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Andrew Norton

I've worked at the Open University since 1992 and am now Professor of Astrophysics Education in the Department of Physical Sciences. I'm a former Vice President of the Royal Astronomical Society and am Editor-in-Chief of the journal Astronomical Review.

My research interests are in various aspects of time domain astrophysics with a current focus on stellar photometry from wide field surveys to investigate close binary stars. I carry out research on all sorts of variable stars, including white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes, and I edit the International Exoplanet Newsletter. I am co-lead for the materials and learning objects for the PLATO Education and Public Outreach Coordination Office in support of ESA's mission to discover rocky exoplanets in Earth-like orbits around Sun-like stars.

I am passionate about outreach and public engagement - being both a STEMnet ambassador and a public engagement ambassador for the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement. I wrote a story book about Exoplanets for young children called "Oogle-Flip and the planet adventure". I also co-wrote the series of "60 second adventures in Astronomy" and am a frequent Academic Consultant for OU/BBC astronomy co-productions,

My Erdos-Bacon-Sabbath number is 13.

Exomoons: astronomers report first ever discovery

Oct 04, 2018 14:27 pm UTC| Insights & Views Science

In Star Wars VI we first meet the Ewoks living on the Forest Moon of Endor. The planet Endor itself is a gas giant, but the Forest Moon is a habitable world, peopled by small furry sentient creatures. While we may not be...

More than 1,000 new exoplanets discovered – but still no Earth twin

May 12, 2016 04:34 am UTC| Science

NASA astronomers working with data from the Kepler space observatory have presented the largest single crop of newly discovered exoplanets to date. Its impressive 1,284 new planets have been announced, including around...

Economy

Dollar Rises Amid Trade Deal Uncertainty, Yen and Franc Strengthen

The U.S. dollar edged higher Friday, rebounding from earlier losses as markets reacted to mixed signals from President Donald Trump on trade talks and monetary policy. The greenback has swung sharply this week, falling 1%...

Asian Tech Stocks Climb on Alphabet Earnings and AI Optimism

Asian stock markets mostly advanced on Friday, driven by a rally in tech shares after Alphabets strong earnings and bullish AI outlook. The U.S. tech giant beat earnings expectations and reaffirmed its commitment to...

Oil Prices Inch Up but Face Weekly Loss on OPEC+, Geopolitical Developments

Oil prices edged higher early Friday but remained on track for a weekly decline amid rising supply prospects and mixed signals on global demand. Brent crude futures rose 5 cents to $66.60 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas...

AI Stock Rally Lifts Futures as Alphabet Leads Tech Surge

U.S. stock index futures rose Thursday evening, driven by strong earnings from Alphabet Inc. and renewed investor enthusiasm for artificial intelligence (AI) and tech stocks. Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) jumped nearly 5% in...

BoJ Rate Hike Odds Rise as Tokyo Inflation Surges Beyond Expectations

Tokyos consumer inflation surged in April, reinforcing expectations that the Bank of Japan (BoJ) may raise interest rates sooner than anticipated. According to ING analysts, a sharper-than-expected rise in Tokyos core...

Politics

Japan Unveils Emergency Economic Plan to Offset U.S. Tariff Impact

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced on Friday a new emergency economic package aimed at cushioning households and industries from the effects of recent U.S. import tariffs. The relief plan, outlined in a...

Moon Jae-in Criticizes Prosecutors Amid Bribery Indictment

Former South Korean President Moon Jae-in accused the countrys prosecutors of political bias and abuse of power following his recent indictment on bribery charges. Speaking on Friday during a meeting with National Assembly...

Pentagon Removes Advisory Members Amid Strategic Shift

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has dismissed several members of Department of Defense advisory committees following a comprehensive 45-day internal review, according to a statement released Thursday by Pentagon...

Russia Uses North Korean Missile in Kyiv Strike, Killing 12

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy confirmed that a North Korean ballistic missile was used by Russia in a deadly airstrike on Kyiv, killing 12 civilians. The missile, identified as a KN-23 (KN-23A), hit a residential...

Trump Urges Putin to Halt Kyiv Missile Strikes Amid Peace Talks

At least 12 people were killed and 90 wounded after Russia launched its largest missile and drone attack on Kyiv this year, devastating buildings and sparking fires across the Ukrainian capital. The assault drew a rare...

Science

Kennedy Sets September Deadline to Uncover Autism Causes Amid Controversy

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a bold plan to identify the cause of autism by September 2025. Speaking at a cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump, Kennedy declared a global...

AstraZeneca’s Imfinzi Gets US Approval for Bladder Cancer Treatment

AstraZenecas drug Imfinzi (NASDAQ: AZN) has received U.S. approval to treat adult patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer, a significant advancement in cancer therapy. The approval allows Imfinzi to be used in...

Sanofi’s New Hemophilia Drug Qfitlia Gains FDA Approval with Breakthrough Bimonthly Dosing

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Qfitlia, a groundbreaking hemophilia treatment by French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi (NASDAQ: SNY). Designed for patients aged 12 and older with hemophilia A or B,...

FDA Vaccine Chief Peter Marks Resigns Amid Controversy Over Transparency

Peter Marks, the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) top vaccine official, has resigned after reportedly being forced out by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), according to The Wall Street Journal....

Museums have tons of data, and AI could make it more accessible − but standardizing and organizing it across fields won’t be easy

Ice cores in freezers, dinosaurs on display, fish in jars, birds in boxes, human remains and ancient artifacts from long gone civilizations that few people ever see museum collections are filled with all this and more....

Technology

Apple Plans to Shift All U.S. iPhone Production to India Amid China Trade Tensions

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) is reportedly planning to shift all iPhone assembly for the U.S. market to India as early as next year, in a strategic move to reduce reliance on China amid escalating U.S.-China trade tensions,...

Chinese AI Startup Behind Manus Raises $75M, Targets Global Expansion

Chinese AI startup Butterfly Effect, the creator of Manus AI, has raised $75 million in a funding round led by U.S.-based venture capital firm Benchmark, according to a Bloomberg report citing sources familiar with the...

Intel Sees Surge in Older Chip Demand Amid U.S.-China Trade War Fears

Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) is experiencing a rise in demand for its older-generation PC and server chips as the U.S.-China trade war intensifies, executives revealed after the companys latest earnings release. Economic...

Baidu Launches Advanced Ernie AI Models to Compete in China’s Growing AI Race

Baidu (NASDAQ:BIDU) has launched upgraded versions of its Ernie artificial intelligence models, intensifying its push in Chinas fast-evolving AI landscape. At a developer conference held in Wuhan, CEO Robin Li introduced...

South Korea Flags DeepSeek for Unauthorized Data Transfers to China and U.S.

South Koreas Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) has accused Chinese AI startup DeepSeek of transferring personal user data and prompt content without consent during its app launch in January 2025. The PIPC...