The 365 Days Of Astronomy, The Daily Podcast Of The International Year Of Astronomy 2009

Hosted by Dr. Jacinta Delhaize, Dr. Tshiamiso Makwela & Dr. Daniel Cunnama. This episode of Cosmic Savannah features Professor James Chibueze, a distinguished professor at the University of South Africa, discussing his research on star formation using radio astronomy.   During the episode, Prof Chibueze discusses his journey to become a professional astronomer and how he got interested in radio astronomy. Prof Chibueze also gives some insight into his experience doing his PhD in Japan and even having to learn Japanese. James also discusses his work on studying young spinning stars which produce bipolar outflows.   To shed angular momentum, stars launch outflows of gas perpendicular to their accretion disc, typically from the north and south poles. Using high-resolution radio astronomy techniques, Prof Chibueze’s research revealed that the ejected gas in these outflows is also spinning. This finding suggests that the outflowing gas carries away the star’s angular momentum, allowing it to continue accreting