Podcast: The Moon, Part 2 – Exploration of the Moon

Astronauts on the Moon. Image credit: NASA

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Let’s continue on our journey to the Moon. Last week we talked about the physical characteristics of the Moon, its appearance in the sky and how it interacts with the Earth. This week we’re going to take a look at how scientists have expanded our understanding of the Moon. From ancient astronomers using nothing more than their eyes and the first telescope observations of Galileo to the exploration by robotic spacecraft. And of course, the first tentative steps by the human explorers of the Apollo program.

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The Moon, Part 2 – Transcript and show notes.

Podcast: Ice in Space, Expansion of the Universe, and Death from the Skies

Saturn's moon Iapetus. Image credit: NASA/JPL/SSI

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Another week, another batch of questions. If ice disappears in your freezer, how can it last in space? How can the Universe be expanding faster than the speed of light? And what is the risk from a coronal mass ejection in an airplane? All this and even more questions. If you’ve got a question for the Astronomy Cast team, please email it in to [email protected] and we’ll try to tackle it for a future show. Please include your location and a way to pronounce your name.

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Ice in Space, Expansion of the Universe, and Death from the Skies – Transcript and show notes.

Podcast: The Moon, Part 1

Chandrayaan-1's first picture of the moon. Credit: ISRO

Hey, here’s a topic we haven’t really gotten around to yet… the Moon. Today we look at our closest astronomical companion: the Moon. What impact does the Moon have on our lives, where did it come from, who walked on it, and are we ever going to walk on it again? We’re going to learn about the phases, the tides, and even a little bit about NASA’s plans to send humans back to the Moon.

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The Moon, Part 1 – Transcript and show notes.

Podcast: Orbit of the Planets, Green Stars, and Oort Cloud Contamination

Orbit of Earth and Mars

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We’re back to a themeless questions show. We’re right across the Universe this time. Why are the planets lined up in a nice flat plane? Why are there no greenstars? And is the Oort Cloud contaminating our understanding of the cosmic microwave background radiation? If you’ve got a question for the Astronomy Cast team, please email it in to [email protected] and we’ll try to tackle it for a future show. Please include your location and a way to pronounce your name.

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Orbit of the Planets, Green Stars, and Oort Cloud Contamination – Transcript and show notes.

Podcast: Death From the Skies, Interview with Phil Plait

Death From the Skies

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We say it all the time here on Astronomy Cast: the Universe is trying to kill us. This week, Pamela is joined by Dr. Phil Plait to discuss his new book, Death from the Skies. Phil and Pamela talk about asteroid strikes, solar flares and gamma ray bursts.

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Death From the Skies, Interview with Phil Plait – Transcript and show notes.

Podcast: Relativity, Relativity and More Relativity

Artist's impression of gravitational waves. Image credit: NASA

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Everyone loves a theme. And this week we’ve collected together some of your questions about relativity. More light speed spacecraft, twin paradoxes, and the mixing up of gravity, time and mass. If you’ve got a question for the Astronomy Cast team, please email it in to [email protected] and we’ll try to tackle it for a future show. Please include your location and a way to pronounce your name.

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Relativity, Relativity and More Relativity – Transcript and show notes.

Podcast: Nebulae

Eagle Nebula. Image credit: Hubble

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When you think about the best pictures in astronomy, almost every one is a nebula; the pillars of creation in the Eagle Nebula, or the complex Helix Nebula – or my personal favorite, the Ring Nebula. They’re beautiful, wispy clouds of gas and dust that signify both the birth and death of stars. Today we give tribute to nebulae.

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Nebulae – Transcript and show notes.

Podcast: Galactic Dust, the Speed of Photons, and the Big Bang Calculations

Galactic Dust. Image credit: Hubble

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Another week, another roundup of your questions. This week listeners asked: what is galactic dust anyway, and where does it come from? Why can photons move at the speed of light? And how can astronomers know what happened right after the Big Bang? And there’s even more. If you’ve got a question for the Astronomy Cast team, please email it in to [email protected] and we’ll try to tackle it for a future show. Please include your location and a way to pronounce your name.

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Galactic Dust, the Speed of Photons, and the Big Bang Calculations – Transcript and show notes.

Podcast: The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

Artist's impression of the Allen Array. Image credit: SETI Institute

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You know what this show needs? More aliens. Since we don’t seem to have any visiting right now, we’re going to have to find some. SETI is an acronym. It stands for the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. But there’s more to SETI than just putting up a radio telescope and hoping to catch a glimpse of an alien television broadcast.

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The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence – Transcript and show notes.

Podcast: Alignment with the Galactic Plane, Destruction from Venus, and the Death of the Solar System

Artist impression of a galaxy.

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Another week, another roundup of your questions. This week listeners asked: are we all going to die in 2012 when the solar system passes through the galactic plane? Did Venus make the Moon? And what will extraterrestrials see when the Sun is dead and gone? And there’s even more. If you’ve got a question for the Astronomy Cast team, please email it in to [email protected] and we’ll try to tackle it for a future show.

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Alignment with the Galactic Plane, Destruction from Venus, and the Death of the Solar System – Transcript and show notes.