Astronomy Cast
Astronomy Cast Ep. 384: Escaping Probes
The gravity of the Earth is a tough thing to escape, but breaking free from the gravity of the Sun…
Astronomy Cast Ep. 383: Approaches to Absolute Zero
The coldest possible theoretical temperature is Absolute Zero, this is the point at which no further energy can be extracted…
Astronomy Cast Ep. 382: Degenerate Matter
In some of the most extreme objects in the Universe, white dwarfs and neutron stars, matter gets strange, transforming into…
Astronomy Cast Ep. 381: Hollowing Asteroids in Science and Fiction
When we finally make the jump to fully colonizing the Solar System, we're going to want to use asteroids as…
Astronomy Cast Ep. 380: The Limits of Optics
Astronomers rely on the optics of their instruments, and there are some basic limits that you just can't avoid. Whatever…
Astronomy Cast Ep. 379: Fermi’s Atom Splitting
When he wasn't puzzling the mystery of alien civilizations, Enrico Fermi was splitting atoms. He realized that when atoms were…
Astronomy Cast Ep. 378: Rutherford and Atoms
Physicists knew the interior of the atom contained protons, neutrons and electrons, but they didn't understand exactly how they were…
Astronomy Cast Ep. 377: Thomson Finds the Electron
At the end of the 19th century, physicists were finally beginning to understand the nature of matter itself, including the…
Astronomy Cast Ep. 376: The Miller-Urey Experiment
Evolution explains how life adapts and evolves over eons. But how did life originate? Chemists Miller and Urey put the…
Astronomy Cast Ep. 375: The Search For Life in the Solar System
With the discovery of water ice in so many locations in the Solar System, scientists are hopeful in the search…