Author Archives: Paul Bishop
Buying a budget telescope
Buying a telescope for under £100, what to look out for Children often ask me about astronomy from their back garden. There is plenty to see even with a starter telescope, although the amount of light pollution can dramatically effect … Continue reading
The American Eclipse report
The American eclipse turned out to be all it was hyped to be. I first started planning my trip 2 years ago, being a little worried that local accommodation would sell out fairly quickly along the path of totality. The … Continue reading
The American Eclipse
We are lucky that by pure chance the Sun is both approximately 400 times larger and 400 times further away than the Moon. This means that whenever the Moon passes in front of the Sun from our view point we … Continue reading
Mobile planetarium films
We have added a page to our website listing all of our available mobile planetarium films. Whilst we do currently incorporate some of them into existing school shows, such as ‘Earth and Beyond’ or ‘Journey into Outer Space, there are … Continue reading
Useful astronomical websites
As an active astronomer there are a few websites that I use often. If you are interested in stargazing, then the following may be of use to you. There are many other websites available, so you may find others that … Continue reading
Perseids meteor shower
The Perseids meteor shower is now underway. It will peak in mid August (evening 12th/morning 13th), so there is plenty of time to look out for them when the skies are clear. The shower will actually be active now until … Continue reading
Common astronomy misconceptions
School visits bring a lot of great questions from children. From the behaviour of fire in zero gravity to the theory of black holes (both have been asked). There are also a few common misconceptions that are brought up. With it being … Continue reading
Stargazing Live 2017
Don’t forget Stargazing Live is back on tonight 8pm BBC – broadcast from Siding Spring Observatory, Australia this time. It continues Wednesday and Thursday this week. There are also a number of related events going on around the UK. More … Continue reading
8 shows in one day at Minet School!
We visited Minet School near Heathrow yesterday, as the children are learning all about the planets. What better way to see the planets up close than in a 360 degree mobile planetarium? As there were so many pupils eager to … Continue reading
Space Tourism
You may have heard the exciting news that Spacex is set to take 2 people to the Moon next year on a privately funded trip. Others have expressed an interest and there may well be more announced in the … Continue reading