Celebrating International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2021 – Part 1
On February 11th the School of Physics and Astronomy joined in with the International Day of Women and Girls in Science celebrations, using Twitter (@PhysicsUoL) to showcase some of the valuable, innovative research currently being led by women around the School. In a series of three posts, we’ll share some highlights from the day, taking […]
NASA’s Juno Mission Extended
NASA’s Juno spacecraft, currently orbiting Jupiter, has had its mission extended for the next four years. Leicester planetary scientists were delighted to receive the news that NASA has authorised a mission extension, so that Juno – which has been orbiting Jupiter since 2016 – can continue to deliver new insights into the giant planet. NASA’s […]
Photographs of the Great Jupiter-Saturn Conjunction
In December 2020, we asked members of the Physics and Astronomy community to look up and capture a chance-of-a-lifetime conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn – here are some of the photos. As we described in our December blog post, on December 21st Jupiter and Saturn appeared closer together than at any point in the previous […]
PlanetarySeminar: Python tutorial for space physics
Later this month, on Wednesday January 27, Dr Angeline Burrell will be presenting a virtual seminar titled “Python tutorial for space physics”. The seminar will be held over Teams at 14:00 (click here to join). Please see below for her abstract. Abstract: Python is a free and open source programming language that is very useful […]
PlanetarySeminar: Magnetosphere-ionosphere Coupling at Saturn and Jupiter
Dr. Gabby Provan, a planetary researcher in the School of Physics and Astronomy, joined the MIST team (Magnetosphere, Ionosphere and Solar-Terrestrial) to discuss the latest findings from Jupiter and Saturn. Abstract: The gas giants Jupiter and Saturn are both rapid rotators, with active volcanic moons and complicated ring systems. Their magnetospheres are driven both by […]
PlanetarySeminar: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Martian Magnetotail
Dr Gina DiBraccio from NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre will be presenting a virtual seminar titled: “Unraveling the Mysteries of the Martian Magnetotail”. The seminar will be held over Microsoft Teams (here) at 14:00 on Wednesday 17th of February 2021. Please see below for her talk abstract. Abstract: The Martian magnetotail is a lively environment, […]
Hayabusa 2: Asteroid Samples Return this Weekend
Professor John Bridges discusses the importance of the Hayabusa 2 mission, returning samples of asteroid Ryugu to Earth this weekend, in a blog for theConversation. What is your idea of an asteroid? Many people think of them as potato-shaped, inert and perhaps rather dull, pock-marked objects – far away in deep space. But over the […]
The Great Jupiter-Saturn Conjunction of 2020
A spectacular event is unfolding in the night skies this December, as Jupiter and Saturn appear closer in the sky than at any time in the past four centuries. Not to be missed! Look towards the west on a clear December night, just after sunset, and it will be hard to miss the sight of […]
Leicester Planetary Science on BBC Sky at Night
Dr. Leigh Fletcher appeared as a guest on November’s Sky at Night to discuss the potential for life across the Solar System. In the late summer of 2020, the news of potential biomarker gases at the cloud tops of Venus caused tremendous excitement in the planetary community and beyond. Could this be evidence of lifeforms […]
Chang’e 5: China launches Sample Return Mission to the Moon
Professor John Bridges reports on the successful launch of a new Chinese mission to return samples from the Moon, in this blog post reprinted from The Conversation. China has been the only country to land on the Moon for over 40 years – since the Soviet Luna programme. Its recent Chang’e missions (1-4) demonstrated that China […]
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