Whilst working on the dark galaxies story for New Scientist (see blog entry for 20 June 2007), Dr Robert Minchin mentioned that the Arecibo telescope is in danger of having its funding withdrawn.

Today, the following press release was issued: “The planetary radar system at the Arecibo Observatory, which Cornell manages for the National Science Foundation (NSF) through its National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center (NAIC), is the most powerful in the world and is considered the best tool for tracking asteroids that may be on a collision course with the Earth.”

Read the full story here.

Image: GeoEye

I was interviewed this afternoon by Harriet Scott (Heart 106.2 FM) and Chris Lintott (Sky at Night) for their internet-based astronomy podcast, Livingspace.  Find out which of my Victorian Sun Kings was likened to Bruce Willis in Die Hard 4.0 by downloading the podcast here.

Once you have finished listening to my interview, I recommend you download and listen to the others - there is a lot of good stuff in there.

I have a new story over on New Scientist’s space web site.

The Hubble Space Telescope has failed to reveal the expected number of stars in the mysterious, galaxy-sized cloud of hydrogen known as VIRGOHI21. The research bolsters the idea that the gas cloud is the only known example of a 'dark galaxy' that failed to kick-start star birth.

Read the full story for free here.

I have another new story published over at ESA.

With ESA’s Planck microwave observatory in its final phases of development, mission scientists are stepping up their activity ready to exploit the mission once it is in orbit. Scheduled for launch next year, Planck will survey the Universe at microwave wavelengths, making the most precise study yet of the ‘echo’ of the Big Bang.

Read the full story for free here.

A number of new dates on The Sun Kings UK lecture tour have been added recently, including Gresham College, Glasgow Planetarium and Heffers Bookshop in Cambridge.  Check out the talks' page for details.