365 Days of Astronomy - Weekly Edition
451 episodes - English - Latest episode: 21 days ago - ★★★★★ - 14 ratingsThe weekly podcast from the International Year of Astronomy 2009. This podcast comes out weekly and includes each daily episode of the 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast.
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Episodes
Ep. 628: The Sun Revisited
January 31, 2022 21:00 - 58 minutes - 26.8 MBOnce again, it's time to take a look at the Sun. You know, the ongoing thermonuclear explosion of fusing hydrogen that's right over there. Fortunately, there's a fleet of spacecraft and ground observatories ready to give our best ever view of the Sun, so we can watch it. Always watching…
Ep. 627: Mercury Revisited
January 17, 2022 21:00 - 42 minutes - 19.4 MBIt’s been about a thousand years since since we last looked at Mercury. So we figured it’s time for an update. What new things have we learned about Mercury? Or even new questions! Fortunately there’s a mission on the way to help us get some answers.
Ep. 626: Terrestrial Planets - Mercury, Venus, Earth & Mars
January 10, 2022 21:00 - 1 hour - 28.2 MBWe continue our refreshed tour of the solar system, checking in on the inner terrestrial planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. What have we learned about the formation, evolution and what they might tell us about planets across the Universe.
Ep. 625: End of the Year Review
December 20, 2021 21:00 - 1 hour - 28.5 MBWe've reached the end of 2021 and this is the last episode of the year. Let's look back at the big space events of the last year and talk about what we're looking forward to in 2022.
Ep. 624: Small Rocky Bodies (Including Phobos & Deimos)
December 13, 2021 21:00 - 1 hour - 29.3 MBWe've talked about the icy objects of the Solar System, today let's talk about space rocks. There's a surprising variety of rocky material in the Solar System, and each object has a story to tell about the history and formation of the planets, moons and other rocky bodies.
Ep. 623: NEOs: Concern or Nah
December 06, 2021 21:00 - 1 hour - 30.4 MBAre asteroids dangerous? Well, just ask the dinosaurs and they’ll tell you a sad story of fiery death. It turns out we’re in a shooting gallery of space rock and metal. And somewhere out there there’s one with our name on it. Should we be worried? Or are the risks so minimal to be irrelevant.
Ep. 622: Rockier Moons & Giant Asteroids
November 29, 2021 21:00 - 56 minutes - 26.2 MBSo a rock is a rock is a rock. Right? Across the solar system there are giant rocky asteroids and even “gianter” rocky moons. What is the difference between these two families of objects and where do they come from?
Ep. 621: Gas Giants
November 22, 2021 21:00 - 1 hour - 29 MBFor the longest time the only gas giant planets that we knew about were Jupiter and Saturn. But now, in the age of extrasolar planets, astronomers have discovered thousands of gas giants across almost as many star systems. What new discoveries have been made about gas giants, both here in the solar system and across the Milky Way?
Ep. 620: Why Getting to the Outer Worlds is So Difficult
November 15, 2021 21:00 - 59 minutes - 27.4 MBGood News! Over the next few years we’re gonna see a flotilla of new missions headed to Jupiter and Saturn. Why aren’t we seeing more missions to the outer planets like Uranus and Neptune, even Pluto? It turns out those places are far away. Today let’s talk about the challenges of exploring the outer, outer solar system.
Ep. 619: Icy Moons & Dwarf Planets
November 08, 2021 21:00 - 57 minutes - 26.3 MBThe outer Solar System is far enough from the Sun that water doesn't get blasted away into deep space. In this icy realm, there are many worlds with vast quantities of water ice. Today let's look at the icy outer moons and dwarf planets.
Ep. 618: Ice Giants
November 01, 2021 20:00 - 57 minutes - 26.4 MBSo we’re learning more & more about the outer planets of the solar system. Uranus & Neptune are Ice Giants, filled with water and other volatiles that we'd consider ice if it was here on Earth. What’s inside these worlds and what can we expect to find across the Milky Way as we find more?
Ep. 617: Hangout-A-Thon Episode 2 - Crowdfunding Science
October 30, 2021 20:00 - 43 minutes - 20.1 MBFunding for basic science has always been tricky business, coming mainly from universities, government, companies or wealthy individuals. But who knows how many fascinating discoveries were never made because of a lack of funding. And we now live in an era where regular people can come together to fund scientific discoveries.
Ep. 616: Hangout-A-Thon Episode 1 - The Great Observatories
October 29, 2021 20:00 - 58 minutes - 26.9 MBWell, you’re familiar with the Hubble Space Telescope of course, but it’s just one of NASA’s Great Observatories. After Hubble came 3 more incredible telescopes. Each greater than the last! (That’s not true… The first one was the greatest.) But together they would fill in almost the entire electromagnetic spectrum.
Ep. 615: Planet 9
October 18, 2021 20:00 - 55 minutes - 25.4 MBAfter Pluto lost its planethood we were down to 8 planets. But there’s growing evidence of another world or worlds out beyond the orbit of Pluto. Is Planet 9 out there and how will we find it? Could there even be a Planet 10?
Ep. 614: Centaurs, Comets & Asteroids
October 11, 2021 20:00 - 1 hour - 34.4 MBSo there are asteroids, and there are comets. But there’s an entirely separate class of objects called centaurs. But instead of half human, half horse, imagine an object that’s half comet, half asteroid, but 100% interesting!
Ep. 613: Pluto’s Demotion: 15 Years Later
October 04, 2021 20:00 - 51 minutes - 23.6 MBIt's been 15 years since Pluto was kicked out of the planet club. It also happens to be the topic of our very first episode of Astronomy Cast more than 600 episodes ago. Are there any updates? Does Pluto have a chance of regaining planethood again?
Ep. 612: The SETI Renaissance
July 05, 2021 20:00 - 1 hour - 28.8 MBLast week we talked about the various ways that astronomers could detect the presence of intelligent civilizations by observing technosignatures. This week we'll give you an update on the state of the search for extraterrestrials. This field has gone from a collection of pariahs to a completely legitimate field of research. What's changed?
Ep. 611: What is Required to Confirm Alien Life: Intelligence Edition
June 28, 2021 20:00 - 59 minutes - 27.6 MBLast week we talked about what it's going to take to confirm basic biological life across the Solar System and the Milky Way. This week, we'll discuss what it's going to take to detect intelligent life out there in space.
Ep. 610: What is Required to Confirm Alien Life: Non-Sentient Edition
June 21, 2021 20:00 - 58 minutes - 26.8 MBAre we alone in the Universe? It's one of the biggest scientific questions we can possibly ask. And yet, with rovers on Mars, missions planned to visit Europa and Ganymede. Powerful telescopes able to detect the atmospheres of exoplanets, we're closer than ever to finding out the answer.
Ep. 609: Volcanos With Benefits: Lava Tubes, Hydro Thermal Vents & More
June 14, 2021 20:00 - 57 minutes - 26.3 MBVolcanos can be some of the worst natural disasters that we can experience here on Earth. But life wouldn't even exist without them. So, what are volcanos good for anyway?
Ep. 608: NASA Perseverance, The First 100 Days
June 07, 2021 20:00 - 1 hour - 27.8 MBAs you all know, Pamela refuses to talk about any missions which aren't actually doing science. Well, Perseverance has crossed the line, from fantasy to an actual working rover, scooping regolith and yeeting helicopters. What has the rover accomplished in its first 100 days?
Ep. 607: InSight and Earthquakes
May 31, 2021 20:00 - 1 hour - 27.9 MBMars is cold and dead today, but the massive volcanoes tell us what the planet used to be like, millions and even billions of years ago. But how volcanically active is the planet today? That's what NASA's Mars InSight lander is there to figure out.
Ep. 606 - Time Dilation: Skipping Thru Time
May 24, 2021 20:00 - 1 hour - 27.7 MBHave you ever wanted to be a time traveler? Well, good news! You're time traveling right now. Into the future at one second per second. Taking too long? Don't want to wait? Good news, Einstein's got you covered. Today, let's talk about the weird world of time dilation. Also: There are monitor forts to consider… #MonitorFort And then there's a little something extra at the end just for you FullRaw listeners! - Rich
Ep. 605: Sounding Rockets
May 17, 2021 20:00 - 1 hour - 27.8 MBLast week we talked about balloon-based astronomy. This week we're gonna talk about putting telescopes on rockets and making observations mid flight. Welcome to the wild world of sounding rockets.
Ep. 604: Balloon Astronomy
May 10, 2021 20:00 - 59 minutes - 27.2 MBSo when you think about the world's observatories, I'm sure you're imagining huge telescopes perched atop mountain peaks or space telescopes like Hubble. But you might be surprised to learn that some telescopes are carried high into the atmosphere on board balloons. What can they accomplish?
Ep. 603: New Colors of the Radio Spectrum
May 03, 2021 20:00 - 54 minutes - 24.9 MBLast week we talked about how new telescopes and techniques are allowing astronomers to explore the shortest wavelengths of light. This week we go to the other end of the electromagnetic spectrum and explore the longer radio waves which are now accessible to astronomers.
Ep. 602: The New Colors of Gamma Rays - Getting Shorter
April 26, 2021 20:00 - 59 minutes - 27.2 MBThe Earth's atmosphere protects us from a Universe that is definitely trying to kill us. But it also blocks our view of the entire cosmos, like seeing X-rays and gamma radiation. Space telescopes are changing our view of the most extreme events in the Universe.
Ep. 601: Unexpected Light Pollution
April 19, 2021 20:00 - 48 minutes - 22.3 MBDay by day we're loosing our connection with the night sky. Already one third of humanity lives in so much light pollution that they can't see the Milky Way without a drive. And now satellite constellations are adding additional light pollution, even in the darkest skies on Earth.
Ep. 600: Looking Ahead
March 29, 2021 20:00 - 55 minutes - 25.6 MBToday we are gonna gaze into the future of space and astronomy. What upcoming missions & events are we excited about?
Ep. 599: Zodiacal Light
March 22, 2021 20:00 - 1 hour - 27.9 MBPamela has told us in the most flowery terms about the diffuse dust across the inner solar system left over from the formation of the inner planets. well, it turns out she was wrong. Super wrong. Time to update!
Ep. 598: How You Could Overturn Cosmology
March 15, 2021 20:00 - 55 minutes - 25.6 MBYou've probably heard of dark matter and dark energy, but maybe you don't fully understand what they are. Or maybe the idea itself just rubs you the wrong way and you'd like to know why scientists think they can just make stuff up like this. So you'd like to overturn cosmology? Here's all you need to do.
Ep. 597: The Expansion of the Universe
March 08, 2021 21:00 - 56 minutes - 26.2 MBIt's been a while since we checked to make sure the Universe was still expanding. Yeah, apparently, that's still a thing. But in the last few years powerful new telescopes and expansive surveys have given us much more knowledge about what's happening. Especially at the earliest times.
Ep. 596: The Universe’s Background Noise
March 01, 2021 21:00 - 1 hour - 27.7 MBYou might be familiar with the cosmic microwave background, but that's just one of the background radiations that astronomers look at. Some are well known and cataloged. While others are just starting to be possible to see at all. All of them tell us more about our Universe.
Ep. 595: Planet Hunting - Revisited
February 15, 2021 21:00 - 1 hour - 28.4 MBThis is gonna be another one of those evergreen topics where we come back again and again. Finding planets. Every time we talk about this now it seems like we've gained thousands of new planets. Well, buckle up! New techniques will grow that by tens of thousands and even millions!
Ep. 594: Juno - Primary Mission Highlights
February 08, 2021 21:00 - 1 hour - 28.1 MBPamela is always loath to talk about spacecraft until the mission's in space and the science is rolling. NASA's Juno Mission just received a mission extension, adding Jupiter's moons to the menu. Now, finally, we can talk about Juno! [Ed. Juno what I mean?]
Ep. 593: Stellar Parasites
February 01, 2021 21:00 - 1 hour - 29 MBStars often come in groups of 2 or more. And if they're orbiting close enough to each other one star can feast on the other and when that happens, well, mayhem ensues!
Ep. 592: Gamma-Ray Bursts - Updated
January 25, 2021 21:00 - 58 minutes - 26.9 MBSome of the most powerful explosions in the Universe are gamma-ray bursts, capable of blasting a beam of death half way across the galaxy. In just the last few years astronomers have discovered a tremendous amount about these blasts and what's actually causing them. The answer, of course, is that it's more complicated than we originally thought. The old Gamma-Ray bursts show: http://www.astronomycast.com/2007/05/episode-36-gamma-ray-bursts/
Ep. 591: What Are We Gonna Do With All That Space Junk?
January 18, 2021 21:00 - 59 minutes - 27.2 MBRemember the good old days when there were only a few thousand living and dead satellites? Well, those days are long over. We're now entering an era where there will be tens of thousands of satellites. Not to mention the spent rocket boosters and other space junk. What kind of risk do we face and what can be done about it?
Ep. 590: Lunar Hazards: Dust, Radiation and More
January 11, 2021 21:00 - 1 hour - 28 MB2024 can't come soon enough. You know, that's the year when humans will set foot on the Moon again. Now don't you roll your eyes! That's the plan. Unless the plan changes. But my point is, explorers going to the Moon will need to be concerned about all kinds of hazards, like dust, radiation and gigantic Moon worms. I believe.
Ep. 589 - Lunar Resources: Water (Update) & Other Volatiles
December 21, 2020 21:00 - 57 minutes - 26.6 MBWe've talked about the Moon and its water many times here on Astronomy Cast, but there've been a bunch of big updates thanks to new research from NASA and others. Today we're gonna give you an update on the state of water on the Moon and the plans to take advantage of it.
Ep. 588 - Lunar Resources: Lava Tubes
December 14, 2020 21:00 - 1 hour - 28.1 MBAll eyes are on the Moon. We're going back, this time to stay, right? One of the best resources on the Moon will be the lava tubes that criss-cross the subsurface of the Moon. These can provide protection from space, and a look at the geologic history of the Moon, and they can be enormous!
Ep. 587: The Artemis Accords
December 07, 2020 21:00 - 1 hour - 32 MBSo the Moon is about to become a very busy place with multiple countries and private companies planning missions in the next few years. It's been decades since the Outer Space Treaty was negotiated. It's time for the Artemis Accords!
Ep. 586: Life As We Know It: Habitable Exoplanets & Extremophiles
November 30, 2020 21:00 - 59 minutes - 27.3 MBAs scientists continue to explore the Earth, they're discovering life, surviving and even thriving in extreme environments. What hints can this give us about what we might find as we search for live on other worlds.
Ep. 585: Super Earths, Mini-Neptunes & Gas Dwarfs
November 23, 2020 21:00 - 1 hour - 27.7 MBAstronomers are finding even more new extrasolar planets and they're starting to discover entirely new categories. There are classes of planets out there that we just don't have any analog here in the solar system. Let's talk about them!
Ep. 584: Sample Return Missions From Asteroids
November 02, 2020 21:00 - 59 minutes - 27.4 MBSo with a sample of asteroid Bennu firmly inside OSIRIS-REx's return capsule, it's time to bring this treasure home. So scientists can study the composition and history of the space rock. But it's not the only sample return mission out there, with Japan's Hayabusa II mission also bringing asteroid debris home. So today, let's talk about the missions and what we've learned so far.
Ep. 583: The 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics
October 26, 2020 20:00 - 53 minutes - 24.9 MBThis year's Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to three brilliant researchers who worked out some of the secrets of black holes. Today we're going to talk about the chain of discoveries that led to this award.
Ep. 582: Building Bigger Black Holes
October 19, 2020 20:00 - 1 hour - 28.1 MBDid you hear the news? Nobel prizes for Black Holes! Now, we know there are stellar mass black holes and supermassive black holes, but how do you get from one to the other? How do black holes get more massive?
Ep. 581: Other Kinds Of Novae
October 12, 2020 20:00 - 1 hour - 28.2 MBDon't ever accuse us of not comprehensively covering every kind of exploding star. This week we gather up all the left over ways that stars partially or fully explode or don't. Probably. Enjoy!
Ep. 580: Exploding Dwarfs
October 05, 2020 20:00 - 1 hour - 28.2 MBSo you think that a white dwarf star is the end of a stellar life, and it's all downhill from there, a long, slow cool down towards the end of everything. But in some situations even dead stars can get exciting again, briefly becoming some of the brightest objects in the Universe. And maybe, just maybe, the last exciting thing that'll ever happen in the Universe.
Ep. 579: White and Black Dwarf Stars
September 28, 2020 20:00 - 58 minutes - 27.1 MBI've got some bad news for you. Stars die. At some point in the next few billion years or so our Sun is going to start heating up, using up all the fuel in its core, and then eventually die, becoming a white dwarf. It'll then slowly cool down to the background temperature of the Universe, becoming a black dwarf. Let's learn about this fascinating process.