#66 - December 2017
AWESOME ASTRONOMY1 Joulu 2017

#66 - December 2017

The Discussion: Jeni gets her name in lights – well, bold print, as she contributes (what else but graphs) to a published research paper and Ralph takes a look at Ben Cacase's very own new asterism in the heart of Auriga and reads a defiant message from Michelle of 'ze resistonce'.

The News: It's a very rocky month as we round up the following space and astronomy news stories:

  • Earth's moon had an atmosphere thicker than Mars' for more than 70 million years
  • Observations suggest Proxima Centauri has a Kuiper Belt and maybe a Oort Cloud
  • A sci-fi like asteroid from another star system is now passing through the inner solar system

Hat of Woo/Astronomy Concept mash-up: This month Paul's festering Hat of Woo is a little less fetid as we discuss a plausible but untested concept that has just a faint whiff of woo about it. This month we look at The Nemesis 'Theory' which suggests the sun has a brown dwarf companion which causes periodic extinction events – and, of course, we're long overdue an extinction and NASA are covering it all up!!!

Q&A: Listeners' questions via email, Facebook & Twitter take us on a journey into the astronomy issues that have always plagued our understanding or stretched our credulity. This month we're tackling a question about meteor showers and how we calculate their orbits:

I was wondering if all known meteor showers are definitely associated with a comet? Also, how do astronomers determine the orbit of a comet using just a few locations on the sky? Ben Cacase, Manhattan, New York via email

Jaksot(363)

Vera Rubin, Welsh Satellites and LIGO disaster

Vera Rubin, Welsh Satellites and LIGO disaster

A bumper episode or is that a Jumper episode if Jeni has her way. Paul has new scope and Jeni has been seeing the Sun. We have terrible news from LIGO, the end of Milkomeda, Light pollution paradox, V...

1 Heinä 20251h 32min

Lancing Galaxies and Angry Emails

Lancing Galaxies and Angry Emails

This month we have Galactic sized lancing battles, Jupiter twice its size, Wales entering the space race and we have emails! Oh we have emails!

4 Kesä 20251h 11min

Lancing Galaxies and Angry Emails

Lancing Galaxies and Angry Emails

This month we have Galactic sized lancing battles, Jupiter twice its size, Wales entering the space race and we have emails! Oh we have emails!

4 Kesä 20251h 11min

Lancing Galaxies and Angry Emails

Lancing Galaxies and Angry Emails

This month we have Galactic sized lancing battles, Jupiter twice its size, Wales entering the space race and we have emails! Oh we have emails!

1 Kesä 20251h 11min

AstroCamp Spring 2025!

AstroCamp Spring 2025!

We come at you with all the fun of AstroCamp in Welsh Wales. Chat, debate and birdsong! Produced by Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin

7 Touko 20251h 22min

Has NASA been Trumped?

Has NASA been Trumped?

We try to keep it upbeat this month with tales of blackholes, definitions of moons, and solar system science but unfortunately the fate of NASA and American science currently hangs in the balance... P...

1 Huhti 20251h 10min

Paranal Problems: Light Pollution at the VLT

Paranal Problems: Light Pollution at the VLT

It looks as though the European Southern Observatory is caught in an American light pollution pincer...starlink above and now the threat of an American industrial complex as a neighbour. Is this the e...

2 Maalis 20251h 6min

Asteroid Doom and Gaia Gloom

Asteroid Doom and Gaia Gloom

The world veers towards madness, asteroids threaten destruction and Gaia is no more. But the planets are putting on a show and Pluto is 95, so that's alright... Produced by Ralph, Paul, Jen, John, Dam...

11 Helmi 202558min

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