AWESOMEASTRO (Page 9)

#87 – September 2019 Part 2 The Discussion: Nuking hurricanes and the lessons of Chernobyl.   The News: Rounding up the space exploration news this month we have: A new adaptor on the ISS making two emergency exits Russia sends a gunslinging robot into space (no, really!) ESA’s ExoMars mission is in hot water again NASA’s Europa Clipper on track to meet its mid-2020s launch window The companies being funded to develop tech for NASA’s moonshot Ramping up of commercial assistance to Project Artemis Main news stories: A NASA astronaut accused of a crime in space, issues of jurisdiction and what happens to sock dustRead More →

#87 – September 2019 Part 1 The Discussion: A good old British whinge about the weather and looking forward to our biannual dark sky star party, AstoCamp.   The News: Rounding up the astronomy news this month we have: An experiment in an underground lab in London to understand dark energy Eight new repeating fast radio burst source Help us come up with a cooler name than a pair-instability supernova The late accretion phase of the formation of the solar system The discovery of interstellar radioactive iron in the Antarctica Spitzer reveals surprising exoplanetary details. A new exoplanet discovery of three rocky worlds in theRead More →

#86 – August 2019 Part 2 The Discussion: Following on from last month’s 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, we take a look at the recent movies and documentaries & social media: High Life, 8 Days to the Moon and Back, Apollo 50th, ApolloinRealTime.org. The ongoing inspiration of Apollo, the build-up of Project Artemis, saying farewell to Flight Director Chris Kraft and Mandla Maseko, and an email from our good friend Lee Stevens.     The News: Rounding up the space exploration news this month we have: Japan’s Hyabusa 2 mission to return asteroid samples to Earth Toyota and JAXA prototype a pressurized lunarRead More →

#86 – August 2019 Part 1 The Discussion: Space education at science fairs, sweating in space suits, the public attitude towards space exploration while there are so many relevant shows on TV. A correction from a listener and a lesson in Dutch.   The News: Rounding up the astronomy news this month we have: A young stellar system showing us moons being formed around exoplanets Pinpointing a Fast Radio Burst to understand what it actually is An update on the Hubble Constant Neptune-like exoplanets How do stars merge in a stable manner? A planetary nebula formed from a star in that missing 3-8 solar masses.Read More →

The Hubble Tuning Fork and Citizen Science In this podcast extra episode we talk to Karen Masters, Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Haverford College, Pennsylvania about The Hubble Tuning Fork and Galaxy classification. But it’s not only about that canonised galaxy classification system; it’s also about how citizen science, astronomy done by absolutely anybody from their homes, can and do change the accepted wisdom and advance science. Awesome Astronomy Go to SourceRead More →

#85 – July 2019 Part 2 The Discussion: An Apollo-fact filled episode to commemorate the 50th anniversary of humanity venturing onto the surface of another body. Paul works on an Oscar performance; we congratulate Jess Wade on receiving a BEM award and we take a look at the latest movie to lionise the efforts of Apollo 11. The News: Rounding up the space exploration news this month we have: NASA plan to open up the International Space Station to commercial uses & ownership NASA fund two concepts to explore moon craters and asteroids ESA’s Trace Gas Orbiter kills the excitement over methane on Mars. NASA’sRead More →

#85 – July 2019 Part 1 The Discussion: Paul pulls a drowning child out of a river and we discuss the BBC’s current astronomy-themed TV programme, The Planets. A drunken and sarcastic Jen is a good Jen and a rather pleasant surprise from listener Lee Stevens   The News: Rounding up the astronomy news this month we have: Taking Spitzer out “like a dog on the moor with a shotgun” The International Astronomical Union launches a competition to name an exoplanet in each of the countries it operates, at nameexoworlds.iau.org The chances of exoplanet habitability may be lower than thought. Two exoplanet discoveries with veryRead More →

#84 – June 2019 Part 2 The Discussion: The privations of a PhD student, listeners’ comments sparking a couple of corrections from the last episode, another bout of potaytoes/potartoes and we hear that new revelations about space mirrors cult sci-fi.   The News: Rounding up the space exploration news this month we have: Damage to cartilage from microgravity The big debate in space exploration appears to be ‘is Daniella Westbrook the ideal astronaut experiment’? ESA’s Trace Gas Orbiter kills the excitement over methane on Mars. NASA asks for an additional $1.6Bn for getting astronauts to Mars by 2024 NASA will be sending a woman toRead More →

#84 – June 2019 Part 1 The Discussion: Pint of Science in Cardiff targets canines, Ralph makes a schoolboy error while in Florida and we all eagerly await the publication of a research paper by Jen. The News: Rounding up the astronomy news this month we have: More disturbing news about the climate on Earth-analogue, Venus TESS discovers a planetary system around a visual binary star in Fornax. The Andromeda & Triangulum galaxies are hiding quasars New research shows the mechanism by how Pluto could harbour oceans A better understanding of past ice ages on Mars More ridiculous ways to not find dark matter TheRead More →

#82 – April 2019 Part 1 The Discussion: A bumper episode beginning with the April stargazing extravaganza run by the Awesome Astronomy team on 27th – 30th April, a reminder to email us with your best space missions of the last 62 years, a stroll down Rocketry Lane, come along to hear Jeni talk at A Pint of Science on 20-22nd May at Beelzebub’s in Cardiff, and listeners’ emails (including how you amateurs can participate in occultation observation science). The News: Rounding up the astronomy news this month we have: Did Jupiter’s orbit move 2½ billion miles closer to Earth in the early solar system?Read More →

#82 – April 2019 Part 2 The Discussion: Hear Jen’s talk at Pint of Science on 20-22nd May in Cardiff, less than salubrious travel arrangements for science talks, a listener’s email from the Australian Tourist Board and keep sending us your suggestion for the best historic space mission. The News: Rounding up the space exploration news this month we have: India creates a new constellation in the sky A new NASA asteroid mission in the planning Plumes of material ejecting from asteroid Bennu ESA’s next exoplanet space telescope is ‘go’. Awaiting Beresheet’s impact on the moon A permanent monument to humanity long after we’ve goneRead More →

#83 – May 2019 Part 1 U: Recording from the Mars/Earth-analogue biome cottage at the AstroCamp starparty in the Welsh Brecon Beacons, we start off by discussing stargazing during a hurricane(!) and get ready for Jeni’s Pint of Science events this month. The News: Rounding up the astronomy news this month we have: The rate of the universe’s expansion is 9% greater than we thought? Greater understanding about the lakes of methane on Saturn’s moon Titan. LIGO gets its jiggy on; giving us gravitational wave detections EVERY week! The value of occultations to modern astronomy A possible discovery of an exocomet! And a round upRead More →

#83 – May 2019 Part 2 The Discussion: Your last chance to get tickets to join Jen’s at Pint of Science on 20-22nd May in Cardiff, a couple of corrections for the last episode, listeners’ comments about our Moon 2024 musings and a listener’s email takes us into classic 50s sci-fi territory. The News: Rounding up the space exploration news this month we have: NASA’s new robot assistants and ‘Astrobees’ on the International Space Station Portugal launches its national space agency in the Azores and plans an environmentally friendly rocket Arianespace are to launch 42 satellites on a single rocket NASA Administrator misses his AprilRead More →

#81 – March 2019 Part 1 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 →

#81 – March 2019 Part 2 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 →

#80 – February 2019 Part 1 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 →

#80 – February 2019 Part 2 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 toRead More →

#79 – January 2019 Part 2 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 spaceRead More →

#84 Part 1 June 2019 The Discussion: Pint of Science in Cardiff targets canines, Ralph makes a schoolboy error while in Florida and we all eagerly await the publication of a research paper by Jen.   The News: Rounding up the astronomy news this month we have: More disturbing news about the climate on Earth-analogue, Venus TESS discovers a planetary system around a visual binary star in Fornax. The Andromeda & Triangulum galaxies are hiding quasars New research shows the mechanism by how Pluto could harbour oceans A better understanding of past ice ages on Mars More ridiculous ways to not find dark matter TheRead More →

#83 Part 2 May 2019 The Discussion: Your last chance to get tickets to join Jen’s at Pint of Science on 20-22nd May in Cardiff, a couple of corrections for the last episode, listeners’ comments about our Moon 2024 musings and a listener’s email takes us into classic 50s sci-fi territory.   The News: Rounding up the space exploration news this month we have: NASA’s new robot assistants and ‘Astrobees’ on the International Space Station Portugal launches its national space agency in the Azores and plans an environmentally friendly rocket Arianespace are to launch 42 satellites on a single rocket NASA Administrator misses his AprilRead More →