#80 - February 2019 Part 1

The Discussion: Jeni’s off to La Palma to gather data on dust & gas in the Crab Nebula, did a meteor or two strike the moon during the January eclipse? And what do Europeans think (or know) about the European Space Agency? The News: Rounding up the space and astronomy news this month we have: More research suggesting there are no seasonal water flows on Mars Modelling the stellar wind at Barnard’s Star Can interstellar objects survive the journey? The unusual planetary system EPIC24924646 Lunar craters show Earth had a brief impact lull 650-300 million years ago The youthful nature of Saturn’s rings More research suggesting there may be no Planet 9 The Russian company planning to put billboards in space Main news story: CERN’s plans for the monster successor to the Large Hadron Collider and what the hell that has to do with astronomy The Sky Guide: Covering the solar system and deep sky objects on offer to amateur astronomers in February. Paul: Mercury at greatest eastern elongation, a conjunction of Uranus and Mars. Ralph: Asteroid 532 Herculina at opposition and a brand new(ly discovered) comet to view in telescopes Jen: Venus and Jupiter on show in the early morning and a conjunction of Saturn and Venus Main Deep Sky Object: Messier 1, the Crab Nebula 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 take a look at the bewildering array of theories for one of the greatest spectacles in the night sky: How did Saturn’s rings form? Scott Jorgensen, Michigan.