Williamina Paton Fleming (1857-1911) This year is the 125th anniversary of the discovery of the Horsehead Nebula in Orion, one of the great achievements of one of many women in science. It came at a time when a woman’s role was chiefly that of housemaid and mother, and it is in this exact role that [...]
In the 1920s, astronomers knew that the universe was not static, but expanding. Most, including Einstein himself, assumed that the Universe had started in a form similar to what we now see. One unlikely voice bucked the trend – in May 1931, a Belgian Catholic priest published a paper in Nature suggesting that the expansion [...]
Scotland’s airline, Loganair, has celebrated 50 years of operation. It is a remarkable story of survival, character and skill. The company’s origin is linked to the development of the Islander, one of the most versatile – and one of the most successful – aircraft ever built. And the story of Loganair and the Islander goes [...]
A Caithness photographer has won two awards in a national astronomy competition. Maciej Winiarczyk had two pictures in the top six of the Stargazing Oxford competition run by Oxford University’s Physics Department. He was the winner of the Astro Phenomena category with his photograph Aurora over Sinclair Bay and a runner-up in the Astroscapes category [...]
Night skies above us and the latest developments in space science are the subject of forthcoming schools and community presentations in Orkney. Researchers from the University of Edinburgh are joining... Read more →
Among her many community activities in North Ronaldsay, Kathleen Scott coordinated events each year for Orkney International Science Festival and the British Science Association – talks, workshops, night sky photography... Read more →
Three men are recognised as the pioneers of the LIGO system for detecting gravitational waves, one of the greatest physics discoveries of all time. And it turns out that one... Read more →
A new book on the sinking of HMS Hampshire a hundred years ago has been published. Julie Anya Guthrie welcomes it and reflects on the story of Lord Kitchener and... Read more →
The window of a former Orkney clothing shop is back in action with costumes this week. Aislin, Nyx, Nehalennia and Calypso were specially created for the Year of Innovation, Architecture... Read more →
Let’s go to the stars! Human interstellar flight is a problem with significant challenges. The possible approaches to an interstellar journey range from “slow” travel, at 1% of the speed... Read more →
When location, time and imagination come together, unique accomplishments are possible and this has certainly proven to be the case for Arbikie Highland Estate, a 2000-acre farm on the Angus... Read more →
Like a Nordic port of old, the Faroese capital of Torshavn smells evocatively of salt and tar. As we disembark the ferry, the harbour waters lap beneath the modest parliament... Read more →
You’ll know it when you see it, with its delicate mauve petals and yellow centre, its short stalk rising from the little rosette of green leaves. It’s a little distance... Read more →
Generating electricity from kites is a developing technology. Hands up if you visited the original 3MW wind turbine on Burger Hill, Orkney in the 1990s. In its day it was... Read more →
Through the 20th century the only commercial fishery in Graemsay was lobster, along with the occasional halibut or skate. In the main, whitefish and partan (edible crab) were for the... Read more →
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