- Science, Please
- Posts
- What? Another eclipse? This week? Yep!
What? Another eclipse? This week? Yep!
Plus 8 live talks and events on space, medicine, and psychology
Leonie Mercedes
March 24, 2025
Hello, friends!
*sheepishly pulls winter coat back out of the cupboard after over-optimistic early-March declaration cold weather is done for the year*
Solar eclipse glasses at the ready: the orbs are getting themselves into majestic formation once again this month, this time treating us to a partial solar eclipse on Saturday.
Aaand on the talks and lectures slate this week we have:
whether giant planets can form around teeny stars, and
Let’s go!
🍿 online talks and events 🐧
All times are GMT.
🪐 space
NASA experts discuss space weather mission
In this livestream, NASA experts discuss EZIE, a trio of spacecraft sent to study electric currents in the sky, to help us better understand the effects of space weather on our power, navigation and communication systems. Get your questions ready.
NASA Science Live: aurora glow, electric flow and the EZIE mission, online event by NASA, Monday 24 March, 19.00, free
How innovation in space can help us on Earth
A panel of policymakers, educators, and space experts discuss how Scotland’s space sector can play a role in protecting the planet, as well as vulnerable communities, from the effects of climate change.
The future of Scotland’s space sector, online event by the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Wednesday 26 March, 13.00, free
Solving a fundamental mystery about exoplanets
Dr Ed Bryant discusses his research into exoplanets (planets outside our Solar System), what they can tell us about how planets are born, and whether giant planets can form around the smallest stars.
A tale of dwarves and giants: can giant planets form around the smallest stars?, online lecture by the Royal Observatory Greenwich, Thursday 27 March, 18.00, free
Livestream Saturday’s partial solar eclipse
Join Royal Observatory astronomer Dr Greg Brown for a quick chat about the science of the Sun and solar eclipses, before getting a live view of the partial solar eclipse through one of the observatory’s telescopes – weather permitting of course.
Solar eclipse live, livestream by Royal Observatory Greenwich, Saturday 29 March, 10.00, free
🌋 geology
The Falkland Islands: a window into our climate history?
Dr Zoë Thomas discusses the hidden past of the Falkland Islands, looking back on millions of years of the remote archipelago’s history, and what its geology can tell us about past climates, biodiversity and environmental change.
Ancient rainforests and shifting climates: the Falkland Island’s hidden past, online lecture by the Royal Geographical Society, Tuesday 25 March, 19.00, free
💊 medicine
How do vaccines actually work?
Professor Robin May explores how vaccines actually work, what makes mRNA vaccines – like the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines – so innovative, and why it isn’t possible to vaccinate against everything.
How do vaccines work?, hybrid lecture by Gresham College, Wednesday 26 March, 18.00, free
Nira Chamberlain explores the idea of treating EDI (equality, diversity and inclusion) as a purely scientific problem, and how effective EDI strategies can unlock the talent of underrepresented groups.
A mathematician’s journey for social justice, hybrid event by the Royal Institution, Friday 28 March, 19.20, from £5
🧠 psychology
The psychology of creativity
Professor Paul Sowden considers the process of being creative, describing psychological research into creativity and how to bring these insights into the classroom.
Cognition, creativity and the classroom, online talk by Kingston University, Friday 28 March, 12.00, free
🌙 in a sky near you… 🔭
Views from Science, Please HQ, London. See Stellarium for a personalised view of your night sky after setting your location and time.
Catch a partial solar eclipse: From Saturday morning, those in the UK (and many places in the rest of the world) will – weather permitting – be able to catch a partial solar eclipse, where the Moon partially obscures the Sun.
DON’T LOOK DIRECTLY AT IT
The show starts at 10.07, when the Moon first touches the disk of the Sun. Maximum coverage will happen at 11.03, where the Moon will block up to 40% of the Sun, and the two will part ways by about midday.
SERIOUSLY DON’T LOOK DIRECTLY AT IT
Of course, you must never look directly at a solar eclipse – that’s just too many photons for our human eyes. Instead get yourself a pair of solar eclipse glasses, which block out most of the light. BBC Sky at Night Magazine recommends brands Baader, Lunt, and Thousand Oaks for keeping your eyes intact.
🌸 closer to Earth 👀
Magical magnolias: Look out for magnolias this week, one of the first signs of spring, and don’t delay! They don’t hang about for long.
Magnolias have been around for a long old time, emerging in the Cretaceous period when the last dinosaurs were still dinosauring. They came before bees, butterflies and moths, and so they’ve evolved to be pollinated by beetles. This is reflected in their size – beetle-pollinated flowers tend to be larger, and are often pink or white.
💫 we need answers
A couple weeks ago I asked:
In 1969, 49 years after printing an editorial mocking a scientist, the New York Times ran a correction reading:
“Further investigation and experimentation have confirmed the findings of Isaac Newton in the 17th century and it is now definitely established that a ____ can function in a vacuum as well as in an atmosphere. The Times regrets the error.”
What event prompted the correction, and what word fills the blank?
The answer is… rocket. The New York Times ran the correction on 17 July 1969, a day after the launch of Apollo 11, which would go on to land Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the Moon.
🤔 until next week…
Google searches for the term “my ____ hurt” spiked on 8 April in the US last year. What word fills the blank, and what event prompted this surge in searches?
Answer comes next week. See you then! x
🌍 social science