AWESOMEASTRO (Page 8)

#81 Part 2 March 2019 The Discussion: Professor Michelle Dougherty talking Enceladus at the annual Schrodinger lecture, the proficiency (or otherwise) of making science accessible to the layman and emails about inspiring anyone to do the job they want.   The News: Rounding up the space exploration news this month we have: Have SpaceX paved the way for the US to return to human spaceflight? The Japanese Hyabusa spacecraft begins exploring asteroid Ryugu The first Israeli lunar lander makes its way to the moon Virgin Galactic take a long awaited return to commercial spaceflight tests NASA’s science experiments for the moon on their commercial landersRead More →

#81 Part 1 March 2019 The Discussion: A worthless victory for the Welsh, Earthling slave John on the BBC’s Sky at Night, Jen’s preparations for A Pint of Science, imaging the sun with a beer can and emails about timestamping & sibilance.   The News: Rounding up the astronomy news this month we have: Modelling of the meteor strikes on the moon during the eclipse Does the moon get bombarded by a meteor shower every 19 years? The brightest gravitationally lensed object ever seen Conditions closer to habitable seen around a white dwarf star Did the Apollo astronauts even leave the Earth’s atmosphere Main newsRead More →

#80 Part 2 February 2019 The Discussion: The film Moon, boring lectures & seminars, the age before mobile telephony, AweAst live shows & drinks with listeners, and listeners’ suggestions for NASA spacecraft branding. The News: Rounding up the space exploration news this month we have: Growing plants on another world SpaceX launch satellites on reusable rockets How to paint a Mars rover A less than rose-tinted look at SpaceX’ current predicament Scotland’s spaceport’s fight with nature The beginning of the next space arms race Main news story: New Horizons at Ultima Thule The Debate: Ralph poses his own question for Jen & Paul to doRead More →

#80 Part 2 February 2019 The Discussion: Jeni’s off to La Palma to gather data on dust & gas in the Crab Nebula, did a meteor or two strike the moon during the January eclipse? And what do Europeans think (or know) about the European Space Agency?   The News: Rounding up the space and astronomy news this month we have: More research suggesting there are no seasonal water flows on Mars Modelling the stellar wind at Barnard’s Star Can interstellar objects survive the journey? The unusual planetary system EPIC24924646 Lunar craters show Earth had a brief impact lull 650-300 million years ago The youthfulRead More →

#79 Part 2 January 2019 The Discussion: As 2019 marches forth we discuss a wasted year of practical astronomy due to bad weather, a comet in our skies to enjoy and Jeni begins her first paper on gas masses in redshift galaxies. The News: Rounding up the space exploration news this month we have: An update on the mysterious hole in the space station SpaceX edges closer to ferrying humans to space Virgin Galactic test pilot gains his astronaut wings Voyager 2 joins Voyager 1 outside the solar system New Horizons exploring the outer solar system An update on NASA’s plans for human space exploration.Read More →

#79 Part 1 January 2019 The Discussion: Festive cheer, academic hiatuses, magnificent cheeses, a surfeit of meat, space themed presents and listeners’ emails.   The News: Rounding up the space and astronomy news this month we have: The Milky Way gives birth to around 7 stars per year Watching a star being born from a nearby massive star A new way to map the dark matter in our universe Where’s the methane on Mars? Saturn’s rings are more short lived than we thought The discovery of another outer solar system object Main news story: 1) The ALMA telescope helps to understand how solar systems formRead More →

#78 Part 2 December 2018 The Discussion: As it’s the holiday season, we get all Christmassy and take a brief detour from space into seasonal songs, the unseemly side of glam rock and Bavarian burn hazards. Ralph reviews the Mars inspired TV show, The First, and we run through some listeners’ emails. The News: Rounding up the space and astronomy news this month we have: Farewell Kepler Farewell Dawn Apollo 2 gets a step closer NASA send a new mission to Mars Where is SpaceX’s Starman now? The International Space Station turns 20 years old. Main news story: NASA’s Mars 2020 rover now has aRead More →

#78 Part 1 December 2018 The Discussion: Arthur Eddington, the Caldwell catalogue and a round-up of emails to the show. The News: Rounding up the space and astronomy news this month we have: Waiting for a Gamma Ray Burst Watching the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole feeding Finding a massive meteorite under 1km of ice in Greenland The discovery that the Milky Way has another satellite galaxy The Hyades is bigger than we thought – much bigger! Silica dust from supernovae discovered Main news story: The discovery of an exoplanet around Barnard’s Star just 6 light year away. The Sky Guide: Covering the solar systemRead More →

#77 Part 2 November 2018 The Discussion: Jeni talking exoplanets and aliens at Cardiff Museum and we take a no spoiler look at the Neil Armstrong biopic, First Man. The News: Rounding up the space and astronomy news this month we have: Commercial spaceflight update New Zealand’s Rocket Lab build a new launch site in the US The winners & losers in USAF’s launcher funding competition China’s Long March 5 rocket failure induces delays The death of the Kepler space telescope Russian Soyuz failures risk human access to space Hubble dead? Don’t believe the hype OSIRIS-Rex begins its final manoeuvres to land on an asteroidRead More →

http://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/6/b/8/8/6b8813e3f0b38255/awesome-astronomy-logo-itunes-01.jpgPodcast Extra: Libby Jackson – A Galaxy of Her OwnRalph, Paul & Jeni In this podcast extra episode we’re talking to Libby Jackson, physicist and engineer, who’s the Manager of Human Spaceflight and Microgravity at the UK Space Agency and was a European ISS flight controller and the spokesperson for Tim Peake’s spaceflight. • Being weightless • The value of space research to everyday life • Following your dreams • Her new book: A Galaxy of Her Own • Forgotten heroines of the world’s space programmes In this podcast extra episode we’re talking to Libby Jackson, physicist and engineer, who’s the Manager of Human SpaceflightRead More →

http://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/6/b/8/8/6b8813e3f0b38255/awesome-astronomy-logo-itunes-01.jpg#77 Part 1 November 2018Ralph, Paul & Jeni The Discussion: Jeni’s tells us about her gig at the Cardiff Book Talk and an upcoming talk at Usk Astronomical Society, Paul had a hairy moment giving a talk on the Herschels only to find their descendants in the room and we run through listeners’ emails The News: Rounding up the space and astronomy news this month we have: Low metallicity stars seem to harbour the rocky exoplanets A possible satellite galaxy to Mirach’s Ghost may have been discovered by amateur kit Aliens may not be green but purple A plume-like cloud of water ice over MarsRead More →

http://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/6/b/8/8/6b8813e3f0b38255/awesome-astronomy-logo-itunes-01.jpg#76 Part 2 October 2018Ralph, Paul & Jeni The Discussion: It’s almost Halloween and Jeni’s getting the knives out. Paul’s been recording astronomy voiceovers for the Discovery Channel, Jeni’s got the Cardiff BookTalk coming up and Ralph’s excited by the return of Doctor Who. The News: Rounding up the space exploration news this month we have: ESA tell us that radiation is too dangerous for a Mars voyage The new Nobel Prizes are announced It might be all over for both Kepler and Hubble The Case of the ISS Leak detective story Israel’s SpaceIL has an upcoming moonshot NASA are about to announce their plansRead More →

http://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/6/b/8/8/6b8813e3f0b38255/awesome-astronomy-logo-itunes-01.jpg#76 Part 1 October 2018Ralph, Paul & Jeni The Discussion: Paul has snubbed the show to do astronomy on TV so we’re keeping our spirits up with tales of AstroCamp and the inspirational Libby Jackson from the UK Space Agency. Jeni updates us with the progress of her PhD and invites you all along to her Q&A session at Cardiff Book Talk on 22nd October, before Ralph runs through listeners’ emails The News: With 3 minutes to round up the astronomy news stories you might have missed, we overshoot the time constraints by about 70%: Jeni: JAXA and NASA are exploring asteroids Jupiter’s magnetic fieldRead More →

http://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/6/b/8/8/6b8813e3f0b38255/awesome-astronomy-logo-itunes-01.jpg#75 Part 2 September 2018Ralph, Paul & Jeni The Discussion: Lt Col Dave from Florida gives us his more informed take on Space Force. The News: In the new revamped show format we have 3 minutes to round up the astronomy news stories you might have missed: Jeni: An incredible Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter image of Aristarchus Crater New life in the Kepler spacecraft Ralph: ESA’s Aeolus weather data spacecraft launches NASA’s OSIRIS-Rex spacecraft enters its science phase China’s Chang’e 4 lander headed for the far side of the moon The big news story: The Parker Solar Probe on its way to ‘touch the sun’ TheRead More →

http://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/6/b/8/8/6b8813e3f0b38255/awesome-astronomy-logo-itunes-01.jpgPodcast Extra: AstroCamp Autumn 2018Ralph, Paul & Jeni In this podcast extra episode, we go a step further than just talking about astronomy and look forward to a long weekend of practical astronomy.   This episode discusses the value of star parties and whets your apetite for Awesome Astronomy’s AstroCamp event in the Welsh Brecon Beacons International Dark Sky Reserve.   Come share the eyepiece with us, enjoy a talk from the UK Space Agency’s Libby Jackson and win some astronomy prizes! In this podcast extra episode, we go a step further than just talking about astronomy and look forward to a long weekend ofRead More →

http://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/6/b/8/8/6b8813e3f0b38255/awesome-astronomy-logo-itunes-01.jpg#75 Part 1 September 2018Ralph, Paul & Jeni The Discussion: Jeni returns after getting the flu, Paul’s science shows were a wash out at Camp Bestival and Ralph gets a great email about a telescope library service. The News: In the new revamped show format we have 3 minutes to round up the astronomy news stories you might have missed: Jeni: New Gaia data shows us the distance and shape of familiar objects like never before India’s Chandrayaan-1 finds water ice in the moon’s north and south pole craters The Andromeda Galaxy’s dwarf companion was canibalised by a galactic collision Ralph: An ultra-hot 4,000ºC exoplanetRead More →

http://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/6/b/8/8/6b8813e3f0b38255/awesome-astronomy-logo-itunes-01.jpgPodcast Extra: Chewin’ the fat with a Nobel LaureateRalph, Paul & Jeni In this podcast extra episode, Jeni teams up with our good friend Dr Chris North from the Pythagoras Trousers podcast to speak to Caltech’s Linde Professor of Physics and Nobel Laureate Barry Barish. In this interview we discuss: The early days of experimental particle physics Building the advances in technologies for today’s experiments and detectors The fear of failure creating resistance to building LIGO Wanting to collect direct detections of signals from the Big Bang The first detection of gravitational waves The pomp, circumstance & minutiae of a Nobel Prize award Post NobelRead More →

http://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/6/b/8/8/6b8813e3f0b38255/awesome-astronomy-logo-itunes-01.jpgAwesome Astronomy #74 – August 2018Ralph, Paul & Jeni The Discussion: Jeni cares so little for our listeners that she didn’t even bother to show up this month (except for the interview section) and with no discipline Paul’s defacing valuable space artefacts and the emails to the show take a plunge south. The News: The news section gets a revamp with a quick round up of the space exploration and astronomy news, covering: The United Kingdom’s new spaceports Japan’s Hayabusa 2 mission to return asteroid samples New optics on ESO’s Very Large Telescope 10 more moons discovered on Jupiter and volcanoes on Io The latestRead More →

http://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/6/b/8/8/6b8813e3f0b38255/awesome-astronomy-logo-itunes-01.jpgAwesome Astronomy’s August Sky GuideRalph, Paul & Jeni What to look out, and up, for in August. With no Jeni this month, Ralph & Paul pick their highlights for this month’s skies; starting with the solar system objects on offer to observers and imagers: Mars just past opposition as impressive as last month A round up of the other planets on view The Perseid Meteor Shower peaking on 12/13th August Next up, we take a deep sky pick from our list of favourites for this time of year: Open clusters Messier 11 & Messier 26 in Scutum Globular cluster NGC6712 & planetary nebula IC1295 in Scutum Peculiar galaxyRead More →

http://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/6/b/8/8/6b8813e3f0b38255/awesome-astronomy-logo-itunes-01.jpgPodcast Extra: Space ForceRalph, Paul & Jeni In this podcast extra episode, there was only one thing playing on all our minds – Space Force. What is it? Why is it? What will it look like? Just like us, I’m sure you’ll be none the wiser after this in-depth look into: President Trump’s plan to create the US Space Force The lesser known Welsh Force The International Space Treaty A few diversions into the future of aircraft technology In this podcast extra episode, there was only one thing playing on all our minds – Space Force. What is it? Why is it? What will itRead More →