Awesome Astronomy

The Discussion: Murder on a submarine Jeni’s exoplanet talk for the Open University Space Society - available here on YouTube An email from Eastern Europe prompting a discussion on future energy harvesting     The News: Rounding up the astronomy news in October, we have: Understanding asteroids using ground based telescopes Solving The Mysterious Case of the Missing Supernova Discovering a new asteroid close to the Sun Evidence of recent volcanoes on Venus A look at the joys of star parties (not just ours!)     The Sky Guide: This month we’re taking a look at the constellation of Lacerta 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 October.     Q&A: Is there more matter in the Universe now than when the Big Bang happened? From our good friend Nick Massey on Facebook.

The Discussion: Our practical astronomy gathering is back – join us in Wales on 2-5th October Jen is contributing to Andy Oppenheimer’s book Stars of Orion Submit your support for Lego to create a clockwork solar system Watch Jen’s free online exoplanet talk for the Open University Space Society Emails from our good friends: Casey Ash in Thailand, about the perennial issue of satellite constellations Conor Brian from Texas about the first Martian settlers     The News: Ongoing problems with the James Webb Space Telescope as it nears launch. The first NASA Artemis moon mission suffers a setback The International Space Station’s new module is now functional Inspiration4 - the first civilian mission to space Commercial rocket companies Astra & Firefly put on the firework show NASA’s Perseverance rover collects its first Mars samples for a return to Earth   The news discussion: Is commercial spaceflight just a billionaires’ plaything? Moons of the Solar System: Our show segment exploring the discover

The Discussion: Jeni Nearly joined a cult Farewell to Carolyn Shoemaker The Room of Doom at Redditch Astronomical Society The new updated Sky Guide app (that Jen works on) Listeners’ emails on how annoying we are and nebulae   The News: Rounding up the astronomy news in September, we have: A new classification of habitable exoplanets Astronomers find thousands of new galaxies Red Dwarf stars might not be as hostile to life as previously thought Have we found a new spiral arm to the Milky Way? Why last year’s Comet ATLAS wasn’t the comet of a generation   The Sky Guide: This month we’re taking a look at the constellation of Aquarius 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 September.   Q&A: Why is the CMB microwave light still visible if it was first emitted 13billion-ish years ago? From our good friend Graeme Durden of Kent in the UK.

This podcast extra is all about our favourite topic of them all, exoplanets. Thanks to our good friends Ian and Billy, we'll be taking a look at the very exciting upcoming low-Earth orbit space mission Twinkle. This small satellite will help us better understand the chemical composition of known exoplanets, which in turn will help us understand their history - and even their weather!   Guests: Ian Stotesbury - master of astrophysics and lead systems engineer at Blue Skies Space. Ian has a background in low Earth orbit Earth monitoring missions and constellations, but is now making the leap to other planets.   Dr Billy Edwards - gained his PhD in Astrophysics from UCL, specialising in observing exoplanet atmospheres with space based telescopes. He's stayed on at UCL and is now a project scientist for the Twinkle Space Mission.   In this podcast extra, we discuss: The origin of the Twinkle Space Mission and Blue Skies Space, the company behind the satellite, including an enlightening discussion on why some spa

The Discussion: Presenting on the BBC The importance of dust to astronomy   The News: A round up of current Mars exploration from Perseverance, Ingenuity, Hope & Zhurong. The mystery of the disappearing Mars rock The Boeing gremlins continue Bezos joins the billionaire space tourism club   Moons of the Solar System: Our show segment exploring the discovery, exploration and our knowledge of the solar system’s moons. And we move onto the moons of Neptune.   Q&A: Why would anyone want to venture to Mars? From our good friend Richie Melton of Formby, Merseyside, UK, Earth.

The Discussion: Star Wars marathon Observing the ISS & the Nauka Module NAM 2021 Amateur recreation of the Antikythera Mechanism Spectrum analysing the new audio anomaly   The News: Rounding up the astronomy news in August, we have: Detecting light from behind a black hole New Insights shows Mars’ interior is very different to Earth’s Evidence of an ocean beneath the surface of Jupiter’s moon Ganymede The Oort Cloud could be filled with extrasolar debris Earth rock may contain extraterrestrial Plutonium First clear detection of a moon-forming disc around an exoplanet   The Sky Guide: This month we’re taking a look at the constellation of Lyra 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: Could dark matter exist in a different dimension, and we only feel the gravitons they emit? From our good friend Dan Scholes of no declared location.

The Discussion: Hubble’s still in trouble Jeni’s presenting on the BBC’s Weatherman Walking Ideas for a new segment to replace the moons of the solar system   The News: Ingenuity helicopter is exceeding all expectations Russia looks to expand its real estate on the ISS NASA’s Artemis 1 is being stacked for a November launch China’s sending Taikonauts to the moon & Mars Bezos & Branson   Moons of the Solar System: Our show segment exploring the discovery, exploration and our knowledge of the solar system’s moons. And we move onto the moons of Uranus.   Q&A: Are summers in the southern hemisphere hotter than in the northern hemisphere because they’re close to the sun at perihelion?’ From our good friend Krista Bowen from Arkansas via email.

The Discussion: Can you help out the Scottish Dark Sky Observatory? Combining sports & astronomy The hive mind responds to the new audio anomaly   The News: Rounding up the astronomy news in July, we have: Hubble in trouble Incredible new images of Jupiter’s moon Ganymede A glimpse of the first ever stars Cosmic twisters The biggest comet ever seen comes barreling into the solar system   The Sky Guide: This month we’re taking a look at the constellation of Aquila 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: How does Europa have a salty ocean & how do we know?? From our good friend @AlistairFrith on Twitter.

To illustrate the epic saga of the Great Dimming of Betelgeuse, in this podcast extra, we revisit all our previous discussions of the red supergiant – collated just for you in one handy dandy place! We cover all the previous major studies of the Great Dimming event from the past year and a half, to let you relive the glorious adventure that is scientific investigation! Tune in to see how this amazing story has evolved and remind yourself of the previous theories; from coincidental pulsation cycles, to surface temperature drops, and, of course, cosmic dust (as predicted by the Dust Queen herself). We finish with a brief summary of the newest research published in Nature, using data from the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT). **Also download Episode 109 Part1 on 1st July 2021 to hear our full discussion of the seemingly final instalment of this incredible adventure.**

The Discussion: A new audio anomaly to get your investigative teeth into Jeni moving from TV interviewee to presenter on the BBC A look back at this month’s solar eclipse Listeners’ emails about our sound quality and night time radio propagation   The News: Blue Origin’s space tourism auction New experiments launched to the ISS NASA looking for extra cash for another lunar lander 3 new missions to explore Venus US DoD look at reusable rockets for military logistics ESA’s large mission planning for the next decade   Moons of the Solar System: Our show segment exploring the discovery, exploration and our knowledge of the solar system’s moons. And we move onto Saturn’s 80 lesser explored moons   Q&A: ‘Once fully reusable Starships are complete, will all ground based observatories become obsolete?’ From our good friend Evan Slater.

The Discussion: Buying and selling astronomy kit A possible resolution to the Wiltshire Audio Anomaly   The News: Rounding up the astronomy news in February, we have: Heavy metal vapours detected around comets A weird supernova Seafloor volcanoes on Europa   The Sky Guide: This month we’re taking a look at the constellation of Ophiuchus 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 June.   Q&A: What’s the difference between a nova and a supernova? From our good friend Steven Age in Derby.

The Discussion: Farewell to Michael Collins Jeni back on the radio, other podcasts and TV - cc/crhxtz Listeners’ emails   The News: Blue Origin prepares to take space tourists The launch of China’s new Space Station & falling space debris Can you help the Royal Astronomical Society find the UK’s moon trees? cc/rrhxtz SpaceX reaches a production/economic milestone with a 10th reuse of a Falcon 9 booster The big news story: NASA awards and then pauses the contract to develop the next lunar lander.   Moons of the Solar System: Our show segment exploring the discovery, exploration and our knowledge of the solar system’s moons. And we move onto Saturn’s enigmatic satellites, Titan and Enceladus.   Q&A: ‘What is the future for Hubble once the JWST launches and could there be new servicing missions with the development of the SpaceX Starship’ From our good friend Mark de Vrij in the UK.

The Discussion: Binocular observing Do you want Ralph’s 115 triplet refractor & goto mount? The Wiltshire Audio Anomaly Listeners emails on historical images and refractor rivalry The News: Rounding up the astronomy news in February, we have: An update on that life on Venus story Life around Proxima Centauri is in for a blast More data to add to the universe’s expansion rate conundrum Was Oumuamua really an interstellar comet? Main News story: The US’ Fermi National Accelerator follows CERN with a muon discovery that also hints at a big anomaly in the Standard Model of Physics. The Sky Guide: This month we’re taking a look at the constellation of Ursa Major 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 May. Q&A: I'm getting into my 50s, and hearing Ralph say what good times we're in as regards gaining knowledge of the Universe leads me to wonder.... what will I be around for? From our good friend Peter Jeal from Londo

This week we saw the first ever powered flight on another planet. So this is a podcast extra episode to mark this remarkable achievement, explain what happened and why this is such a paradigm shift for future space exploration.

The Discussion: The ‘Wiltshire Audio Anomaly’ 20% off the book Vera Rubin – A Life for US listeners using url: hup.harvard.edu/exhibits/HX7578 @StargazerRob’s alternative astrophotographer of the year award Listeners’ emails The News: April Fools research papers Commemorating 60 years since Yuri Gagarin’s 1st Spaceflight An update on @NASA’s Mars Ingenuity copter Rounding up @SpaceX’s metal toilet roll tube developments & explosions NASA’s Artemis program update and presidential priorities for NASA Cluttered & congested orbits leading to satellite collisions Moons of the Solar System: Our show segment exploring the discovery, exploration and our knowledge of the solar system’s moons. And we move onto Jupiter’s 75 less fashionable moons. Q&A: ‘How are satellite licences awarded and by who? And can/should they make requirements of companies to make them responsible for their space junk and their impact on ground based astronomy?’ From our good friend Matt Rayment in London, UK.

The Discussion: Jen finally becomes Dr Jen – bow down pitiful Earthlings! Binocular astronomy Get the book Vera Rubin - A Life by Jacqueline and Simon Mitton with 25% off by emailing cs-books@wiley.com, and quoting the discount code H0350 (mentioning Awesome Astronomy probably wouldn’t go amiss too) Emails from listeners correcting a possible error and posing a teasing question about US refractors. The News: Rounding up the astronomy news in February, we have: UCL researchers unravel the mystery of the Antikythera mechanism The Event Horizon Telescope improves the image of a supermassive black hole by revealing its magnetic fields Confirming the existence of the furthest major solar system object An exoplanet that lost its atmosphere and then gained another one! Main News story: CERN’s LHC spots a quirky quark that hints at a big anomaly in the Standard Model of Physics The Sky Guide: This month we’re taking a look at the constellation of Coma Bereneces with a guide to its history, how to find it, a coupl

The Discussion: Vaccination cometh to Awesome Astronomy The UK’s unorthodox meteor sample return mission A listener’s email follow up to last month’s Q&A The News: Rounding up the space exploration news we have: SpaceX launch and land a 13 storey Starship Japan joins NASA’s moon programme NASA releases its science goals for Project Artemis Northrop Grumman begins work on NASA’s Mars sample return The OSIRIS-REx mission prepares for May asteroid departure Moons of the Solar System: Our show segment exploring the discovery, exploration and our knowledge of the solar system’s moons. And we move onto Jupiter and the four Galilean moons, Io, Europa, Ganymede and Calisto. Jupiter’s other moons next month. Q&A: ‘Do you think the first crewed Mars mission will be to land or would it make any sense to do an Apollo 8 (or indeed 10) stylee close approach?’ From our good friend Alex Bell in Bath, UK.

The Discussion: Paul becomes the new Vice President of Wycombe Astronomical Society Jen gets a date for her PhD viva Jen promoting NASA’s Perseverance rover on the BBC Get ready for Teentech Live on 5th March Emails from listeners highlighting the good and bad in Awesome Astronomy   The News: Rounding up the astronomy news in February, we have: The Cygnus X-1 black hole must be much bigger than we thought A single neutrino detection reveals a super-supermassive blackhole Was the impact that killed the dinosaurs an asteroid or comet? Earth’s regular magnetic pole reversals may be catastrophic to life Main News story: A return to the mythical Planet 9 and a new paper casting further doubt on the evidence in favour of an undiscovered massive object in the outer solar system.   The Sky Guide: This month we’re taking a look at the constellation of Gemini 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.   Q&A: Wouldn’t it

As the European Space Agency gears up to opening its next recruitment campaign from 31 March to 28 May 2021, we take you through: The entry requirements The selection process The missions successful candidates are expected to fly The first astronaut recruitment trawl for candidates with physical disabilities If you want to take a look and see if being an astronaut suits you, go to www.esa.int/YourWayToSpace.  If you want to apply, applications should be submitted to the ESA Careers website, from 31 March, at https://www.esa.int/About_Us/Careers_at_ESA

The Discussion: Correcting the orbits of Jupiter’s moons Welcoming Galaxy Rise’s Dustin Ruoff onto the Podcast Crew Causing terrorism scares with telescopes The News: Rounding up the space exploration news we have: NASA provides more details for its lunar space station plans China’s space station plans Turkey look to become a spacefaring nation The European Space Agency looks for more astronauts The UAE’s Hope Mission & China’s Tianwen-1 make it into Mars orbit Moons of the Solar System: Our new show segment exploring the discovery, exploration and our knowledge of the solar system’s moons. And we begin with Mars’ moons, Phobos and Deimos. Q&A: ‘Will commercial ventures, render SLS useless at some stage?’ From our good friend Steven Sean Spyvee in Leeds, UK.