The James Webb Space Telescope – the most powerful space telescope yet – is finally about to be launched. We discussed this space observatory during the programme TVAM.   

Today we had a very interesting online workshop with students (13 – 19 years old, both from Malta and abroad) as part of ESPLORA’s “Catch Them Young” programme, itself part of Project RAISE (Raising Awareness and Interest in STEAM Employment). The most interesting part – as is often the case – was the time when the students themselves asked their questions. In a time of pandemic, many schools have missed out on…

Below, you may watch an interview about the ‘Perseverance’ mission to Mars during the programme ‘Gadgets’.

Below, you may follow an interview about the Mars rover ‘Perseverance’ during the morning TV programme TVAM:   

The Jupiter-Saturn Conjunction from Malta A TVAM interview on the subject of the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction can be viewed by clicking here.

On this page you may find some information about the upcoming Jupiter-Saturn conjunction on the 21st of December, 2020, including some visuals and videos created with Stellarium showing the view of the sky; these include views over the past few days up to (and beyond) the 21st of December, and of historical occurrences of the same phenomenon. This event has caught the attention of many, and has been mentioned a lot in the…

On the 29th of October, I was interviewed on TVM during the programme TVAM. The discussion revolved around the summer’s appearance of Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE), the discovery of water on the moon, and current projects. The interview is found below.

Recently, the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) and the Planning Authority (PA) published draft guidelines for the reduction of light pollution. As part of the public consultation process, a feedback document was prepared and submitted on behalf of the Night Sky Brightness Monitoring Group within the Institute of Space Sciences and Astronomy. This document can be accessed by clicking here.

19-26 April is International Dark Skies Week.  In the latest edition of Danielle Farrugia’s science  programme ‘Radio Mocha’ we talked about Malta’s night sky brightness, light pollution, and the effects of the latter upon astronomy, ecology and human health. The programme (in Maltese) can be viewed on Facebook by clicking here.

Below is a recent interview on our study that produced the first map of the night sky brightness in Malta, and on light pollution in general.