Awesome Astronomy

  • Author: Vários
  • Narrator: Vários
  • Publisher: Podcast
  • Duration: 286:19:33
  • More information

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Synopsis

Awesome Astronomy explores the frontiers of science, space and our evolving understanding of the universe.Join Ralph, Paul & Jeni for informative and fun astronomy programmes dedicated to space and astronomy news and occasional podcast extras covering hot topics and special interviews in the world of science and astronomy.

Episodes

  • Extra: SpaceX and the Future of Spaceflight

    14/02/2018 Duration: 01h42min

    This Awesome Astronomy episode is inspired by last week’s incredible SpaceX launch and listeners’ requests to talk a bit more about SpaceX and the advances in commercial spaceflight. In this Podcast Extra, we’re joined by spaceflight aficionado Gavin Price (@pilliarscreatio) to discuss: The inaugural Falcon Heavy launch and what it achieved Was the launch awesome or all hype? How good is the Falcon Heavy really? Will Falcon Heavy or Elon’s next ambitious rocket make NASA’s rocket redundant? How about other organisations? (ULA/Arianne/Blue origin etc) Where do the commercial companies leave the likes of Soyuz? (TsSKB-Progress) Where do we see access to space in ten, fifteen, twenty years time? Will Elon make good on his plan to colonize Mars?

  • #68 - February 2018

    01/02/2018 Duration: 01h10min

    The Discussion: Friend of the show and lecturer at Jeni’s Cardiff University, Dr Ed Gomez is launching a Kickstarter project to create and distribute a children’s comic book to encourage children to take an interest and career in science. Jeni tells us about Ada’s Adventures in Science, which you can give your support to at http://kck.st/2DI43hg. Paul suffers the adverse effects of being travelling science salesman and Ralph reads out some listeners’ emails - including one interesting email that suggests ‘Kim Jen Un’ may be getting into peoples’ heads. The News: Rounding up the space and astronomy news this month we have: An update from Cassini on the strange orbits of Saturn’s moon Janus and Epimetheus and a look at a research paper shedding light on the ring they create around the gas giant. We mourn the loss of yet another Apollo astronaut as we say goodbye to John Young with a look back at his NASA career. Recent analysis of Martian meteorites and current Martian atmospheric constituents tempers our

  • Sky Guide February 2018

    27/01/2018 Duration: 10min

    What to look out, and up, for in February. Ralph, Paul & Jen pick their highlights for this month’s skies; starting with the solar system objects on offer to observers and imagers: Track Mars’ passage through Scorpius & Ophiuchus Jupiter in Libra gives us a shadow transit and a look at its Great Red spot Dwarf Planet Ceres at opposition on 1st February & Comet Heinze in Pegasus Next up, we take a deep sky pick from our list of favourites for this time of year: Ralph – Open clusters Messier 67 and the Beehive Cluster in Cancer Jen - Messier 101, the Pinwheel Galaxy, in Ursa Major Paul – NCG 40, the Bow Tie nebula, in Cepheus And we finish this sky guide with February’s moon phases.

  • Extra: The Last Jedi & Blade Runner 2049

    09/01/2018 Duration: 01h25min

    In this podcast extra episode, we're joined again by The Essex Space Agency's Phil St Pier as we take another sideways diversion into science fiction movies as we cast a critical eye over the recent big sci-fi blockbusters: Star Wars: The Last Jedi Blade Runner 2049 This episode is dedicated to Matt & Ali's arrival of their daughter Evangeline Rosa Kingsnorth.

  • #67 - January 2018

    01/01/2018 Duration: 01h09min

    The Discussion: Paul avoids the big freeze with astronomy cheats, Ralph reads out the latest good and bad reviews, while Jeni becomes a ‘Who’s Who’ question at Cardiff University! The News: Rounding up the space and astronomy news this month we have: Voyager 1 shows it still has the skills and prolongs its own life An update on the extrasolar asteroid that just buzzed our solar system Physicists observe a reversal of the arrow of time in laboratory experiments The European Southern Observatory image convective cells on another star NASA reveals its next two major planetary exploration missions Science Concept: This month we return to astronomy-related concepts as we delve back into the quantum world for a primer on the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle and why you cannot know both the position and velocity of a particle. Q&A: Listeners’ questions via email, Facebook & Twitter take us on a journey into the astronomy issues that have always plagued our understanding or stretched our credulity.

  • Sky Guide January 2018

    30/12/2017 Duration: 10min

    What to look out, and up, for in January! Ralph, Paul & Jen pick their highlights for this month’s skies; starting with the solar system objects on offer to observers and imagers: The Red Planet Mars, makes a welcome return to our skies The Quadrantid meteor shower peaks on the night of 3rd/4th January Dwarf planet Ceres is at opposition on 31st January in Cancer Mercury is at greatest wester elongation on 2nd January And comet C/2017 T1 Heinze reaches mag 7-9 on 6th January Next up, we take a deep sky pick from our list of favourites for this time of year: Ralph – Messier 42, the Great Nebula in Orion Jen – NGC 2244 and the Rosette Nebula in Monoceros. Paul – NCG 2903, Barred Spiral Galaxy in Leo And we finish this sky guide with January’s moon phases.

  • 2017 Xmas Panto

    25/12/2017 Duration: 39min

    There’s trouble in paradise as Christmas evening in the Cydonia bunker turns ugly. Alcohol may be the culprit. But equally, the blame may lie with suffering a whole day of pretending to like one another and f***ing Christmas songs! So, while tensions rise and arguments flare, Ralph, Paul and Jen run through the memorable space and astronomy events of 2017 and look forward to the treats in store for 2018. Then there’s the small matter of John’s annual outtake reel specifically designed to embarrass the hosts and push the bounds of decency as far as politeness will allow! Main music courtesy of Star Salzman Additional free music archive tracks: Silent Night by Hyson Christmas on Mars (Dance Mix) by Spinningmerkaba

  • Extra: Eyepieces

    12/12/2017 Duration: 26min

    In this podcast extra we begin a series, suggested by listener Sean Smith, of explaining the considerations involved in choosing practical astronomy equipment. This first in the series discusses one of the most important items in your amateur astronomy tool kit: Eyepieces. This discussion takes in: Why eyepieces are important The differences between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ eyepieces Choosing the right price point Our suggestions for good quality cheap and expensive eyepieces Don't forget our end of year review and Newtonmass panotmime will be available to download on Christmas Day.

  • #66 - December 2017

    01/12/2017 Duration: 01h06min

    The Discussion: Jeni gets her name in lights – well, bold print, as she contributes (what else but graphs) to a published research paper and Ralph takes a look at Ben Cacase’s very own new asterism in the heart of Auriga and reads a defiant message from Michelle of ‘ze resistonce’. The News: It’s a very rocky month as we round up the following space and astronomy news stories: Earth’s moon had an atmosphere thicker than Mars’ for more than 70 million years Observations suggest Proxima Centauri has a Kuiper Belt and maybe a Oort Cloud A sci-fi like asteroid from another star system is now passing through the inner solar system Hat of Woo/Astronomy Concept mash-up: This month Paul’s festering Hat of Woo is a little less fetid as we discuss a plausible but untested concept that has just a faint whiff of woo about it. This month we look at The Nemesis ‘Theory’ which suggests the sun has a brown dwarf companion which causes periodic extinction events – and, of course, we’re long overdue an extinction and

  • Sky Guide December 2017

    27/11/2017 Duration: 09min

    What to look out, and up, for in December. Ralph, Paul & Jen pick their highlights for this month’s skies; starting with the solar system objects on offer to observers and imagers: The Geminid meteor showers peaking on 13/14th December Uranus sitting in the constellation Pisces Mars & Jupiter lunar conjunctions Next up, we take a deep sky pick from our list of favourites for this time of year: Ralph – A binary star, a planetary nebula and 4 open clusters in Gemini Jen - The Pleiades open cluster in Taurus Paul – The Crab Nebula supernova remnant also in Taurus And we finish this sky guide with December’s moon phases.

  • Extra: Neutron Star Merger

    17/11/2017 Duration: 47min

    In this podcast extra episode Jeni discusses the recent detection of two colliding neutron stars and their observation in both gravitational waves and all areas of the electromagnetic spectrum. Jeni chats with Dr Edward Gomez, Education Director at the Las Cumbres Observatory and Cardiff University’s Gravitational Physics Research Group Leader, Professor Patrick Sutton about the historic observations, what we can learn from these events, the future of gravitational wave astronomy and how this new window into the universe can help us improve some of the fundamentals of our knowledge of space and time. We also put listeners’ questions on these subjects from Raoul Van Eindhoven, @FuzzySemi and @calcomega to Patrick.

  • #65 - November 2017

    01/11/2017 Duration: 01h42min

    The Discussion: Britain shows that it won’t just roll over and let America take the lead in intimidating academic freedom and Jen recounts her gravitational waves research conference in Brighton in October. The News: Rounding up the space and astronomy news this month we have: Astronomers make the 1st observation of a neutron star collision Astronomers discover a missing chunk of the universe 3D videos of aurora that you can see at http://www.iap.fr/aurora3d/ The Interview: This month Cardiff University’s Professor Mark Hannam tells us more about the recent observation of colliding neutron stars and this window into a new realm of astronomy. Q&A: Listeners’ questions via email, Facebook & Twitter take us on a journey into the astronomy issues that have always plagued our understanding or stretched our credulity. This month we’re tackling a question about the Drake Equation: “It strikes me that the Drake equation sets the probability of life at either (1) pretty close to zero - in which ca

  • Sky Guide November 2017

    27/10/2017 Duration: 09min

    What to look out, and up, for in November. Ralph, Paul & Jen pick their highlights for this month’s skies; starting with the solar system objects on offer to observers and imagers: A last look at Saturn for 2017 in the early evening sky A very impressive Jupiter/Venus conjunction on the 13th of November The Taurid meteor showers peaking on the 5th and 21st November and the Leonids on the 18th November Comet 2017 O1 ASASSN1 for binocular and telescope observers Next up, we take a deep sky pick from our list of favourites for this time of year: Ralph – Messier 42, the Orion Nebula in the constellation Orion Jen - Messier 13, The Great Globular Cluster in Hercules Paul – NCG 404, Mirach’s Ghost in the constellation Andromeda And we finish this sky guide with November’s moon phases.

  • Extra: Hubble Constant & Research Papers

    16/10/2017 Duration: 13min

    In this podcast extra, we discuss the changing value of the Hubble Constant since 2000 – or put more simply, our narrowing down of how quickly the universe is expanding. This discussion takes in: The history of the Hubble Constant Edwin Hubble’s dreadful scatter plot Further attempts to narrow down the universe’s expansion rate Why research papers are awesome and accessible to everyone

  • #64 - October 2017

    01/10/2017 Duration: 01h15min

    The Discussion: You’d be forgiven for thinking we recorded this episode drunk – but we assure you, we weren’t. And you’ll have to forgive us for our crappy audio and shameless national stereotyping! But in this show, recorded from our dark sky star party in the Welsh Brecon Beacons, we discuss the event, Jeni’s talk on exoplanet research and we take a look at listeners’ emails. The News: Rounding up the space and astronomy news this month we have: A fresh look at the age and high metallicity of an observable star cluster Australia takes the plunge and announces the creation of its own space agency Research giving hints of water on planets in the TRAPPIST 1 system Hat of Woo: Paul’s festering Hat of Woo gets another airing as we take a look at the end of the world on 23rd September as planet Nibiru collides with Earth (or the beginning of The Rapture, if the world doesn’t end). Assuming you’re reading this or listening to the podcast, the world clearly didn’t end! Q&A: Listeners’ questions via

  • Sky Guide October 2017

    30/09/2017 Duration: 09min

    What to look out, and up, for in October. Jeni, Paul & Ralph pick their highlights for this month’s skies; starting with the solar system objects on offer to observers and imagers: Blue/green ice giant Uranus The Orionids meteor shower brings us the debris from Comet Halley Saturn, recently liberated from the perpetual gaze of Cassini A not-to-be-missed conjunction of Venus and Mars on 5th October. Finally, a couple of comets that may be visible Next up, we take a deep sky pick from our list of favourites for this time of year: Paul – Spiral Galaxy NGC772 in Aries. Jeni – Brocchi’s Cluster or The Coathanger Cluster in Vulpecula Ralph – The Triangulum Galaxy in Triangulum And we finish this sky guide with October’s moon phases.

  • Extra: AstroCamp Autumn 2017

    18/09/2017 Duration: 23min

    In this podcast extra episode for the dark sky star party held by the Podcast Crew, we discuss: Fighting light pollution by getting local authorities to dim & turn off street lights The value of star parties to boosting your practical astronomy knowledge What to expect at the Autumn 2017 AstroCamp A round up of Ralph, Damien & Paul’s seasonal astronomy targets

  • #63 - September 2017

    01/09/2017 Duration: 01h24min

    The Discussion: Jeni’s back and the band is back together to discuss watching this year’s Perseid meteor shower and coverage of the Great American Eclipse The News: Rounding up the space and astronomy news this month we have: The shortlisted explorer and missions of opportunity being considered by NASA Jellyfish galaxies feeding supermassive black holes Goodbye to the Cassini Saturn explorer ‘The Other Section’: This month we keep Paul’s festering Hat of Woo out of sight and take a long look at the Voyager spacecraft on the 40th anniversary of this programme, which revealed the solar system unlike any other space mission.

  • Sky Guide September 2017

    27/08/2017 Duration: 10min

    What to look out, and up, for in September.What to look out, and up, for in September. Ralph, Paul & Jeni pick their highlights for this month’s skies; starting with the solar system objects on offer to observers and imagers: Saturn and its ring system in the evening Mercury at greatest western elongation in 12th September Neptune at opposition on 5th September in Aquarius. Next up, we take a deep sky pick from our list of favourites for this time of year: Ralph – The Saturn Nebula in Aquarius Jeni – The Andromeda Galaxy and its satellites Paul – NCG 7479 barred spiral Seyfert galaxy And we finish this sky guide with September’s moon phases.

  • Extra: Full Length Interview with Apollo 16's Charlie Duke

    14/08/2017 Duration: 25min

    In this podcast extra episode we present our full length interview with test pilot, astronaut and lunar module pilot on Apollo 16, General Charlie Duke. Drawing on this unique set of experiences, we asked Charlie: What surprised you or what weren't you expecting to see on the moon? How did having a rover change the way you could explore the moon? How much fun was the lunar rover? Which was most exciting, being capcom on the 1st moon landing or walking on the moon on Apollo 16? Is the proposed 2032 launch window for a human Mars mission achievable? Did you see any colour other than grey on the moon? Are there any features on Earth you can see from the moon? Were you able to see any star fields during the Apollo 16 mission? Then we turned the interview over to listeners' questions: @BrewsterNorth asked, what do you think of the commercial plans for lunar exploration? Gavin Price (@pillarscreatio) asked, how important is the moon as a staging post for Mars? David Blanchflower (@Davidbflower) asked, would y

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