Articles

Thoughts on Space Policy and Latest Space News. Published Monthly by the Sherwood Observatory.

Retrograde

This is the beginning of a novel. Chapter 1 Near Sarakka Crater, on Callisto Freyja’s pickaxe hit on the rock-solid ice hard. It made a...

Universal Equilibrium

‘Life in space is aberrant, an unnatural situation. We shouldn’t be here,’ the man said, staring at the bedroom ceiling. ‘Where should we...

Between the Ice and the Stars

This is the beginning of a short story. Ice particles lifted in the tenuous atmosphere as his boot stepped onto the frozen ground. The...

Beyond the Psyche Report

In May last year, I shared with you (here) my initial thoughts on the 782-page Planetary Decadal Survey published by the US National...

The Tale of Two Images

Last week, I gave a talk at a local astronomy club on the topic of my latest book: the evolution of space mission cameras and instruments...

Looking at the Year Ahead

Remarkable, don’t you think, that we have made it through another year in the amazing story of humanity, so terrific, so tremendous, but...

Artemis: Expect the Unexpected

Just a few weeks ago, on the 16th of November to be precise, I woke up at 5h45 in the morning (UK time) and went to my living room in my...

Juno's Daring Flyby of Europa

It seems that not a month goes by without some fantastic images being returned from an imaging instrument somewhere in space. Of all the...

The Neptune System Up Close

How lucky we are to live during the era of the James Webb Space Telescope! Webb has merely begun its decades-long mission (hopefully, it...

A Galaxy of Cephalopods

When considering life in outer space, we have been bathed – dare I say conditioned - for over a century now with stories that mainly...

Europe's Bubbling NewSpace Industry

I was recently commissioned to write an article on the European space tech industry. Through my research into this topic, I discovered a...

Summer Solstice at Avebury

As a person who is passionate about space as well as prehistory, and having recently moved near Avebury Stone Circle, I had to experience...

Is there Life on Trappist-1? We'll Soon Find Out!

As you read these lines, something exciting is happening; and it might change our perception of life in our Universe - no less! Indeed,...

The New Planetary Decadal Survey is Out!

So, here it is finally! The day planetary science nerds like yours truly have been waiting for so long occurred on the 19th of April. On...

Waiting for the End

This is the beginning of a short story. Chapter 1 Daniel was one of the first people to have a glimpse of the Great Collapse;...

An Urban Tale

As I was guiding her eyes at the bright yellow light in the night sky, she exclaimed in surprise, “That’s Jupiter?” A grin appeared...

Crisis in Space

As we’ve all watched in horror the advent of war in Ukraine and been deeply moved by the scale of the human tragedy unfolding, another...

Mapping the Galaxy

Imagine, one and a half million kilometers above your head lies the most productive space mission or observatory ever conceived, yielding...

The Onset of Extremely Large Telescopes

Last month, I shared with you my excitement about the new golden age we are currently living through; from state-of-the-art heavy lift...

The Best Year for Space

As we start this new year, I can’t help but contemplate the golden age we are currently experiencing in space science and exploration. If...