Ask An Astronomer! @ Cornell University

This month we will be clearing up some commonly held misconceptions, starting with the Earth and Moon, then moving out through the solar system, and eventually discussing the Universe as a whole, and some misunderstandings people might have regarding its expansion. To resolve these issues I interview an array of Cornell graduate students: Joyce Byun, Rebecca Harbison, Jason Hofgartner, Michael Lam, Dustin Madison, Sean Marshall, and Eva-Maria Mueller.

This month we will be taking a trip outside under the night sky to discuss the origins and mythology of the fall constellations.Luke gives some background on where our constellations come from, and then tells the stories displayed in the constellations visibile in the fall sky.

This month we return to CCAT but instead of focusing on it, we learn a bit about why makes Chile such great place for astronomy. 1) Carl talks with astronomers to learn what telescopes Chile has to offer. 2) Betsey interviews Prof. Terry Jordon to learn about the geology of Chile and why the Atacama desert is such a great place for astronomy.

This month we learn about how pulsars can be used to detect gravitational waves. 1) Laura and Dusty provide an introduction to pulsars and pulsar timing 2) Dusty interviews Curran Muhlberger to find out what a gravitational wave is. 3) Laura interviews Prof. Maura McLaughlin of West Virgina University on the North American Nanoherz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav).

This month on the Ask An Astronomer Podcast, Ann Martin and Sarah Scoles take a look at the relationship between science and fiction, and between scientists and the art they create. We'll hear a reading of a piece of original short fiction, "The Formation of Structure," written by Sarah for the podcast. Afterwards, we'll sit down with Dr. Jennifer Rohn of LabLit.com to discuss the power of fiction to draw readers into the real world of science. Today's podcast is written and produced by Ann Martin. You can ask us your own questions by visiting us at our website, curious.astro.cornell.edu. This segment uses music and sound effects from the website Freesound.org. Most of the sounds used in the piece are licensed under Creative Commons Zero. We've also used music entitled "Swell Pad" from Freesound user ERH, solo cello improvisations called "Fundamentals" from Freesound user Rich T Cello, and an effect titled "Fanfare" from Freesound user Toby K.

This month on the Ask An Astronomer Podcast...Betsey brings you on a trip to the Arecibo Observatory, along with the Undergraduate ALFALFA Team. We'll tour the telescope, hear from a group of undergraduates who had a chance to visit and use Arecibo, and sit down with some of the Observatory staff. Today's podcast is written and produced by Ann Martin and Betsey Adams, along with some help from Tom Balonek, Dana Whitlow, Elliott Gonzales, Israel Cabrera, Patrick Taylor, and the Undergraduate ALFALFA Team. You can ask us your own questions by visiting us at our website, curious.astro.cornell.edu.

This month on the Ask An Astronomer Podcast... Dan talks with Manolis and Joyce about what it means for space to be expanding and about the geometry and ultimate fate of the universe. I then ask professor Rachel Bean whether the universe is infinite and how much we can hope to learn about the universe's initial conditions. Today's podcast is written and produced by Dan Tamayo with help from Manolis, Joyce and Laura. You can ask us your own questions by visiting us at our website, curious.astro.cornell.edu.

This month on the Ask An Astronomer Podcast... Laura and Betsey discuss the questions "why did you become a scientist?" and "why do you study the specific branch of astronomy that you do?". We interview over a dozen astronomers and ask them their motivations for becoming a scientist and astronomer. Today's podcast is written and produced by Laura Spitler and Betsey Adams with help from many other Cornell graduate students. You can ask us your own questions by visiting us at our website, curious.astro.cornell.edu.

This month on the Ask An Astronomer Podcast... 1) Diana Dragomir tells us about the small rocky planet 55 Cnc e. 2) Dan Fabrycky, member of the Kepler team, describes some of the highlights from the Kepler observatory. 3) The smallest known planets found by the Kepler observatory, insight on this system from Phil Muirhead. 4) James P. Lloyd tells us a little about small stars and habitability. Today's podcast is written and produced by Everett Schlawin. You can ask us your own questions by visiting us at our website, curious.astro.cornell.edu.

This month on the Ask An Astronomer Podcast... 1) Betsey talks with Professor Riccardo Giovanelli, Project Director for CCAT, to provide an overview of the project. 2) Carl sits down with Professor Gordon Stacey to learn all about submm astronomy. 3) Jeff Zivick, Project Manager for CCAT, talks logistics with Carl. 3) We talk to Fred Young, a Cornell alum who has donated to the CCAT project. Today's podcast is written and produced by Betsey Adams and Carl Ferkinhoff. You can ask us your own questions by visiting us at our website, curious.astro.cornell.edu.

This month on the Ask An Astronomer Podcast... 1) We discuss citizen science, an innovative approach to involving the general public in cutting-edge scientific research. 2) We speak with researchers who are working on three different citizen science initiatives, including a group from Cornell's Lab of Ornithology, a researcher working with data from Galaxy Zoo and the Zooniverse, and the team behind the Pulsar Search Collaboratory. 3) Finally, we'll point you to some resources for getting involved in citizen science. This podcast was written and produced by Ann Martin, Betsey Adams, and David Kornreich. You can ask us your own questions by emailing us at 'curious@astro.cornell.edu'

Today on the Ask An Astronomer Podcast... 1) Laura and Dan talk about why Mars is red and Mars' place in mythology. 2) Laura interviews Ryan Anderson about the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), NASA's next rover headed to Mars at the end of November 2011 ...today on the Ask An Astronomer Podcast. Today's podcast is written and produced by Laura Spitler, Dan Tamayo, and Ryan Anderson. You can ask us your own questions by visiting us at our website, curious.astro.cornell.edu.

Today on the Ask An Astronomer Podcast... 1) Dusty and Carl discuss some of their pet-peeves about how science facts are used and misused in tv and movies, 2) We then look at the recent film "Sunshine" and discuss some of the problems with the science portrayed in the film, and 3) Lastly we look at one case where science, in a galaxy not quite so far away, has imitated science fiction ...today on the Ask An Astronomer Podcast. Today's podcast is written and produced by Dusty Madison and Carl Ferkinhoff. You can ask us your own questions by visiting us at our website, curious.astro.cornell.edu.

Today on the Ask An Astronomer Podcast... 1) Ann and Betsey answer a question from the mailbag: What do astronomers do all day, in their work lives? 2) Ann and Betsey discuss issues of gender, ethnic, and racial diversity in Astronomy with Kevin Covey. 3) Betsey sits down with astronomer Tom Loredo to get a better view of what it means to 'do research.' ...today on the Ask An Astronomer Podcast. Today's podcast is written and produced by Betsey Adams, Ann Martin, Kevin Covey, Tom Loredo, David Bernat, Carl Ferkinhoff, Manolis Papastergis, Laura Spitler, Dan Tamayo, and David Kornreich. You can ask us your own questions by emailing us at 'curious@astro.cornell.edu' (please put 'AAA Podcast' in the title) or leave us a message at our new telephone number: 1-ITHACA-0-SKY (1-484-222-0759).

Today on the Ask An Astronomer Podcast... 1) Dan and Mannolis ask: What is a black hole? 2) Field Trip! Dan and Mannolis take a trip on a special rocket ship to visit the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way! 3) And finally, Dan and Mannolis ask: If black holes are dark, how do astronomers find then? ...today on the Ask An Astronomer Podcast. Today's podcast is written and produced by Dan Tamayo, Manolis Papstergis, David Bernat, Carl Ferkinhoff, Ann Martin, Laura Spitler, and David Kornreich. You can ask us your own questions by emailing us at 'curious@astro.cornell.edu' (please put 'AAA Podcast' in the title) or leave us a message at our new telephone number: 1-ITHACA-0-SKY (1-484-222-0759).

Today on the Ask An Astronomer Podcast... 1) We answer questions from our readers about why the Moon looks larger on the horizon, and we look into the difference between astronomy and astrology. 2) Ann speaks with Dr. Matt Hedman about the 2012 Doomsday Hoax. 3) And finally, Dan speaks with Nancy Schaff, an astronomy educator, about the importance of confronting astronomical misconceptions. ...today on the Ask An Astronomer Podcast. Today's podcast is written and produced by Ann Martin, Dan Tamayo, Matthew Hedman, Nancy Schaff, David Bernat, Carl Ferkinhoff, Manolis Papastergis, Laura Spitler, and David Kornreich. You can ask us your own questions by emailing us at 'curious@astro.cornell.edu' (please put 'AAA Podcast' in the title) or leave us a message at our new telephone number: 1-ITHACA-0-SKY (1-484-222-0759).

Today on the Ask An Astronomer Podcast... 1) We listen to the unseeable, the sound of two black holes colliding. 2) Dave K and Dave B delve into the mysterious Dark Energy, which Cosmologists believe fills the entire universe and is why the universe keeps expanding. 3) And we answer a question from a reader about the number of stars in the Milky Way, and how Astronomers use Galaxy Zoo to take a census of the night sky. ...today on the Ask An Astronomer Podcast. Today's podcast is written and produced by David Bernat, Ann Martin, Carl Ferkinhoff, Betsy Adams, Manoilis Papastergis, Laura Spitler, Dan Tamayo, and David Kornriech. You can ask us your own questions by emailing us at 'curious@astro.cornell.edu' (please put 'AAA Podcast' in the title) or leave us a message at our new telephone number: 1-ITHACA-0-SKY (1-484-222-0759).

Today on the Ask An Astronomer Podcast... 1) We answer a question from a reader about the gas giant planets, and why they're so much bigger than the inner rocky planets. 2) Dave K and Dave B discuss the unknown dark matter that fills one quarter of the entire universe, but what it is astronomers still don't know. 3) And we listen to what lightning storms on Saturn sound like.... ...today on the Ask An Astronomer Podcast. Today's podcast is written and produced by David Bernat, Carl Ferkinhoff, Ann Martin, Betsy Adams, Manoilis Papastergis, Laura Spitler, Dan Tamayo, and David Kornriech. You can ask us your own questions by emailing us at 'curious@astro.cornell.edu' (please put 'AAA Podcast' in the title) or leave us a message at our new telephone number: 1-ITHACA-0-SKY (1-484-222-0759).