Observatoire Solaire

03/03/2025

Asteroid impact; Free books!

The asteroid 2024 YR4 has been in the news a lot recently with some concern about whether it may hit the Earth. Much of the media reporting is rather sensational alarm-ism and a more considered review of this, along with more details, can be found within a recent article I was asked to write for North East Bylines
https://northeastbylines.co.uk/news/science/are-we-in-danger-of-an-imminent-asteroid-impact/

Whilst the threat from 2024 YR4 is remote, the reporting does beg the question what would happen if, actually when, an asteroid or comet does impact the Earth?

In 2017/18 we undertook field work and research into just such an (historical) event; the Triassic period impact which occurred in what is now the Limousin region of France.

We summarised our research in a book; "The Limousin impact of the Triassic Rhaetian age" which received an excellent review by Professor David Hughes (the UK’s leading authority on asteroids).

Similarly, we published a book on the life and times of François Felix Tisserand. A previous director of the Paris observatory, he was the first person to determine how asteroids, and comets, can be uniquely identified. Our book remains the only published biography of this great scientist and mathematician and also received very good reviews; from Dr. Allan Chapman (president of the Society for the History of Astronomy) and David Sellers (vice chair, SHA).

Reviews on both books can be seen in full on our webpage here:
http://www.observatoiresolaire.eu/reviews.html

We have decided to make available PDF versions of both books free of charge. Neither book requires any previous astronomical or mathematical knowledge.

Just send me via messenger or otherwise a note of your email address (to: [email protected] ) and I’ll send this/these to you. No catch, no obligation! We believe in open source publication.

If after having seen the PDF versions (or before if you like!) you’d like physical B5 copies of either or both books, then please let me know. (The cost would be £6.99 each, or £12.50 for both which covers production costs and postal charges.)

These are available via our Etsy page here : https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ObservatoireSolaire?ref=seller-platform-mcnav

05/08/2024

After a considerable hiatus due to health, work and family priorities, Observatoire Solaire is back 'online'.

And we are delighted to announce our new book "An introduction to mathematical astrophysics" has now been published.

The PDF version of this book is now available, free of charge and with no obligation. Just drop an email to me, Neil Taylor, on [email protected] and I will send you the PDF, together with the excel worksheet associated with the book

Studying physics or astronomy at university, or about to? Interested in astronomy? FREE BOOK – An Introduction to Mathematical Astrophysics. The PDF version of this book is now available, free of...

14/07/2021

François Félix Tisserand, Forgotten Genius of Celestial Mechanics now available also as a kindle edition.

François Félix Tisserand: Forgotten Genius of Celestial Mechanics eBook : Hyde, Janet, Taylor, Neil: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

08/02/2021

Three books are currently on special offer for a limited time on Amazon uk: Francois Felix Tisserand - forgotten genius of celestial mechanics https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1999904400?ref=myi_title_dp ; the Limousin asteroid impact https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1999904419?ref=myi_title_dp ; and the Sun book https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1907931643?ref=myi_title_dp which includes: the following subjects: Our star – The Sun;Power generation in the Sun – The physics of the Sun; Solar form and structure; Observation and features of the Sun and more. Prices start at £3.99 +pp

31/01/2021

Our blog this month looks at the correlation between mass species extinction and asteroid/comet impacts on the Earth.

Sadly, it's now clearly evident that we are undergoing another period of mass species extinction caused by issues closer to home - humankind activity.

http://www.observatoiresolaire.eu/astronomy-blog

In last month’s blog we took a brief look at the local and global effects of an asteroid impact on the Earth. This month we look at when mass extinction events have occurred within geological time,...

01/01/2021

When your daughter and her physicist partner share your passion for Astrophotography and "Lord of the Rings" 😎

01/01/2021

Happy new year to all our readers!
Our regular blog post is now available and this month continues our series of the Asteroids and the threat they pose to the Earth. This month's article looks at the effects an asteroid impact on the Earth would have on life-on-Earth.

Rare, but potentially devastating, asteroids have historically, and will in the future, hit the Earth. The Earth is continually being hit by dust and small meteoridal material. Slightly larger pieces...

29/11/2020

Our latest blog looks at how and where the solar system may have formed and originated.

There is currently no consistent or accepted theory as to how the asteroids formed. Their genesis is certainly integral with planetary system formation, and thus Sun/solar system formation. We...

31/10/2020

http://www.observatoiresolaire.eu/astronomy-blog/disrupted-and-active-asteroids

At the start of this series ( April 2019 blog ) we very briefly defined a comet and said that we would look only at the asteroids. Comets and asteroids are on distinctly different types of orbits...

29/09/2020

In this month's short blog we look at the masses of asteroids, both individually and as a 'main-belt' in total.

To date just over 300 asteroids have had an accurate assessment made of their individual masses. The main belt comprises about 220 asteroids with dimensions > 100km, and an estimated one to two...

29/08/2020

How do we find out what asteroids are made of? This is a key question if we are to assess, and prepare for and/or mitigate against, an asteroid hitting the Earth. Our latest blog looks at how we do this...

This month we take a brief look at spectroscopic observations of asteroids and how we can use these, alongside meteorites, to deduce their composition. Almost exclusively, the only way in which we...

17/08/2020

It is just 135 years (today) since we first observed a supernova outside our Milky Way galaxy.

Ludevic Gully was a French astronomer and maths teacher born in 1841 in Rouen. He is famous for his discovery of the supernova S Andromeda in the Galaxy of Andromeda on the 17th August 1885. This...