AWESOMEASTRO

#119 – May 2022 Part 2 The Discussion: Getting back in the studio Watch us recording in our behind the scenes 10th Anniversary show Inspiring children to think about careers in science Listener’s emails about swearing in the podcast and .     The News: Our favourite Welsh satellite space company, Space Forge Rocket Lab’s attempt to catch a falling rocket booster with a helicopter More JWST updates Jeff Bezos buys every western rocket (that’s not owned by Musk) for the next 5 years UK Space Energy initiative’s concept for a Bond villain style space-based solar power plant   The news discussion: The ongoing sagaRead More →

#119 – May 2022 Part 1 The Discussion: Jeni’s magazine article on ‘everything JWST’ UK government’s social mobility commissioner gets us wound up Listeners’ emails on: Professional vs amateur astronomy Artificial Intelligence in consumer telescopes JWST’s Early Release Observations     The News: Rounding up the astronomy news in April, we have: New type of nebula discovered by an amateur astronomer Detecting life-giving hydrothermal vents on Saturn’s moon Europa An exoplanet around a dead star in a potential habitable zone ’Impossible’ galaxies with no dark matter The big news story: the Planetary Science Decadal Survey is out!     The Sky Guide: This month we’reRead More →

#118 – April 2022 Part 2 Also check out our YouTube channel here for much more astronomy and spacey goodness: https://www.youtube.com/awesomeastronomy?sub_confirmation=1 The Discussion: Watching a SpaceX Starlink launch Tales from this month’s AstroCamp star party Jeni on the radio and TV again A listener’s email on JWST’s first image.   The News: NASA’s moon rocket finally undergoes testing for the Artemis 1 moon mission next month! Rocket Lab attempt to catch a falling rocket booster with a helicopter Further affects of the war in Ukraine to the spaceflight industry Jeff Bezos buys every western rocket (that’s not owned by Musk) for the next 5 yearsRead More →

#118 – April 2022 Part 1 The Discussion: Observing trip with Cardiff Uni students Really bright ISS passes Jen’s first TV presenting gig about to be released Watching a SpaceX launch Listeners’ email about previous episodes   The News: Rounding up the astronomy news in April, we have: NASA think JWST will perform better than expected! (see also https://youtu.be/YJMBvcG7nRM) A milestone 5,000 confirmed exoplanets (see also https://youtu.be/ByfigQW-6Mk) The carbon impact of running large observatories ’Impossible’ supermassive-blackhole orbits discovered   The Sky Guide: This month we’re taking a look at the constellation of Leo with a guide to its history, how to find it, a coupleRead More →

#117 – March 2022 Part 2 The Discussion: A little bit of singing to brighten your day and abuse your ears It’s Messier Marathon season A Messier challenge A great listeners’ email on naming space missions   The News: Rounding up the space exploration news this month we have: Space Forge’s reusable satellites demonstrator ESA’s demonstrator for extracting oxygen from the lunar surface The countdown to the death of NASA’s Mars Insight lander SpaceX’s Starship developments The future for ExoMars and the ISS   Main news story: The knock on effects to cooperation in space caused by the situation in Ukraine.   Nebulae Our sectionRead More →

#117 – March 2022 Part 1 The Discussion: Stargazing & post-covid travel A lovely email from our good friend @SsonnyY The joys of being an astronomy beginner Pioneer 10’s 50th anniversary   The News: Rounding up the astronomy news in March, we have: A new planet discovered in our neighbouring Alpha Centauri system A massive new dataset of 4.4m brand new radio objects to get excited about Quasars, blazars, – turns out they’re all the same thing The first observation of a free floating black hole Mini-Neptunes may evolve into super Earths   Big News Story: First light of the IXPE X-ray telescope   TheRead More →

#116 – February 2022 Part 1 The Discussion: Techniquest in Cardiff Bay Our Good friend Dylan O’Donnell at Star Stuff A listener’s email on the naming of spacecraft, prompting a debate on history, cultures and tearing down statues.   The News: Britain’s ambitious spaceports hit regulatory purgatory China’s plans for this year include space station completion, comet and asteroid missions Unknown heroines of space & astronomy for International Women in Science Day The news discussion: NASA contract a Mars Sample return rocket.   Nebulas: A look at the weird and wonderful nebulae that you can see through telescopes or use to understand the interstellar mediumRead More →

#116 – February 2022 Part 1 The Discussion: AstroCamp returns for listeners to observe with us 2-5th April. Book tickets here. Listeners’ emails on: A Venus sample return mission Why our website is so poor L     The News: A very big far away star with a very big planet Unpicking the riddle of where the matter is that makes up all the stars Another of Saturn moons may be hiding an ocean Why there are no newly formed stars within 500 light years of the Sun Big News Story: a mysterious radio signal points to a new type of magnetar     TheRead More →

#115 – January 2021 Part 2 The Discussion: Astronomy in Lego Jeni on the BBC Listeners emails on space traffic control and the Chinese space programme     The News: SpaceX’s troubled start to 2022 New York Times reports sexual harassment at SpaceX International Space Station operations extended to 2030 A look at Arianespace The news discussion: JWST     Nebulas: A look at the weird and wonderful nebulae that you can see through telescopes or use to understand the interstellar medium and star formation. This month we focus on supernova remnants. Awesome Astronomy Go to SourceRead More →

#115 – January 2022 Part 1 The Discussion: Astronomy Christmas presents Listener’s email about the value of early human space endeavours Listener’s email about the marvelousness of Musk   The News: Rounding up the astronomy news in October, we have: The largest valley in the solar system (on Mars) is packed with water More evidence to suggest there may be living organisms in Venus’ atmosphere The sharpest images yet of the region around our galaxy’s supermassive black hole Astronomers find 70 new rogue planets free-floating in space The James Webb Space Telescope finally launches!   The Interview: this month we interview… the constellation Orion!  Read More →

2021 Xmas Special We defer our usual Xmas frivolity to go to NASA’s coverage of Elon Musk’s Penetrating Explorer Neo Insertion System rocket delivering NASA’s Advanced Solar System probe to Uranus and look back at the astronomy and space exploration highlights of 2021: The first detection of an exoplanet in another galaxy, the first exomoon and the most abundant stars perhaps being habitable hosts A great alignment of planets in the sky for backyard astronomers NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter on Mars The advances in China’s space programme The seismic shift in American commercial spaceflight   We then look forward to the anticipated highlights of 2022: ForRead More →

#114 – December 2021 Part 2 The Discussion: Jen becomes the Managing Editor of the Sky Guide app and talks hazardous asteroids on BBC1’s Breakfast show Observing Comet Leonard Listeners emails on colonising the galaxy and killing Mars potatoes   The News: Recreating Mars in Antarctica Future space tourists are unlikely to be getting official astronaut wings News ways to capture space debris Elon Musk announces concerns over the viability of his Starship rocket   The news discussion: With the recent Russian anti-satellite test, are we headed for Kessler Syndrome?   Nebulas : Our new show segment replacing the concluded moons of the solar system.Read More →

#114 – December 2021 Part 1 The Discussion: Sex with aliens (sorry) Jen’s reveals the secrets of TV trickery AweAst now has videos! Head over to YouTube Emails about our new YouTube channel & aliens watching us   The News: Rounding up the astronomy news in October, we have: Water on exoplanets probably didn’t come from comets Another 301 exoplanets drop out of old Kepler data An(other) weird signal from outer space Violent galaxy growth in the early universe Are exoplanets made of strange materials not conducive to life? A deep dive into the James Webb Space Telescope 3 weeks before launch   The SkyRead More →

#113 – November 2021 Part 2 The Discussion: Jen as a space expert on BBC1’s Breakfast show AweAst on YouTube is coming! Head over and help us out by subscribing here. An email on the less than stellar working conditions at Blue Origin   The News: The results of Astro2020 – the next decadal survey from the US National Academies of Sciences NASA’s moon programme officially slips back a year SpaceX’s 3rd crewed launch to the International Space Station Heinz go all ‘Mark Watney’ with tomatoes.   The news discussion: Commercial plans to build TWO space stations before 2030.   Nebulas: Our new show segmentRead More →

#113 – November 2021 Part 1 The Discussion: A bonanza of radio interviews Jeni’s guide to the darkest and best places to stargaze in the UK A trip to the satellite company Space Forge. Emails about radio interviews and the first AweAst episodes   The News: Rounding up the astronomy news in October, we have: Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is speeding up Crazy exoplanets orbits Red and dead galaxies Solving the mystery of alien radio signals The 1st exoplanet discovery in another galaxy   The Sky Guide: This month we’re taking a look at the constellation of Perseus with a guide to its history, howRead More →

#112 – October 2021 Part 2 The Discussion: Tales from a dark sky weekend Jen appearing on the Cosmic Companion and at the Open University Space Society Emails on space tourism and from a US state penitentiary The News: NASA gets ready to test an asteroid redirect mission Shatner in space Mixed fortunes in the news for Bezos & Musk The James Webb Space Telescope is still on track for a December launch The news discussion: NASA’s Lucy mission to Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids. Moons of the Solar System: Our show segment exploring the discovery, exploration and our knowledge of the solar system’s moons. This monthRead More →

#112 – October 2021 Part 1 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 ofRead More →

#111 – September 2021 Part 2 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 setbackRead More →

#111 – September 2021 Part 1 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   TheRead More →

Podcast Extra – The Twinkle Space Mission 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 Stokesbury – 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 theRead More →