Chris Cooke Astronomy

I am a professional astronomer with a passion for making the universe accessible and awe-inspiring for everyone. Based in Devon, I proudly serve as the Chairman of the Plymouth Astronomical Society.


Whether I'm guiding you through a starry night sky in a stargazing experience or bringing excitement to classrooms, festivals, and corporate events, my goal is to inspire curiosity and a deeper appreciation for the cosmos.


✨ With over 25 years of exploring the stars and sharing the beauty of space, I'm here to bring science and wonder down to Earth.


🌠 Join me on this cosmic journey as we look up, explore, and marvel together!

Contact Me

For general enquiries, please reach out via email or phone:

NASA Picture of the Day

The Spinning Pulsar of the Crab Nebula - 2025-08-24

The Spinning Pulsar of the Crab Nebula

At the core of the Crab Nebula lies a city-sized, magnetized neutron star spinning 30 times a second. Known as the Crab Pulsar, it is the bright spot in the center of the gaseous swirl at the nebula's core. About twelve light-years across, the spectacular picture frames the glowing gas, cavities and swirling filaments near the Crab Nebula's center. The featured picture combines visible light from the Hubble Space Telescope in purple, X-ray light from the Chandra X-ray Observatory in blue, and infrared light from the Spitzer Space Telescope in red. Like a cosmic dynamo, the Crab pulsar powers the emission from the nebula, driving a shock wave through surrounding material and accelerating the spiraling electrons. With more mass than the Sun and the density of an atomic nucleus,the spinning pulsar is the collapsed core of a massive star that exploded. The outer parts of the Crab Nebula are the expanding remnants of the star's component gases. The supernova explosion was witnessed on planet Earth in the year 1054. Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday? (after 1995)