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How astronomers find planets by their shadow: the dip in starlight Most planets around other stars are far too faint to see directly, so astronomers watch the star instead. When a planet crosses its face, a tiny dark disc… Earth & Space4 min read Why random bounces pile up into a bell curve: the Galton board Every ball in a Galton board makes the same blind choice at each peg: left or right, a coin flip. Yet drop enough of them and the pile always grows into the… Maths4 min read Earth is closest to the Sun in January. So why is that winter? Summer can't be caused by being closer to the Sun: Earth makes its closest pass around 3 January and is farthest around 4 July. The distance changes by only… Earth & Space4 min read How Eratosthenes measured the whole Earth with a stick and a shadow Around 240 BC, Eratosthenes, head of the Library of Alexandria, measured the size of the whole Earth with a stick and a shadow. At noon on midsummer, sticks in… History4 min read