rosetta
Not happy with having discovered many of the secrets of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko thanks to the Rosetta mission and its Philae probe, ESA-Rosetta team scientists have…
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The myth of Planet X
…which is maybe not a myth after all. When I have written some time ago about Nemesis, or the Death Star, in fiction and in…
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The birth and death of space wonders
That things don’t last forever, we all know it. After all, we witness cycles of life and death every day. But there are things…
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Simulating galaxies – an amazing video
Galaxies are one of the most incredible objects in the universe, and they are in continuous evolution. Thanks to the Virgo Consortium for Cosmological Supercomputer Simulations,…
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Solid Bodies in the Solar System – a great map
That xkcd is an amazing website, you already know (and if you don’t, go and have a look at it now! You won’t regret it).…
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From Titan with love
During this Christmas break (still ongoing) I was thinking about the most amazing videos I have watched in 2014, and there are many that qualify in this…
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Black holes are not all the same – A gallery
If there’s a stellar object that’s both scaring and fascinating at the same time is the black hole. Scientists are still debating about what its…
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2014: a year of (awesome) space missions
2014 will be a year to remember for space missions. No matter what achievements are awaiting us in the future (hopefully plenty), the last 12…
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Wanderers. Why Erik Wernquist’s short movie is so amazing
If you were dreaming about the day we are going to leave and explore the Solar System, take space elevators down to Mars and…