Awesome Astronomy

Informações:

Sinopsis

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.

Episodios

  • #131 - May 2023 Awesome Astronomy

    01/05/2023 Duración: 01h20min

    This month Paul and Jeni in astronomy news talk about new data on the M87 blackhole, the architecture of planetary systems, the hottest stars, an impact crater in France and how Mars might not have been oxygen rich. In exploration news there is the latest on  JUICE and they welcome an old friend back to the show to talk about Starship. There is a review of the recent AstroCamp where the team witnessed one of the biggest geomagnetic storms of recent times and saw one of the most impressive Auroral displays while standing on a Welsh mountain.

  • Interview with Joshua Western CEO of Space Forge

    15/04/2023 Duración: 27min

    Jeni visits Space Forge for an update on their mission to build reusable satellites to manufacture materials that that are impossible on the ground. She talks to CEO Joshua Western about that fateful launch from Cornwall on Virgin's Cosmic Girl, how they are getting ready for their next test aboard a Falcon 9, their re-entry tech nicknamed 'Mary Poppins in Space' and the company's future plans to scale up the manufacturing process from grams to tons!  

  • #130 - April 2023 Awesome Astronomy

    01/04/2023 Duración: 01h12min

    In this episode Jeni and Paul talk about exoplanet atmospheres, the latest thinking on solar system visitor Oumuamua, Vigin Orbits woes, Relativity's 3D success, and the oldest orbiting satellite. There is the sky guide for April, a discussion about what new telescope Jeni should buy and listener emails as well as Paul's miserable weather and Jeni's gala dinner talk for International Women's Day.

  • Interview with Solar Astronomer Professor Robert Walsh

    15/03/2023 Duración: 26min

    Paul takes time out from outreach at the Festival of Tomorrow at the Swindon STEAM museum to chat with Professor Robert Walsh of the University of Central Lancashire, who with artist Alex Rinsler has created a giant representation of the Sun as an outreach and art project that uses the data of the Solar Dynamics Observatory. They talk about solar science, the coronal heating problem, sounding rockets, space missions professor Walsh has been involved with, space weather and why he has his own Sun.

  • #129 - March 2023 Awesome Astronomy

    01/03/2023 Duración: 01h05min

    In this episode Jeni tells us about her TEDx talk, dressing up for Mama Mia and eating insane burgers, while Paul appears to have started a modelling career. In astronomy news the team explore the latest JWST findings that may have broken cosmology and changed everything we thought we knew about the history of the universe, as well as a potential new explanation for dark energy and black holes. There is the sky-guide looking at the highlights for March as well as the Messier marathon, while in spaceflight news it is all change on the ISS, Boeing may finally be getting its act together and Starship may be going to orbit. Emails and questions complete a packed show

  • Interview with Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell

    15/02/2023 Duración: 39min

    Interview with astronomer Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell Jeni talks to the legendary discoverer of pulsars, champion of women in science and Oxford University astronomer about her astronomy career, inspirations, motivations and key discoveries.  

  • #128 - February 2023

    01/02/2023 Duración: 01h02min

    The Discussion: Our dark sky practical astronomy event, AstroCamp Farewell Apollo 7’s Walt Cunningham Comet C2022 E3 ZTF reaches naked eye brightness     The News: Rounding up the astronomy news in February, we have: Incredible finding: stars have not always been made the same way throughout the history of the Universe The debacle of the first space launch from UK soil 3 rocky water worlds found by the Kepler Space Telescope The big news story: a decade-long study finds light pollution is worse than we thought   The Sky Guide: This month we’re taking a look at the large winter constellation of Ursa Major with a guide to its history, how to find it, a few deep sky objects to seek out and a round-up of the solar system views on offer in February.   Q&A: Does the James Webb Space Telescope have to take calibration frames like I do from Earth - darks, flats, and bias frames to then stack? From our good friend Peter Coates in East Yorkshire.

  • 2023 January Podcast Extra

    15/01/2023 Duración: 48min

    Bringing back the much-missed Awesome Astronomy interviews with a bang, we’re joined by friend of the show Chris Lee.   Chris began his career in the 80s in the UK space industry at British Aerospace, Matra Marconi and SCISYS where he worked on the Hubble Space Telescope, the Giotto mission to Halley’s Comet, Beagle 2, Exomars and LISA Pathfinder.   He then became the UK Space Agency’s first Head of International Space Policy and then Head of Space Science Programmes before becoming Chief Scientist at the UK Space Agency.   Now retired, he’s a keen amateur astronomer with Bristol Astronomical Society, an astroimager and listener to the show that we’ve been wanting to record a chat with for quite a while.

  • #127 - January 2023

    01/01/2023 Duración: 01h16min

    The Discussion: A refreshed format coming to Awesome Astronomy in 2023 A look back at the festive season     The News: Rounding up the astronomy news in November, we have: Something in the solar system is producing light that’s not unaccounted for A leak on the International Space Station’s lifeboat NASA’s Mars lander comes to an end A new way to look for aliens   The big news story: As the UK gets ready to launch space vehicles for the first time, we take a look at the long history of UK space activity and the concept of launching to space from aircraft.   The Sky Guide: As many people will have got new observing equipment this Christmas,  we’re taking a look at the beginner-friendly constellation of Taurus with a guide to its history, how to find it, a few deep sky objects to seek out and a round-up of the solar system views on offer in January.   Q&A: The brightest GRB ever recorded occurred on 9th October 2022. Its effects on the Earth’s ionosphere was strong enough to be observed by amateur radio

  • End of Year Show

    24/12/2022 Duración: 54min

    *** Beware, stiff profanity (phnar phnar) in the outtakes at the end ***   Our Christmas Pantomime sees the Awesome Astronomy crew exploring strange new worlds on the Astronomy Star Ship (ASS) Penetrator.   Between the puerile skits you’ve come to expect from our end of year shows, we bring you a roundup of the best astronomy and space exploration news from 2022. And, of course, a look forward to the highlights to come in 2023.   To all our listeners, a very merry Christmas, happy holidays and a prosperous 2023 (download or die!).

  • #126 - December 2022

    01/12/2022 Duración: 01h07min

    The Discussion: Meteor shower disappointment Lecturing course started Dr Jen’s 30th birthday party karaoke – with audio! more resources for astronomy and astrophotography over at nightskypix.com   The News: Rounding up the astronomy news in November, we have: JWST picks up chemical reactions in an exoplanet atmosphere ESA’s latest astronaut recruitment Virgin Galactic gets go ahead to launch from Cornwall UK spaceports pop up all over the place Rocket Lab continue chasing the reusable rocket dream The big news story: What else? Artemis 1 launches to make NASA’s return to the moon a reality.   The Sky Guide: This month we’re taking a look at the winter constellation of Perseus with a guide to its history, how to find it, a few deep sky objects to seek out and a round-up of the solar system views on offer in December.   Q&A: Does the x-ray end of the electromagnetic spectrum have Fraunhofer lines like the visual part? And if not, how is x-ray spectroscopy done? From our good friend Graeme Durden, who we

  • #125 - November 2022 Part 1

    01/11/2022 Duración: 53min

    The Discussion: Enjoying the recent eclipse (weather permitting) Jeni is officially recognised as being great Visiting the Herschel Museum And listeners’ emails on: Having astronomy on the brain Cartoon characters in space A reflection of Venus off swamp gas!   The News: Rounding up the astronomy news in November, we have: Why spiral galaxies seem to line up from our perspective The origin story for Saturn’s rings Still waiting for NASA’s first Artemis moon mission Farewell Apollo 9’s Jim McDivitt Boeing’s zombie Starliner spacecraft gets a crew The big news story: Hipparchus’ star charts found buried in early Christian parchments   The Sky Guide: This month we’re taking a look at the winter constellation of Andromeda with a guide to its history, how to find it, a few deep sky objects to seek out and a round-up of the solar system views on offer in November.   Q&A: What are the wispy striated filaments visible in the JWST images of the Carina Cliffs? From our good friend Rachel Kronick

  • Rendlesham Forest Incident

    15/10/2022 Duración: 59min

    Christmas 1980. Suffolk, England. Two US airmen witness what they believe is an aircraft coming down in the forest next to their base. So begins the story of the UKs most notorious UFO sighting, the Rendlesham Forest incident. Paul dives head first into a 'Hat of Woo' special as he explores the mysterious forest of Rendlesham on the Suffolk coast and considers what this famous conspiracy story says about time and place and of course what really happened.

  • #124 - October 2022 Part 1

    01/10/2022 Duración: 01h09min

    Jeni and Paul talk to Professor Mike Edmunds, President of the Royal Astronomical Society  and Emeritus Professor of astrophysics at Cardiff University, who is also Dr Jeni's academic grandfather....   Paul gives a quick look at the sky highlights for October and then Jeni, John and Paul host an open panel discussion at AstroCamp where the audience talk about where space begins, JWST, the worth of Artemis and how the infamous Elephant Trunk nebulae incident happened...

  • #123 - September 2022 Part 2

    13/09/2022 Duración: 01h12min

    The Discussion: Farewell Frank Drake It’s uncrewed, not unmanned! Filming with the BBC again Listeners’ emails on city astronomy and the missing AweAst show this month     The News: JWST unearths a huge cosmic riddle Artemis 1 moon launch delays Solar astronomers solve one of the great mysteries about the Sun A round up of all the incredible things that have happened in space this month (thanks to @jessicaxlis for the inspiration… and much of the content!)     Skyguide: As we’re a little late in the month for a September skyguide, this is a quick guide to the astronomy events to observe over the next few months. Pay attention because there’s some great oppositions, occultations, eclipses, meteor showers and possibly even a couple of naked eye comets!     Q&A: Can red-shift, spectroscopy, mass evaluations etc still be counted on even after the images have been distorted & magnified by foreground galaxies? Can the effect of gravitational lensing be accurately accounted for? From our good friend Alan

  • #123 - September 2022 Part 1

    01/09/2022 Duración: 03min

    Hear ye! Hear ye! Al Worden (went to the moon on Apollo 15): https://tinyurl.com/56w9rkr4 Al Bean (walked on the moon on Apollo 12): https://tinyurl.com/2ewb5vj3 Charlie Duke (walked on the moon on Apollo 16): https://tinyurl.com/5fhacvmk

  • #122 - August 2022 Part 2

    15/08/2022 Duración: 56min

    The Discussion: The Perseids meteor shower Another heatwave in the UK The Orville on Disney+     The News: NASA is going back to the moon – this month! SpaceX join the companies dropping space debris on Australia Northrop Grumman & Firefly’s new rocket The news discussion: Loads of news around the International Space Station     Q&A: What would we like to see happen to the ISS instead of being deorbited? From our good friend Mindy Scott in South Africa.

  • #122 - August 2022 Part 1

    01/08/2022 Duración: 01h19min

    The Discussion: The release of JWST’s first images, the press conferences and media coverage. Emails on astrophotography, Dr Jen’s TV appearances and a more politically correct alternative name for JWST.   The News: Rounding up the astronomy news in August, we have: We now know why Jupiter doesn’t have rings like Saturn A huge triple star system with a violent past A fossil galaxy – one of the first galaxies from the early universe Some good news for the prospects for life on Mars The big news story: What else? It’s JWST innit?   The Sky Guide: This month we’re taking a look at the summer constellation of Cygnus 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 August.   Q&A: No time for Q&A – we’ve got JWST to prattle on about!

  • #121 - July 2022 Part 2

    15/07/2022 Duración: 01h02min

    The Discussion: Another heatwave in the UK Dr Jen on TV covering the latest JWST news The Orville on Disney+ Night Sky on Amazon Prime     The News: Preparations for the launch of Starship and an unexpected explosion! Artemis 1 readied for launch to the moon The topsy turvy world of international cooperation in space Virgin Galactic’s next plans The news discussion: NASA’s CAPSTONE mission to lunar orbit     Q&A: If you let your breath out couldn't you dash across 100m of lunar surface in a damaged spacesuit? From our good friend Ben Harding in the UK.

  • #121 - July 2022 Part 1

    01/07/2022 Duración: 58min

    The Discussion: More filming for the BBC Longer days and shorter nights L Showcasing amateur photography on noctilucent clouds Listeners’ emails on Less well known cultural names for Ursa Major The current planetary alignment in the sky     The News: Rounding up the astronomy news in April, we have: The Milky Way once went through a massive rate of star formation Solving the riddle of how Mars’ storms can be so big and violent A new data release from the incredible Gaia space telescope Solving the riddle of Barnard’s Loop The big news story: A big boost in the search for life in the universe     The Sky Guide: This month we’re taking a look at the constellation of Serpens 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 July.     Q&A: Will a black hole always look like a donut whichever direction you observe it from? From our good friend Mitch Sevier, presumed to be in the United States.

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