European Association for Astronomy Education

Source: Physics News

Paul Dirac was one of the pioneers of quantum mechanics, and perhaps the greatest British theoretical physicist since Isaac Newton. After he predicted, with no clues from experiment, the existence of antimatter, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1933, when he was the youngest theoretician to win the award. Dirac was also pathologically reticent, extraordinarily literal-minded and almost unable to empathize with most people, even his family. Dirac's contributions to Science was, for sure one of the biggest of the 20th Century.
Now Physics World and London's Science Museum are promoting a webinar about the genial physicist. (go to registration webpage)

Source: NASA Science News

SOFIA at the beginning of its Dec. 18th test flight.
Credit: NASA

Most astronomers wouldn't dream of opening their observatory's doors in 100 mph winds. Yet NASA's new SOFIA telescope recently flew in an airplane at 250 mph with doors wide open. The successful test is an important step forward for infrared astronomy. (read more)

If you are looking for something relatively easy to show to people why not try Melotte 20 (also known as Collinder 39); this is an open cluster centred around the star Alpha Persei (or Algenib), the brightest star in the constellation of Perseus.

The cluster can be seen with the naked eye if you have a really dark sky, otherwise a pair of binoculars will show it in all its glory.

For more information about Melotte 20, take a look here: www.seds.org/messier/xtra/ngc/alphaper.html

If you are looking for something relatively easy to show to people why not try Melotte 20 (also known as Collinder 39); this is an open cluster centered around the star Alpha Persei (or Algenib), the brightest star in the constellation of Perseus.

The cluster can be seen with the naked eye if you have a really dark sky, otherwise a pair of binoculars will show it in all its glory.

For more information about Melotte 20, take a look here: www.seds.org/messier/xtra/ngc/alphaper.html