Professor Brian Cox Made My Blog. He’s Famous.  – Miss Write

Astronomy has become much more of an ‘every-man’s’ topic of conversation due partially to the exciting astronomical events we’ve seen this winter. The partial solar eclipse at dawn on 4th January sent many people off to work with heads bursting with intergalactic thoughts. Seeing amazing sights first hand really makes space seem closer to home and more accessible to all. We Milton Keynes residents can’t help but feel a little special too compared to the rest of the UK, as most of the country was under cloud cover that morning – let alone the fact that most people globally were still              The Milky Way
under the cover of darkness.

Astronomy has become much more of an ‘every-man’s’ topic of conversation due partially to the exciting astronomical events we’ve seen this winter. The partial solar eclipse at dawn on 4th January sent many people off to work with heads bursting with intergalactic thoughts. Seeing amazing sights first hand really makes space seem closer to home and more accessible to all. We Milton Keynes residents can’t help but feel a little special too compared to the rest of the UK, as most of the country was under cloud cover that morning – let alone the fact that most people globally were still under the cover of darkness. 

The rise of social media, the ever-widening use of the internet for information, and the sheer number of television channels available has undoubtedly had a large influence on the growth of astronomy in the UK. You only have to look at the huge popularity of the BBC’s Professor Brian Cox – a friendly, un-patronising expert who excites even the most anti-galactic housewife! He’s collected over 36,000 Facebook fans, and is fast approaching a Celebrity Chef kind of status, but for physics. Prof Cox’s recent show ‘Wonders of the Universe’ proved this by netting over 3.6 million viewers for the opening episode in March 2011. 

Recent levels of interest may also have something to do with the 2009 International Year of Astronomy. You may not have heard of it in its full official title, but schools were presented with telescopes, and you may have noticed more TV documentaries and press coverage on everything intergalactic just over a year ago [Ed – 2010], to name a couple of the projects which ran that year. Conveniently, a special show even opened locally in the Milton Keynes sky on 7th August 2009 when a meteor burst into miniscule pieces (but perfectly positioned!) miles above us – a treat for any stargazer, amateur or otherwise. 

The further you can get from sources of urban light pollution (street lights, light from houses etc.), the easier it is to look out into space. Modern photography technology has only improved this, with space exhibitions much more visual and colourfully enhanced nowadays, compared to the early grey and grainy images of the Moon landings. These photos show that there are more possibilities than we ever thought, from Mercury to Pluto, out in the black vacuum of space. 

So before the darker nights of winter disappear into longer summer evenings, get out into Campbell Park, Willen Lakes, or your local school field, and see what you can discover. 50 years after his brave and ground-breaking trip, Yuri Gagarin would have wanted you to get involved! 

Where will astronomy be 50 years from now?

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Want to know more? Got the bug? Why not take a look at the free booklet on stargazing from the Open University? 

What’s the most interesting thing you’ve seen in the night sky?

See you next week!

Lou x

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Born To Be A Tourist

Milky Way photo courtesy of In The Universe