Latest stories and news

27 June 2008
Cluster listens to the sounds of Earth
I have a new story published over at ESA:

“The first thing an alien race is likely to hear from Earth is chirps and whistles, a bit like R2-D2, the robot from Star Wars. In reality, they are the sounds that accompany the aurora. Now ESA’s Cluster mission is showing scientists how to understand this emission and, in the future, search for alien worlds by listening for their sounds. …”

You can read the full story here for free.

Also published today, is another new story over at ESA:

SOHO discovers its 1500th comet

“The ESA/NASA SOHO spacecraft has just discovered its 1500th comet, making it more successful than all other comet discoverers throughout history put together. Not bad for a spacecraft that was designed as a solar physics mission. …”

You can read the full story here for free.

24 June 2008
Exploring the Cosmic Dark Ages
I have the cover story on BBC Sky at Night’s July issue:

“Imagine a time when there was nothing: no stars, no planets, no galaxies.  Nothing to shine light into the Universe, just darkness and vast clouds of gas that will one day coalesce into the familiar celestial objects around us.  Welcome to the cosmic dark ages, the most mysterious of all the cosmic realms.

Astronomers estimate that the cosmic dark ages lasted from around 300,000 years after the Big Bang to just over a billion years.  Although it may initially sound like a cosmic wilderness of zero interest, astronomers are now determined to see into this era because during this time, the first celestial objects formed.  When they did, they began shining their radiation across the Universe. …”

You can read the full story in the July issue of BBC Sky at Night magazine.

18 June 2008
Astronomers may have glimpsed tiny star’s surface
I have a new story published by ESA:

“Astronomers have used ESA's gamma-ray observatory Integral to study a very special neutron star system: Hercules X-1. They may have detected individual X-ray emitting regions on the neutron star’s surface, resolving details on a celestial object only 20 km across at a distance of 15 000 light-years…”

You can read the full story for free here

17 June 2008
Royal Society Book Prizes
I had a superb evening at the Royal Society Book Prizes last night, accompanied by my special guests Nicola Clark, my wife and business partner; Peter Hingley, the Royal Astronomical Society’s librarian; Peter Tallack, my agent; Caroline Priday, the book’s publicist.
         The Sun Kings did not win; that honour went to Mark Lynas for his book Six Degrees about climate change.  It was a great pleasure to meet the other shortlisted authors, apart from Craig Venter who could not make the ceremony, and spend a celebratory dinner with my guests afterwards.
         Whilst The Sun Kings did not win, Jo Marchant from New Scientist did award me a special runners-up prize. Read here.

15 June 2008
Lecture at the National Space Centre
Thanks to the cover story I wrote for the BBC Sky at Night Magazine’s June issue about Tunguska, I will be lecturing at the National Space Centre in Leicester on 28 June about the Tunguska Event.  Come along and say hi.  More details about the Centre itself can be found by clicking here.

“The joint ESA/NASA solar mission Ulysses has forever changed the way scientists view the Sun and its effect on the surrounding space. The mission’s major results and the legacy it leaves behind have been presented today at ESA Headquarters in Paris, in view of the impending conclusion of the mission on 1 July 2008.”

I wrote three stories about this great mission for the farewell.  They can all be reached through here.

Or accessed individually here:

Sun to set on Ulysses solar mission
After over 17 years of operation, the joint ESA/NASA mission Ulysses will officially conclude on 1 July this year. The spacecraft, which studied the Sun and its effect on the surrounding space for almost four times its expected lifespan, will cease to function because of the decline in power produced by its on-board generators. …”

Read the full story for free here.

Ulysses: the science legacy
“During its 17.5 years in space, Ulysses has rewarded scientists with the unprecedented depth and breadth of its results. These have not just been about the Sun and its influence on nearby space. The mission has also provided surprising insights into the nature of our galaxy and even the fate of the Universe.

Read the full story for free here.

Ulysses: the engineering challenge
“If Ulysses had been human, with a life expectancy of 70 years, it would have just celebrated its 245th birthday, thanks to a dedicated ESA/NASA engineering team. In spacecraft years, the mission's life expectancy was five years. This turned into 17.5 years, 3.5 times what was envisaged.”

Read the full story for free here.

10 June 2008
Detective astronomers unearth hidden celestial gem
I have a new story published by ESA:

“ESA’s orbiting X-ray observatory XMM-Newton has re-discovered an ignored celestial gem. The object in question is one of the youngest and brightest supernova remnants in the Milky Way, the corpse of a star that exploded around 1000 years ago….”

Read the full story for free here.

6 June 2008
Fantastic Milky Way graphic

I noticed an amazing graphic of the Milky Way on the Astronomy Picture of the Day [http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/] site, today.  It shows a artist’s impression of the Milky Way and then, when you put your cursor over the image, it superimposes a co-ordinate grid based on the Sun’s location.  The spiral arms are also named.  Check it out here.

29 May 2008
ESA‘s roadmap to Earth-like planets
I have a new story published over at ESA:

“ESA is launching a new initiative to develop a roadmap for finding Earth-like planets. Searching for rocky planets around other stars, in the hopes of finding an Earth-like world, is a top scientific goal in ESA's Cosmic Vision programme. …”

You can read the full article for free here.

28 May 2008
Space particles play with the mind
New Scientist issue 2658

“It’s hardly unusual to find things flashing into your head as you fall asleep, but as Christer Fuglesang was settling down on his first night aboard the International Space Station it happened quite literally. It was December 2006, and as the European Space Agency astronaut floated, eyes closed, in his sleeping bag he suddenly saw a spot of white light surrounded by a faint halo. It vanished in an instant but Fuglesang realised immediately what it was. "I had heard about these things and so was very happy to have finally experienced one," he says.

Since Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong first reported these flashes during the Apollo 11 mission to the moon in 1969, dozens of astronauts have seen them. An investigation by NASA after Apollo 11 returned concluded that the flashes, sometimes called "phosphenes", were a consequence of fast-moving particles, most probably cosmic rays, ...”

The complete article is 1619 words long.  You can read the full version here but a subscription is required.

23 May 2008
Fire & ice: What really happened to water on Mars
New Scientist issue 2657

“SINCE the Viking orbiters beamed back the first tantalising images of water-cut features on Mars in the 1970s, NASA's mantra for the Red Planet has been simple: "follow the water". Working out when Mars had liquid water on its surface, and where that water went, they reason, will provide vital clues about whether Mars could once have harboured life, and whether life could cling on today.

Since then a long line of orbiters, landers and rovers have searched the Martian surface for signs of where water once flowed. The latest, NASA's Phoenix lander, is scheduled to reach the surface of Mars on 25 May. If all goes well, it could be the first lander to actually hold Martian water in its robotic hands, and will answer. …”

The complete article is 2154 words long.  You can read the full version here but a subscription is required.

22 May 2008
Tunguska: The Truth
I have the cover story on BBC Sky at Night’s June issue:

“They say that lightning never strikes twice.  Most people think the same about asteroid impacts but some researchers aren’t so sure.  Take the devastating 30 June 1908 impact over Tunguska in Siberia.

It was about 7:15am when, out of the brilliant summer sky flashed a meteorite, a really big one.  As it ploughed onwards, it left a pillar of smoke hanging across the sky marking its passage.

It never reached the ground.  Instead, at an altitude of 16 kilometres it detonated with energy estimated to be around a thousand times greater than the Hiroshima atomic bomb. The resulting blast wave swept across an area of 2150 square kilometres.  Had there been a city underneath, it would have been devastated, with hundreds of thousands of casualties. …”

You can read the full story in the June issue of BBC Sky At Night magazine.  You can also listen to an interview with me about Tunguska by the magazine’s editor Graham Southorn.  It is available on the magazine’s second podcast episode, available here.

21 May 2008
ESA and space tourism
I have a new story published by ESA:

“The general public's interest in suborbital flying is now substantial. Such flights could offer a realistic opportunity to 'touch' space by experiencing weightlessness and seeing the curvature of the Earth's limb. Being so closely related to ESA's 'core business', the Agency is observing these developments with interest, and is now presenting its position on privately funded suborbital spaceflight. …”

You can read the full story for free here.

15 May 2008
Key molecule discovered in Venus’s atmosphere

I have a new story published over at ESA today:
“Venus Express has detected the molecule hydroxyl on another planet for the first time. This detection gives scientists an important new tool to unlock the workings of Venus’s dense atmosphere. …”

You can read the full story for free here

15 May 2008
The Sun Kings Shortlisted for the Royal Society Science Book Prizes
Three weeks ago, I announced that The Sun Kings had been longlisted by The Royal Society for their 2008 Science Book Prizes.  Well, it is with a cocktail of excitement and disbelief that I can announce today that the judges have gone on to shortlist my book.
The judges said: “The Sun Kings is a real page turner which will open your eyes to the number of scientific discoveries throughout history that might have been lost. The real majesty and power of the sun shines through and, if you’ve never given a second thought to your nearest star, you will now.”
There are five other books on the shortlist and, as when the longlist was announced, I am thrilled beyond measure to be in the company of such authors.

To read the Royal Society’s full announcement of the shortlist, click here

14 May 2008
The Martian Water Cycle and Climate
I have a new story published in three parts over at ESA.  First is the introduction:
“Even in the clearest, bluest sky on Earth, there is still water vapour in our atmosphere. If you could condense all the water vapour out of the atmosphere above you, it would form a layer of water two centimetres deep. On Mars today, there is also water vapour in the atmosphere but it would create a layer just 10 micrometres thick.”

Then there are two interviews:
“The Martian water cycle and climate with Robert Haberle, NASA Ames Research Center and Oleg Korablev, Space Research Institute, Moscow, Russia.”

“Frost and ice below the Martian surface with Bill Feldman, Planetary Science Institute, Arizona, USA and Bernard Schmitt, Laboratoire de Planetologie de Grenoble, France.”

To read these stories for free, click here

13 May 2008
Change of date at Edinburgh Literary Festival
My talk about Deep Space at the Edinburgh Literary Festival has been pulled forward to a week earlier. It will now take place on Thursday 14th August in the Studio Theatre at 10.30am.  For more information about the festival, click here.

12 May 2008
Deep Space “with brains”!
There have been a couple more flattering reviews of Deep Space. The Daily Express described it as a ‘sumptuously illustrated voyage through the universe’ and say that the “commentary clearly explains the evolution of the cosmos.”
You can read the full review in the 29 February 2008 edition of The Daily Express.

In the BBC Sky at Night magazine, Sean Blair gives the book four stars out of five.  He describes the voyage-like nature of the book into the deepest regions of space and says “It would easy to get lost on such a journey, but Clark keeps his readers oriented.  The graphical content remains strong even as we move to things unseen, with simulations depicting the dark matter thought to underpin galaxies and the dark energy driving the universe apart.  There are lots of astronomical picture books around but this one comes with brains too.’
You can read the full review in the May 2008 issue of the BBC Sky at Night magazine.

I am also pleased to announce that I am working on a new book with the same publisher – more details soon!

8 May 2008
Total solar eclipse in China
I will be acting as your astronomy guide on a 13-day tour to China next year to see the total solar eclipse. The tour is organised by Wendy Wu Tours. It leaves Heathrow on 14th July 2009 and returns on 26th. It travels from Beijing to Xian to see the Terracotta Warriors and on to Hangzhou. We shall view the eclipse on the 22nd July from the banks of the Qiantang River.
Our tour will then progress to Suzhou and Shanghai. All sorts of treats are in store, from rickshaw rides to boat trips, from traditional food and tea to gardens and buildings.  I am thrilled to be offered the opportunity to see the wonders of China and share the eclipse experience with you.

You can register your interest in the tour here

24 April 2008
The Sun Kings Longlisted for the Royal Society Science Book PrizesIt is with enormous pleasure that I can report that The Sun Kings has been longlisted by the Royal Society for their science book prizes 2008. The longlist contains 12 books and I am humbled to be in company of so many excellent authors.
About The Sun Kings, the judges said: "A wonderful historical biography. This 19th century melodrama gets you straight into the science of sun spots.  It has everything great characters, knives, guns and illicit relationships!"
About the longlist in general, Professor Jonathan Ashmore, Chair of the judges said: "We found it very hard to choose just twelve books. None of us had realised how many eligible titles had been published over the past year. The range of styles and topics was truly astonishing. It was both fascinating and exciting to be surrounded by the most recently published science books, in some cases almost hot off the press. The books we have selected for the longlist reflect, we think, the high standard of the entries."

To read the Royal Society’s full announcement of the longlist click here:

21 April 2008
Deep Space: “jaw-dropping images”
Astronomy Now magazine has positively reviewed my new book, Deep Space, published by Quercus Books.  Assistant Editor Kulvinder Singh Chadha says, “Deep Space is more than just a picture book. Contrary to what tended to be the case in the past, the text isn’t just tacked on as an afterthought.  It is integral to understanding what is going on in the images. Clark respects the reader, and explains the important aspects of cosmology and space science in detailed yet succinct terms. …”
You can read the full review in the May 2008 issue of Astronomy Now.

18 April 2008
Solar flares set the Sun quaking
I have another new story published by ESA: 
“Data from the ESA/NASA spacecraft SOHO shows clearly that powerful starquakes ripple around the Sun in the wake of mighty solar flares that explode above its surface. The observations give solar physicists new insight into a long-running solar mystery and may even provide a way of studying other stars. …”

Read the full story for free here

17 April 2008
Planetary radars come of age
I have a pair of related stories published over at ESA.  The first is:
Mars radar opens up a planet’s third dimension
ESA’s Mars Express radar sounder, MARSIS, has looked beneath the Martian surface and opened up the third dimension for planetary exploration. The technique’s success is prompting scientists to think of all the other places in the Solar System where they would like to use radar sounders. …”

To read the full story click here

The second looks more at the technology:
From Mars to the Earth: Studying ice beneath the surface
“A technique being used by the European Space Agency at Mars could prove invaluable for studying the stability of Antarctic ice sheets here on Earth. In preparation, a new ESA study is seeking to refine the radar method for use on our planet. …”

To read the full story click here

13 April 2008
The Sun Kings on The Naked Scientists
I had the pleasure of spending this afternoon at the BBC Radio Cambridge studios with The Naked Scientists (why do you think they have to do it on radio?).  We talked about solar flares and The Sun Kings, along with Chris Davis from The Rutherford Appleton Laboratories.

You can read a transcript of the interview or listen to it online here

7 April 2008
Cosmic engines surprise XMM-Newton
I have a new story published by ESA.
“XMM-Newton has been surprised by a rare type of galaxy, from which it has detected a higher number of X-rays than thought possible. The observation gives new insight into the powerful processes shaping galaxies during their formation and evolution. …”

You can read the full story for free here

4 April 2008
Venus Express reboots the search for active volcanoes on Venus
I have a new story published over at ESA:
“ESA’s Venus Express has measured a highly variable quantity of the volcanic gas sulphur dioxide in the atmosphere of Venus. Scientists must now decide whether this is evidence for active volcanoes on Venus, or linked to a hitherto unknown mechanism affecting the upper atmosphere. …”

Read the story here for free.

30 March 2008
The War of The Worlds at the Minack Theatre, Cornwall
As those of you who follow this website know, I often play guitar with local theatre groups.  At the beginning of September I will be playing lead guitar in the Hertfordshire Players’ presentation of Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of The Worlds at the Minack Theatre, Cornwall.

You can find the dates of the performances here

27 March 2008
Sorry things have been quiet
I haven’t been posting much on here just recently because I’ve been working on some larger projects instead of the smaller web-based stories.  These include new book projects and television shows.  I can’t say anything about them at the moment but stay tuned – it looks as though I can make the first big announcement soon!

23 March 2008
The Maverick Meteorologist
I have a new feature article in BBC Focus’s April issue.
“Meet Piers Corbyn, the man who says he can out-forecast the Met Office’s supercomputers.  He’s won a tidy sum by placing bets on the weather but his radical ideas on forecasting have received a rather frosty reception from meteorologists.  Stuart Clark sheds some light on his unusual system.”

Read the full story in the April 2008 issue of BBC Focus.  Visit them online here.

20 March 2008
Book Depository Editor’s Choice: “Deep Space is awe-inspiring”
I have just been made aware that on 7 March, my latest book, Deep Space, was picked as ‘something for the weekend’ by Mark Thwaite, becoming the editor’s choice over at the book depository (www.bookdepository.co.uk), an on-line bookseller.
Mark says, “Deep Space is awe-inspiring – and by that I mean Deep Space the book is awe-inspiring!
Firstly, and not unlike real, actual space in this regard, Deep Space is big. Really big! The book's dimensions are 36.8 by 27.9 by 4.6cm. Take a moment to think about that and you'll realise this is a lovely chunky slab of a tome. And it needs to be: within are some of the most amazing photographs of deep space you'll ever see. … will delight anyone who has ever looked up at the stars at night and wondered what was up there.”

Read the full review here

They are selling the book at £15.29, almost a ten pounds discount and offering free delivery.  Check it out here:

19 March 2008
Deep Space reviewed in Sainsbury’s Magazine
Sainsbury’s Magazine has favourably reviewed my latest book, Deep Space, within their HOTLIST section. They say: “Clark writes clearly and accessibly about the science of the universe”. You can read the full review on page 183 in their April 2008 issue, the one with the big chocolate cake on the front.

17 March 2008
10 Secrets of Venus Revealed
I have a new feature article in the April edition of the BBC’s Sky At Night magazine:
 “Stuart Clark investigates what Venus Express has discovered about Earth’s nearest neighbour …”
Read the full story in the April 2008 issue of BBC Sky At Night. Visit them online here.

14 March 2008
Mars Express reveals the Red Planet’s volcanic past
I have a new story published over at ESA
“A new analysis of impact cratering data from Mars reveals that the planet has undergone a series of global volcanic upheavals. These violent episodes spewed lava and water onto the surface, sculpting the landscape that ESA’s Mars Express looks down on today.”

Read the full story for free here.

8 March 2008
Is the dark matter mystery about to be solved?
New Scientist issue 2646
I share the cover story on this week’s New Scientist.  My article explores the nature of dark matter, whilst Amanda Gefter’s companion piece explores the nature of dark energy.  Here’s the introduction to the two articles:
     “As far as most of the universe is concerned, you're inconsequential. The everyday stuff that constitutes you and everything you care about makes up just 4 per cent of the cosmos; the rest we call dark matter and dark energy. What they actually are, though, is anyone's guess. Now we may be on the verge of enlightenment. In this article, we report how experiments are getting ready to identify dark matter, while on page 32 we consider why dark energy may be an illusion created by our place in space. Be prepared for a new cosmic order...”
     And here is the introduction to my article:
     “THIS YEAR, there's a good chance that a sizeable chunk of our universe will turn up. A fair bit of the cosmos - 22 per cent of it, in fact - seems to be made of invisible dark matter, whose extra gravity helps to bind stars together in galaxies, and galaxies together...”
The complete article is 2511 words long and is available here; a subscription is required.

6 March 2008
Deep Space is published in the UK
My latest book, Deep Space, is published by Quercus and now available throughout the UK.
From the dust jacket:
“What are time and space? When and how did the universe begin – and how will it end? Why has such a rich variety of celestial objects come into being? And was life an inevitable development in the cosmos?
     The answers to our most profound questions lie in the depths of space. To look here is, in effect, to look back in time, because we see the light emitted long ago from distant stars and galaxies. As we stare deeper into space, we also gaze further into the past – back towards the beginning of the universe itself.
     Now Deep Space allows us to see, with our own eyes, the mysterious objects and phenomena that inhabit the far reaches of the cosmos and the earliest times of existence.
     Each of this book’s ten chapters explains one big idea in humanity’s study of the origins and evolution of the universe. These fundamental concepts include the big bang and the expanding universe; the formation of stars and planets; the anatomy and lifecycle of a galaxy; the existence of black holes and supermassive black holes; gravity and Einstein’s Theory of Relativity; dark matter and dark energy; the cosmic web of galaxies; and theories of how the universe will end.
     Clearly introduced by Dr. Stuart Clark’s straightforward commentary, these cornerstones in our understanding of the universe are exemplified by a multitude of stunning images and diagrams.
Within Deep Space are over 250 of the very latest and clearest images of the cosmos, provided by the Hubble Space Telescope and other, even more advanced, viewing technologies. These cosmic exotica include: spiral, elliptical, lenticular, ring and irregular galaxies; nebulae and supernova; white dwarfs; quasars; colliding galaxies; star formation and stellar nurseries; dying and exploding stars; planets and the solar system; the large-scale structure of the cosmos; and even images that give evidence of the great ‘invisibles’ of the universe – black holes, dark matter and dark energy.”

5 March 2008
Mars and Venus are surprisingly similar
I have a new story published at ESA.
“Using two ESA spacecraft, planetary scientists are watching the atmospheres of Mars and Venus being stripped away into space. The simultaneous observations by Mars Express and Venus Express give scientists the data they need to investigate the evolution of the two planets’ atmospheres. …”
Read the full story for free here.

Don't forget to take a look through the archive for previous updates.

December 2007 - February 2008

September - November 2007

June - August 2007

March - May 2007