AWESOMEASTRO

Sanctuary on the Moon Celebrating 55 years since humans first set foot on the Moon with Project Apollo, in this podcast extra, Dr Jen meets with Benoit Faiveley and Mario Freese, founder and chief engineer of Sanctuary on the Moon, a daring project to leave a legacy of humanity on our nearest celestial neighbour. In the late 2020s, 24 coaster-sized sapphire disks will sail to the Moon as part of NASA’s Artemis CLPS program. Engraved upon them will be the essence of humanity. One hundred billion pixels depicting the human genome, the work of masters, and the every day – one pixel for every humanRead More →

Starliner Marooned and Playing Gyros! This month the team discuss keeping the elderly Hubble alive with a single gyro, how Starliner is currently marooned in orbit and are usually round up of other news from the cosmos, a skyguide for what to look out for and a this month in astronomy history that explores the life of Henrietta Swan-Leavitt.  Awesome Astronomy Go to SourceRead More →

Aurora at Home This month is indulgent and ranty! Well it is summer…Jen waxes lyrical about a night out, Paul has written a book and in amongst it is some astronomy! There is a big dive into the huge aurora display in May, talk of new exoplanets and old ones vanishing. The usual skyguide and this months history moment is all about X rays. Produced by Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin Awesome Astronomy Go to SourceRead More →

Totally Eclipse Dustin and Jeni talk about their Eclipse adventures from last month.  Awesome Astronomy Go to SourceRead More →

Nova predictions and China to the Moon This month excitement builds for the predicted Nova outburst in Corona Borealis as well as looking forward to China launching a sample return mission to the far side of the Moon. We have our usual skyguide and chat about upcoming missions and some fun insights into the methane on Mars. Awesome Astronomy Go to SourceRead More →

Episode 142 Awesome Astronomy April 2024 This month Dr Jen is off to the US for the Solar Eclipse while Paul is just back from Goonhilly Earth Station. We chat about the imminent demise of the Chandra Space Telescope, more news on the Hubble tension, and of course the Great North American Eclipse.  Chinese Lunar ambitions, Starship making it to space and the first Boeing Starliner crew make the news while in this months history moment we talk about the brightest Stellar event witnessed by humans.   Awesome Astronomy Go to SourceRead More →

Britain’s First Astronaut This podcast extra is our full length interview with Dr Helen Sharman, Britain’s First astronaut and the first woman to visit the Russian Mir Space Station in 1991.  Awesome Astronomy Go to SourceRead More →

Wet Moons and Tippy landers This month our intrepid crew of the good ship Awesome investigate sub surface oceans on the moons of the solar system, smoking stars, distant blackholes, oversized structures and of course tippy over lunar landers. There is also the monthly skyguide and a look at the astro history of March! Awesome Astronomy Go to SourceRead More →

Blasting Soil – Interview with Dr Phil Metzger This month Dr Jen talks to Dr Phil! Dr Phil Metzger, 30 years at NASA where he has worked on various missions and programmes including the ISS snd Space Shuttle, while more recently he has been investigating how rocket efflux interacts with soil and what this will mean for future landings on the Moon and Mars… Awesome Astronomy Go to SourceRead More →

Awesome Astronomy Episode #140 This month we explore the exciting announcements from the European Space Agency as they outline their new missions for the 2030s. LISA, a space based gravitational wave detector and EnVision, a Venus mission that will map the surface and under-surface of that planet in unprecedented detail.  We have the usual skyguide, chat about recent lunar missions and emails from the listeners. Awesome Astronomy Go to SourceRead More →

#139 Awesome Astronomy January 2024 This episode, it’s Jen and a special guest exploring the inexplicable Big Ring, the first proof connecting supernovae to black holes and neutron stars, cyclones on a far-away world, dazzling images of Io, and the true colour of Neptune. We also take a deep dive into humanity’s efforts to explore the Moon – the failing Peregrine lander and Artemis pushbacks.  There’s also a sky guide for the second half of January, and our discussion topic this time involves a most impossible restaurant.  Produced by Paul, Jen, Dustin, John & Damien.   Awesome Astronomy Go to SourceRead More →

Awesome Astronomy Panto and Review of the Year 2023! Festive silliness (bit naughty!), a review of the Space and astronomy year and a look ahead to what 2024 has in store for us. Not forgetting the outakes! Awesome Astronomy Go to SourceRead More →

#138 Awesome Astronomy December 2023 Pt1 This month we explore what might have happened to the Planet Theia after it hit the Earth, what Lucy saw on its first asteroid encounter, the mystery of a new double crater on the Moon and what the first images from the Elucid telescope show.  We have our monthly skyguide, launch round up and emails and questions from listeners. Produced by Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin Awesome Astronomy Go to SourceRead More →

Astronomy Mythology of Wales This month Jeni talks to Paul. No not our Paul  Paul Cornish, planetarium and science outreach extraordinaire at Bristols We the Curious. They chat about one of our favourite topics on Awesome, constellation Mythology and this time it has a very Welsh flavour…enjoy! Awesome Astronomy Go to SourceRead More →

#137 November 2023 Awesome Astronomy This month we talk about what might have been in the Arthur C Clarke Awards, the latest weird discovery from JWST, the most detailed simulation of the Universe yet, British space plans, giggle at a Space Force painting, and have a look at what you can see in the sky this month.   Produced by Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin Awesome Astronomy Go to SourceRead More →

The AstroCamp Panel! This month we give you a recording of our live panel show from AstroCamp, held in September. The team answer questions and comments from the public about a range of space and astronomy topics. Awesome Astronomy Go to SourceRead More →

#136 – October 2023 Awesome Astronomy This month Paul and Dr Jen talk about the recent astrocamp where yet more Aurora was seen. Later there is a guide to seeing Aurora at lower latitudes. JWST is at it again with a possible detection of biological signals on an exoplanet, AND breaking and rewriting galaxy morphology history. There is an autumnal sky guide and the low down on the Bennu return mission OSIRIS-REx.   Awesome Astronomy Go to SourceRead More →

JWST looks at the Ring – Interview with Dr Robert Wessen This months interview looks at that stunning imagery that JWST took of the Ring Nebula – that familiar Messier planterary nebula in Lyra and favourite of star parties. This new study has revealed new and unexpected details and once again demonstrated the brilliant science of our golden wonder telescope in space. Dr Jeni talks to Dr Robert Wessen, Research Associate at Cardiff University who has worked on the Ring Nebula data, about what astronomers have revealed as well as talking about his career and life astronomy. He also exclusively reveals what is going toRead More →

#135 – September 2023 Awesome Astronomy This month we are joined by special guest Neill Sanders from Go Stargazing who is making a special announcement about astronomy cruise Holidays. We have news of a new type of star, mud on Mars and JWST breaking cosmology once again. After our skyguide we chat about the recent Indian and Russian moon missions.  In our discussion topic we have a Battle of the Planets as we decide which should get in the bin, Saturn or Jupiter. Awesome Astronomy Go to SourceRead More →

#134 August 2023 Pt2 Awesome Astronomy For this podcast extra, we return to NAM 2023, this year held at Cardiff University. We’re delighted to bring you the conversational style of Dr Stephen Wilkins, public engagement extraordinaire. Dr Stephen is an STFC Public Engagement Fellow (so you know this talk will be just brilliant) and serves as a Director of Outreach and Public Engagement for the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences at the University of Sussex. This episode, we have the Tale of Two Telescopes, exploring NASA’s new flagship James Webb Space Telescope, and ESA’s pioneering Euclid, set to uncover the Dark Universe. Enjoy! ProducedRead More →