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What is the difference between precision and accuracy? In modern English they are used almost interchangeably.  But there is a...

It’s rare that shopping channels grapple with complex problems in astronomy – but miracles do happen.  Here’s the contributors to QVC...

Apologies for the long hiatus!  I’ve been busy with lots of things, among them the birth of my first child.  I’ll post his horoscope here...

I recently visited, and very much enjoyed, the exhibition at the National Maritime Museum about the quest for longitude.  It’s on until...

One drawback of spending the summer in Amman is that it’s really hard to go out for a run.  With temperatures of 30-35° during the day,...

What is “comprehensible input“?  What’s just the right amount of it to be able to learn a language?  What’s the relative importance of...

This blog is taking a holiday from astronomical instruments, and turning its attention to language learning.  That’s odd! I hear you...

I wrote this post for the Peterhouse Perne and Ward Libraries blog.  It is cross-posted from there with their kind permission. 28 May saw...

I’ve just come across this fantastic propaganda film from 1945.  It is a detailed picture of life in Cambridge as the second world war...

A few weeks ago I went on a fascinating course: Medieval and Modern Manuscript Studies in the Digital Age, run by the Digital Scholarly...

I’ve blogged before about my preference for museums that tell a clear story.  I just don’t have the patience (or the creativity?) to form...

The last couple of times I wrote about museums on this blog (here and here), I was at least somewhat critical.  So I’m pleased to report...

What can you make when you’ve finished your equatorium?  Easy: a model of a famous building to use as a marathon costume! Regular readers...

Do you like to be told what a museum’s all about, or would you rather make your own links between exhibits and draw your own...

Regular readers of this blog (if there are any, I should apologise to them for my long silence) will be familiar with the story of King...

Can an object be artistic and scientific at the same time? Can art have a place in science museums? Why do museum object labels matter?...

What makes a memorable museum experience?  As I’ve worked and researched in museums this year, I’ve thought a lot about that.  And I...

I spend a lot of time trying to imagine what it must have been like for a medieval astronomer to use an astrolabe.  It’s tricky.  Apart...

by Jenny Bulstrode Astrolabes and Stuff is proud to present its first ever guest post!  For this we must thank Jenny Bulstrode, a student...

Regular readers beware: there are no astrolabes in this post!  Instead we’ll be engaging with some hardcore historiography.  Comments...