Feminism and Science: “Women In Science” and “A Galaxy of Her Own” Book Review

Women in Science Rachel Ignotofsky Galaxy of her Own Libby Jackson

I wanted to share with you, two amazing books I was gifted. As some of you may know from my previous collaboration infographic, I am a feminist. (Not an activist of any kind, but I do believe in equality between all genders, everywhere. Simple as.) These two books were gifted to me for which I am very thankful. Feminism AND Science? Any books that celebrate the achievements of women are always welcome in my library!

Geeking Out Loud: The Evolution of Sci-Fi Movies

I’ve always loved Sci-Fi but I never feel like I have seen enough! I wanted to explore as much as possible, from the first Sci-Fi Movie “Le Voyage Dans Le Lune” (1902), right through to the latest releases and sub-genres that have expanded throughout the years. Because, Sci-Fi always makes us question;

Where will science take us? What’s going to happen to us? What’s NEXT?

I’ve already considered what makes a good Sci-Fi story, and so I started doing a little research into the release dates of movies (and some extra reading). I realised that there is a pattern in what’s happening in society and science, and the types of movies that became popular at the time.

Astronomy Bonus Post: Cassini’s Final Mission

Cassini's final mission

Cassini’s final mission will end today (15th September 2017) after being in service for almost 20 years. Cassini and its team have given us some of the most in depth and interesting photographs of Saturn that have ever been achieved. This amazing piece of technology will end its journey in a spectacular fashion by burning up in Saturn’s atmosphere, in an attempt to stop her from contaminating potentially life-sustaining environments that have been found on one of Saturn’s moons.

A Geek’s Guide: 7 Ultimate Science Gifts for the Nerdy Lady in your Life

This is a shout out to those who dare to be smart. For those who are intrigued by the world around them. For those who want to learn, explore, and constantly push boundaries. What Science gifts to do you get a nerdy girl?

If you’re lucky enough to know one of these people and have the HONOUR of presenting said person with a gift, then I hope you’ll consider these recommendations… and if you are the Science lover then… Treat yo’self!

So here are some of the best Science gifts, hand-picked by me!

Intergalactic Exploration: A trip to the National Space Centre

National Space Centre Review

Last weekend, my other half and I went to the National Space Centre! It was super fun and informative – definitely worth at least one trip if you want to broaden your mind and get some new information about our universe! I thought I’d write a National Space Centre Review as it was amazing and I would go again for sure. We got an annual pass for the price of one ticket (!) so we plan to go again with friends.

 National Space Centre Review Astronaut
 Welcome Sign National Space Centre Review

Intergalactic

We had a ticket to see a planetarium show which was held in the Sir Patrick Moore Planetarium. You can choose from a look at the universe as a whole or stories behind some of our constellations. The lady who presented the show was very enthusiastic and I loved hearing more about the Greek mythology related to the constellations.

Some things I learned from the planetarium exhibit:

  • Some space objects are named M followed by a number because Charles Messier just labelled things he found with his initial and a number in the order he found them – how very imaginative!
  • We can’t map all the galaxies because our own galaxy blocks the half of our view.
  • The big and little dipper constellations are named for a Greek legend of a mother and son who were turned into bears and thrown into space!

National Space Centre Review Bioshock
Would you kindly increase the magnification?

 National Space Centre Review Rockets

Interactive

I really liked how they relayed the information in the centre to you. It wasn’t centred around children only which it can often be at science museums, it was perfect for us too. The level of interactivity was so high! There were whole areas where you could test your skills as an astronaut, a simulation of a moon landing and you could lose hours watching all the videos and playing the mini-games.

They had some real rockets in the eating area with a multi-layer mezzanine so you could see them from top to bottom. That was certainly a highlight of the day!

 Orrery Ceiling Light National Space Centre Review
 National Space Centre Review Would you kindly
 National Space Centre Review Jupiter Fact File

Information

There were SO many facts in there that you’d have to visit a few times to really take it all in! There were whole areas dedicated to rockets, sci-fi, the life of astronauts. So many planetary facts and the entire history of space exploration across the world. Here are just a few things I learned along the way:Le Voyage dans la lune National space centre review

  • The first ever Sci-Fi movie was French and called “La Voyage Dans le Lune”. It involved scientists that looked more like wizards.
  • What it’s like to wash your hair in space. (You gather a very small amount of water droplets as best you can and pull them through your hair.)
  • Saturn if very small (or we had a huge bath) would float in water

Inspiration

I wanted to buy EVERYTHING in the onsite shop but as it’s my birthday coming up I wasn’t allowed! In the end, I bought some “astronaut” food which I will try out soon. Once my birthday is over I am definitely going to go back for more!Astronaut IceCream Astronaut Food National Space Centre Review

I am constantly searching for inspiration for my space themed stuff. The National Space Centre was definitely full of that- for both my blog and artwork. I discovered that I really love how space exploration changed throughout history and the links between the old and new methods. The history of the constellations was definitely a highlight for me!

Anytime I feel spaced out (pun intended), I am going to revisit and fuel my thoughts!

 

13 Out-of-this-World Space themed gifts on my Birthday wish list!

SpaceShip Skinny Dip London Bag

As it’s my birthday soon I thought I’d post a Space themed gifts wish-list of mine… Just some tiny hints in case anyone (or a certain someone) need some ideas! I hope it also inspires you and gives you an insight into the kind of things you can find if you’re looking for space themed stuff!

Space Themed Gift Guide MoodBoard Galaxy Constellations Astronomy

1. Starry Night Dress by Cakes with Faces

This is such a cute little dress! I am not into astrology but the science of stars, and constellation themed items I adore! It’s amazing just how much stuff is out there (in the material and the metaphysical sense).

2. Glitter Star Hair Clips  by Crown and Glory

I feel like these in gunmetal or silver would look great now my hair’s gone purple. I just want to adorn it with sparkle! Short of covering myself in glitter, Crown and Glory have some amazing starry accessories… including a STUNNING dip-dyed veil that I MUST have for when I get married. Not that I’m even engaged yet…

3. Women In Science by Rachel Ignotofsky

Full title, Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World, looks absolutely stunning and really interesting! I went ahead and bought this one (this is the problem with making wishlists of affordable, beautiful items!) It is incredibly illustrated and I love the writing style.

4. Atom & Planet Necklace by Eclectic Eccentricity

As some may know, I wear the hell out of the necklace from my previous Space Princess gift guide. EE’s whole range is stunning and space-based and I look at them longingly every lunch break in the office! These colours are just perfect.
Space Themed Bag Constellation Earrings Fun Science

5. SpaceShip Bag by SkinnyDip

I added this bag to my wishlist after seeing it in Brighton… until I realised it was from LAST SEASON! *shock horror* Rather than miss out my friend got it for me and sent it in the post. (PaperBag Blog- thank you!) It helps to know lovely people! So… this is on here to show it off really (Sorry, not sorry) and give a shout-out to SkinnyDip for designing something so cool.

6. Fun Science by Charlie McDonnell

Full title “Fun Science: A Guide to Life, the Universe and why Science is so Awesome” by Charlie McDonnell has sparked my interest as it discusses everything from the largest things comprehensible to humans right down to the smallest atoms. Charlie (Charlieissocoollike) began producing science related videos on YouTube and I followed him for many years – I really want to support his venture as an author!

7. 3D Star Globe by Luckies

A 3D map of the night sky would both informative and beautiful hanging from my ceiling. Alternatively, an actual constellation globe with a transparent base would also be awesome on my office desk… but a little out of my budget!

8. Star Stud Earrings by Stray Jewellery

I am always on the outlook for earrings that can tie in with my outfits. I’ve been going for a lot of galaxy-inspired and space themed stuff recently. Even if I have to dress like your average person (boo) for work or an event, I still like to set it off with something astronomical!

Space Themed Dress Planetarium Space Pencils NASA Space Cat Mug CyberDog

9. Planetarium Paperweight by Present Indicative

I know what you’re probably thinking, it’s a bit odd… But it’s REALLY cool and I feel like I could look at it for ages. I first saw it in the Stedelijk Museum Shop in Amsterdam but it was closing and they rushed me out of the shop. I am kinda glad I did though because it’s now introduced me to a whole new website that has cool nerdy gifts! Their whole astronomy section is AWESOME.

10. Cat in Space Mug by CyberDog

I thought to myself that if I never saw another “themed” mug ever again, it would be too soon! But then, I saw this one. Space AND cats? Yeah, go on then.

11. Galaxy Skater Dress by Glitterbomb

This has been on my wish list for aaaages. I’m absolutely in love with it – the colours are amazing (and I already have the necklace!)

12. Space themed Swirl Coloured Pencils

I added these in even though I bought them for myself. I’ve been told I don’t need any more stationery items BUT the leads are coloured to match the nebulas primary colours SO… had to be done. The pencils came from a little boutique in Amsterdam but you could get them here.

And to round it all off, what would an astronomy lover be without an awesome telescope?

Sky-Watcher Explorer-130P 130mm Parabolic Newtonian Reflector Telescope

Until Next Time,

Amy

 

International Astronomy Day: Why I love Space, the Universe and Everything

As it’s International Astronomy Day today (29th April), I decided to get myself back on track with a post about why I chose this subject in the first place. I realise I haven’t really done any astronomy related posts but it’s because I felt I didn’t know enough / it would be a lot of tertiary research. Then I realised why my real passion for the subject and the theme really shines through!

So here is a little insight into the why I love Space, the Universe and everything space themed.

It reminds us how small we are but also how awesome we are

If you go to any planetarium you will often get an introduction showing just how vast we have discovered our universe to be.  As humans, we need everything to be a scale/comparison to fathom the size of an object and even when it’s spoon fed to us sometimes it’s just incomprehensible. That can be pretty daunting, but I take comfort in it sometimes.

Nebula SH2-115 ExoGalaxies Astronomy Day
Picture by ExoGalaxies

It makes for some of the best photographs

It’d be great to get out into the middle of nowhere and take some long exposures to see what hidden gems we can pick up! I absolutely love some of the photographs. Good people to follow for this sort of stuff are The Hubble Scope,, Exogalaxies and JoshKirkley to name but a few!

My good friend Geoffrey, who takes a lot of my featured astrophotography, has some perfect pictures in his portfolio! Mostly he focuses on things a little closer to home, but they’re all amazing!Gantrisch Astrophotography Geoffrey Schild Photography Space Themed Blog

It’s one of the most interesting science subjects

One of the best things about astronomy is that there is always new information to explore, something disproving our original theories and the whole time we are finding out more about our universe. Some of my favourite places to visit are Science Museums. They’re often aimed at kids but they also hold a wealth of information for adults too. One of my dreams is to visit the Kennedy Space Centre!

Astronomy Day Searching for life
Photo by Fussy Lemon

Everything Galaxy Patterned is absolutely perfect

I absolutely adore galaxy patterned fashion and accessories. I’ve loved it for a long time but now I’m always on the look-out. I previously published my Space Princess Gift Guide and nearer to my birthday I will post my space themed gift wishlist.

My Latest Purchase ^_^

I need some space tshirt boohoo astronomy day
One of my favourite new t-shirts!

It helps with Escapism

There’s so much going on in the world: with the doomsday clock reaching the closest to midnight it’s been since 1960, scientific research being put on the back-burner and other baffling political decisions being made everywhere it’s good to just escape once in a while. Looking out into the void and remembering what could be out there makes all of the small issues seem even smaller. It definitely helps you to clear your mind!

Disney Wall-E Astronomy Day

Some of the best stories and franchises are based on it

A scientist summoned to speak to aliens. A galactic empire at war with itself. A dystopian future with an astral escape route. Space offers us so many directions a writer/director/producer can go with their science fiction. It’s my favourite genre.

I could go on forever about all the games, books, franchises, films, toys and TV programs that are inspired by the great unknown! But there are way too many to mention. In the future, I aim to do a few posts introducing some of my favourites!

Space themed food is the tastiest (and definitely the most colourful!)

I am always on the look-out for new recipes that I can adapt into a spacey theme. My galaxy cheesecake was a super success and soon I plan to make another space recipe! I am always finding inspiration for this increasingly popular theme for baking!

National Astronomy Day Space Cake Goals
By Cloud 9 – Brighton

 Galaxy Themed Donut Galaxy Cakes
 Space Themed Cake

It inspires beautiful Designs

Satin and Tat (who I write blog posts for) have produced 2 invite designs that are perfect for space themed weddings. This is the kind of thing that is exactly up my street design wise; I mean come on, I designed my entire blog around it!

It’s beautiful, awe-inspiring and my favourite place to get inspiration. I am looking forward to the day that I can produce some artwork good enough to show off, but I am working on some galaxy ink-works (watch this space!)

Astronomy Day Mood Board
The space moodboard I did for Satin and Tats new releases!

There could be others like us out there

New Scientist Magazine confirms that there is huge potential for life on one of Saturn’s moons, after finding the perfect balance of gases and needed for a specific microorganism to thrive! That’s super exciting! There’s potential for life that could outlive us by hundreds of thousands of years!

In a little older news, the awesome guys and gals at NASA found a whole new solar system with 7 earth-size planets. We have literally no idea how much potential there is for not only life but sentient beings like us living 40 light years away.

I can’t wait to see what else they can uncover about these mysterious planets! Let’s hope whatever they find there is better at looking after their own planets than we are of ours…

Google Doodle Celebrated this in such a cute way!

Happy International Astronomy Day!

Hope you all have an awesome day, wherever you are in the ether! I might have to celebrate with cake…

Amy