Australia’s Astronomer-at-Large

Dec 11, 2023 | australiangeographic.com.au | Fred Watson |Australia’s Astronomer-at-Large

This is the Geminid shower, named after the constellation from which the meteors seem to come as they flash across the sky, vaporised by their rapid entry into our planet’s atmosphere. Their origin from a single point in the sky is just an illusion of perspective, because the meteors are actually moving on parallel tracks. What is more interesting is their true origin – where did the Geminid meteors come from? And that has been an enduring mystery for astronomers.

Jul 18, 2023 | australiangeographic.com.au | Fred Watson |Australia’s Astronomer-at-Large

Image credit: A. ANGELICH (NRAO/AUI/NSF)/ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO) Our planet’s oceans are something we take for granted. But for planetary scientists seeking to understand their origin, there are questions to be answered. Water, we know, is common in the universe. Indeed, with its hydrogen and oxygen makeup, it’s the most abundant of all two‑element compounds. Frozen water is plentiful in planetary systems in the form of comets – mountain-sized icebergs in space.