by Joseph A'Hearn | May 7, 2020 | Astronomy, Basics, Eclipse, Featured, Observational Astronomy, Outreach, Science & Faith
On Astronomy, Calendars, and Pluto's Status Joffre Swait from Kepler Education interviewed me on various topics of astronomy this afternoon. We talked about the calendar, why Pluto is not a planet, the Astronomy course I’m offering this Fall with Kepler...
by Joseph A'Hearn | Mar 14, 2018 | Astronomy, Basics, Featured, Science & Faith
The first day of spring and the first day of fall happen on equinoxes, when the plane of Earth’s equator passes through the Sun’s center. Day and night are appoximately (but not exactly) of equal length. Before Julius Caesar introduced his calendar in 45...
by Joseph A'Hearn | Feb 16, 2018 | Featured, Science & Faith
“Maintaining the view that science and religion are in conflict does no one any favors and is hurting science,” writes Tom McLeish in his article “Thinking differently about science and religion,” published in the latest (February 2018) edition...
by Joseph A'Hearn | Jan 13, 2018 | Astronomy, Cosmology, Featured, Outreach, Science & Faith
“We’re not special” is not a scientific statement. It’s an opinion. It’s a simple way of expressing what has become known as the Copernican principle. Copernicus himself did not explicitly hold this when he realized Earth was likely not...
by Joseph A'Hearn | Jan 10, 2018 | Science & Faith
“There’s a public perception that’s harmful to everyone: that science is hostile to faith, and that religious people aren’t interested in science.” So writes Ethan Siegel, an astrophysicist and science writer. (Read his full article...
by Joseph A'Hearn | Dec 28, 2017 | Astronomy, Cosmology, Featured, Science & Faith
The origin of the Universe is one of my favorite topics at the interface between science and faith. I’ve spoken on this several times (which I’ve kept track of on my Talks and Presentations page). The most recent occasion was the first time it was...
