Latest Uranus Podcast Episodes
192: Craters on Titan with Prof. Neish
Spacepod - December 21, 2021 17:27 - 24 minutes ★★★★★ - 377 ratingsProfessor Catherine Neish explains why there's so few craters on Saturn's moon Titan. She explains why Titan's craters may contain the organic molecules needed for life, and how the Dragonfly mission will test that hypothesis.
191: Back to Venus with Dr. Getty
Spacepod - November 22, 2021 19:34 - 30 minutes ★★★★★ - 377 ratingsDr. Stephanie Getty tells us about DAVINCI, which will go to Venus. DAVINCI will scan the planet during three flybys, and will deploy a probe. She explains how engineers will protect the probe's instruments from Venus' harsh environment, and how you can't build a spacecraft without meetings and ...
190: Millions of observations with Dr. Spoto
Spacepod - October 24, 2021 16:00 - 31 minutes ★★★★★ - 377 ratingsDr. Federica Spoto tells us how she found millions of high-precision observations of comets and asteroids. She explains how these observations let her turn back time and study the history of the main belt of asteroids in our solar system.
189: Long Range Planning with Prof. Barmby
Spacepod - September 19, 2021 16:00 - 27 minutes ★★★★★ - 377 ratingsProfessor Barmby tells us how a group of astronomers created the Canadian Astronomy Long Range Plan. This plan outlines the priorities of Canadian astronomers for the next decade. It covers telescopes, computing resources, diversity and inclusion in astronomy, and the need to consider the enviro...
188: Failing is the most important part of science with Tyler Linder
Spacepod - August 22, 2021 16:00 - 22 minutes ★★★★★ - 377 ratingsPlanetary defense researcher Tyler Linder talks about the benefits of using automated telescopes. He tells us the difference between an automated and a robotic telescope, and explains that inexpensive telescope time lets students learn, experiment, and fail. He describes the work he does with st...
187: You doubt your own existence with Prof. Méndez
Spacepod - July 25, 2021 16:00 - 27 minutes ★★★★★ - 377 ratingsProf. Abel Méndez tells us about his Planetary Habitability Lab. He talks about the chances of discovering extraterrestrial life, explaining that we are "alone by isolation and distance." He also tells us about his team's Visible Paleo-Earth project, as well as the proposed plans to rebuild the ...
186: What's more powerful than a dinosaur with Dr. Noviello
Spacepod - June 20, 2021 16:00 - 30 minutes ★★★★★ - 377 ratingsDr. Jessica Noviello tells us a story about the power of interdisciplinary science: the time geologists, physicists, archeologists, chemists, paleontologists, and petroleum engineers all came together to solve a big mystery. This story focuses on a layer of clay that divides the "dinosaur part o...
185: Solar system snapshots with Kevin Gill
Spacepod - May 23, 2021 16:00 - 23 minutes ★★★★★ - 377 ratingsKevin Gill explains how he transforms raw spacecraft images into stunning planet photos. He describes how he turns black and white images from the Juno spacecraft into full color mosaics of Jupiter. He also tells us about his experiences with the "King of Cameras" on Cassini.
184: Samples are forever with Prof. Snead
Spacepod - April 18, 2021 16:00 - 31 minutes ★★★★★ - 377 ratingsProf. Christopher Snead tells us how he is preparing a very clean laboratory. In this lab, scientists will store and study Hayabusa-2 mission asteroid samples. The samples will be photographed and manipulated without ever touching Earth's atmosphere.
183: The solar wind with Dr. Jian
Spacepod - March 21, 2021 16:00 - 26 minutes ★★★★★ - 377 ratingsDr. Lan Jian talks to us about the solar wind, which is ionized gas from the sun. It transfers energy from the sun to the planets, and can impact astronauts and technology. She shares her research, which includes interpreting data from spacecraft and computer modeling.
182: Radar polarization with Dr. Hickson
Spacepod - February 21, 2021 17:00 - 22 minutes ★★★★★ - 377 ratingsDr. Dylan Hickson talks about how he studies the surfaces of asteroids using reflected radio waves. By comparing the reflections to mathematical models and data from Earth, he tries to determine if an asteroid's surface is blocky, dusty, or both.
181: Young Stellar Objects with Dr. Smith
Spacepod - January 24, 2021 17:00 - 29 minutes ★★★★★ - 377 ratingsDr. Rachel Smith tells us about her research into young stellar objects. These new stars are surrounded by a cloud of dust that may eventually become planets. Dr. Smith also explains why she thinks it is important to physically travel to telescopes when she makes her observations.
180: Space Advocacy with Casey Dreier
Spacepod - December 20, 2020 17:00 - 27 minutes ★★★★★ - 377 ratingsCasey Dreier, Chief Advocate of the Planetary Society, stops by to chat about space policy. He explains why human spaceflight is such a challenge, and talks about how scientists decide which planet to explore. He also explains how individual citizens from around the world can influence space pol...
179: Not just a telescope with Dr. Virkki
Spacepod - December 03, 2020 18:33 - 23 minutes ★★★★★ - 377 ratingsDr. Anne Virkki talks about the Arecibo Radio Telescope, which recently sustained severe damage. She talks about the discoveries made at the telescope and explains that it could be rebuilt, if there was enough public support.
Bonus episode: Voting
Spacepod - October 28, 2020 20:30 - 5 minutes ★★★★★ - 377 ratingsA quick bonus episode for my American listeners. Voting is the keystone of our democracy, and your voice deserves to be heard. This episode goes over some common voting questions. For more, see www.ballotpedia.org.
178: Light reverberations from supermassive black holes with Dr. Gorjian
Spacepod - October 25, 2020 16:00 - 38 minutes ★★★★★ - 377 ratingsDr. Varoujan Gorjian returns to the show! He explains what supermassive black holes are and how they work. He also tells us about an elegant technique that astronomers use to determine the size of the debris cloud around black holes.
177: Preventable disasters with Prof. Nugent
Spacepod - September 20, 2020 16:00 - 30 minutes ★★★★★ - 377 ratingsThe tables are turned! Regular host Professor Carrie Nugent talks about her research with guest host Anthropology Professor Caitrin Lynch. We discuss near-Earth asteroids, and how Prof. Nugent is building open-source asteroid hunting software with a team of students.
176: Getting curious with Dr. Fraeman
Spacepod - August 23, 2020 16:00 - 26 minutes ★★★★★ - 377 ratingsDr. Abby Fraeman returns to the show to talk about NASA's Curiosity rover. For the past eight years, Curiosity has been exploring Gale Crater on Mars. Dr. Fraeman talks about a discovery she made on the Vera Rubin Ridge, and we discuss how the Curiosity scientists and engineers have kept the rov...
175: Three lunar water mysteries with Prof. Ehlmann
Spacepod - July 19, 2020 16:00 - 31 minutes ★★★★★ - 377 ratingsProf. Bethany Ehlmann returns to the show to talk about the mission she's leading, Lunar Trailblazer. This low-cost mission will hitch a ride to the moon using the extra space in a large rocket. Once there, it will help scientists learn more about water on the moon.
174: How NASA funding works with Dr. Throop
Spacepod - June 21, 2020 16:00 - 15 minutes ★★★★★ - 377 ratingsMany of the discoveries you've heard about on this show were funded by NASA. But how do scientists get money from NASA? Dr. Henry Throop returns to the show to explain how NASA program officers evaluate scientific proposals. This episode was recorded in September 2019.
173: Last alert system with Dr. Denneau
Spacepod - May 24, 2020 16:00 - 20 minutes ★★★★★ - 377 ratingsDr. Larry Denneau talks about the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System, or ATLAS. He talks about how asteroid detection is a data processing problem. Every night ATLAS handles about a quarter terabyte of data. He describes how they find a few asteroids among a billion other sources, and...
172: The whole world to a microbe with Prof. Levy
Spacepod - April 26, 2020 16:00 - 16 minutes ★★★★★ - 377 ratingsProf Joe Levy talks about his research in the dry valleys of Antarctica. These valleys are dry, irradiated, salty, and cold, which makes them similar to parts of Mars. He explains why planetary scientists get excited about naturally occurring perchlorate. He also describes the changes he's witne...
171: Astronauts on starship Earth with Dr. Gifford
Spacepod - March 30, 2020 19:58 - 25 minutes ★★★★★ - 377 ratingsDr. Sheyna Gifford describes the experience of being a simulated Martian astronaut, as part of the HI-SEAS experiment. She talks about the experiment and gives us all tips for staying mentally, emotionally, and physically healthy while living in a confined space with limited contact with the out...
170: Searching for outer solar system objects with Dr. Schwamb
Spacepod - March 15, 2020 16:00 - 16 minutes ★★★★★ - 377 ratingsDr. Meg Schwamb tells us about the Outer Solar System Origins Survey (OSSOS). She explains why she doesn't just want to find these distant objects, she wants to figure out what they are made of. We also discuss recent interstellar visitors to our solar system.
169: The flattest structures in the solar system with Dr. Tiscareno
Spacepod - February 16, 2020 17:00 - 26 minutes ★★★★★ - 377 ratingsDr. Matthew Tiscareno tells us about Saturn's rings. He describes how scientists measured their mass, and how the rings got their colors. He also explains why scientists are currently debating the age of the rings.
168: Meteorite strength with Prof. Cotto Figueroa
Spacepod - January 12, 2020 17:00 - 15 minutes ★★★★★ - 377 ratingsProfessor Desireé Cotto Figueroa tells us about her research into the strength of meteorites. This research helps scientists understand the hazards from asteroids, and also will help engineers design asteroid-visiting spacecraft.
167: Far out with Dr. Sheppard
Spacepod - December 29, 2019 17:00 - 24 minutes ★★★★★ - 377 ratingsDr. Scott Sheppard tells us about the two most distant objects ever observed in the solar system. He describes the clever techniques he and his collaborators used to spot these objects, and explains why he is searching for an undiscovered planet.
166: Why we went to the moon with Lillian Cunningham
Spacepod - December 15, 2019 17:00 - 17 minutes ★★★★★ - 377 ratingsLillian Cunningham talks about her podcast Moonrise. Moonrise explores why the United States decided to send humans to the moon. She talks about the surprising power of science fiction in shaping policy, and she comments on what might motivate nations to send humans to other planets in the future.
165: Exploring Titan with Dr. Soderblom
Spacepod - December 01, 2019 17:00 - 20 minutes ★★★★★ - 377 ratingsDr. Jason Soderblom tells us about Titan, one of the largest moons in the solar system. He explains some of its geologic features, including dunes, probable cryovolcanos, and featureless plains that scientists nicknamed "the blandlands." He also tells us about Dragonfly, a new NASA mission that ...
164: Postcards to the cosmos with Dr. Bannister
Spacepod - November 17, 2019 17:00 - 34 minutes ★★★★★ - 377 ratingsDr. Michele Bannister talks about interstellar objects, including the recent discovery of 2I Borisov. Astronomers are observing this object with every available telescope to answer key questions, such as: what is Borisov made of? Is it like comets from our own solar system, or is it "really weir...