History & Culture
astronomy threads through global history
Photo by Caleb Woods on Unsplash
Feature: A Giant Step for Humanity: Making Space Accessible
In the Games’ Opening Ceremonies, former Paralympic Bronze medalist and orthopedic surgeon, John McFall, carried the Paralympic flag. He may be breaking a new record as well: being the first person with disabilities to go into outer space.
Book Review: A Whirlwind Tour of the American Space Program
A new book on the history of American spaceflight presents our ongoing endeavor to leave Earth and venture into space as a grand yet entirely human one.
Column: The Rarity of Celestial Events
Given vast distances between objects, the passing of one directly in front of another is an event of note. Discover the ratings differences between such events as total solar eclipses and the transit of Venus across the Sun.
Book Review: Our Debt to the Moon
A new book takes the reader through the connections between the Moon and our planet’s earliest era, modern-day life, and everything in between.
Column: Our Island Universe: History’s Most Profound Total Solar Eclipses
Eclipses are an opportunity to do clever scientific research that can yield profound consequences about our understanding of the cosmos. Perhaps the most famous example was in 1919.
From the Archives: An Interview with Carl Sagan
In 1974, then-editor of Mercury Richard Reis discussed with Carl Sagan the problems of both interstellar and interhuman communication, the need for a greater reliance on rationality, the current anti-science movement, and his own research efforts in planetary science.
Feature: How Amateur Astronomy Has Evolved
Amateur astronomy has changed drastically over the past couple hundred years, but it’s always encouraged people to look up.
Column: Our Island Universe: Two Small Pieces of Glass Ushered in a Revolution in Science
In January 1610, Galileo Galilei made a series of observations that would forever change how humanity views the cosmos.
Column: Annals of Astronomy: The Hottest Topic is Ancient Astronomy
The most fashionable aspect of the history of astronomy in 2024 is from ancient times. With discoveries from two sites, these old, cold stones are the focus of recent research and news.
Feature: The Dendera Zodiacs are a Rorschach Test
Many have tried to interpret the astronomical significance in these two Egyptian engravings of the cosmos.
Column: Annals of Astronomy: Discovery of the Sun’s Rotation
Observations of sunspots were integral in understanding the rotation of our star.
News: Hipparchus Star Catalog Found
Several passages of the long-lost and oldest-rumored star catalog has been found. The discovery not only confirms the catalog, created by ancient Greek astronomer Hipparchus, existed, but also shows those stars’ positions were more accurate than a catalog created many centuries later.
From the Archives: The Lunacy of It All: Lunar Phases and Human Behavior
In the 1980s, two experts re-examined studies regarding whether there is a relationship between aberrant human behavior and phases of the Moon.
Feature: From Apollo to Artemis
Today's space exploration initiatives, including NASA's Artemis, are only the tip of the figurative iceberg of women’s contributions to spaceflight. And society is getting better at telling the stories of female astronauts and cosmonauts.
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