Come join your favourite martians Ralph and Paul and their pet earthling Jeni record episode 95 of the Awesome Astronomy Podcast.
The stream takes place on 27th April and starts at:
- PST Midday
- EST 3pm
- UK 8pm
- Central Europe 9pm
Live Lockdown Q&A Show
This show is a response to the many requests we get to do an episode dedicated to answering listeners’ space & astronomy questions. Producer John thought lockdown would be the perfect time to do it, when we can try and help ease the stress, boredom and isolation.
The Guests: We invited some of our friends from the astronomy world to answer your questions too:
- University of Oxford Professor of Astronomy, Creator of the Zooniverse and BBC’s The Sky at Night Presenter, Chris Lintott. We asked him:
- Are there ways for an amateur astrophotographer to get involved in contributing to actual science? From David Schlaudt
- Square Kilometre Array or JWST. Which is going to generate the most exciting science? And if each one could answer just 1 question about the Universe, what would you like it to be? From Mark De Vrij
- Director of Public Engagement for Cardiff University’s Gravity Exploration Institute, Dr Chris North. We asked him:
- Why are astronomers so sure that Oumuamua and Borisov are from outside the Solar System? From Derry North (Chris’ Dad!)
- Square Kilometre Array or JWST. Which is going to generate the most exciting science? And if each one could answer just 1 question about the Universe, what would you like it to be? From Mark De Vrij
- Senior Astronomer and Institute Fellow at the SETI Institute, Seth Shostak. We asked him:
- What’s currently big in the world of extraterrestrial hunting?
- What happens when we discover possibly habitable planets? From @WrathfulTumbles
- Square Kilometre Array or JWST. Which is going to generate the most exciting science? And if each one could answer just 1 question about the Universe, what would you like it to be? From Mark De Vri
- US Spaceflight researcher and chronicler, Gavin Price. We asked for:
- An overview of the Apollo 13 mission that was limping back to Earth 50 years ago today
- The key Apollo 13 decisions and preparations that were underway at this point – a day before splashdown
- A discussion about, and nod to the BBC World Service podcast 13 Minutes to the Moon. From Peter Ellinger
Other listener inspired topics discussed by the podcast crew:
- What astronomy equipment do we use?
- Are the current clear skies a product of fewer airplanes and lower pollution?
- What would happen if a small stellar-mass black hole collided with a much more massive star? Could the star ever ‘win’? From Glenn Diekmann in California
- You talk about the ELT in April part 1. But how on God’s green Earth do you keep a mirror like that clean? From @SeamasterGMT
- A discussion on the ‘Ashen light of Venus’ inspired by @Blixbuller
We’re going live!
#94 – April 2020 Part 2
Don’t forget to join us for our live shows on 16th and 27th April at https://www.youtube.com/user/AwesomeAstroPod/videos
(midday PST, 3pm EST, 8pm UK, 9pm Central Europe)
The Discussion: Jen fangirling on The British Interplanetary Society and acing the Soyuz ISS docking simulator at the Student Space Conference; a ramble about Wales; the TV show For All Mankind, our live Q&A show, our poor etiquette and listener shout-outs.
The News: Rounding up the space exploration news this month we have:
- The impact of coronavirus on current and future NASA missions
- Some research showing the impact of satellite constellations on astronomy
- The UK’s space spiders to explore the moon’s lava craters
- Lockheed Martin developing helicopters to catch spent rocket boosters
Main news story: Is Europe’s ExoMars Rover on borrowed time?
The Electromagnetic Spectrum: The microwave part of the spectrum. How it became so important for astronomy and by whom.
Q&A: Where’s the Tesla Roadster? From @TJRobinson on Twitter.
#94 – April 2020 Part 1
We’re hosting a live Q&A on Thurs 16th April. Go to awesomeastronomy.com to see how to watch & get involved!
The Discussion:
- Jeni’s sent the final proofs off for her research paper which is now on archive at https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.01727 and will soon be in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
- Sadly, we have to say goodbye to Apollo 15 command module pilot Al Worden.
- The Cradle of Aviation Museum cancel their Apollo 13 anniversary event, but you can relive Apollo 13 (recreating the launch from 11th April) as if you were in mission control with https://apolloinrealtime.org/13/.
- A shout out to Galaxy Zoo at a time when there are fewer thing more productive you could be doing with your time than adding to science and human knowledge: https://www.zooniverse.org/projects.
- A round up of listeners’ reviews and comments.
- A couple of Awesome Astronomy live-stream shows at 8pm on Thursday 16th and Monday 27th Because, let’s face it, you’re not going to be busy!
The News: Rounding up the astronomy news this month we have:
- The European Southern Observatory’s new behemoth telescope takes a step closer
- An exoplanet found to be raining iron
- 139 new minor planets found in our own outer solar system
- Observing material at the event horizon around our supermassive black hole
- Could life actually be viable on planets around red dwarf stars after all?
- An update on the recent dimming of Betelgeuse
Main News story: A full discussion on the impact of social distancing and economic depression on professional astronomy.
The Sky Guide: This month we’re taking a look at the constellation of Leo with a guide to its history, how to find it, a couple of deep sky objects and a round up of the solar system views on offer in April.
A guide to the electromagnetic spectrum: In this series we take a look at the electromagnetic spectrum, what, it is, what is shows us and why it’s so important to astronomers. This month we explain the microwave part of the spectrum and its relevance to astronomy.
Q&A: Do you think C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) is going to be bright enough to be spotted with the naked eye? From our good friend Raffael de Palma in Italy
#93 – March 2020 Part 2
(Warning: please skip this episode if you’re offended by occasional Tesla-based puerile humour)
The Discussion: Balancing the argument between love and hate of SpaceX and drawing a line under the argument over when the current decade starts and what constitutes a decade.
The News: Rounding up the space exploration news this month we have:
- SpaceX is cleared for a crewed launch in April
- Further problems for Boeing
- Christina Koch takes the female spaceflight record.
- The dullest space news story ever (involving biscuits/cookies)
- A Japanese mission to return samples from Phobos!
- ESA’s launch & deployment of the Solar Orbiter.
Main news story: The import of NASA’s 2021 FY Budget.
The Electromagnetic Spectrum: The radio part of the spectrum. How it became so important for astronomy and by whom.
Q&A: What do you think was the greatest astronomical/scientific advancement that came about due to a dubious past, and do you think it was worth it? By email from Alan Beech in the UK.
#93 – March 2020 Part 1
The Discussion: Paul’s favourite bit of the coronavirus, the Cradle of Aviation Museum’s upcoming Apollo 13 anniversary event, a @CunningCosmos space art exhibition and a talk from Jen in Bromsgrove for British Space Week, from the sublime to the ridiculous with the passing of Katherine Johnson and Mad Mike Hughes, and listeners’ emails.
The News: Rounding up the astronomy news this month we have:
- Finding the remnants of the progenitor star after a Type 2b supernova
- Solving the puzzle of giant planets orbiting low mass stars
- More clues to Mercury’s oversized iron core
- A galaxy that has stopped producing stars after a period of prolific star birth
- Mars seems to be more active than we thought
- Debate over Mars’ very long formation history
Main News story: ESO images of Betelgeuse and the more recent evidence for why the star’s dimmed so impressively.
The Sky Guide: This month we’re taking a look at the constellation of Cancer with a guide to its history, how to find it, a couple of deep sky objects and a round up of the solar system views on offer in March.
A guide to the electromagnetic spectrum: In this series we take a look at the electromagnetic spectrum, what, it is, what is shows us and why it’s so important to astronomers. This month we explain the radio part of the spectrum and its relevance to astronomy.
#92 – February 2020 Part 2
The Discussion: The reason we have leap years; a look at Ad Astra, Lucy in the Sky and Picard; and the history of the Stonewall Riots (don’t think it’s just astronomy here – you get a fully rounded education, dear listener); and a look at your reviews and emails.
The News: Rounding up the space exploration news this month we have:
- Direct TV’s ticking timebomb in space
- DARPA’s XS-1 reusable spaceplane gets cancelled
- ESA’s Solar Obiter heads off to the sun
- NASA ask you to vote for the official name of their Mars 2020 rover (www.mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/participate/name-the-rover/)
- NASA’s costs for the 2024 moon landing are imminent
Main news story: SpaceX gears up for crewed spaceflight following successful abort tests
The Electromagnetic Spectrum: How parts of the EMS outside visible light were discovered, who discovered them and what that means for us today.
Q&A: Have the crew of the ISS (or any other spaceflight with room to try it) propelled themselves through their craft using flatulence? From Brychan James from Wales on Twitter (@BrychanJames)
#92 – February 2020 Part 1
The Discussion: Ralph visits and records from The Cradle of Aviation Museum in Long Island, New York, we enjoyed some great skies with good weather in the UK, Betelgeuse still hasn’t gone pop – though we’re still watching, and NASA have an open day that you can attend.
The News: Rounding up the astronomy news this month we have:
- An evidence based look at Starlink
- Tracking molecules from birth to arrival in our solar system
- An enigmatic Type 1a supernova
- An interesting 14 millisecond gravitational wave detection
- Goodbye Spitzer Space telescope
The Sky Guide: This month we’re taking a look at the constellation of Lynx with a guide to its history, how to find it, a couple of deep sky objects and a round up of the solar system objects on offer in February.
A Guide to the Electromagnetic Spectrum: In this series we’ll take a look at the electromagnetic spectrum, what, it is, what is shows us and why it’s so important to astronomers. This month we start with a quick and simple explanation.
From the Cradle to the Stars
This is the history of flight told from the perspective of the amateurs and hobbyists who allowed humankind to slip the surly bonds of Earth and set out towards the stars.
To tell this story Ralph journeyed to the Cradle of Aviation museum in Garden City, New York, to get a tour of the early flight and exhibits from the museum’s curator and speak with an engineer who worked on the lunar modules before they flew.
Our thanks in making this episode goes to the wonderful people at https://www.cradleofaviation.org/.