Have you ever noticed that significant space and astronomy events seem to happen during holidays? It’s not a coincidence, there’s actually a reason why. Today we’ll talk about some of the key events that happened during holidays.
Our Hosts
Fraser Cain
Universe Today
Dr. Pamela Gay
CosmoQuest
Production by
- Richard Drumm, Audio Engineer
- Ally Pelphrey, Video Engineer
17 Seasons
700+ Episodes
Ep. 648: Summer Observing
Summer is officially, astronomically here. And for folks in the Northern Hemisphere, that means it’s the perfect time to head outside and see what’s happening in the sky. Today we’ll give you a good list of things to keep an eye out for, with or without a telescope.
Ep. 647: Best Sci-Fi Beach Reading
Summer is here and that means finally tackling your huge list of books piled up on your bedside table and filling up your Kindle. What books do we recommend for some fun reads?
Ep. 646: Long Term Future in Space
We always say that we’re living in golden age of space and astronomy, but it feels like things are just accelerating. What does the long-term future hold for our place in the Universe?
Recent Episodes
Ep. 362: Modern Women: Carolyn Porco
It hard to think of a more influential modern planetary scientist than Carolyn Porco, the leader of the imaging team for NASA's Cassini mission exploring Saturn. But before Cassini, Porco was involved in Voyager missions, and she'll be leading up the imaging team for...
Ep. 361: Modern Women: Maria Zuber
Maria Zuber is one of the hardest working scientists in planetary science, being a part of six different space missions to explore the Solar System. Currently, she's the lead investigator for NASA's GRAIL mission. Download the show [MP3] | Jump to Shownotes | Jump to...
Ep. 360: Modern Women: Jocelyn Bell Burnell
Jocelyn Bell Burnell is an Irish astronomer, best known for being part of the team that discovered pulsars, and the following controversy when she was excluded from the Nobel Prize winning team. Download the show [MP3] | Jump to Shownotes | Jump to Transcript This...
Ep. 359: Modern Women: Margaret Geller
Margaret Geller is best known for her work on the large scale structure of the Universe, helping us understand the large clusters, super clusters and cosmic filaments that matter clumps into. Download the show [MP3] | Jump to Shownotes | Jump to Transcript This...
Ep. 358: Modern Women: Sandra Faber
Our focus on female astronomers continues with Sandra Faber, and Professor of Astronomy at UC Santa Cruz. Faber was part of the team that turned up the Great Attractor, a mysterious mass hidden by the disk of the Milky Way. Download the show [MP3] | Jump to Shownotes...
Ep. 357: Modern Women: Vera Rubin
It's time for another series. This time we'll be talking about famous female astronomers. Starting with: Vera Rubin, who first identified the fact that galaxies rotate too quickly to hold themselves together, anticipating the discovery of dark matter. Download the...
Ep. 356: Rotational Inertia
An object at rest stays at rest, and object in motion tends to stay in motion. This is inertia, defined famously by Isaac Newton in his First Law of Motion. Download the show [MP3] | Jump to Shownotes | Jump to Transcript This episode is sponsored by: Swinburne...
Ep. 355: Maker Space: 3D Printing Exploration
Getting stuff into space is complicated and expensive. And what do you do when your fancy space gadget breaks. You print out a new one, of course, with your fancy space 3D printer. It turns out, space exploration is one of the best uses for this technology. Download...
Ep. 354: Comet Siding Spring vs. Mars
We were witness to a once in a million year event. A close approach of Comet Siding Spring to the Planet Mars. And fortunately, humanity had a fleet of spacecraft orbiting the Red Planet, ready to capture this monumental event in real time. What did we see? What will...
Ep. 353: Seasons on Saturn
You think we’re the only place that experiences seasons? Well, think again. Anything with a tilt enjoys the changing seasons, and that includes one of the most dramatic places in the Solar System: Saturn, with its rings and collection of moons. Download the show [MP3]...
Ep. 352: Water, Water Everywhere!
Where ever we find water on Earth we find life. And so, it makes sense to search throughout the Solar System to find water. Well, here's the crazy thing. We're finding water just about everywhere in the Solar System. This changes our whole concept of the habitable...
Special Episode: Live from DragonCon 2014!
Live from DragonCon 2014! Fraser and Pamela are joined by Les Johnson, Scott Edgington, Erin MacDonald, Roy Kilgard, and Fraser bombards all of these wonderful scientists with the hardest, most complicated questions he can come up with! Dr. Erin MacDonald holds a PhD...
Ep. 351: Asteroid Adventures
Astronomy Cast's 2014/15 season begins! With Rosetta's arrival at Comet 67/P, we're about to see a comet up close and personal. What will it take to explore, exploit and enjoy the asteroids and comets hurtling around our Solar System. And how does science fiction have...
Ep. 350: Space Ship One
SpaceShipOne is the spacecraft created by Scaled Composites to win the $10 million Ansari X-Prize in 2003. It was the first privately built spacecraft to reach 100 km in altitude, twice in two weeks, carrying the equivalent of 3 people. It's the prototype of the...
Ep. 349: Mercury 7 and How the US Picked the First Astronauts
Before the Apollo Program, there was the Gemini Program, and before Gemini came the Mercury Program. 7 elite astronauts chosen from a pool of military test pilots. How did NASA choose these original 7 men? Download the show [MP3] | Jump to Shownotes | Jump to...
Ep. 348: Places with Numbers: 2 Independence Sq (NASA HQ)
Although NASA is spread across the entire US, the headquarters is based right in Washington, DC. And the headquarters building is known as Two Independence Square. This is where past and future space policy for the agency was developed. Ep. 348: Places with Numbers: 2...
Ep. 347: Live from Balticon!
Live from BaltiCon with special guest, author P.G. Holyfield, talking about his projects. <Download the show [MP3] | Jump to Shownotes | Jump to Transcript> This episode is sponsored by: Swinburne Astronomy Online, 8th Light Show Notes UPDATE: Due to the...
Ep. 346: Numbered Places: Area 51
Who knows what mysteries lurk at the military's Area 51 complex in Nevada? Conspiracy theorists and UFO chasers think it's a big alien cover-up. But it's probably something more boring, like advanced military aircraft. Let's talk about what we know, and what we think...
Ep. 345: Numbered Places: Launch Complex 39
Almost every historic American launch occurred at one place in Cape Canaveral: Launch Complex 39. Good old LC39 was build for the Apollo spacecraft, and then modified for the Space Shuttle program. And now it's carrying on this tradition for upcoming SpaceX rockets....
Ep. 344: The Rings of Saturn
There's so much we know about Saturn's beautiful rings, and yet, there's so much we don't know. Morgan Rehnberg, a PhD student at the University of Colorado, Boulder and works with the Cassini mission. Morgan joins Fraser to talk about Saturn's amazing rings, and how...