Download Episode!
The Discussion: Jeni’s off to La Palma to gather data on dust & gas in the Crab Nebula, did a meteor or two strike the moon during the January eclipse? And what do Europeans think (or know) about the European Space Agency?
The News: Rounding up the space and astronomy news this month we have:
- More research suggesting there are no seasonal water flows on Mars
- Modelling the stellar wind at Barnard’s Star
- Can interstellar objects survive the journey?
- The unusual planetary system EPIC24924646
- Lunar craters show Earth had a brief impact lull 650-300 million years ago
- The youthful nature of Saturn’s rings
- More research suggesting there may be no Planet 9
- The Russian company planning to put billboards in space
Main news story: CERN’s plans for the monster successor to the Large Hadron Collider and what the hell that has to do with astronomy
The Sky Guide: Covering the solar system and deep sky objects on offer to amateur astronomers in February.
Paul: Mercury at greatest eastern elongation, a conjunction of Uranus and Mars.
Ralph: Asteroid 532 Herculina at opposition and a brand new(ly discovered) comet to view in telescopes
Jen: Venus and Jupiter on show in the early morning and a conjunction of Saturn and Venus
Main Deep Sky Object: Messier 1, the Crab Nebula
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 take a look at the bewildering array of theories for one of the greatest spectacles in the night sky:
How did Saturn’s rings form? Scott Jorgensen, Michigan.