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The Pharisees come in for a lot of criticism in the New Testament and, picking up on this, Christians down the generations have come to use the name as a byword for someone who is overzealous and legalistic. This is a correct application and you can see why. “When he [John the Baptist] saw the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptising, he said to them; 'You brood of vipers! Who has warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.'” (Mt.3:7-8) Pronouncing seven woes on Pharisees and experts in the law Jesus...

ESA's orbiting X-ray observatory XMM-Newton has re-discovered an ignored celestial gem. The object in question is one of the youngest and brightest supernova remnants in the Milky Way, the corpse of a star that exploded around 1000 years ago. Its shape, age and chemical composition will allow astronomers to better understand the violent ways in which stars end their lives. Exploding stars seed the Universe with heavy chemical elements necessary to build planets and create life. The expanding cloud of debris that each explosion leaves behind, known as a supernova remnant (SNR), is a bright source of X-rays and radio...

CELESTIAL AND MATHEMATICAL PRECISION IN ANCIENT ARCHITECTUREAnd we think we’re advanced MELISSA HIEBERT STAFF Many ancient ruins demonstrate that the people who constructed them had not only a special regard for celestial bodies and mathematics, but also a spot-on accuracy. From Egypt to Mexico, there is no doubt that past civilizations were involved in incredibly complex space calculations, mathematics and architectural endeavours. Although many historians and archaeologists debate exactly what these civilizations did intentionally and what they did by mere chance, here are a few examples of how ancient architecture was created with mathematics and the cosmos in mind. iza...

Space Rights Proposal To Be Launched At Lunar Conference Waikoloa Beach - Nov 17, 2003 From Sunday November 16 through to Nov 22, the International Lunar Conference 2003 is being held in Hawaii with the stated purpose of getting us back to the Moon. Many countries and space agencies are sending large delegations, and among the gueats speakers are Moon astronauts John Young and Harrison Schmitt. John Young, still working at NASA, has gained much attention for his statement that "Single-planet Species do Not Last". The conference is also expected to see the launch of a new proposal aimed...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2002 December 31 A Year of Assessing Astronomical Hazards Drawing Credit: Dan Durda (SWRI) Explanation: Could an asteroid destroy civilization on Earth? Mountain-sized space rocks could potentially impact the Earth causing global effects, and perhaps even be mistaken for a nuclear blast of terrestrial origin. Such large impacts are rare but have happened before. Modern telescopes have therefore begun to scan the skies for signs of approaching celestial...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2002 November 15 Night Trails of Africa Credit & Copyright: LeRoy Zimmerman Explanation: Spanning southern to northern skies, stars trail across this panoramic view of the African night from equatorial Kenya. The three hour long exposure was made on a clear, dark, mid November evening facing due west and covers just over 180 degrees along the horizon. So, the South Celestial Pole is at the center of the...

Comet's debris promises celestial light-show Earth is about to plough through a thick cloud of comet dust giving sky watchers a celestial treat. The Perseid meteor shower, which puts on a display at this time every year, is now approaching its maximum intensity. It will peak tomorrow, sending shooting stars blazing trails across the sky at a rate which could reach two a minute. This year's Perseid show should be a good one because there will be virtually no moon, and the meteor numbers are expected to be higher than usual. The Perseids, which have mystified and terrified people for...