Okay sci-fi writers, today we’re going to give you a guided tour of building planets. How they form, how they grow, and how things can go horribly horribly wrong.
Our Hosts
Fraser Cain
Universe Today
Dr. Pamela Gay
CosmoQuest
Production by
- Richard Drumm, Audio Engineer
- Ally Pelphrey, Video Engineer
18 Seasons
700+ Episodes
2018 Winner Parsec Award
Ep. 677: The Answer is Always Dust
Whenever astronomers discover something surprising, the answer often turns out to be dust. Dust obscuring our view, dust changing the polarity, dust warming things up, dust cooling things down. It’s always dust. Until it isn’t.
Ep. 676: Other Things with Rings
We’ve spent a lot of time gushing about Saturn’s rings, but there are other places with ring systems. And not just Jupiter and the ice giants, but asteroids, dwarf planets, centaurs and even exoplanets. Today we’ll gush about them.
Ep. 675: Exotic Forms of Ice
Ice is ice, right? You know, what you get when water freezes. Well, maybe here on Earth. But across the Universe, water can be squeezed together at different temperatures and pressures, leading to very different structures. Today we’ll talk about the different forms that ice can take.
Recent Episodes
Ep. 421: Space Games!
As you probably know, Fraser is an avid video gamer, especially if it has anything to do with space. Today we turn things around, as Fraser talks about the games he plays, and what he thinks you should be playing too. We usually record Astronomy Cast every Friday at...
Podcast Listeners – Please Help CosmoQuest!
As part of gathering information for our CosmoQuest NASA Grant fulfillment, we need to gather information from several groups. Podcast listeners are a major part of our audience, so if you listen to our show, please click this link and fill out this short survey....
Ep. 420: FIRE!
One of the most dangerous things that can happen inside a spacecraft is fire. Seriously, it's NASA's worst nightmare, and for good reason. Fire acts differently in space, and astronauts are always on alert. Here's why. Download the show [MP3] | Jump to Shownotes |...
Ep. 419: DragonCon 2016 Live – Rocket Girls
Welcome back to our new season of Astronomy Cast! This episode is a special live show that took place at DragonCon 2016 in Atlanta, GA. Pamela hosted a panel of amazing scientists and engineers who all happen to be women, and they discussed the unsung women of NASA...
New Season Coming September 12!
more soon
Ep. 418: Error 418 – I'm a Teapot!
One of the most familiar asterisms in the night sky is the Teapot, in Sagittarius. Today we're going to talk about that and have a bonus conversation about Bertrand Russell's Teapot Argument. Download the show [MP3] | Jump to Shownotes | Jump to Transcript This...
Ep. 417: Error 417 – Expectation Failed
In all fields of science, sometimes more is learned when you fail at what you're trying to do than when you succeed. So what new science discoveries have failed expectations given us in astronomy? Download the show [MP3] | Jump to Shownotes | Jump to Transcript This...
Ep. 416: Fireballs from the Sky!
Every now and then we look up and see bright fiery balls falling from the sky. Don't panic, these are just bolides. Sometimes they leave trails, sometimes they explode, and sometimes they survive all the way to the ground. Download the show [MP3] | Jump to Shownotes |...
Ep. 415: Temperature of the Universe
The temperature of the Universe can vary a dramatic amount from the hot cores of stars to the vast cold emptiness of deep space. What’s the temperature of the Universe now, and what will it be in the future? Download the show [MP3] | Jump to Shownotes | Jump to...
Ep. 414: Navigating Far
In our last episode, we talked about what it’ll take to navigate across the Solar System. In this episode we scale things up and speculate how future civilizations will navigate to other stars and even other galaxies. Download the show [MP3] | Jump to Shownotes | Jump...
Ep. 413: Navigating Near
It’s hard enough finding your way around planet Earth, but what do you do when you’re trying to find your way around the Solar System? Today we’ll talk about how spacecraft navigate from world to world. Download the show [MP3] | Jump to Shownotes | Jump to Transcript...
Ep. 412: The Color of the Universe
What color is the Universe? Turns out this isn’t a simple question, and one that scientists have really been unable to answer, until now! Download the show [MP3] | Jump to Shownotes | Jump to Transcript This episode is sponsored by: Swinburne Astronomy Online, 8th...
Ep. 411: Science of Sunset Colors
We all enjoy beautiful, multicolored sunsets. But what causes the brilliant oranges, pinks and purples that we see, and why does it change from day to day and season to season? Download the show [MP3] | Jump to Shownotes | Jump to Transcript This episode is sponsored...
Ep. 410: Planet 9 Facts and Fiction
The discovery of Planet 9 has caused a wonderful, confusing uproar and a flood of misinformation in the news and social media. We'll sort out what we actually know, what things just aren't true, and what things might be possible! Download the show [MP3] | Jump to...
Ep. 409: Spin in the Solar System
The Solar System is a spinny place. Everything’s turning turning. But if you look closely, there are some pretty strange spins going on. Today we talk about how everything started turning, and the factors that still “impact” them today. Download the show [MP3] | Jump...
Ep. 408: Universe Cannibalism
We’ve talked about stellar cannibalism and galactic cannibalism, but now it’s time to take this concept to its logical extreme – universe cannibalism. In the multiverse theory of physics we live in just one of a vast range of universes which might interact with each...
Ep. 407: Galactic Cannibalism
Remember when we told you that the Universe is a big place, and anything that can go wrong, inevitably does? Today we talk about what happens when galaxies come together. This is particularly pertinent because our Milky Way will collide with Andromeda in the future!...
Ep. 406: Stellar Cannibalism
Most of the time stars hang around for billions of years. But the Universe is a big place, and anything that can go wrong, inevitably does. Today we talk about what happens when these stars come together. The outcome is violent, and fortunately for you, also...
Ep. 405: Method Not Found
Last week we talked about knowledge, what we do and don’t know. This week we talk about questions which are impossible to ask, where the answers don’t actually exist. Download the show [MP3] | Jump to Shownotes | Jump to Transcript This episode is sponsored by: ...
Ep. 404: The Difference Between: Can’t Know, Don’t Know, & Just Awaiting Better Tech
There the things we know, the things we don’t know, and the things we can’t know. How do we know which one is when when we’re deciding to fund research and direct our scientific inquiry. Download the show [MP3] | Jump to Shownotes | Jump to Transcript This episode is...