Fraser Cain
Universe Today
Dr. Pamela Gay
CosmoQuest
Our journey through space missions continues. Now we move away from the Earth to the rest of the solar system. What’s out there orbiting, roving and flying on other worlds and in interplanetary space. Today we look inward and we’ll talk about the missions studying the Sun, Mercury and Venus.
Last week, we brought you up to speed on the spacecraft which are helping to study Earth from above. Many of our missions are in Earth orbit but looking outward to study the Universe. Today, we’ll talk about the missions close to home, helping us understand our place in the cosmos.
It’s time for another series. This time we’re going to look at the missions that are currently in place across the Solar System. Today we’ll start with the key missions here on Earth, studying the planet from above and looking out into the Universe.
Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is one of its most iconic features, first seen hundreds of years ago. Although it’s certainly long-lasting, it’s been changing in size over the last few decades, shrinking and changing in color. Is it fading away? And what can the changes tell us about storms on giant planets?
Recent Episodes
Small changes can have a big impact. But can a butterfly's wing-beat in the Amazon really impact the weather halfway across the world? And where do small changes have no impact? We usually record Astronomy Cast every Friday at 1:30 pm Pacific / 4:30 pm Eastern / 21:30...
Once again, science fiction television and movies has let you down. They try to recreate what it might be like on an alien world, but surprise surprise, they mostly get it wrong. That's because a truly alien world would be different in so many ways, it would blow your...
Mars is a world of extremes. This unassuming red world is home to the largest and tallest volcanoes in the entire Solar System. In fact, it's not even a close contest, with Olympus Mons rising 22 km above the surrounding plains, more than twice as tall as Mount...
Today, Mars is a desolate wasteland, with dusty red rocks and sand stretching out to the horizon. But billions of years ago, it was a vastly different world. It was blue, with oceans, rivers, lakes, and maybe life? Let's tell the story of geology on Mars, and we got...
We're fitting in one more episode this week, before Fraser heads off to Costa Rica for a week. Our next episode will record on Dec. 23, 2016. Enceladus and Europa are all the rage these days, but classic Mars is still a great place to search for life. In fact, ESA's...
Join us as we try to finish the interrupted episode Coming Home from Mars! Landing on the surface of Mars is very difficult. In fact, it's probably the toughest planet to land on in the whole Solar System. Today we'll talk about what it's going to take to get to and...
Hey folks, just letting you know that due to Fraser being at conference this week, we won't be recording an Astronomy Cast any time. Unfortunately, our last show was interrupted by a power outage, and we'll try to get back together to finish that one on Monday, 12/5....
Note - This episode was interrupted due to a power outage on Fraser's end. They'll reschedule to finish episode on 12/5 (most likely - Fraser is traveling this week!), and we'll put the pieces together when we have them and release as audio podcast! Landing on the...
When Elon Musk announced plans to send humans to Mars, he conveniently left out one important aspect. How are we supposed to survive on a place this hostile to life? Seriously, Mars sucks, and it's going to take some impressive techniques and technologies to make it...
We begin a miniseries on Mars. How many episodes will we do? Who knows? But we start today with a discussion of the two Mars moons, Phobos and Deimos. We usually record Astronomy Cast every Friday at 1:30 pm Pacific / 4:30 pm Eastern / 8:30 PM UTC (20:30 GMT). You can...
Did you hear that Dark Energy doesn't exist any more? Neither does Dark Matter? It turns out that NASA recalculated the Zodiac and now you're an Ophiuchan! Science is hard enough, but communicating that science out to the public when there are publications hungry for...
I hate to tell you this, but that meat computer in your skull is constantly betraying you. Don't worry, we've all got the same, but fortunately, scientists have learned how this happens, and can help us make sure our science, and lives don't suffer because of it. We...
Have you ever noticed spacecraft missions have some pretty cool names? How does anyone decide what to call these things? We usually record Astronomy Cast every Friday at 1:30 pm Pacific / 4:30 pm Eastern / 8:30 PM UTC (20:30 GMT). You can watch us live on...
It turns out that nature figured out how to use electricity long before humans did. Lightning storms are common across the Earth, and even the Solar System. What causes this electricity in the sky, and how can science use it? We usually record Astronomy Cast every...
As Hurricane Matthew reminded us, cyclonic storms are a force to be reckoned with. What causes these storms, and how can they form across the Solar System. We usually record Astronomy Cast every Friday at 1:30 pm Pacific / 4:30 pm Eastern / 8:30 PM UTC (20:30 GMT)....
So if you've been to Yellowstone National Park, you've seen one of the most amazing features of the natural world - geysers. In today's episode, we're going to talk about geysers on Earth, and where they might be in the solar system. We usually record Astronomy Cast...
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...
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....
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 |...
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...