<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Curious physicists goes exploring]]></title><description><![CDATA[Curious Physicist]]></description><link>https://rubyandalmond.wixsite.com/curious-physicist/my-blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Tue, 21 Apr 2026 02:42:54 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://rubyandalmond.wixsite.com/curious-physicist/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Astronauts head to the moon and back!]]></title><description><![CDATA[This has been a very exciting week for space enthusiasts as for the first time since 1972, humans have been sent up to the moon! Why are we going back to the moon? The Artemis II mission is ushering in a new era of space exploration, one where we will soon see the first permanent base set up on the moon, and possibly even the first human travel to Mars! Rare minerals and the increasingly important issue of international law and who owns space have also recently been thrust into the media...]]></description><link>https://rubyandalmond.wixsite.com/curious-physicist/post/astronauts-head-to-the-moon-and-back</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69d4a75c84368b48410744b1</guid><pubDate>Tue, 07 Apr 2026 09:25:27 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d0e416_6616c81be8864de8a083f90bacbfa241~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>rubyandalmond</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Weather on Titan, moon of Saturn]]></title><description><![CDATA[The weather where I have been recently has been rather unhelpful, oscillating between torrential downpour and sizzling humidity when the sky is clear. It got me thinking about weather elsewhere, in the moons and planets of the solar system and beyond. I am particularly fond of the planet Saturn and its entourage of moons, so today I will be zooming on one moon in particular- Titan! In visible light, Titan appears almost featureless. When observed in the infrared wavelength however, a whole...]]></description><link>https://rubyandalmond.wixsite.com/curious-physicist/post/weather-on-titan-a-moon-of-saturn</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69c31a09dbf1d5b6012fb0ea</guid><pubDate>Tue, 24 Mar 2026 23:30:13 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d0e416_a93a96db9558414cbe3bff3108ba06e4~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_777,h_727,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>rubyandalmond</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Crumbling comet observed just after fragmenting]]></title><description><![CDATA[Today's mini post is on a comet called K1 that was recently observed just after fragmenting into at least 4 pieces by the Hubble telescope. This accidental event is remarkable given the extraordinarily low odds of this happening. Comets are balls of rock and ice that orbit the Sun in elliptical orbits, often coming from beyond the Solar System, speeding up as they approach the Sun and are drawn in by its increasingly strong gravity then zooming off in the opposite direction. Some comets orbit...]]></description><link>https://rubyandalmond.wixsite.com/curious-physicist/post/comet-snapped-freshly-after-fragmenting</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69bc70c14cb69c6318487a9d</guid><pubDate>Thu, 19 Mar 2026 22:47:57 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d0e416_b94b80e44d4f4a3aa896395691b7dafd~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_319,h_235,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>rubyandalmond</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[We are made of star stuff - a talk by Prof Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Today I listened to a talk by Prof Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, where she spoke about us all being made of star stuff, hosted by the Cambridge University Women in Physics Society. Being made of star stuff might sound bizarre, but it is true - the elements needed for life as we know it would not be possible without the stars in the universe. They are not just a pretty decoration of lights in the sky, they are crucial for our existence. How so? Taking a brief detour into biology - our bodies are...]]></description><link>https://rubyandalmond.wixsite.com/curious-physicist/post/we-are-made-of-star-stuff-a-talk-by-prof-dame-jocelyn-bell-burnell</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69a9d9e9a29c2f9814790138</guid><pubDate>Thu, 05 Mar 2026 21:37:21 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d0e416_e5721c8aaf684bd589c0de89527467ce~mv2.webp/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>rubyandalmond</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ring nebula with an iron bar… a vapourised planet?]]></title><description><![CDATA[A mysterious iron 'bar' has been found in the heart of the Ring nebula, the remnant of an exploded star. Resisting any 'person walked into a bar and said ouch, because it was an iron bar' jokes, here is a little scientific summary of what has been found and why it is of interest. The Ring nebula is one of the most iconic classic Hubble images , showing shells of glowing gas around the remains of a sun-like star, now in the white dwarf phase of its life. Indeed, our Sun will end its life in a...]]></description><link>https://rubyandalmond.wixsite.com/curious-physicist/post/ring-nebula-with-an-iron-bar-a-vapourised-planet</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6998831e9183e7d001919616</guid><pubDate>Fri, 20 Feb 2026 16:37:05 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d0e416_fcc1630b8ce34cd2a7101f26b5e3fa76~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_850,h_729,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>rubyandalmond</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Building a habitable planet]]></title><description><![CDATA[There is a lovely podcast on Geology Bites which covers most of my planetary science degree in the space of half an hour, and I enjoyed it so much it was due a little blog post. To hear the whole thing in detail, here is the full link  to it. Over 6000 exoplanets (planets outside of our solar system) have now been found, and the new direction of research has been to look for habitable life in them. What makes planets habitable? How could they be formed? How would we detect life if it was...]]></description><link>https://rubyandalmond.wixsite.com/curious-physicist/post/building-a-habitable-planet</link><guid isPermaLink="false">697924c467f9308d2971baa3</guid><pubDate>Wed, 28 Jan 2026 22:43:32 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d0e416_5d7e5b97916844cd9bc369d084303f8b~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>rubyandalmond</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Planetary nurseries: the discs from which they grow]]></title><description><![CDATA[Planets form in discs of dust, gas and debris, known as protoplanetary discs. These are particularly fascinating to look at, although not typically seen in mainstream astrophysics pictures, which usually focus on galaxies or stars, or the planets within our own solar system, skipping out other planetary systems entirely. For this reason, today's blog post is dedicated to these faintly glowing discs of dust where, with little fuss or exploding, planets subtly accrete material from their...]]></description><link>https://rubyandalmond.wixsite.com/curious-physicist/post/planetary-nurseries-the-discs-from-which-they-grow</link><guid isPermaLink="false">697653e5d87a5889015fedc3</guid><pubDate>Mon, 26 Jan 2026 22:19:15 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d0e416_9f8940f5373e48c3aea956be76c54b87~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>rubyandalmond</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Solar particles dancing in the sky]]></title><description><![CDATA[The skies were lit up once again in many parts of Europe, even the UK, with spectacular aurorae! A beautiful sight, and one with much fascinating physics behind it. At time of writing, I have about an hour before my friends pick me up to go out for dinner, so I've paused the sombre political podcast I was listening to in order to jot down a quick article about a spectacular phenomenon of the natural world instead. In dark times like these, we all need a little light and wonder. So, what are...]]></description><link>https://rubyandalmond.wixsite.com/curious-physicist/post/solar-particles-dancing-in-the-sky</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69751a45d43586da50c27585</guid><pubDate>Sat, 24 Jan 2026 20:04:48 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d0e416_5ef8cad0b02b4df0849f28bfe2a40d7b~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>rubyandalmond</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Champagne supernova, planetary discs  and a new moon]]></title><description><![CDATA[In honour of the new year, I shall celebrate with a brief recap of some exquisite astronomy including supernovae, growing stars, planetary discs and... the 2025 reunion of the best band on the planet (Champagne Supernova is one of the most famous songs by Oasis), here is a little post to celebrate another full circle around the Sun! A new moon! Rather excitingly, a new object was discovered right on our doorstep in the solar system! The mighty infrared/optical Webb telescope discovered a new...]]></description><link>https://rubyandalmond.wixsite.com/curious-physicist/post/champagne-supernova-a-new-moon-and-planetary-discs</link><guid isPermaLink="false">695549b9810abc75244a144b</guid><pubDate>Wed, 31 Dec 2025 18:32:25 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d0e416_7d176071d352466497155c3a5fa88250~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_800,h_883,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>rubyandalmond</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Diamonds: in stars, Earth’s crust, and the lab]]></title><description><![CDATA[Diamonds form under extreme pressure and temperature conditions. People are probably most familiar with mined diamonds from the Earth's crust, precious, glittery stones frequently used in jewellery. They are of course beautiful, and scarce, which is why people pay so much for them. They are also pretty interesting to study. Some of my friends got engaged recently, which inspired me to explore the science behind these tiny shimmering objects frequently encrusted into rings. What is a diamond?...]]></description><link>https://rubyandalmond.wixsite.com/curious-physicist/post/diamonds-in-stars-earth-s-crust-and-the-lab</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6910ee50b0f18b6ce71d0e64</guid><pubDate>Sun, 09 Nov 2025 22:34:59 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d0e416_716ed7f66efb46aeb69a30821d0aef66~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>rubyandalmond</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[White dwarf stars and their entourage of planets and debris]]></title><description><![CDATA[Most stars in the galaxy will end their lives going through a phase of stellar evolution where they become a white dwarf. When stars exhaust their supplies of hydrogen fuel, they undergo a core collapse and shed their outer layers as a supernova. Low to medium mass stars then become white dwarfs, essentially dead stars. White dwarfs are the burnt out remnant cores of stars up to ~8x the mass of the Sun, made up of extremely dense and compact carbon and oxygen. These cores are so dense, they...]]></description><link>https://rubyandalmond.wixsite.com/curious-physicist/post/white-dwarf-stars-and-their-entourage-of-planets-and-debris</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68e573fca062988b03733dce</guid><pubDate>Tue, 07 Oct 2025 21:24:20 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d0e416_588934b32bc74921bacc46e49944dae8~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_900,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>rubyandalmond</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A very hungry planet in a protoplanetary disc]]></title><description><![CDATA[Today's post is on planets in protoplanetary discs, specifically one observed by the Very Large Telescope in Chile. The image below is the first clear detection of a baby planet in a disc featuring multiple rings, a phenomenon in protoplanetary discs which I wrote about in a previous blog post here .  Stars are formed from molecular clouds in the interstellar medium, the material that fills space with a density of approximately 1 molecule per cubic metre, almost but not quite a vacuum. The...]]></description><link>https://rubyandalmond.wixsite.com/curious-physicist/post/a-very-hungry-planet-in-a-protoplanetary-disc</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68d853de4c8425dc7bfb8e80</guid><pubDate>Sat, 27 Sep 2025 22:02:32 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d0e416_35b717c05c994f1bb0642589a45b4e14~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>rubyandalmond</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Icy plumes on moons far away]]></title><description><![CDATA[To celebrate my first week at work- a post on Enceladus, my favourite icy moon! My colleagues will know this, because I have spoken of...]]></description><link>https://rubyandalmond.wixsite.com/curious-physicist/post/icy-plumes-on-moons-far-away</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68bd3542cb0467d4eabb6a74</guid><pubDate>Wed, 17 Sep 2025 11:35:38 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d0e416_843d5f8e89ba47b4980663efa4323aab~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_977,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>rubyandalmond</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Beautiful butterflies of stars]]></title><description><![CDATA[Here is a stunning collection of images of the Butterfly Nebula to celebrate new beginnings! This beautiful double lobed nebula forms...]]></description><link>https://rubyandalmond.wixsite.com/curious-physicist/post/beautiful-butterflies-of-stars</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68af65b2149b6c469a659b9c</guid><pubDate>Wed, 27 Aug 2025 21:02:46 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d0e416_0b51d4877d3b4e358d75cec4392d2510~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_320,h_305,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>rubyandalmond</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Astrophysics/chemistry/biology at Cambridge]]></title><description><![CDATA[As summer was approaching, I and my fellow Cambridge students were making the most of the sunshine by hunkering down inside, hunched over...]]></description><link>https://rubyandalmond.wixsite.com/curious-physicist/post/astro-physics-chemistry-biology</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6843582186515cbded9ba4d3</guid><pubDate>Thu, 21 Aug 2025 17:58:01 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d0e416_5cfdfa8969b84b31a5d2bd5e72da0f2d~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_510,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>rubyandalmond</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Sailing in Finland - an unusual summer]]></title><description><![CDATA[It is fair to say this has been an unusually water filled summer, even by the standards of a keen swimmer.  Rest assured the physics...]]></description><link>https://rubyandalmond.wixsite.com/curious-physicist/post/sailing-in-finland-an-unusual-summer</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68a253556aa481be492dbd81</guid><pubDate>Wed, 20 Aug 2025 09:05:51 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d0e416_ab88771b98ff4f39bcfbe1cd70707334~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>rubyandalmond</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Swimming to France - carpe diem! ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Slightly different post today, as this curious physicist recently had a new type of adventure- swimming to France from Dover! Last autumn...]]></description><link>https://rubyandalmond.wixsite.com/curious-physicist/post/swimming-to-france-carpe-diem</link><guid isPermaLink="false">687b91473b808c020d537ece</guid><pubDate>Sat, 19 Jul 2025 13:36:09 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d0e416_6ceea21f15dd4796863d3a466d55e399~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>rubyandalmond</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[‘Expotition’ to the south pole (of the sun)]]></title><description><![CDATA[This week we've been treated to images of the sun's south pole for the first time! As a child learning to read, a particular favourite...]]></description><link>https://rubyandalmond.wixsite.com/curious-physicist/post/expotition-to-the-south-pole-of-the-sun</link><guid isPermaLink="false">684bfb755a220fb2405116cc</guid><pubDate>Fri, 13 Jun 2025 17:18:51 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d0e416_2e4ccb42d1ed4dc080884a9da8f78153~mv2.webp/v1/fit/w_1000,h_843,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>rubyandalmond</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Safari in South Africa]]></title><description><![CDATA[Life elsewhere in the universe is all very well, but life on Earth is pretty special too, so today's post will explore some of the...]]></description><link>https://rubyandalmond.wixsite.com/curious-physicist/post/safari-in-south-africa</link><guid isPermaLink="false">680d036c02e22389d10d1f42</guid><pubDate>Sat, 26 Apr 2025 21:31:56 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d0e416_4f9bf6df83cf463296724d57ccdd839c~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>rubyandalmond</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[‘Strongest evidence yet’ of life found on distant planet]]></title><description><![CDATA[On Wednesday, a mysterious email arrived in the inboxes of the Cambridge university astrophysics students, revealing there was to be a...]]></description><link>https://rubyandalmond.wixsite.com/curious-physicist/post/strongest-evidence-yet-of-life-found-on-distant-planet</link><guid isPermaLink="false">680416a50b02377df23334d5</guid><pubDate>Sat, 19 Apr 2025 22:29:45 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d0e416_6a33b64a97c34f0d98d6b4f152bd7c60~mv2.webp/v1/fit/w_976,h_549,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>rubyandalmond</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>