Our series on Universe weirdness marches on. This week we take a look at the habitable zone, and how things aren’t as simple as we thought.
Ep. 542: Weird Issues: The Age of the Universe
Our series on Universe weirdness continues, this time we learn how astronomers are struggling to make sense of the age of the Universe.
Ep. 541: Weird Issues: The Expansion Rate of the Universe
Just when the Universe was starting to make sense, the cosmos throws a curveball at us. Astronomers have been trying to accurately measure the expansion rate of the Universe as far back as Hubble. It’s been tough to nail down, and now astronomers are starting to figure out why.
Ep. 540: Weird Issues: How Do (or Don’t) Planets Form?
As astronomers started to discover planets orbiting other stars, they immediately realized that their expectations would need to be tossed out. Hot jupiters? Pulsars with planets? We’re now decades into this task, and the Universe is continuing to surprise us.
Ep. 539: Weird Issues: Why We Don’t Know the Age of Saturn’s Rings
How old are Saturn’s rings? They could be brand new, or they could be as ancient as the Solar System itself. Planetary scientists thought they knew the answer thanks to new data from Cassini, but new ideas are calling even that into question.
Ep. 538: Asteroids: Rubble piles of the Solar System
Thanks to all the work from Hayabusa 2 and OSIRIS-REx, astronomers are getting a much better look at the smaller asteroids in the Solar System. It turns out, they’re piles of rubble… but fascinating piles of rubble. Let’s talk about what we’ve learned so far.
Ep. 537: Reusable Rocket Revolution
We took a hiatus this summer, but SpaceX sure didn’t, with the tests of the Starhopper prototype. Today we’re going to talk about the revolution in reusable rocketry and quest to build a fully reusable two-stage rocket.
Astronomy Cast: On Hiatus until September 2019
Astronomy Cast will be on hiatus for July and August. Don't worry, we'll be back in September, and we might just have surprises for you all along this summer! Don't forget you can still catch Pamela with Daily Space, rocket launches and specials on CosmoQuest's Twitch...
Ep. 536: Everyday Relativity
Relativity is used in more day to day situations than you may realize. In this episode, we will count (some of) the ways. This episode is brought to you live from the All-Stars Star Party in Indian Wells, California.
Ep. 535: Astronomy-Related Things To Do This Summer
It's summertime, and time for our annual Astronomy Cast hiatus. But that doesn't mean that the astronomy adventure has to end. Today we'll give you some tips and tricks for astronomy summer adventures. In this episode we mentioned donations and tours. Click to learn...
Ep. 534: Modern South African Astronomy
Last week we talked about some ancient south African astronomy, so this week we'll talk about the state of modern astronomy in the southern part of Africa, which happens to be a great place with nice dark skies and a great view into the heart of the galaxy. In this...
Ep. 533: Indigenous South African Astronomy
Let's move to another continent this week, and look at the astronomy that was going on in southern Africa in ancient times. In this episode we mentioned donations and tours. Click to learn more! Download MP3| Download Raw Show with Q&A| Show Notes | Jump to...
Ep. 532: Modern Astronomy of Australia
Last week we talked about how well the indigenous Australians followed the night sky. Well, it turns out, Australia is still an amazing place for astronomy. There are so many powerful observatories in Australia, and even more in the works. In this episode we mentioned...
Ep. 531: Australian Indigenous Astronomy
This week, we focus on the archaeoastronomy of another part of the world, this time from the indigenous people of Australia. Another group of people whose lives depended on knowing what was happening in the sky from season to season. In this episode we mentioned...
Ep. 530: Astronomy of the Andes – Then and Now Pt. 2
South America, especially the Atacama Desert in Chile has become one of the best places in the world to put a telescope. It's dry, high, and the nights are clear. Today we'll talk about the monster telescopes already in operation in this region, and the big ones...
Ep. 529: Astronomy of the Andes – Then and Now Pt. 1
The Andes mountains in South America are a hotspot of astronomy today, but ancient peoples knew it was a great place for astronomy and lived their lives in tune with the night sky. Today we'll learn all about what they knew, and how they mapped the movements of the...
Ep. 528: Modern Astronomy of the American Southwest
Last week we talked about the ancient astronomy of the American Southwest. But this is actually Pamela’s stomping grounds, and she’s spent many a night perched atop mountains in this region staring in the night sky with gigantic telescopes. How does astronomy get done in this region today?
Ep. 527: Ancient Astronomy of the American Southwest
Ancient peoples had no light pollution, and they knew the night skies very well. In fact, they depends on them to know when to plant and when to harvest. Today Pamela talks about the archeoastronomical sites of the American Southwest. In this episode we mentioned...
Ep. 526: Event Horizon Telescope and the Black Hole at M87
Today, of course, we’re going to talk about the announcement from the Event Horizon Telescope and the first photograph of a black hole’s event horizon.
Ep. 525: 100 Years of the International Astronomical Union
Even though they might be scattered around our planet, astronomers have way to come together to work out issues that face their entire field of study. It’s called the International Astronomical Union, and they’re the ones who work out the new names for stars, and sometimes de-planet beloved Kuiper Belt Objects.
Ep. 524: Judging Age & Origins, part 3 – Beyond Our System
We learned how to figure out the ages of objects in the Solar System, now we push out into the deeper Universe. What about stars, galaxies, and even the Universe itself? How old is it?
Ep. 523: Judging Age & Origins, Pt. 2 Across the Solar System
Today we push our aging curiosity out into the Solar System to ask that simple question: how old is it and how do we know? What techniques do astronomers use to age various objects and regions in the Solar System?
Bonus Episode: Dust with Dr. Paul Sutter
Recorded during the Astrotour to Costa Rica, Fraser talks to Dr. Paul Matt Sutter about the nature of dust and BICEP 2’s claim of discovering primordial gravitational waves.
Ep. 522: Judging Age & Origins, part 1 – Earth Rocks
People always want to know how old everything is. And more specifically, they want to know how we know how old everything is. Well, here at Astronomy Cast, it’s our job to tell you now only what we know, but how we know what we know. And today we’ll begin a series on how we know how old everything is.
Ep. 521: The Deep Space Network
We always focus on the missions, but there’s an important glue that holds the whole system together. The Deep Space Network. Today we’re going to talk about how this system works and how it communicates with all the spacecraft out there in the Solar System.