From Old Stars to New

“I’m a big fan of Tycho Brahe, the larger-than-life astronomer with a golden nose, who died from drinking too much at a banquet. ”

By Marc Read, RGS Physics and Philosophy Teacher

I’ve been teaching at the RGS (mainly physics, and now also A-level philosophy) since 2006, and one of the greatest things about the school is undoubtedly how willing students are to talk about things above and beyond the syllabus. My PhD was in the history and philosophy of science, tracing the development of astronomy, and stories about some of the eccentric characters involved often make it into my lessons. (I’m a big fan of Tycho Brahe, the larger-than-life astronomer with a golden nose, who died from drinking too much at a banquet.)

Over the last couple of years, I’ve spent some holiday time turning these anecdotes into a collection of short stories, a cross between popular science and historical fiction. A small publisher in Cardiff (Candy Jar Books) is bringing the book out in June or July this year, and New Stars for Old is now available for pre-order in hardback on amazon.co.uk. Matt Ridley (author of The Rational Optimist) has described it as “delightful and erudite … fascinating.” Former students are welcome to drop by to get their copies signed, although you might have to look for me in HHHB’s old room rather than the physics labs!

Coming soon from

Candy Jar