Mars, secret deep galaxies and clusters

After the weather forecast promised clear skies on Friday, it was cloudy. On Saturday the forecast was for cloud: but it was clear. So out I went.

February planetaries, clusters and galaxies. NGC 2371, NGC 2438, NGC 3166

Yesterday, on a clear, dark but cold and wobbly night, I tried to track down some faint fuzzies.

More like Buzz Aldrin please: what should happen to prayers at council meetings.

Shortly after safely guiding the lunar module Eagle to mankind’s first touchdown on the lunar surface in July 1969, Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin broadcast these words:

Interesting birds (and bad photographs)

It’s not often I get to comment about the garden birds, but there have been a couple of notable sightings to share with you in the last week.

Does global climate explain extinctions in deep time?

I have a chapter just out in a new book by Island Press, “Saving a Million Species“, exploring extinction risk from climate change. In it I address the evidence that past climates can explain past extinctions in the fossil record. I wrote this chapter a couple of years ago and this is a fast moving field so I would now have a lot to add to this, including some significant new general messages, but for what it’s worth, here’s the chapter.

Imbrium peaks: Delisle, Gruithuisen Gamma and Delta

A wonderful day 11 moon and beautifully clear skies yesterday had me out with high power taking in the very still views. It was a pity that clouds and cold didn’t permit me more than an hour.