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.
TVM aired a news feature on our study on light pollution in Malta; you may view it by clicking here. TVM have also uploaded an English transcript which can be accessed by clicking here.
The very first major scientific study of light pollution in Malta has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Environmental Management. A special webpage accompanying this study may be accessed by clicking here or visiting www.nightskymalta.info.
I recall many people’s hopes for an astronomical observatory since the time I was a junior member of the Astronomical Society of Malta. Today, an MoU was signed between the University’s Institute of Space Sciences and Astronomy and the Eco-Gozo directorate within MGOZ for such a project to move forward, and we’re all very excited about what it will mean for public engagement and students’ research projects alike. There are…
Talking to primary school children about space is possibly my favourite outreach activity. This age group invariably comes up with the best questions. Unbridled curiosity coupled with a feeling that any question is a valid one oftentimes results in very incisive questions, and diluted replies are not acceptable. If a kid is not satisfied with an answer, they will tell you so. Thus, the question of how planets form led to…