This Blog

Basically, these are my thoughts, opinions and experiences in the scientific world, more specifically the world of astrophysics. So if you like astronomy and astrophysics you're most definitely in the right place!

The name of my blog may be cliché 'infinity of possibilities before me' but that's what I see when I look up at the sky because there is so much out there that there really must be an infinite of possibilities (as long as they work within the laws of physics, of course).

And my title '1,429,400,000 km away'? That is my first post.

Enjoy...

Thursday, 13 November 2014

Astrophotography: Making Astronomy and Astrophysics accesible to the public. 


As I was going through my email I found that Royal Museums Greenwich had sent me a link to see the winners of the Astronomy Photographer of the Year. I got so excited! 
Overall and Earth and Space winner 2014,
 Aurora over a Glacier Lagoon by James Woodend, UK

This is an annual competition held by the Royal Observatory Greenwich. They receive submissions from all over the world from passionate astrophotographers and there is even some prize money to be won.
The Astronomy Photographer of the Year is a competition which gets me so excited because it makes astronomy and astrophysics accessible. 

Everything that astronomers try to convey through books, articles and their research; their passion, wonder and drive to learn more about the universe around us, can be summarised in these photos. They show people what it is that entrances us to stare at the sky.... and stare... and stare. 


Horsehead Nebula (IC 434) by Bill Snyder, USA
Deep Space winner,
Horsehead Nebula (IC 434),
by Bill Synder, USA
Pictures can be easier for people, who are not inclined to the sciences and maths, to understand than graphs, equations or research papers. They can evoke a passion for space and the need to learn more about what there is out there which is not always provoked by reading a news article about the discovery of a new planet, for example.

Astrophotography, in my opinion, is advertising for what it is that astronomers and astrophysicists do. It shows the public what we study without all of the numbers, lines and long words which may otherwise put people off of astronomy. It can make people understand why astrophysicists study aurora and galaxies and nebulae in the first place.

This may be a romanticised view of astrophotography (in fact I'm pretty sure it is) but it's honestly what I think.

And who wouldn't get a little romantic with all of these wonderful photos to look at?

Have I missed any amazing photos taken of space recently? If I have let me know and I'll add them to the article!
Coastal Stairways by Chris Murphy, New Zealand
Winner of the Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer,
Coastal Stairways, by Chris Murphy, New Zealand 

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