Dr Alastair Gunn

Alastair is a radio astronomer at the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics at the University of Manchester.

Recent articles by Dr Alastair Gunn

Mysterious, ancient black holes may have been shaping the Universe's destiny since its birth. Here's how © Getty Images

What is a dormant black hole?

How do the rocks stay on the surface of Dimorphos? © NASA/JPL

How do the rocks stay on the surface of Dimorphos?

If we colonise the Moon, will the colonists experience night and day? © Getty Images

If we colonise the Moon, will the colonists experience night and day?

What is chaos theory? © Getty Images

Everyday science

What is chaos theory?

How do meteorites from Mars end up on Earth? © NASA

How do meteorites from Mars end up on Earth?

What would the sky look like if Earth revolved around a star in the centre of a globular cluster, like Messier 15? © Adam Block/Wikipedia

What would the sky look like if Earth revolved around a star in the centre of a globular cluster, like Messier 15?

The Pillars of Creation as taken by the JWST

How is colour added to the JWST images? An astronomer explains

The starship Enterprise NCC 1701-D investigates a Dyson sphere then gets stuck inside

Dyson spheres: How humans (and aliens) could capture a star’s energy

If the moon were bigger, at what point would it be deemed a planet and the Earth and ‘Moon’ a ‘binary planet’ system? © Getty Images

What is a binary planet system?

If I travelled at light speed, would far away objects disappear? © NASA/ESA/CSA/James Webb Space Telescope

What would happen to our view of far-off galaxies, if we travelled at (or near) light-speed towards them?

How do solar flares affect the Earth? © Getty Images

How do solar flares affect the Earth?

The Sun: Everything you wanted to know © Getty Images

The Sun: Everything you need to know

Conceptual image representing the process of nuclear fusion, specifically the creation of helium from hydrogen. Four protons (hydrogen nuclei) are combining on the left, releasing in the process two protons and two neutrons (a helium nucleus). The sum of the masses of the neutron and protons is less than that of the original four protons. The 'missing mass' is converted to energy, which we see in the form of electromagnetic radiation. This is the power behind the Sun's brilliant glow. In practice, the conversion of hydrogen into helium is more complicated than this, and undergoes several stages between the two shown here.

Future Technology

How does nuclear fusion work?

Have we discovered anything in space that we now use in everyday life? © Dan Bright

Everyday science

Have we discovered anything in space that we now use in everyday life?

How do we know the shape of the Universe? © Science Photo Library

What shape is the Universe?