Astronomy Cast

Ep. 643: Sagittarius A* May 17, 2022

Astronomy Cast Ep. 643: Sagittarius A* by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay All the waiting is over, we've finally seen the image of the event horizon from the supermassive black hole at the heart of the Milky Way. Different shaped blobs! And a black circle in the middle. What are we looking at? Today we're going to explain the picture, and what's next for the Event Horizon Telescope.

Ep. 642: Is the Sun... Normal? May 16, 2022

Astronomy Cast Ep. 642: Is the Sun... Normal? by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay We've always assumed that we lived in a perfectly normal star system with a normal star and normal planets. It's all... normal. But with our modern understanding of billions of stars, just how normal is our Sun, anyway?

Ep. 641: Can Planets Be Alive? May 09, 2022

Astronomy Cast Ep. 641: Can Planets Be Alive? by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay The Earth is teeming with life, but the upper atmosphere to kilometers underground. There's no question that our planet has life. But is our planet itself alive? This is a question posed back in the 1970s as the Gaia hypothesis, and it got its share of criticism. Some new ideas have been proposed to bring this hypothesis to the modern era as we search for exoplanets.

Ep. 640: Survey Science: Newest Projects & Results May 02, 2022

Astronomy Cast Ep. 640: Survey Science: Newest Projects & Results by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay There are general-purpose telescopes and missions that astronomers can use to study specific objects. And there are the survey missions that look at the entire sky, which astronomers can use to answer questions about the Universe. We've talked about surveys in the past, but the landscape is changing quickly so it's time for an update.

Ep. 639: Big Qs Update: Dark Matter, Dark Energy, Etc. Apr 18, 2022

Astronomy Cast Ep. 639: Big Qs Update: Dark Matter, Dark Energy, Etc. by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Knowledge moves forward, and so, we must move with it. Today we'll give you an update on some of the most fascinating, fast-changing topics in astronomy, astrophysics and cosmology.

Ep. 638: Simulating Space Missions Apr 11, 2022

Astronomy Cast Ep. 638: Simulating Space Missions by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Although humans have never actually been to Mars, explorers have simulated many aspects of Mars missions here on Earth. There are missions under the ocean, on the tops of volcanoes, in the harsh Canadian north, and even in bed that simulate the limitations of spaceflight, and teach us many of the lessons to prepare us for the real thing

Ep. 637: Machine Learning in Astronomy Apr 04, 2022

Astronomy Cast Ep. 637: Machine Learning in Astronomy by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Computers are a big part of astronomy, but mostly they've been relegated to doing calculations. But recent developments in machine learning have changed everything, giving computers the ability to do jobs that humans could only do in the past.

Ep. 636: Blowing Bubbles Mar 28, 2022

Astronomy Cast Ep. 636: Blowing Bubbles by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay We think of space as a vacuum, but there are regions of different density. There are winds blowing from stars and other objects that clear out vast bubbles in space, and look absolutely fantastic in pictures. And they might have been critical for Earth to even exist in the first place.

Ep. 635: Jets: When Magnetic Fields Fling Things Mar 21, 2022

Astronomy Cast Ep. 635: Jets: When Magnetic Fields Fling Things by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay As astronomers look out across the Universe. They see various objects spewing jets of material light years into space. What causes these jets? And what impact do they have on the Universe?

Ep. 634: Milky Way’s Mergers & Acquisitions Mar 14, 2022

Astronomy Cast Ep. 634: Milky Way’s Mergers & Acquisitions by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay The Milky Way is a vast grand spiral today, but how did it get this way? Astronomers are starting to unravel the history of our galaxy, revealing the ancient collisions with dwarf galaxies, and how they came together to build the modern Milky Way.

Ep. 633: Weirdly Habitable Places Mar 07, 2022

Astronomy Cast Ep. 633: Weirdly Habitable Places by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay We've always assumed that habitable planets would need to be like Earth; a terrestrial planet orbiting a sunlike star. But now astronomers have been discovering planets in the habitable zone around very much non-sunlike stars. What strange places could be habitable?

Ep. 632: Building Images: Optical vs Radio Feb 28, 2022

Astronomy Cast Ep. 632: Building Images: Optical vs Radio by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay A recent image from the South African MeerKAT Telescope blew our minds. It was a high resolution image of the center of the Milky Way showing delicate filaments and other structures. What was so mind blowing is that this was an image from a radio telescope. Today we’re gonna talk about why this was such an accomplishment and what the future holds for radio astronomy.

Ep. 631: All The Uses Of Pulsars (Including Murder) Feb 21, 2022

Astronomy Cast Ep. 631: All The Uses Of Pulsars (Including Murder) by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Pulsars are the rapidly spinning degenerate husks of dead stars, turning hundreds of times a second. But they're also handy clocks, spinning with such certainty and accuracy that astronomers can use them for all kinds of stuff. We might even use them to navigate the cosmos.

Ep. 630: Things We Can Look Forward To Feb 14, 2022

Astronomy Cast Ep. 630: Things We Can Look Forward To by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay In a rare moment of weakness, Pamela has decided she's open to the possibility that a future exists. That missions, telescopes and spacecraft are going to be built and they're going to do science. Today we'll talk about what we're looking forward to before she changes her mind and my naive optimism for the future.

Ep. 629: The Cost of Delays Feb 07, 2022

Astronomy Cast Ep. 629: The Cost of Delays by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay With all the success of James Webb so far, it's looking like science's huge gamble is going to pay off, but there were years of delays and budget overruns. What impacts did these delays have on science, careers, and the future of space exploration?

Ep. 628: The Sun Revisited Jan 31, 2022

Astronomy Cast Ep. 628: The Sun Revisited by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Once again, it's time to take a look at the Sun. You know, the ongoing thermonuclear explosion of fusing hydrogen that's right over there. Fortunately, there's a fleet of spacecraft and ground observatories ready to give our best ever view of the Sun, so we can watch it. Always watching…

Ep. 627: Mercury Revisited Jan 17, 2022

Astronomy Cast Ep. 627: Mercury Revisited by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay It’s been about a thousand years since since we last looked at Mercury. So we figured it’s time for an update. What new things have we learned about Mercury? Or even new questions! Fortunately there’s a mission on the way to help us get some answers.

Ep. 626: Terrestrial Planets - Mercury, Venus, Earth & Mars Jan 10, 2022

Astronomy Cast Ep. 626: Terrestrial Planets - Mercury, Venus, Earth & Mars by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay We continue our refreshed tour of the solar system, checking in on the inner terrestrial planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. What have we learned about the formation, evolution and what they might tell us about planets across the Universe.

Ep. 625: End of the Year Review Dec 20, 2021

Astronomy Cast Ep. 625: End of the Year Review by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay We've reached the end of 2021 and this is the last episode of the year. Let's look back at the big space events of the last year and talk about what we're looking forward to in 2022.

Ep. 624: Small Rocky Bodies (Including Phobos & Deimos) Dec 13, 2021

Astronomy Cast Ep. 624: Small Rocky Bodies (Including Phobos & Deimos) by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay We've talked about the icy objects of the Solar System, today let's talk about space rocks. There's a surprising variety of rocky material in the Solar System, and each object has a story to tell about the history and formation of the planets, moons and other rocky bodies.

Ep. 623: NEOs: Concern or Nah Dec 06, 2021

Astronomy Cast Ep. 623: NEOs: Concern or Nah by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Are asteroids dangerous? Well, just ask the dinosaurs and they’ll tell you a sad story of fiery death. It turns out we’re in a shooting gallery of space rock and metal. And somewhere out there there’s one with our name on it. Should we be worried? Or are the risks so minimal to be irrelevant.

Ep. 622: Rockier Moons & Giant Asteroids Nov 29, 2021

Astronomy Cast Ep. 622: Rockier Moons & Giant Asteroids by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay So a rock is a rock is a rock. Right? Across the solar system there are giant rocky asteroids and even “gianter” rocky moons. What is the difference between these two families of objects and where do they come from?

Ep. 621: Gas Giants Nov 22, 2021

Astronomy Cast Ep. 621: Gas Giants by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay For the longest time the only gas giant planets that we knew about were Jupiter and Saturn. But now, in the age of extrasolar planets, astronomers have discovered thousands of gas giants across almost as many star systems. What new discoveries have been made about gas giants, both here in the solar system and across the Milky Way?

Ep. 620: Why Getting to the Outer Worlds is So Difficult Nov 15, 2021

Astronomy Cast Ep. 620: Why Getting to the Outer Worlds is So Difficult by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Good News! Over the next few years we’re gonna see a flotilla of new missions headed to Jupiter and Saturn. Why aren’t we seeing more missions to the outer planets like Uranus and Neptune, even Pluto? It turns out those places are far away. Today let’s talk about the challenges of exploring the outer, outer solar system.

Ep. 619: Icy Moons & Dwarf Planets Nov 08, 2021

Astronomy Cast Ep. 619: Icy Moons & Dwarf Planets by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay The outer Solar System is far enough from the Sun that water doesn't get blasted away into deep space. In this icy realm, there are many worlds with vast quantities of water ice. Today let's look at the icy outer moons and dwarf planets.

Ep. 618: Ice Giants Nov 01, 2021

Astronomy Cast Ep. 618: Ice Giants by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay So we’re learning more & more about the outer planets of the solar system. Uranus & Neptune are Ice Giants, filled with water and other volatiles that we'd consider ice if it was here on Earth. What’s inside these worlds and what can we expect to find across the Milky Way as we find more?

Ep. 617: Hangout-A-Thon Episode 2 - Crowdfunding Science Oct 30, 2021

Astronomy Cast Ep. 617: Hangout-A-Thon Episode 2 - Crowdfunding Science by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Funding for basic science has always been tricky business, coming mainly from universities, government, companies or wealthy individuals. But who knows how many fascinating discoveries were never made because of a lack of funding. And we now live in an era where regular people can come together to fund scientific discoveries.

Ep. 616: Hangout-A-Thon Episode 1 - The Great Observatories Oct 29, 2021

Astronomy Cast Ep. 616: Hangout-A-Thon Episode 1 - The Great Observatories by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Well, you’re familiar with the Hubble Space Telescope of course, but it’s just one of NASA’s Great Observatories. After Hubble came 3 more incredible telescopes. Each greater than the last! (That’s not true… The first one was the greatest.) But together they would fill in almost the entire electromagnetic spectrum.

Ep. 615: Planet 9 Oct 18, 2021

Astronomy Cast Ep. 615: Planet 9 by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay After Pluto lost its planethood we were down to 8 planets. But there’s growing evidence of another world or worlds out beyond the orbit of Pluto. Is Planet 9 out there and how will we find it? Could there even be a Planet 10?

Ep. 614: Centaurs, Comets & Asteroids Oct 11, 2021

Astronomy Cast Ep. 614: Centaurs, Comets & Asteroids by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay So there are asteroids, and there are comets. But there’s an entirely separate class of objects called centaurs. But instead of half human, half horse, imagine an object that’s half comet, half asteroid, but 100% interesting!

Ep. 613: Pluto’s Demotion: 15 Years Later Oct 04, 2021

Astronomy Cast - Ep. 613: Pluto’s Demotion: 15 Years Later by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay It's been 15 years since Pluto was kicked out of the planet club. It also happens to be the topic of our very first episode of Astronomy Cast more than 600 episodes ago. Are there any updates? Does Pluto have a chance of regaining planethood again?

Ep. 612: Hiatus Message Jul 12, 2021

Astronomy Cast Ep. 612: Hiatus Message by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Fraser & Pamela will return in early September with more episodes of Astronomy Cast. We hope you all have a safe, relaxing and prosperous summer!

Ep. 612: The SETI Renaissance Jul 05, 2021

Astronomy Cast Ep. 612: The SETI Renaissance by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Last week we talked about the various ways that astronomers could detect the presence of intelligent civilizations by observing technosignatures. This week we'll give you an update on the state of the search for extraterrestrials. This field has gone from a collection of pariahs to a completely legitimate field of research. What's changed?

Ep. 611: What is Required to Confirm Alien Life: Intelligence Edition Jun 28, 2021

Astronomy Cast Ep. 611: What is Required to Confirm Alien Life: Intelligence Edition by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Last week we talked about what it's going to take to confirm basic biological life across the Solar System and the Milky Way. This week, we'll discuss what it's going to take to detect intelligent life out there in space.

Ep. 610: What is Required to Confirm Alien Life: Non-Sentient Edition Jun 21, 2021

Astronomy Cast Ep. 610: What is Required to Confirm Alien Life: Non-Sentient Edition by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Are we alone in the Universe? It's one of the biggest scientific questions we can possibly ask. And yet, with rovers on Mars, missions planned to visit Europa and Ganymede. Powerful telescopes able to detect the atmospheres of exoplanets, we're closer than ever to finding out the answer.

Ep. 609: Volcanos With Benefits: Lava Tubes, Hydro Thermal Vents & More Jun 14, 2021

Astronomy Cast Ep. 609: Volcanos With Benefits: Lava Tubes, Hydro Thermal Vents & More by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Volcanos can be some of the worst natural disasters that we can experience here on Earth. But life wouldn't even exist without them. So, what are volcanos good for anyway?

Ep. 608: NASA Perseverance, The First 100 Days Jun 07, 2021

Astronomy Cast Ep. 608: NASA Perseverance, The First 100 Days by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay As you all know, Pamela refuses to talk about any missions which aren't actually doing science. Well, Perseverance has crossed the line, from fantasy to an actual working rover, scooping regolith and yeeting helicopters. What has the rover accomplished in its first 100 days?

Ep. 607: InSight and Earthquakes May 31, 2021

Astronomy Cast Ep. 607: InSight and Earthquakes by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Mars is cold and dead today, but the massive volcanoes tell us what the planet used to be like, millions and even billions of years ago. But how volcanically active is the planet today? That's what NASA's Mars InSight lander is there to figure out.

Ep. 606 - Time Dilation: Skipping Thru Time May 24, 2021

Astronomy Cast Ep. 606 - Time Dilation: Skipping Thru Time by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Have you ever wanted to be a time traveler? Well, good news! You're time traveling right now. Into the future at one second per second. Taking too long? Don't want to wait? Good news, Einstein's got you covered. Today, let's talk about the weird world of time dilation. Also: There are monitor forts to consider… #MonitorFort

Ep. 605: Sounding Rockets May 17, 2021

Astronomy Cast Ep. 605: Sounding Rockets by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Last week we talked about balloon-based astronomy. This week we're gonna talk about putting telescopes on rockets and making observations mid flight. Welcome to the wild world of sounding rockets.

Ep. 604: Balloon Astronomy May 10, 2021

Astronomy Cast Ep. 604: Balloon Astronomy by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay So when you think about the world's observatories, I'm sure you're imagining huge telescopes perched atop mountain peaks or space telescopes like Hubble. But you might be surprised to learn that some telescopes are carried high into the atmosphere on board balloons. What can they accomplish?

Ep. 603: New Colors of the Radio Spectrum May 03, 2021

Astronomy Cast Ep. 603: New Colors of the Radio Spectrum by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Last week we talked about how new telescopes and techniques are allowing astronomers to explore the shortest wavelengths of light. This week we go to the other end of the electromagnetic spectrum and explore the longer radio waves which are now accessible to astronome

Ep. 602: The New Colors of Gamma Rays - Getting Shorter Apr 26, 2021

Astronomy Cast Ep. 602: The New Colors of Gamma Rays - Getting Shorter by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay The Earth's atmosphere protects us from a Universe that is definitely trying to kill us. But it also blocks our view of the entire cosmos, like seeing X-rays and gamma radiation. Space telescopes are changing our view of the most extreme events in the Universe.

Ep. 601: Unexpected Light Pollution Apr 19, 2021

Astronomy Cast Ep. 601: Unexpected Light Pollution by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Day-by-day we're loosing our connection with the night sky. Already one third of humanity lives in so much light pollution that they can't see the Milky Way without a drive. And now satellite constellations are adding additional light pollution, even in the darkest skies on Earth.

Ep. 600: Looking Ahead Mar 29, 2021

Astronomy Cast Ep. 600: Looking Ahead by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Today we are gonna gaze into the future of space and astronomy. What upcoming missions & events are we excited about?

Ep. 599: Zodiacal Light Mar 22, 2021

Astronomy Cast Ep. 599: Zodiacal Light by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Pamela has told us in the most flowery terms about the diffuse dust across the inner solar system left over from the formation of the inner planets. well, it turns out she was wrong. Super wrong. Time to update!

Ep. 598: How You Could Overturn Cosmology Mar 15, 2021

Astronomy Cast Ep. 598: How You Could Overturn Cosmology by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay You've probably heard of dark matter and dark energy, but maybe you don't fully understand what they are. Or maybe the idea itself just rubs you the wrong way and you'd like to know why scientists think they can just make stuff up like this. So you'd like to overturn cosmology? Here's all you need to do.

Ep. 597: The Expansion of the Universe Mar 08, 2021

Astronomy Cast Ep. 597: The Expansion of the Universe by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay It's been a while since we checked to make sure the Universe was still expanding. Yeah, apparently, that's still a thing. But in the last few years powerful new telescopes and expansive surveys have given us much more knowledge about what's happening. Especially at the earliest times.

Ep. 596: The Universe’s Background Noise Mar 01, 2021

Astronomy Cast Ep. 596: The Universe’s Background Noise by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay You might be familiar with the cosmic microwave background, but that's just one of the background radiations that astronomers look at. Some are well known and cataloged. While others are just starting to be possible to see at all. All of them tell us more about our Universe.

Ep. 595: Planet Hunting - Revisited Feb 15, 2021

Astronomy Cast Ep. 595: Planet Hunting - Revisited by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay This is gonna be another one of those evergreen topics where we come back again and again. Finding planets. Every time we talk about this now it seems like we've gained thousands of new planets. Well, buckle up! New techniques will grow that by tens of thousands and even millions!

Ep. 594: Juno - Primary Mission Highlights Feb 08, 2021

Astronomy Cast Ep. 594: Juno - Primary Mission Highlights by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Pamela is always loath to talk about spacecraft until the mission's in space and the science is rolling. NASA's Juno Mission just received a mission extension, adding Jupiter's moons to the menu. Now, finally, we can talk about Juno! [Ed. Juno what I mean?]

Ep. 593: Stellar Parasites Feb 01, 2021

Astronomy Cast Ep. 593: Stellar Parasites by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Stars often come in groups of 2 or more. And if they're orbiting close enough to each other one star can feast on the other and when that happens, well, mayhem ensues!

Ep. 592: Gamma-Ray Bursts - Updated Jan 25, 2021

Astronomy Cast Ep. 592: Gamma-Ray Bursts - Updated by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Some of the most powerful explosions in the Universe are gamma-ray bursts, capable of blasting a beam of death half way across the galaxy. In just the last few years astronomers have discovered a tremendous amount about these blasts and what's actually causing them. The answer, of course, is that it's more complicated than we originally thought. The old Gamma-Ray bursts show:

Ep. 591: What Are We Gonna Do With All That Space Junk? Jan 18, 2021

Astronomy Cast Ep. 591: What Are We Gonna Do With All That Space Junk? by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Remember the good old days when there were only a few thousand living and dead satellites? Well, those days are long over. We're now entering an era where there will be tens of thousands of satellites. Not to mention the spent rocket boosters and other space junk. What kind of risk do we face and what can be done about it?

Ep. 590: Lunar Hazards: Dust, Radiation and More Jan 11, 2021

Astronomy Cast Ep. 590: Lunar Hazards: Dust, Radiation and More by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay 2024 can't come soon enough. You know, that's the year when humans will set foot on the Moon again. Now don't you roll your eyes! That's the plan. Unless the plan changes. But my point is, explorers going to the Moon will need to be concerned about all kinds of hazards, like dust, radiation and gigantic Moon worms. I believe.

Ep. 589 - Lunar Resources: Water (Update) & Other Volatiles Dec 21, 2020

Astronomy Cast Ep. 589 - Lunar Resources: Water (Update) & Other Volatiles by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay We've talked about the Moon and its water many times here on Astronomy Cast, but there've been a bunch of big updates thanks to new research from NASA and others. Today we're gonna give you an update on the state of water on the Moon and the plans to take advantage of it.

Ep. 588 - Lunar Resources: Lava Tubes Dec 14, 2020

Astronomy Cast Ep. 588 - Lunar Resources: Lava Tubes by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay All eyes are on the Moon. We're going back, this time to stay, right? One of the best resources on the Moon will be the lava tubes that criss-cross the subsurface of the Moon. These can provide protection from space, and a look at the geologic history of the Moon, and they can be enormous!

Ep. 587: The Artemis Accords Dec 07, 2020

Astronomy Cast Ep. 587: The Artemis Accords by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay So the Moon is about to become a very busy place with multiple countries and private companies planning missions in the next few years. It's been decades since the Outer Space Treaty was negotiated. It's time for the Artemis Accords!

Ep. 586: Life As We Know It: Habitable Exoplanets & Extremophiles Nov 30, 2020

Astronomy Cast Ep. 586: Life As We Know It: Habitable Exoplanets & Extremophiles by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay As scientists continue to explore the Earth, they're discovering life, surviving and even thriving in extreme environments. What hints can this give us about what we might find as we search for live on other worlds.

Ep. 585: Super Earths, Mini-Neptunes & Gas Dwarfs Nov 23, 2020

Astronomy Cast 585: Super Earths, Mini-Neptunes & Gas Dwarfs by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Astronomers are finding even more new extrasolar planets and they're starting to discover entirely new categories. There are classes of planets out there that we just don't have any analog here in the solar system. Let's talk about them!

Ep. 584: Sample Return Missions From Asteroids Nov 02, 2020

Astronomy Cast Ep. 584: Sample Return Missions From Asteroids by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay So with a sample of asteroid Bennu firmly inside OSIRIS-REx's return capsule, it's time to bring this treasure home. So scientists can study the composition and history of the space rock. But it's not the only sample return mission out there, with Japan's Hyabusa II mission also bringing asteroid debris home. So today, let's talk about the missions and what we've learned so far.

Ep. 583: The 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics Oct 26, 2020

Astronomy Cast Ep. 583: The 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay This year's Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to three brilliant researchers who worked out some of the secrets of black holes. Today we're going to talk about the chain of discoveries that led to this award.

Ep. 582: Building Bigger Black Holes Oct 19, 2020

Astronomy Cast Ep. 582: Building Bigger Black Holes by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Did you hear the news? Nobel prizes for Black Holes! Now, we know there are stellar mass black holes and supermassive black holes, but how do you get from one to the other? How do black holes get more massive?

Ep. 581: Other Kinds Of Novae Oct 12, 2020

Astronomy Cast Ep. 581: Other Kinds Of Novae by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Don't ever accuse us of not comprehensively covering every kind of exploding star. This week we gather up all the left over ways that stars partially or fully explode or don't. Probably. Enjoy!

Ep. 580: Exploding Dwarfs Oct 05, 2020

Astronomy Cast Ep. 580: Exploding Dwarfs By Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay So you think that a white dwarf star is the end of a stellar life, and it's all downhill from there, a long, slow cool down towards the end of everything. But in some situations even dead stars can get exciting again, briefly becoming some of the brightest objects in the Universe. And maybe, just maybe, the last exciting thing that'll ever happen in the Universe.

Ep. 579: White and Black Dwarf Stars Sep 28, 2020

Astronomy Cast 579: White and Black Dwarf Stars by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay I've got some bad news for you. Stars die. At some point in the next few billion years or so our Sun is going to start heating up, using up all the fuel in its core, and then eventually die, becoming a white dwarf. It'll then slowly cool down to the background temperature of the Universe, becoming a black dwarf. Let's learn about this fascinating process.

Ep. 578: Venus Updates - or - Life on Venus?!? Sep 21, 2020

by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay So have you heard the news? Of course you have. Evidence of phosphene on Venus. Which could be a biosignature of life on our evil twin planet. There have been a lot of surprising stories about Venus, so let's get you all caught up!

Ep. 577: Mars in Opposition Sep 14, 2020

Astronomy Cast 577: Mars in Opposition by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Every 2 years or so Mars lines up nicely with the Earth. It takes only 2 minutes to communicate with the rovers. You can see the polar ice caps in a small telescope. And it's the best time to send your spacecraft to the Red Planet. Oct 3rd: Moon & Mars conjunction, 1.1° separation. Oct 6th: Mars opposition. Dec 21st: Jupiter/Saturn conjunction, 0.1° separation! Feb 18th "Percy" lands on Mars' Jezero crater.

Ep. 576: Summer Stargazing Special Jun 29, 2020

Astronomy Cast Ep. 576: Summer Stargazing Special by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay It's time once again for Astronomy Cast to go on hiatus. You've got a couple months on your own to explore the night sky. But before we say goodbye, we'd like to make a few suggestions.

Ep. 575: Observing The Moon Jun 22, 2020

Astronomy Cast Ep. 575: Observing The Moon by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay As amateur astronomers, we curse the Moon every month. Seriously! Why doesn't someone get rid of that thing! This week, something occurred to us. What if we actually pointed our telescopes at the Moon? What would we see? The Lunar "X" that Fraser talked about will be visible this Friday, June 26th! So go out with binoculars or a telescope and enjoy!

Ep. 574: Trojan Asteroids Jun 15, 2020

Astronomy Cast Ep. 574: Trojan Asteroids by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay We imagine the asteroid belt as a place where all the rocks hang out in the solar system. But there are 2 huge bands of asteroids that orbit the Sun with Jupiter called the Trojans. And soon we may actually get a chance to see them up close!

Ep. 573: Exoplanet Atmospheres Jun 08, 2020

Astronomy Cast Ep. 573: Exoplanet Atmospheres Not only have astronomers discovered thousands of exoplanets, but they're even starting to study the atmospheres of worlds thousands of light years away. What can we learn about these other worlds and maybe even signs of life.

Ep. 572: Twists in Planet Formation Jun 01, 2020

Astronomy Cast Ep. 572: Twists in Planet Formation by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay We're all looking to the next generation of exoplanetary research where we get planets directly. But astronomers are already making great strides in directly observing newly forming planets help us understand how our solar system might have formed.

Ep. 571: Extreme Binaries May 25, 2020

Streamed live on May 22, 2020. So we're familiar with regular binary stars. Two stars orbiting each other. Simple. Of course the Universe has come up with every combination of things orbiting other things, and this week we look at some extreme examples.

Ep. 570: Discovering Comets May 18, 2020

Astronomy Cast Ep. 570: Discovering Comets Discovering comets is one of the fields that amateurs can still make a regular contribution to astronomy. But more and more comets are getting found by spacecraft, automated systems and machine learning. This week we'll talk about how comets are discovered and how you can get your name on one!

Ep. 569: Ethics of Commercial and Military Space, Part 1: Private Space Flight May 11, 2020

Every year, more and more people are making their way to space. Some private citizens have already gotten their astronaut wings, paying for a trip to space out of their own pocket. What are the ethical implications of this as the costs of spaceflight come down?

Ep. 568: In Situ Resource Utilization May 06, 2020

The key to surviving in space will be learning how to live off the land. Instead of carrying all your fuel, water and other resources from Earth, extract them locally from your destination. It's called In Situ Resource Utilization, and if we can figure it out, it'll change everything.

Ep. 567: When Satellites Need a House Call Apr 27, 2020

567: When Satellites Need a House Call Astronomy Cast 567: When Satellites Need a House Call by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Space is really far away, so when you send a satellite out into the void, that's pretty much the last you're going to be able to work on it. And if anything goes wrong, too bad, you're out a satellite. But a new test has shown that it's possible to actually visit and fix a satellite in space. Maybe we don't have to throw them all away after all.

Ep. 566: When Comets Fall Apart Apr 20, 2020

566: When Comets Fall Apart Astronomy Cast 566: When Comets Fall Apart by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay As everyone knows, the Universe owes us a bright comet. There have been a lot of promising candidates, but in the end, they always fail to live up to our expectations. Comets keep on breaking up with us.

Ep. 565: When Worlds Collide Apr 13, 2020

565: When Worlds Collide Astronomy Cast 565: When Worlds Collide by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay So much of our Solar System has been shaped by enormous collisions early on in our history. Seriously, the nature of every planet in the Solar System has some evidence of massive impacts during some point in its history.

Ep. 564: Mini Moons Apr 06, 2020

564: Mini Moons Astronomy Cast 564: Mini Moons by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Last month astronomers announced that they had detected a tiny asteroid that had been captured by the Earth's gravity well and had been sharing our orbit for a few years. Today, let's talk about the smallest moons in the Solar System.

Ep. 563: White Dwarf Mergers Mar 30, 2020

563: White Dwarf Mergers Astronomy Cast 563: White Dwarf Mergers by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay White dwarfs are usually about 60% the mass of the Sun, so it was a bit of a surprise when astronomers found one that was almost exactly twice that. What happens when white dwarfs merge?

Ep. 562: Dealing with COVID-19 and the Changes it will Bring Mar 23, 2020

562: Dealing with COVID-19 and the Changes it will Bring Astronomy Cast 562: Dealing with COVID-19 and the Changes it will Bring by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Pamela and Fraser discuss the implications of COVID-19 and it's changes on the world, and what we all can do during this time.

Ep. 561: Remembering Katherine Johnson Mar 06, 2020

561: Remembering Katherine Johnson Astronomy Cast 561: Remembering Katherine Johnson by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay We lost a bright star here on planet Earth last week. NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson passed away at the age of 101, after an incredible career of helping humans land on the Moon. If you saw the movie Hidden Figures, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Ep. 560: Betelgeuse Feb 24, 2020

560: Betelgeuse Astronomy Cast 560: Betelgeuse by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay You might be surprised to hear that we've never done an episode of Astronomy Cast featuring Betelgeuse. Well, good news, this is that episode. Let's talk about the star, why it might be dimming, and what could happen if it explodes as a supernova.

Ep. 559: The Surface of the Sun Feb 17, 2020

559: The Surface of the Sun Astronomy Cast 559: The Surface of the Sun by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay A brand new telescope has completed on Maui's Haleakala, and it has just one job: to watch the Sun in unprecedented detail. It's called the Daniel K. Inouye telescope, and the engineering involved to get this telescope operational are matched by the incredible resolution of its first images.

Ep. 558: Supernova SN 2006gy Feb 10, 2020

558: Supernova SN 2006gy Astronomy Cast 558: Supernova SN 2006gy by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay We've been following this story for more than a decade, so it's great to finally have an answer to the question, why was supernova 2006gy so insanely bright? Astronomers originally thought it was an example of a supermassive star exploding, but new evidence provides an even more fascinating answer.

Ep. 557: Red Dwarfs: Friend or Foe Feb 03, 2020

557: Red Dwarfs: Friend or Foe Astronomy Cast 557: Red Dwarfs: Friend or Foe by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay On the one hand, red dwarfs are the longest lived stars in the Universe, the perfect place for life to hang out for trillions of years. On the other hand, they're tempestuous little balls of plasma, hurling out catastrophic flares that could wipe away life. Are they good or bad places to live?

Ep. 556: Multi Messenger Astronomy Jan 27, 2020

556: Multi Messenger Astronomy Astronomy Cast 556: Multi Messenger Astronomy by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay For the longest time astronomers could only study the skies with telescopes. But then new techniques and technologies were developed to help us see in different wavelengths. Now astronomers can study objects in both visible light, neutrinos, gravitational waves and more. The era of multi-messenger astronomy is here.

Ep. 555: Satellite Constellations and the Future of Astronomy Jan 19, 2020

555: Satellite Constellations and the Future of Astronomy Astronomy Cast 555: Satellite Constellations and the Future of Astronomy by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay The other big issue at the AAS was the challenge that astronomy is going to face from all the new satellite constellations coming shortly. There are already 180 Starlinks in orbit, and thousands more are coming, not to mention the other constellations in the works. What will be the impact on astronomy, and what can we do about it?

Ep. 554: Big Telescope Controversy in Hawai'i Jan 13, 2020

554: Big Telescope Controversy in Hawai'i Astronomy Cast 554: Big Telescope Controversy in Hawai'i by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay This week we're live at the American Astronomical Society's 235th meeting in Honolulu, Hawai'i. We learned about new planets, black holes and star formation, but the big issue hanging over the whole conference is the protests and politics over the new Thirty Meter Telescope due for construction on Mauna Kea.

Ep. 553: What To Look Forward To In 2020 Dec 30, 2019

553: What To Look Forward To In 2020 Astronomy Cast 553: What To Look Forward To In 2020 by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay It's hard to believe it, but we survived another trip around the Sun. Now it's time to take the whole journey all over again, but with new news. Let's take a look at some of the space and astronomy stories we're looking forward to in 2020.

Ep. 552: Boyajian's star (and other strange stars) Dec 23, 2019

552: Boyajian's star (and other strange stars) Astronomy Cast 552: Boyajian's star (and other strange stars) by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Huge surveys of the sky are finding more and more planets, stars and galaxies. But they're also turning up strange objects astronomers have never seen before, like Boyajian's star. Today we're going to talk about some unusual objects astronomers have discovered, and why this number is only going to go way way up.

CosmoQuest Hangoutathon Promo Dec 20, 2019

Hi everyone, Producer Susie here. This weekend, December 21-23, 2019, we will be having our CosmoQuest Hangoutathon. For 40 straight hours, our team will be bringing you guests, science and fun live on our channel. We are raising money to pay for our team to continue to bring you science, and for us to continue our citizen science programs, like the extremely successful Bennu Mappers from this past year, where over 3500 of you wonderful volunteers mapped over 14 million rocks on the asteroid Bennu, looking for a safe place for the OSIRIS-REx mission to grab samples to return to earth. We want to keep doing projects like this - and we need your help to continue doing the science. Please join us at starting 9am EST / 6am PST / 1400UTC. If you can’t tune in live, you can catch the replays on Twitch, and we’ll be trying our best to archive all of the content on YouTube after this weekend. We’re accepting donations at As part of the Planetary Science Institute, we are a 501c3 non-profit, so all of your donations are tax deductible where the law allows. Please watch, share and donate if you can, so we can keep bringing the science to you! Thank you for listening!

Ep. 551: Missing Epochs - Observing before the CMBR Dec 16, 2019

551: Missing Epochs - Observing before the CMBR Astronomy Cast 551: Missing Epochs - Observing before the CMBR by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay The Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation is the earliest moment in the Universe that we can see with our telescopes, just a few hundred thousand years after the Big Bang itself. What will it take for us to be able to fill in the missing gap? To see closer to the beginning of time itself?

Ep. 550: Missing Epochs - Observing the Cosmic Dark Ages Dec 07, 2019

550: Missing Epochs - Observing the Cosmic Dark Ages Astronomy Cast 550: Missing Epochs - Observing the Cosmic Dark Ages by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Powerful observatories like Hubble and the Very Large Telescope have pushed our vision billions of light-years into the Universe, allowing us to see further and further back in time. But there are regions which we still haven't seen: the Cosmic Dark Ages. What's it going to take to observe some of these earliest moments in the Universe?

Ep. 549: Stellar nucleosynthesis revisited: In and on and around dead stars Dec 02, 2019

549: Stellar nucleosynthesis revisited: In and on and around dead stars Astronomy Cast 549: Stellar nucleosynthesis revisited: In and on and around dead stars by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Last week we gave you an update on the formation of elements from the Big Bang and in main sequence stars like the Sun. This week, we wrap up with a bang, talking about the death of the most massive stars and how they seed the Universe with heavier elements.

Ep. 548: Stellar nucleosynthesis revisited: In stellar cores & atmospheres Nov 25, 2019

548: Stellar nucleosynthesis revisited: In stellar cores & atmospheres Astronomy Cast 548: Stellar nucleosynthesis revisited: In stellar cores & atmospheres by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay The Universe started out with hydrogen and helium and a few other elements, but all around us, there are other, more proton-rich elements. We believe these heavier elements formed in stars, but which stars? And at what points in their lives? Today we'll update our knowledge with the latest science.

Ep. 547: Why Astronomy Still Needs Humans Nov 18, 2019

547: Why Astronomy Still Needs Humans Astronomy Cast 547: Why Astronomy Still Needs Humans by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Few sciences have been able to take advantage of the power of computers like astronomy. But with all this computing power, you might be surprised to learn how important a role humans still play in this science.

Ep. 546: Weird Issues: Planetary Migration Nov 11, 2019

546: Weird Issues: Planetary Migration Astronomy Cast 546: Weird Issues: Planetary Migration by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Before we discovered other planets, our Solar System seemed like a perfectly reasonable template for everywhere. But now we see massive planets close to their stars, which leads you to the question, how does it all get there. Do the planets form in place or do they migrate around?

Ep. 545: Weird Issues: Are comets asteroids or are asteroids comets? Nov 05, 2019

545: Weird Issues: Are comets asteroids or are asteroids comets? Astronomy Cast 545: Weird Issues: Are comets asteroids or are asteroids comets? by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Things used to be so simple. Comets were snowballs from the outer Solar System, and asteroids were rocks from the inner Solar System. But now everything's all shades of grey. Astronomers have found asteroids that behave like comets and comets that behave like asteroids.

Ep. 544: Weird Issues: Biosignatures Oct 28, 2019

544: Weird Issues: Biosignatures Astronomy Cast 544: Weird Issues: Biosignatures by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Once again, another place where the Universe is going to make this difficult for us. Proving, once and for all that there's alien life on another world. It should be straightforward, look for biosignatures, but it looks like there are natural sources that could explain almost any chemical we could hope to search for.

Halley's Meteor Shower and Two spacecraft updates Oct 21, 2019

Got clear skies? Go out tonight and catch the Orionids Meteor shower, a storm of falling stars generated by Halley's comet. Later this week, we'll see aurora like those that will one day be predicted by the ESA Solar Probe. We also have an update on the Mars 2020 rover.

Ep. 543: Weird Issues: The Habitable Zone Oct 20, 2019

543: Weird Issues: The Habitable Zone Astronomy Cast 543: Weird Issues: The Habitable Zone by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Our series on Universe weirdness marches on. This week we take a look at the habitable zone, and how things aren’t as simple as we thought.

Ep. 542: Weird Issues: The Age of the Universe Oct 14, 2019

542: Weird Issues: The Age of the Universe Astronomy Cast 542: Weird Issues: The Age of the Universe by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Our series on Universe weirdness continues, this time we learn how astronomers are struggling to make sense of the age of the Universe.

Ep. 541: Weird Issues: Expansion Rate of the Universe Oct 07, 2019

541: Weird Issues: Expansion Rate of the Universe Astronomy Cast 541: Weird Issues: Expansion Rate of the Universe by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Just when the Universe was starting to make sense, the cosmos throws a curveball at us. Astronomers have been trying to accurately measure the expansion rate of the Universe as far back as Hubble. It's been tough to nail down, and now astronomers are starting to figure out why.

Ep. 540: Weird Issues: How Do (or Don't) Planets Form? Sep 30, 2019

540: Weird Issues: How Do (or Don't) Planets Form? Astronomy Cast 540: Weird Issues: How Do (or Don't) Planets Form? by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay As astronomers started to discover planets orbiting other stars, they immediately realized that their expectations would need to be tossed out. Hot jupiters? Pulsars with planets? We're now decades into this task, and the Universe is continuing to surprise us.

Ep. 539: Weird Issues: Why We Don't Know the Age of Saturn's Rings Sep 23, 2019

539: Weird Issues: Why We Don't Know the Age of Saturn's Rings Astronomy Cast 539: Weird Issues: Why We Don't Know the Age of Saturn's Rings by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay How old are Saturn's rings? They could be brand new, or they could be as ancient as the Solar System itself. Planetary scientists thought they knew the answer thanks to new data from Cassini, but new ideas are calling even that into question.

Ep. 538: Asteroids: Rubble piles of the Solar System Sep 16, 2019

538: Asteroids: Rubble piles of the Solar System Astronomy Cast 538: Asteroids: Rubble piles of the Solar System by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Thanks to all the work from Hayabusa 2 and OSIRIS-REx, astronomers are getting a much better look at the smaller asteroids in the Solar System. It turns out, they're piles of rubble... but fascinating piles of rubble. Let's talk about what we've learned so far.

Ep. 537: Reusable Rocket Revolution Sep 09, 2019

537: Reusable Rocket Revolution Astronomy Cast 537: Reusable Rocket Revolution by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay We took a hiatus this summer, but SpaceX sure didn’t, with the tests of the Starhopper prototype. Today we’re going to talk about the revolution in reusable rocketry and quest to build a fully reusable two-stage rocket.

Libsyn Survey Request Aug 10, 2019

Please help us keep bringing you content by going to and filling out the survey, so Libsyn can find us sponsors for Astronomy Cast!

Astronomy Cast on Hiatus until Sept 2019 Jul 01, 2019

Astronomy Cast will be on hiatus for July and August. Don't worry, we'll be back in September, and we might just have surprises for you all along this summer! Don't forget you can still catch Pamela with Daily Space, rocket launches and specials on , and you can find all the space news and videos from Fraser at ! We usually record Astronomy Cast every Friday at 3:00 pm EDT / 12:00 pm PDT / 19:00 UTC. You can watch us live on here on , or the .

Ep. 536: Everyday Relativity Jul 01, 2019

536: Everyday Relativity Astronomy Cast 536: Everyday Relativity by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Relativity is used in more day to day situations than you may realize. In this episode, we will count (some of) the ways. This episode is brought to you live from the All-Stars Star Party in Indian Wells, California.

Ep. 535: Astronomy-Related Things To Do This Summer Jun 24, 2019

535: Astronomy-Related Things To Do This Summer Astronomy Cast 535: Astronomy-Related Things To Do This Summer by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay It's summertime, and time for our annual Astronomy Cast hiatus. But that doesn't mean that the astronomy adventure has to end. Today we'll give you some tips and tricks for astronomy summer adventures.

Ep. 534: Modern South African Astronomy Jun 17, 2019

534: Modern South African Astronomy Astronomy Cast 534: Modern South African Astronomy by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay You know the drill now. Last week we talked about ancient south African astronomy, and so this week we'll talk about the modern state of astronomy in the southern part of Africa, which happens to be a great place with nice dark skies and a perfect view into the heart of the galaxy.

Ep. 533: Indigenous South African Astronomy Jun 10, 2019

533: Indigenous South African Astronomy Astronomy Cast 533: Indigenous South African Astronomy by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Let's move to another continent this week, and look at the astronomy that was going on in southern Africa in ancient times.

Ep. 532: Modern Astronomy of Australia Jun 03, 2019

532: Modern Astronomy of Australia Astronomy Cast 532: Modern Astronomy of Australia by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Last week we talked about how well the indigenous Australians followed the night sky. Well, it turns out, Australia is still an amazing place for astronomy. There are so many powerful observatories in Australia, and even more in the works.

Ep. 531: Australian Indigenous Astronomy May 27, 2019

531: Australian Indigenous Astronomy Astronomy Cast 531: Australian Indigenous Astronomy by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay South America, especially the Atacama Desert in Chile has become one of the best places in the world to put a telescope. It's dry, high, and the nights are clear. Today we'll talk about the monster telescopes already in operation in this region, and the big ones coming soon.

Ep. 530: Astronomy of the Andes - Then and Now Pt. 2 May 12, 2019

530: Astronomy of the Andes - Then and Now Pt. 2 Astronomy Cast 530: Astronomy of the Andes - Then and Now Pt. 2 by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay South America, especially the Atacama Desert in Chile has become one of the best places in the world to put a telescope. It's dry, high, and the nights are clear. Today we'll talk about the monster telescopes already in operation in this region, and the big ones coming soon.

Ep. 529: Astronomy of the Andes - Then and Now Pt. 1 May 06, 2019

529: Astronomy of the Andes - Then and Now Pt. 1 Astronomy Cast 529: Astronomy of the Andes - Then and Now Pt. 1 by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay The Andes mountains in South America are a hotspot of astronomy today, but ancient peoples knew it was a great place for astronomy and lived their lives in tune with the night sky. Today we'll learn all about what they knew, and how they mapped the movements of the stars and planets.

Ep. 528: Modern Astronomy of the American Southwest Apr 29, 2019

528: Modern Astronomy of the American Southwest Astronomy Cast 528: Modern Astronomy of the American Southwest by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Last week we talked about the ancient astronomy of the American Southwest. But this is actually Pamela's stomping grounds, and she's spent many a night perched atop mountains in this region staring in the night sky with gigantic telescopes. How does astronomy get done in this region today?

Ep. 527: Ancient Astronomy of the American Southwest Apr 22, 2019

527: Ancient Astronomy of the American Southwest Astronomy Cast 527: Ancient Astronomy of the American Southwest by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Ancient peoples had no light pollution, and they knew the night skies very well. In fact, they depends on them to know when to plant and when to harvest. Today Pamela talks about the archeoastronomical sites of the American Southwest.

Ep. 526: Event Horizon Telescope and the Black Hole at M87 Apr 15, 2019

526: Event Horizon Telescope and the Black Hole at M87 Astronomy Cast 526: Event Horizon Telescope and the Black Hole at M87 by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Today, of course, we're going to talk about the announcement from the Event Horizon Telescope and the first photograph of a black hole's event horizon.

Ep. 525: 100 Years of the International Astronomical Union Apr 08, 2019

525: 100 Years of the International Astronomical Union Astronomy Cast 525: 100 Years of the International Astronomical Union by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Even though they might be scattered around our planet, astronomers have way to come together to work out issues that face their entire field of study. It's called the International Astronomical Union, and they're the ones who work out the new names for stars, and sometimes de-planet beloved Kuiper Belt Objects.

Ep. 524: Judging Age & Origins, part 3 - Beyond Our System Apr 01, 2019

524: Judging Age & Origins, part 3 - Beyond Our System Astronomy Cast 524: Judging Age & Origins, part 3 - Beyond Our System by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay We learned how to figure out the ages of objects in the Solar System, now we push out into the deeper Universe. What about stars, galaxies, and even the Universe itself? How old is it? This episode is part 3 of a series.

Ep. 523: Judging Age & Origins, Pt. 2 Across the Solar System Mar 25, 2019

523: Judging Age & Origins, Pt. 2 Across the Solar System Astronomy Cast 523: Judging Age & Origins, Pt. 2 Across the Solar System by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Today we push our aging curiosity out into the Solar System to ask that simple question: how old is it and how do we know? What techniques do astronomers use to age various objects and regions in the Solar System? This is part two of a series.

Ep. 522: Judging Age & Origins, part 1 - Earth Rocks Mar 18, 2019

522: Judging Age & Origins, part 1 - Earth Rocks Astronomy Cast 522: Judging Age & Origins, part 1 - Earth Rocks by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay People always want to know how old everything is. And more specifically, they want to know how we know how old everything is. Well, here at Astronomy Cast, it's our job to tell you now only what we know, but how we know what we know. And today we'll begin a series on how we know how old everything is.

Bonus Episode: Dust with Dr. Paul Sutter Mar 17, 2019

Bonus: Dust with Dr. Paul Sutter Astronomy Cast Bonus: Dust with Dr. Paul Sutter by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Recorded during the Astrotour to Costa Rica, Fraser talks to Dr. Paul Matt Sutter about the nature of dust and BICEP 2's claim of discovering primordial gravitational waves.

Ep. 521: The Deep Space Network Mar 11, 2019

521: The Deep Space Network Astronomy Cast 521: The Deep Space Network by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay We always focus on the missions, but there's an important glue that holds the whole system together. The Deep Space Network. Today we're going to talk about how this system works and how it communicates with all the spacecraft out there in the Solar System.

Ep. 520: Transients: What They Are and Why They Matter, Part 2 Mar 01, 2019

520: Transients: What They Are and Why They Matter, Part 2 Astronomy Cast 520: Transients: What They Are and Why They Matter, Part 2 by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Ep. 519: Transients: What They Are and Why They Matter Feb 25, 2019

519: Transients: What They Are and Why They Matter Astronomy Cast 519: Transients: What They Are and Why They Matter by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Ep. 518: When the Universe tried to Declare War Feb 18, 2019

518: When the Universe tried to Declare War Astronomy Cast 518: When the Universe tried to Declare War by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Ep. 517: Fritz Zwicky and the Zwicky Transient Facility Feb 11, 2019

517: Fritz Zwicky and the Zwicky Transient Facility Astronomy Cast 517: Fritz Zwicky and the Zwicky Transient Facility by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Ep. 516: Polar Vortices Feb 04, 2019

516: Polar Vortices Astronomy Cast 516: Polar Vortices by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Ep. 515: Space Radiation Jan 28, 2019

515: Space Radiation Astronomy Cast 515: Space Radiation by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Ep. 514: Planetary Protection Protocols Jan 21, 2019

514: Planetary Protection Protocols Astronomy Cast 514: Planetary Protection Protocols by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Ep. 513: Stellar Fusion Jan 14, 2019

513: Stellar Fusion Astronomy Cast 513: Stellar Fusion by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Ep. 512: Direct Imaging of Exoplanets Jan 07, 2019

512: Direct Imaging of Exoplanets Astronomy Cast 512: Direct Imaging of Exoplanets by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Ep. 511: Predictions for 2019 Dec 31, 2018

511: Predictions for 2019 Astronomy Cast 511: Predictions for 2019 by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Ep. 510: 2018 - Year in Review Dec 24, 2018

510: 2018 - Year in Review Astronomy Cast 510: 2018 - Year in Review by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Ep. 509: Fiction to Fact: 3D Printers Dec 10, 2018

509: Fiction to Fact: 3D Printers Astronomy Cast 509: Fiction to Fact: 3D Printers by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Ep. 508: 2018 Holiday Gift Guide Dec 03, 2018

508: 2018 Holiday Gift Guide Astronomy Cast 508: 2018 Holiday Gift Guide by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

507: From Fiction to Fact: Ion Drive Nov 27, 2018

507: From Fiction to Fact: Ion Drive Astronomy Cast 507: > From Fiction to Fact: Ion Drive by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

506: It’s not Aliens, Unless it’s Aliens Nov 17, 2018

506: It’s not Aliens, Unless it’s Aliens Astronomy Cast 506: It’s not Aliens, Unless it’s Aliens by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

505: Seismology Nov 11, 2018

505: Seismology Astronomy Cast 505: Seismology by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

504: Radar, Lidar & Sonar Nov 04, 2018

504: Radar, Lidar & Sonar Astronomy Cast 504: Radar, Lidar & Sonar by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

503: Gravity Mapping Oct 29, 2018

503: Gravity Mapping Astronomy Cast 503: Gravity Mapping by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

502: No Touching: Determining Composition of Worlds Remotely Oct 22, 2018

502: No Touching: Determining Composition of Worlds Remotely Astronomy Cast 502: No Touching: Determining Composition of Worlds Remotely by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

501: Water Worlds Revisited Oct 10, 2018

501: Water Worlds Revisited Astronomy Cast 501: Water Worlds Revisited by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

500: Live Celebration! Sep 18, 2018

500: Live Celebration! Astronomy Cast 500: Live Celebration! by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

499: What is the proposed Hubble-Lemaitre Law? Sep 10, 2018

499: What is the proposed Hubble-Lemaitre Law? Astronomy Cast 499: What is the proposed Hubble-Lemaitre Law? by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Astronomy Cast: On Hiatus until September 2018 Jul 01, 2018

Astronomy Cast will be on hiatus until September, 2018. When we return, we'll be gearing up for the 500th Episode!

498: Dwarf Galaxy Update Jul 01, 2018

498: Dwarf Galaxy Update Astronomy Cast 498: Dwarf Galaxy Update by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

497: Update on Globular Clusters Jun 25, 2018

497: Update on Globular Clusters Astronomy Cast 497: Update on Globular Clusters by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

496: Update on Stellar Populations (I, II, & III) Jun 18, 2018

496: Update on Stellar Populations (I, II, & III) Astronomy Cast 496: Update on Stellar Populations (I, II, & III) by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

495: Update on Asteroids & Prospects of Asteroid Mining Jun 11, 2018

495: Update on Asteroids & Prospects of Asteroid Mining Astronomy Cast 495: Update on Asteroids & Prospects of Asteroid Mining by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

494: Icy Moons Update 2018 Jun 04, 2018

494: Icy Moons Update 2018 Astronomy Cast 494: Icy Moons Update 2018 by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

493: Mars Update 2018 May 27, 2018

493: Mars Update 2018 Astronomy Cast 493: Mars Update 2018 by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

492: Comets, Asteroids and KBO’s May 21, 2018

492: Comets, Asteroids and KBO’s Astronomy Cast 492: Comets, Asteroids and KBO’s by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

491: Exoplanet Update 2018 May 14, 2018

491: Exoplanet Update 2018 Astronomy Cast 491: Exoplanet Update 2018 by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

490: What’s New with Supernovae May 07, 2018

490: What’s New with Supernovae Astronomy Cast 490: What’s New with Supernovae by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

489: Black Hole Update Apr 30, 2018

489: Black Hole Update Astronomy Cast 489: Black Hole Update by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

488: Dark Energy: 2018 Edition Apr 24, 2018

488: Dark Energy: 2018 Edition Astronomy Cast 488: Dark Energy: 2018 Edition by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

487: Dark Matter: 2018 Edition Apr 16, 2018

487: Dark Matter: 2018 Edition Astronomy Cast 487: Dark Matter: 2018 Edition by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

486: Particle Physics Update Apr 09, 2018

486: Particle Physics Update Astronomy Cast 486: Particle Physics Update by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

485: Docking, Refueling, and Transferring Mar 30, 2018

485: Docking, Refueling, and Transferring Astronomy Cast 485: Docking, Refueling, and Transferring by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

484: Transfer Orbits and Gravitational Assists Mar 26, 2018

484: Transfer Orbits and Gravitational Assists Astronomy Cast 484: Transfer Orbits and Gravitational Assists by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

483: Stopping in Space Mar 19, 2018

483: Stopping in Space Astronomy Cast 483: Stopping in Space by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

482: Alternative Ways to Space Mar 12, 2018

482: Alternative Ways to Space Astronomy Cast 482: Alternative Ways to Space by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

481: Rockets pt. 3 – Going Faster, Higher, Farther after Fairing Separation Mar 05, 2018

481: Rockets pt. 3 – Going Faster, Higher, Farther after Fairing Separation Astronomy Cast 481: Rockets pt. 3 – Going Faster, Higher, Farther after Fairing Separation by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

February Q&A Feb 27, 2018

This was a special Q&A episode Pamela recorded while Fraser was in Iceland.

480: Rockets pt. 2- Multi-stage Boosters Feb 26, 2018

480: Rockets pt. 2- Multi-stage Boosters Astronomy Cast 480: Rockets pt. 2- Multi-stage Boosters by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

479: Rockets pt. 1- What Does “Single Stage To Orbit” Really Mean? Feb 19, 2018

479: Rockets pt. 1- What Does “Single Stage To Orbit” Really Mean? Astronomy Cast 479: Rockets pt. 1- What Does “Single Stage To Orbit” Really Mean? by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

478: Apollo 8 with Paul Hildebrandt Feb 13, 2018

478: Apollo 8 with Paul Hildebrandt Astronomy Cast 478: Apollo 8 with Paul Hildebrandt by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

477: State of Exploration: Once and Future Moon Feb 05, 2018

477: State of Exploration: Once and Future Moon Astronomy Cast 477: State of Exploration: Once and Future Moon by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

476: The Overview Effect Jan 29, 2018

476: The Overview Effect Astronomy Cast 476: The Overview Effect by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

475: Fast Radio Bursts Jan 23, 2018

475: Fast Radio Bursts Astronomy Cast 475: Fast Radio Bursts by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

474: Predictions for 2018 Jan 15, 2018

474: Predictions for 2018 Astronomy Cast 474: Predictions for 2018 by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

473: Remembering the Best Space Science of 2017 Jan 08, 2018

473: Remembering the Best Space Science of 2017 Astronomy Cast 473: Remembering the Best Space Science of 2017 by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

472: Best Modern Sci Fi for the Science Lover – Part 4: Bioscience Dec 31, 2017

472: Best Modern Sci Fi for the Science Lover – Part 4: Bioscience Astronomy Cast 472: Best Modern Sci Fi for the Science Lover – Part 4: Bioscience by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

471: Best Modern Sci Fi for the Science Lover – Part 3: Human Computer Relations Dec 27, 2017

471: Best Modern Sci Fi for the Science Lover – Part 3: Human Computer Relations Astronomy Cast 471: Best Modern Sci Fi for the Science Lover – Part 3: Human Computer Relations by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

470: Best Modern Sci Fi for the Science Lover – Part 2: 3D Printing Dec 19, 2017

470: Best Modern Sci Fi for the Science Lover – Part 2: 3D Printing Astronomy Cast 470: Best Modern Sci Fi for the Science Lover – Part 2: 3D Printing by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

469: Best Modern Sci Fi for the Science Lover – Part 1 Space Exploration Dec 11, 2017

469: Best Modern Sci Fi for the Science Lover – Part 1 Space Exploration Astronomy Cast 469: Best Modern Sci Fi for the Science Lover – Part 1 Space Exploration by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

468: Simulations for Science and Fun Dec 04, 2017

468: Simulations for Science and Fun Astronomy Cast 468: Simulations for Science and Fun by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

467: Resonance Nov 27, 2017

467: Resonance Astronomy Cast 467: Resonance by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

466: Origins of Zero (0) Nov 20, 2017

466: Origins of Zero (0) Astronomy Cast 466: Origins of Zero (0) by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

465: Exploiting Interfering Light Nov 10, 2017

465: Exploiting Interfering Light Astronomy Cast 465: Exploiting Interfering Light by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

464: Why the Hype over an Exorock? Nov 06, 2017

464: Why the Hype over an Exorock? Astronomy Cast 464: Why the Hype over an Exorock? by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

463: Pareidolia and the Moon Oct 30, 2017

463: Pareidolia and the Moon Astronomy Cast 463: Pareidolia and the Moon by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

462: Modeling the Weather Oct 23, 2017

462: Modeling the Weather Astronomy Cast 462: Modeling the Weather by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

461: Measuring the Weather with Satellites Oct 16, 2017

461: Measuring the Weather with Satellites Astronomy Cast 461: Measuring the Weather with Satellites by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

460: Earth from Afar: Remote Sensing Oct 09, 2017

460: Earth from Afar: Remote Sensing Astronomy Cast 460: Earth from Afar: Remote Sensing by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

459: Arecibo Observatory Oct 02, 2017

459: Arecibo Observatory Astronomy Cast 459: Arecibo Observatory by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

458: The Science of Cassini Sep 25, 2017

458: The Science of Cassini Astronomy Cast 458: The Science of Cassini by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

457: Why Did Cassini Have To Die? In Memoriam Sep 18, 2017

457: Why Did Cassini Have To Die? In Memoriam Astronomy Cast 457: Why Did Cassini Have To Die? In Memoriam by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

456: Pluto Revisited Sep 11, 2017

456: Pluto Revisited Astronomy Cast 456: Pluto Revisited by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

455: Your Practical Guide to Colonizing the Milky Way! Aug 28, 2017

455: Your Practical Guide to Colonizing the Milky Way! Astronomy Cast 455: Your Practical Guide to Colonizing the Milky Way! by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Astronomy Cast Extra! Solar Eclipse 101 Aug 19, 2017

Pamela and Fraser talk about solar eclipse basics at their Solar Eclipse Escape event in Saint Louis on August 19th. What to do, and (perhaps more importantly) what NOT to do is covered!

454: Things We’re Looking Forward To Jun 19, 2017

454: Things We’re Looking Forward To Astronomy Cast 454: Things We’re Looking Forward To by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

453: Favorite Things We’ve Done These 10 Years Jun 11, 2017

453: Favorite Things We’ve Done These 10 Years Astronomy Cast 453: Favorite Things We’ve Done These 10 Years by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

452: Summer Observing Challenges Jun 05, 2017

452: Summer Observing Challenges Astronomy Cast 452: Summer Observing Challenges by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

451: When Can I Buy My Ticket To Space? May 28, 2017

451: When Can I Buy My Ticket To Space? Astronomy Cast 451: When Can I Buy My Ticket To Space? by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

450: Inflatable Habitats May 23, 2017

450: Inflatable Habitats Astronomy Cast 450: Inflatable Habitats by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

449: Robots in Space! May 08, 2017

449: Robots in Space! Astronomy Cast 449: Robots in Space! by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

448: Prepping for the Eclipse May 01, 2017

448: Prepping for the Eclipse Astronomy Cast 448: Prepping for the Eclipse by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

447: Animals in Space Pt. 3: Dogs, Monkeys and More Apr 25, 2017

447: Animals in Space Pt. 3: Dogs, Monkeys and More Astronomy Cast 447: Animals in Space Pt. 3: Dogs, Monkeys and More by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

446: Animals in Space Pt. 2: Mice and Other Small Animals Apr 17, 2017

446: Animals in Space Pt. 2: Mice and Other Small Animals Astronomy Cast 446: Animals in Space Pt. 2: Mice and Other Small Animals by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

445: Animals in Space Pt. 1: Insects and Arachnids Apr 10, 2017

445: Animals in Space Pt. 1: Insects and Arachnids Astronomy Cast 445: Animals in Space Pt. 1: Insects and Arachnids by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

444: Fractals Apr 03, 2017

444: Fractals Astronomy Cast 444: Fractals by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

443: Destroy and Rebuild Pt. 7: Tsunamis Mar 13, 2017

443: Destroy and Rebuild Pt. 7: Tsunamis Astronomy Cast 443: Destroy and Rebuild Pt. 7: Tsunamis by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

442: Destroy and Rebuild Pt. 6: Magnetic Pole Reversal Mar 03, 2017

442: Destroy and Rebuild Pt. 6: Magnetic Pole Reversal Astronomy Cast 442: Destroy and Rebuild Pt. 6: Magnetic Pole Reversal by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

441: Destroy and Rebuild, Pt. 5: Continental Drift Mar 03, 2017

441: Destroy and Rebuild, Pt. 5: Continental Drift Astronomy Cast 441: Destroy and Rebuild, Pt. 5: Continental Drift by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

440: Destroy and Rebuild, Pt. 4: Supervolcanoes! Feb 18, 2017

440: Destroy and Rebuild, Pt. 4: Supervolcanoes! Astronomy Cast 440: Destroy and Rebuild, Pt. 4: Supervolcanoes! by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

439: Destroy and Rebuild, Pt. 3: How Do We Terraform Earth? Feb 14, 2017

439: Destroy and Rebuild, Pt. 3: How Do We Terraform Earth? Astronomy Cast 439: Destroy and Rebuild, Pt. 3: How Do We Terraform Earth? by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

438: Destroy and Rebuild, Pt. 2: Geoengineering Feb 05, 2017

438: Destroy and Rebuild, Pt. 2: Geoengineering Astronomy Cast 438: Destroy and Rebuild, Pt. 2: Geoengineering by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

437: Destroy and Rebuild, Pt. 1: The Torino Scale Jan 30, 2017

437: Destroy and Rebuild, Pt. 1: The Torino Scale Astronomy Cast 437: Destroy and Rebuild, Pt. 1: The Torino Scale by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

436 Bonus: Moon Cheeziness Jan 24, 2017

436 Bonus: Moon Cheeziness Astronomy Cast 436 Bonus: Moon Cheeziness by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

436: Common Misconceptions in Probability Jan 23, 2017

436: Common Misconceptions in Probability Astronomy Cast 436: Common Misconceptions in Probability by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

435: The Butterfly Effect Jan 15, 2017

435: The Butterfly Effect Astronomy Cast 435: The Butterfly Effect by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

434: Am I On An Alien World? Jan 08, 2017

434: Am I On An Alien World? Astronomy Cast 434: Am I On An Alien World? by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

433: Volcanoes on Mars Jan 03, 2017

433: Volcanoes on Mars Astronomy Cast 433: Volcanoes on Mars by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

432: Geologic Ages of Mars – From Wet and Wild to Desolate Desert Dec 26, 2016

432: Geologic Ages of Mars – From Wet and Wild to Desolate Desert Astronomy Cast 432: Geologic Ages of Mars – From Wet and Wild to Desolate Desert by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

431: The Search for Life on Mars Dec 08, 2016

431: The Search for Life on Mars Astronomy Cast 431: The Search for Life on Mars by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

430: Coming Home from Mars Dec 08, 2016

430: Coming Home from Mars Astronomy Cast 430: Coming Home from Mars by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

429: Living on Mars Nov 26, 2016

429: Living on Mars Astronomy Cast 429: Living on Mars by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

428: The Moons of Mars Nov 24, 2016

428: The Moons of Mars Astronomy Cast 428: The Moons of Mars by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

427: Click Bait vs Clear Science Nov 07, 2016

427: Click Bait vs Clear Science Astronomy Cast 427: Click Bait vs Clear Science by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

426: Confirmation Bias Oct 29, 2016

426: Confirmation Bias Astronomy Cast 426: Confirmation Bias by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

425: Naming Spacecraft Oct 20, 2016

425: Naming Spacecraft Astronomy Cast 425: Naming Spacecraft by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

424: Lightning Oct 17, 2016

424: Lightning Astronomy Cast 424: Lightning by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

423: Cyclones Oct 10, 2016

423: Cyclones Astronomy Cast 423: Cyclones by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

422: Geysers Oct 01, 2016

Astronomy Cast 422: Geysers by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

421: Space Games! Sep 28, 2016

Astronomy Cast 421: Space Games! by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

420: FIRE! Sep 19, 2016

Astronomy Cast 420: FIRE! by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

419: DragonCon 2016 Live: Rocket Girls Sep 15, 2016

AstronomyCast 419: DragonCon 2016 Live: Rocket Girls by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

418: I'm a Teapot Jun 27, 2016

AstronomyCast 418: I'm a Teapot by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

417: Expectation: Failed Jun 26, 2016

AstronomyCast 417: Expectation: Failed by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

416: Fireballs from Space Jun 13, 2016

AstronomyCast 416: Fireballs from Space by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

415: The Temperature of the Universe Jun 01, 2016

AstronomyCast 415: The Temperature of the Universe by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

414: Navigating Far May 26, 2016

AstronomyCast 414: Navigating Far by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

413: Navigating Near May 17, 2016

AstronomyCast 413: Navigating Near by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

412: The Color of the Universe May 01, 2016

AstronomyCast 412: The Color of the Universe by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

411: The Science of Sunset Colors Apr 25, 2016

AstronomyCast 411: The Science of Sunset Colors by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

410: Planet Nine - Facts & Fiction Apr 18, 2016

AstronomyCast 410: Planet Nine - Facts & Fiction by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

409: Spin in the Solar System Apr 11, 2016

AstronomyCast 409: Spin in the Solar System by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

408: Universal Cannibalism Apr 04, 2016

AstronomyCast 408: Universal Cannibalism by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

407: Galactic Cannibalism Mar 30, 2016

AstronomyCast 407: Galactic Cannibalism by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

406: Stellar Cannibalism Mar 14, 2016

AstronomyCast 406: Stellar Cannibalism by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

405: Method Not Found Mar 07, 2016

AstronomyCast 405: Method Not Found by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

405: Method Not Found Mar 07, 2016

AstronomyCast 405: Method Not Found by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

404: What We Know, What We Don't Know, & What We Can't Know Mar 01, 2016

AstronomyCast 404: What We Know, What We Don't Know, & What We Can't Know by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

403: Funding Big Science Feb 22, 2016

AstronomyCast 403: Funding Big Science by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

402: Gravity Eyes - See the Invisible with the Force Feb 15, 2016

AstronomyCast 402: Gravity Eyes - See the Invisible with the Force by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

401: Future Predictions Feb 08, 2016

AstronomyCast 401: Future Predictions by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

400: The State of the Universe Feb 01, 2016

AstronomyCast 400: The State of the Universe, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

399: Women in Science Jan 18, 2016

AstronomyCast 399: Women in Science by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

398: Seeing Things Jan 11, 2016

AstronomyCast 398: Seeing Things by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

397: Why is There Something and Not Nothing? Dec 22, 2015

AstronomyCast 397: Why is There Something and Not Nothing? by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

396: Family Astronomy for the Holidays Dec 15, 2015

AstronomyCast 396: Family Astronomy for the Holidays by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

395: Baryons & Beyond the Standard Model Dec 07, 2015

AstronomyCast 395: Baryons & Beyond the Standard Model by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

394: Bosons Nov 30, 2015

AstronomyCast 394: Bosons by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

393: The Standard Model - Leptons & Quarks Nov 23, 2015

AstronomyCast 393: The Standard Model - Leptons & Quarks by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

392: The Standard Model Nov 16, 2015

AstronomyCast 392: The Standard Model by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

391: Entropy Nov 09, 2015

AstronomyCast 391: Entropy by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

390: Occam's Razor & the Problem with Probabilities Nov 09, 2015

AstronomyCast 390: Occam's Razor & the Problem with Probabilities by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

388: Megastructures Oct 29, 2015

AstronomyCast 388: Megastructures by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

389: Roundtable with Paul M. Sutter Oct 28, 2015

AstronomyCast 389: Roundtable with Paul M. Sutter by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

387: Water on Mars (Again) Oct 20, 2015

AstronomyCast 387: Water on Mars (Again) by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

386: Orbiting Observers Oct 13, 2015

AstronomyCast 386: Orbiting Observers by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

385: Rovers on the Run Sep 30, 2015

AstronomyCast 385: Rovers on the Run by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

384: Escaping Probes Sep 27, 2015

AstronomyCast 384: Escaping Probes, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

383: Approaches to Absolute Zero Jul 07, 2015

AstronomyCast 383: Approaches to Absolute Zero by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

382: Degenerate Matter Jul 06, 2015

AstronomyCast 382: Degenerate Matter by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

381: Hollowing Asteroids Jun 19, 2015

AstronomyCast 381: Hollowing Asteroids by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

380: The Limits of Optics Jun 15, 2015

AstronomyCast 380: The Limits of Optics by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

379: Fermi's Atom Splitting Jun 13, 2015

AstronomyCast 379: Fermi's Atom Splitting by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

378: Rutherford Atoms Jun 08, 2015

AstronomyCast 378: Rutherford Atoms, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

377: Thomson Finds the Electron Jun 04, 2015

AstronomyCast 377: Thomson Finds the Electron by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

376: The Miller-Urey Experiment May 25, 2015

AstronomyCast 376: The Miller-Urey Experiment by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

375: The Search for Life in the Solar System, with Morgan Rehnberg May 13, 2015

AstronomyCast 375: The Search for Life in the Solar System, with Morgan Rehnberg by Fraser Cain & Morgan Rehnberg

374: The Stern-Gerlach Experiment Apr 27, 2015

AstronomyCast 374: The Stern-Gerlach Experiment by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

373: The Becquerel Experiment Apr 15, 2015

AstronomyCast 373: The Becquerel Experiment by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

372: The Millikan Oil Drop Experiment Apr 06, 2015

AstronomyCast 372: The Millikan Oil Drop Experiment by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

371: The Eddington Eclipse Experiment Apr 05, 2015

AstronomyCast 371: The Eddington Eclipse Experiment by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

370: Kaufmann Bucherer Neumann Experiments Mar 25, 2015

AstronomyCast 370: Kaufmann Bucherer Neumann Experiments by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

369: The Fizeau Experiment Mar 19, 2015

AstronomyCast 369: The Fizeau Experiment by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

368: Searching for the Ether Wind (The Michelson–Morley Experiment) Feb 23, 2015

AstronomyCast 368: Searching for the Ether Wind (The Michelson–Morley Experiment) by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

367: Spitzer Does Exoplanets Feb 19, 2015

AstronomyCast 367: Spitzer Does Exoplanets by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

366: HARPS Feb 06, 2015

AstronomyCast 366: HARPS by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

365: Gaia Jan 27, 2015

AstronomyCast 365: Gaia by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

364: COROT Jan 19, 2015

AstronomyCast 364: COROT by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

363: Where Did Earth's Water Come From? Jan 19, 2015

AstronomyCast 363: Where Did Earth's Water Come From? by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

362: Carolyn Porco Jan 05, 2015

AstronomyCast 362: Carolyn Porco by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

361: Maria Zuber Dec 29, 2014

AstronomyCast 361: Maria Zuber by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

360: Jocelyn Bell Burnell Dec 17, 2014

AstronomyCast 360: Jocelyn Bell Burnell by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

359: Margaret Geller Dec 08, 2014

AstronomyCast 359: Margaret Geller by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

358: Sandra Faber Dec 08, 2014

AstronomyCast 358: Sandra Faber by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

357: Vera Rubin Nov 24, 2014

AstronomyCast 357: Vera Rubin by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

356: Inertia Nov 21, 2014

AstronomyCast 356: Inertia by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

355: 3D Printing Exploration Nov 14, 2014

AstronomyCast 355: 3D Printing Exploration by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

354: Comet Siding Spring vs. Mars Nov 10, 2014

AstronomyCast: 354: Comet Siding Spring vs. Mars by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

353: Seasons and Saturn Oct 06, 2014

AstronomyCast 353: Seasons and Saturn by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

352: Water, Water Everywhere Sep 30, 2014

AstronomyCast 352: Water, Water Everywhere by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Live from DragonCon 2014 Sep 28, 2014

AstronomyCast Live from DragonCon 2014 by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

351: Asteroid Adventures Sep 22, 2014

AstronomyCast 351: Asteroid Adventures by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

350: Spaceship One Jul 13, 2014

AstronomyCast 350: SpaceShip One by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

349: Mercury 7 Astronauts Jul 10, 2014

AstronomyCast 349: Mercury 7 Astronauts by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

348: 2 Independence Square, the NASA Headquarters Jun 17, 2014

AstronomyCast 348: 2 Independence Square, the NASA Headquarters by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Live from Balticon Jun 09, 2014

AstronomyCast: Live from Balticon, with P.G. Holyfield by Dr. Pamela Gay

346: Area 51 May 22, 2014

AstronomyCast 346: Area 51 by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

345: Launch Complex 39 May 13, 2014

AstronomyCast 345: Launch Complex 39 by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

344: Saturn's Rings May 05, 2014

AstronomyCast 344: Saturn's Rings by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

343: The Universe is Trying to Kill You May 03, 2014

AstronomyCast 343: The Universe is Trying to Kill You by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

342: Sunsetting Spacecraft Apr 15, 2014

AstronomyCast 342: Sunsetting Spacecraft by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

341: The 45th Lunar and Planetary Society Conference, with Alessondra Springmann Apr 09, 2014

AstronomyCast 341: The 45th Lunar and Planetary Society Conference, with Alessondra Springmann by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

340: Warner von Braum Apr 01, 2014

AstronomyCast 340: Warner von Braum by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

339: Space Conspiracy Theories Mar 26, 2014

AstronomyCast 339: Space Conspiracy Theories by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

338: Copernicus Mar 20, 2014

AstronomyCast 338: Copernicus by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

337: Photometry Mar 11, 2014

AstronomyCast 337: Photometry by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

336: Units of Measure Mar 04, 2014

AstronomyCast 336: Units of Measure by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

335: The Photoelectric Effect Feb 24, 2014

AstronomyCast 335: The Photoelectric Effect by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

334: Chelyabinsk, One Year Later Feb 17, 2014

AstronomyCast 334: Chelyabinsk, One Year Later by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

333: When Worlds Collide Feb 09, 2014

AstronomyCast 333: When Worlds Collide by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

332: Stellar Collisions Feb 06, 2014

AstronomyCast 332: Stellar Collisions by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

331: Arthur C. Clarke's Ideas and Technology Jan 27, 2014

AstronomyCast 331: Arthur C. Clarke's Ideas and Technology by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

330: Arthur C. Clarke Jan 20, 2014

AstronomyCast 330: Arthur C. Clarke by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

329: Telescope Making, Pt. 3 Jan 13, 2014

329: Telescope Making, Pt. 3 by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

328: Telescope Making, Pt. 2 Jan 06, 2014

AstronomyCast 328: Telescope Making, Pt. 2 by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

327: Telescope Making, Pt. 1 Dec 30, 2013

AstronomyCast 327: Telescope Making, Pt. 1 by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

326: Atmospheric Dust Dec 23, 2013

AstronomyCast 326: Atmospheric Dust by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

325: Cold Fusion Dec 17, 2013

AstronomyCast 325: Cold Fusion by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

324: Sun Grazers Dec 08, 2013

AstronomyCast 324: Sun Grazers by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

323: Isotopes Dec 03, 2013

AstronomyCast 323: Isotopes by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

322: SOHO Nov 20, 2013

AstronomyCast 322: SOHO by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

321: Solar Flares Nov 19, 2013

AstronomyCast 321: Solar Flares by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

320: Layers of the Sun Nov 11, 2013

AstronomyCast 320: Layers of the Sun by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

319: The Zodiac Nov 04, 2013

AstronomyCast 319: The Zodiac by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

318: Escape Velocity Oct 28, 2013

AstronomyCast 318: Escape Velocity by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

317: Observatories Oct 23, 2013

AstronomyCast 317: Observatories by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

316: Observational vs. Experimental Science Oct 14, 2013

AstronomyCast 316: Observational Vs. Experimental Science by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

315: Particle Accelerators Oct 07, 2013

Who knew that destruction could be so informative? Only by smashing particles together with more and more energy, can we truly tease out the fundamental forces of nature. Join us to discover the different kinds of accelerators (both natural and artificial) and why questions they can help us answer.

314: Acceleration Sep 09, 2013

AstronomyCast 314: Acceleration by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

313: Precession Sep 08, 2013

AstronomyCast 313: Precession by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

312: The Inverse Square Law & Other Strangeness Aug 06, 2013

AstronomyCast 312: The Inverse Square Law & Other Strangeness by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

311: Sound Jul 29, 2013

AstronomyCast 311: Sound by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 309: Creating a Science-y Society Jul 23, 2013

AstronomyCast 309: Creating a Science-y Society by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

308: Climate Change Jul 18, 2013

AstronomyCast 308: Climate Change by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

307: The Pacific Ring of Fire Jul 14, 2013

AstronomyCast 307: The Pacific Ring of Fire by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

306: Accretion Discs Jul 10, 2013

AstronomyCast 306: Accretion Discs by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

305: The Spacecraft That Wouldn't Die Jul 01, 2013

AstronomyCast 305: The Spacecraft That Wouldn't Die by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

304: Death of a Spacecraft Jun 25, 2013

AstronomyCast 304: Death of a Spacecraft by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

303: Equilibrium Jun 22, 2013

AstronomyCast 303: Equilibrium by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

302: Planetary Motion in the Sky Jun 22, 2013

AstronomyCast 302: Planetary Motion in the Sky by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Ep. 301: Planetary Migration May 19, 2013

AstronomyCast 301: Planetary Migration by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Ep. 295: The Observable Universe May 19, 2013

AstronomyCast 295: The Observable Universe by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Ep. 300: What We've Learned in Almost 7 Years May 19, 2013

AstronomyCast 300: What We've Learned in Almost 7 Years by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Ep. 299: Space Stations, Pt. 4: Future Space Stations May 18, 2013

AstronomyCast 299: Space Stations, Pt. 4: Future Space Stations by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Ep. 298: Space Stations, Pt. 3: The International Space Station May 18, 2013

AstronomyCast 298: Space Stations, Pt. 3: The International Space Station by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Ep. 297: Space Stations, Pt. 2: Mir May 15, 2013

AstronomyCast297: Space Stations, Pt. 2: Mir, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Ep. 296: Spacestations, pt. 1 May 14, 2013

AstronomyCast 296: Spacestations, pt. 1, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Weekly Space Hangout - May 3rd, 2013 May 04, 2013

Ep. 294: Arecibo Observatory Apr 18, 2013

AstronomyCast 294: Arecibo Observatory, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Ep. 293: Earthquakes Apr 03, 2013

AstronomyCast 293: Earthquakes, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Ep. 292: The Oort Cloud Mar 25, 2013

AstronomyCast 292: The Oort Cloud, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Ep. 291: Shockwaves Mar 19, 2013

AstronomyCast 291: Shockwaves, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Ep. 290: Failed Stars Mar 18, 2013

AstronomyCast 290: Failed Stars, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Ep. 289: Cherenkov Radiation Mar 12, 2013

AstronomyCast 289: Cherenkov Radiation, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Ep. 288: Phases of Matter Feb 26, 2013

AstronomyCast 288: Phases of Matter, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Ep. 287: E = mc2 Feb 18, 2013

AstronomyCast 287: E = mc2, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Weekly Space Hangout Feb 15, 2013 Feb 16, 2013

Ep. 283: Stellar Motion Feb 13, 2013

AstronomyCast 283: Stellar Motion, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Ep. 286: How to Debunk and End-of-the-World Myth Feb 13, 2013

AstronomyCast 286: How to Debunk and End-of-the-World Myth, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Ep. 285: How the World Will Really End Feb 11, 2013

AstronomyCast 285: How the World Will Really End, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Weekly Space Hangout Feb 8, 2013 Feb 08, 2013

Weekly Space Hangout Feb 1, 2013 Feb 04, 2013

Weekly Space Hangout - Jan 25 2013 Jan 25, 2013

Weekly Space Hangout - Jan 18, 2013 Jan 25, 2013

Ep. 284: Optics Jan 19, 2013

AstronomyCast 284: Optics, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Ep. 282: Seasons Jan 08, 2013

AstronomyCast 282: Seasons, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Ep. 281: Explosions in Space Dec 13, 2012

AstroCast 281: Explosions in Space, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Ep. 280: The Cosmological Constant Dec 11, 2012

AstronomyCast 280: The Cosmological Constant, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Ep. 279: The Hubble Constant Dec 04, 2012

AstronomyCast 279: The Hubble Constant, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Ep. 278: Animals in Space Nov 13, 2012

AstronomyCast 278: Animals in Space, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Ep. 277: Orbit Nov 06, 2012

AstronomyCast 277: Orbit, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Ep. 276: XMM Newton Oct 30, 2012

AstronomyCast 276: XMM Newton, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Weekly Space Hangout-Oct 25, 2012 Oct 27, 2012

Mobile App: Phases of the Moon Oct 25, 2012

Universe Today needs your help. Support the site and enrich your life at the same time by buying our mobile app: Phases of the Moon, for both Android and iPhone. The app is only $.99 in the store or .

Ep. 275: Isaac Newton, Pt. 1 Oct 16, 2012

AstronomyCast 275: Isaac Newton, Pt. 1, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Ep. 274: The Asteroid Vesta Oct 15, 2012

AstronomyCast 274: The Asteroid Vesta, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 273: Solutions to the Fermi Paradox Oct 08, 2012

AstronomyCast 273: Solutions to the Fermi Paradox, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Weekly Space Hangout - Oct 4, 2012 Oct 04, 2012

Weekly Space Hangout Sep 27, 2012 Oct 01, 2012

Weekly Space Hangout Sep 20, 2012 Oct 01, 2012

AstronomyCast 272: Abiogenesis Oct 01, 2012

AstronomyCast 272: Abiogenesis, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 271: Who Does What in Space & Astronomy? Sep 18, 2012

AstronomyCast 271: Who Does What in Space & Astronomy? by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Weekly Space Hangout - Sep. 13, 2012 Sep 17, 2012

AstronomyCast: Live from DragonCon 2012 Sep 11, 2012

AstronomyCast: Live from DragonCon 2012, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 270: Inertia Sep 09, 2012

AstronomyCast 270: Inertia, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Live coverage of the Curiosity Landing on August 5th, 2012 Jul 31, 2012

Astronomy Cast on Hiatus for the Summer Jul 31, 2012

We'll be back for with a live show at Dragon*Con 2012 at the Labor Day Weekend.

AstronomyCast 269: Mass Jul 16, 2012

AstronomyCast 269: Mass, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Weekly Space Hangout - July 12, 2012 Jul 12, 2012

This week we talk about the new moon discovered orbiting Pluto (P5), New Horizons doing science in it's sleep, a southern polar vortex on Titan, and Pluto moon orbits, et cetera. We are joined by Robert Nemiroff, Jason Major, Alan Boyle, Michael Wall, Amy Shira Teitel and special guest Mark Showalter of SETI. Hosted by Fraser Cain.

AstronomyCast 268: Energy Jul 10, 2012

AstronomyCast 268: Energy, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 267: Infinities Jul 08, 2012

AstronomyCast 267: Infinities, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Weekly Space Hangout - July 5, 2012 Jul 05, 2012

Weekly Space Hangout - June 28, 2012 Jun 28, 2012

Ep. 266: Archimedes Jun 26, 2012

It's time to look deep into history to the birthplace of modern mathematics - Ancient Greece. And the most famous mathematician of the time was Archimedes. We use many of his mathematical theories and inventions to this day; others are steeped in legend and mystery.

265: Arthur Eddington Jun 24, 2012

We can thank Arthur Eddington for much of our current understanding of stars. He provided some of the breakthrough concepts that explain what's going on, deep inside the hottest places in the Universe. Sadly, the spacecraft associated with his name wasn't so successful.

Weekly Space Hangout - June 21, 2012 Jun 22, 2012

This week we talk about: Black Holes as particle detectors, New advances in Chinese space exploration, Asteroid research, History of women in space. We're joined by Amy Shira Teitel, Alan Boyle, Ian O'Neill, and Michael Wall. Hosted by Fraser Cain

Weekly Space Hangout - June 14, 2012 Jun 22, 2012

This week we talk about: Lakes on Titan, Mars Curiosity landing, Earth-type worlds more common, NuSTAR Mission launch. We are joined by Amy Shira Teitel, Emily Lakdawalla, and Nicole Gugliucci

AstronomyCast 264: The Hazards of Space Flight Jun 20, 2012

AstronomyCast 264: The Hazards of Space Flight, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 263: Radioactive Decay Jun 14, 2012

AstronomyCast 263: Radioactive Decay, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 262: Solar Sails Jun 14, 2012

AstronomyCast 262: Solar Sails, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Weekly Space Hangout - June 7, 2012 Jun 07, 2012

In this week's Weekly Space Hangout, we talk about the Transit of Venus, the transfer of the space shuttle Enterprise, the future of commercial space exploration, and the new movie Prometheus. We're joined by Alan Boyle from http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/ and Amy Shira Teitel from http://www.amyshirateitel.com/

AstronomyCast 261: Lasers & Masers in Astronomy Jun 05, 2012

AstronomyCast 261: Lasers & Masers in Astronomy, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Weekly Space Hangout - May 31, 2012 May 31, 2012

In this episode of the Weekly Space Hangout, we're joined by special guest Robert Nemiroff from Astronomy Picture of the Day. We also talked about the return of the SpaceX Dragon capsule, a manned mission to Venus, nomadic planets and the announcement of the Square Kilometer Array. Our team included: Amy Shira Tietel, Jason Major, Alan Boyle, Nicole Gugliucci and Robert Nemiroff

AstronomyCast 260: Lasers & Masers May 28, 2012

AstronomyCast 260: Lasers & Masers, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Weekly Space Hangout - May 17, 2012 May 23, 2012

Sorry for the lack of a Hangout last week, we had massive internet fail in Fraser's home city. This week, we talk about: Building a real starship Enterprise, preparations for the annular solar eclipse, investigation into the Gaia theory, fuel for black holes, Hubble and the transit of Venus. We're joined by Amy Shira Teitel, Jason Major, Nancy Atkinson, Nicole Gugliucci, Phil Plait.

AstronomyCast 259: The Exploration of Venus May 07, 2012

AstronomyCast 259: The Exploration of Venus, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 258: Viking Landers May 04, 2012

AstronomyCast 258: Viking Landers, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Weekly Space Hangout - May 3, 2012 May 04, 2012

In this episode we talked about asteroid mining, SpaceX delays, Shuttle retirement, killer black holes, supermassive planets (aka brown dwarfs), Enceladus/Dione flybys, and missions to Jupiter.

AstronomyCast 257: Viking Orbiter Apr 06, 2012

AstronomyCast 257: Viking Orbiter, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 256: Resolution Mar 14, 2012

AstronomyCast 256: Resolution, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 254: Reflection & Refraction Mar 09, 2012

AstronomyCast 254: Reflection & Refraction, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Weekly Space Hangout - Mar. 8, 2012 Mar 08, 2012

In this episode of the Weekly Space Hangout, we talk about two different asteroid close passes, the solar storms buffeting the Earth, a recent space exploration conference, and a team of amateur astronomers flashing the space station. We're also joined by Ryan Kobrick - Executive Director of Yuri's Night - to talk about the upcoming festivities.

AstronomyCast 255: Observing Hydrogen Mar 08, 2012

AstronomyCast 255: Observing Hydrogen, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Weekly Space Hangout - Mar. 1, 2012 Mar 02, 2012

Another week, another space roundup. This week we talk about the redefinition of the term "Earthlike", salty soil on Mars, how you can participate in SETI, asteroid dust from Hayabusa, and the dangers of a warp drive.

AstronomyCast 253: Rayleigh Scattering Feb 26, 2012

AstronomyCast 253: Rayleigh Scattering, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Weekly Space Hangout - Feb. 23, 2012 Feb 24, 2012

Weekly Space Hangout - Feb. 16, 2012 Feb 16, 2012

AstronomyCast 251: Messier Objects Feb 14, 2012

AstronomyCast 251: Messier Objects, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Weekly Space Hangout - Feb. 9, 2012 Feb 13, 2012

Weekly Space Hangout - Feb. 2, 2012 Feb 13, 2012

AstronomyCast 252: Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle Feb 13, 2012

AstronomyCast 252: Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 250: Precision Feb 09, 2012

AstronomyCast 250: Precision, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 249: Schrödinger's cat Feb 01, 2012

AstronomyCast 249: Schrödinger's cat, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 248: The Carina Constellation Jan 31, 2012

AstronomyCast 248: The Carina Constellation, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Weekly Space Hangout - Jan. 26, 2012 Jan 26, 2012

Another edition of our weekly space hangout. This week we talked about a week of space remembrance, solar storms, Newt's plans for a 2020 lunar base, arsenic and old news, black holes and their galaxies and the death of Phobos-Grunt.

AstronomyCast 247: The Ages of Things Jan 23, 2012

AstronomyCast 247: The Ages of Things, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 246: What If Something Was Different Jan 20, 2012

AstronomyCast 246: What If Something Was Different, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 245: Calendars Jan 09, 2012

AstronomyCast 245: Calendars, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Discovery of Earth-Sized Planets - Google+ Hangout Dec 22, 2011

This is a Google+ Hangout we did to discuss the announcement of Earth-sized planets discovered by NASA's Kepler mission. Moderated by Fraser Cain from Universe Today/Astronomy Cast, with Nancy Atkinson from Universe Today, Dr. Phil Plait from Bad Astronomy, Emily Lakdawalla from the Planetary Society and Alan Boyle from MSNBC's Cosmic Log.

AstronomyCast 244: Io Dec 20, 2011

AstronomyCast 244: Io, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 243: The Tunguska Event Dec 19, 2011

AstronomyCast 243: The Tunguska Event, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 242: The Turino Scale Dec 04, 2011

AstronomyCast 242: The Turino Scale, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 241: Astrophotography | Pt. 3: Image Processing Dec 01, 2011

AstronomyCast 241: Astrophotography | Pt. 3: Image Processing by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 240: Astrophotography | Pt. 2: Techniques Nov 27, 2011

AstronomyCast 240: Astrophotography | Pt. 2: Techniques, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 239: Astrophotography | Pt. 1: The Gear Nov 19, 2011

AstronomyCast 239: Astrophotography | Pt. 1: The Gear, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 238: Solar Activity Nov 08, 2011

AstronomyCast 238: Solar Activity, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 237: Spooky Space Sounds Nov 01, 2011

AstronomyCast 237: Spooky Space Sounds, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 236: Einstein Was Right Oct 24, 2011

AstronomyCast 236: Einstein Was Right, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 235: Einstein Oct 17, 2011

AstronomyCast 235: Einstein, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 234: Lunar Phases Oct 10, 2011

AstronomyCast 234: Lunar Phases, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 233: Radar Oct 04, 2011

AstronomyCast 233: Radar, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 232: Galileo Spacecraft Sep 29, 2011

AstronomyCast 232: Galileo Spacecraft, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast: Live at Dragon*Con Sep 26, 2011

AstronomyCast: Live at Dragon*Con, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 231: Galileo Galilei Sep 01, 2011

AstronomyCast 231: Galileo Galilei, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 230: Christiaan Huygens Aug 31, 2011

AstronomyCast 230: Christiaan Huygens, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 229: The Cassini Mission Aug 28, 2011

AstronomyCast 229: The Cassini Mission, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 228: Giovanni Cassini, Pt. 1 Jul 27, 2011

AstronomyCast 228: Giovanni Cassini, Pt. 1, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 227: The Big Dipper Jul 25, 2011

AstronomyCast 227: The Big Dipper, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 226: Weather Jul 21, 2011

AstronomyCast 226: Weather, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 225: Ice in Space Jul 16, 2011

AstronomyCast 225: Ice in Space, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 224: Orion Jun 26, 2011

AstronomyCast 224: Orion, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 223: The Transit of Venus Jun 22, 2011

AstronomyCast 223: The Transit of Venus, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 222: The Decadal Survey May 26, 2011

AstronomyCast 222: The Decadal Survey, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 221: Geomorphology May 12, 2011

AstronomyCast 221: Geomorphology, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 220: Mass Extinction Events Apr 10, 2011

AstronomyCast 220: Mass Extinction Events

AstronomyCast 219: The Planck Mission Apr 01, 2011

AstronomyCast 219: The Planck Mission, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 217: Stellar Classification Apr 01, 2011

AstronomyCast 217: Stellar Classification, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 218: Max Planck Pt. 1 Mar 29, 2011

AstronomyCast 218: Max Planck Pt. 1, by Fraser Cain and Dr. Pamela Gay

AstrnomyCast 216: Archeo-Astronomy Mar 03, 2011

AstrnomyCast 216: Archeo-Astronomy, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 215: Light Echoes Mar 01, 2011

AstronomyCast 215: Light Echoes, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 214: Space Tourism Feb 26, 2011

AstronomyCast 214: Space Tourism, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 213: Supermassive Black Holes Feb 09, 2011

AstronomyCast 213: Supermassive Black Holes

AstronomyCast 212: GPS Navigation Feb 02, 2011

AstronomyCast 212: GPS Navigation, by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 211: Celestial Navigation Jan 01, 2011

AstronomyCast 211: Celestial Navigation

AstronomyCast 210: The Mars Exploration Rovers: Spirit & Opportunity Dec 29, 2010

AstronomyCast 210: The Mars Exploration Rovers: Spirit & Opportunity

AstronomyCast 209: Exotic Life Dec 13, 2010

AstronomyCast 209: Exotic Life

AstronomyCast 208: The Spitzer Space Telescope Nov 22, 2010

AstronomyCast 208: The Spitzer Space Telescope

AstroCast 207: Lyman Spitzer Nov 19, 2010

AstroCast 207: Lyman Spitzer

AstronomyCast 206: Fission Nov 13, 2010

AstronomyCast 206: Fission

AstronomyCast 205: Fusion Nov 09, 2010

AstronomyCast 205: Fusion

AstronomyCast 204: Temperature Oct 25, 2010

AstronomyCast 204: Temperature

AstronomyCast 203: Europa Oct 19, 2010

AstronomyCast 203: Europa

AstronomyCast 202: The Planets at Gliese 581 Oct 11, 2010

AstronomyCast 202: The Planets at Gliese 581

AstronomyCast 201: Titan Oct 04, 2010

AstronomyCast 201: Titan

AstronomyCast 200: The Mariner Program Sep 27, 2010

AstronomyCast 200: The Mariner Program

AstronomyCast 199: The Voyager Program Sep 20, 2010

AstronomyCast 199: The Voyager Program

AstronomyCast 198: How is a Space Mission Chosen? Sep 16, 2010

AstronomyCast 198: How is a Space Mission Chosen?

AstronomyCast 196: Luminosity & Magnitude Sep 13, 2010

AstronomyCast 196: Luminosity & Magnitude

Astronomy Cast 197: Live from Dragon*Con 2010 Sep 08, 2010

AstronomyCast 195: Planetary Rings Aug 03, 2010

AstronomyCast 195: Planetary Rings by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 194: Dwarf Planets Jul 30, 2010

AstronomyCast 194: Dwarf Planets

AstronomyCast 193: Astronomy with the Unaided Eye Jul 06, 2010

AstronomyCast 193: Astronomy with the Unaided Eye

AstronomyCast 192: The Chandra X-Ray Observatory Jun 29, 2010

AstronomyCast 192: The Chandra X-Ray Observatory

AstronomyCast 191: Chandrasekhar Jun 29, 2010

AstronomyCast 191: Chandrasekhar

AstronomyCast 190: The Kepler Mission Jun 29, 2010

AstronomyCast 190: The Kepler Mission

AstronomyCast 189: Johannes Kepler and His Laws Jun 29, 2010

AstronomyCast 189: Johannes Kepler and His Laws

AstronomyCast 187: The History of Astronomy | Pt. 5, The 20th Century Jun 14, 2010

AstronomyCast 187: The History of Astronomy | Pt. 5, The 20th Century

AstronomyCast 188: The Future of Astronomy Jun 14, 2010

AstronomyCast 188: The Future of Astronomy

AstronomyCast 186: History of Astronomy | Pt. 4, Beginning of Modern Astronomy May 27, 2010

AstronomyCast 186: History of Astronomy | Pt. 4, Beginning of Modern Astronomy

Audible Ad: AstroCast 185 May 25, 2010

AstronomyCast 185: History of Astronomy | Pt. 3, The Renaissance May 25, 2010

AstronomyCast 185: History of Astronomy | Pt. 3, The Renaissance

AstronomyCast 184: History of Astronomy | Pt. 2, The Greeks May 07, 2010

AstronomyCast 184: History of Astronomy | Pt. 2, The Greeks

AstronomyCast 183: History of Astronomy | Pt. 1, The Ancient Astronomers May 07, 2010

AstronomyCast 183: History of Astronomy | Pt. 1, The Ancient Astronomers

AstronomyCast 182: Astrometry Apr 28, 2010

AstronomyCast 182: Astrometry

AstronomyCast 181: Rotation Apr 21, 2010

AstronomyCast 181: Rotation

AstronomyCast 180: Albedo Apr 17, 2010

AstronomyCast 180: Albedo

AstronomyCast 179: Mysteries of the Universe, pt. 2 Apr 10, 2010

AstronomyCast 179: Mysteries of the Universe, pt. 2

AstronomyCast 178: Mysteries of the Universe, pt. 1 Apr 07, 2010

AstronomyCast 178: Mysteries of the Universe, pt. 1

AstronomyCast 84: Getting Around the Solar System Mar 24, 2010

AstronomyCast 84: Getting Around the Solar System

AstronomyCast 177: Mysteries of the Milky Way, pt. 2 Mar 17, 2010

AstronomyCast 177: Mysteries of the Milky Way, pt. 2

AstronomyCast 176: Mysteries of the Milky Way, pt. 1 Mar 10, 2010

AstronomyCast 176: Mysteries of the Milky Way, pt. 1

AstronomyCast 175: Mysteries of the Universe, pt. 2 Mar 02, 2010

AstronomyCast 175: Mysteries of the Universe, pt. 2

AstronomyCast 174: Mysteries of the Universe, pt. 1 Feb 24, 2010

AstronomyCast 174: Mysteries of the Universe, pt. 1

AstronomyCast 173: The Herschel Space Observatory Feb 17, 2010

AstronomyCast 173: The Herschel Space Observatory

Ep. 26: The Largest Structures in the Universe Feb 11, 2010

This week we continue the story of galaxy formation, learning how groups of galaxies come together to form the biggest structures around – galaxy superclusters. And when you look at the Universe at this scale, environment is everything.

AstronomyCast 172: William Herschel Feb 10, 2010

AstronomyCast 172: William Herschel

AstronomyCast 171: Solar System Movements & Positions Feb 10, 2010

AstronomyCast 171: Solar System Movements & Positions

AstronomyCast 170: Coordinate Systems Feb 02, 2010

AstronomyCast 170: Coordinate Systems

AstronomyCast 169: The Fermi Mission Feb 01, 2010

AstronomyCast 169: The Fermi Mission

AstronomyCast 168: Enrico Fermi Jan 26, 2010

Ep. 15: Listener Questions Answered Dec 18, 2006

We finally get organized enough deal with several listener questions: isnâ��t dark matter just regular stuff we canâ��t see? how can parts of the Universe be expanding faster than the speed of light? what will Betelgeuse look like when it explodes as a supernova? whatâ��s the speed of gravity? All these and more questions are answered.

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