Deep Astronomy

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Women in Science w/ Carol Christian Mar 21, 2019

Show notes

Welcome to the first in a series of monthly discussions about topics in astronomy with Carol Christian, a colleague and friend of mine that has cohosted Astro Coffee Hangouts with me for years.

This month we talk about what it's like for women in science. Why aren't more qualified women in science? What are the obstacles?

The Exolife Finder Telescope (ELF) Feb 11, 2019

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Members of the PLANETS Foundation are working hard to secure funding for a telescope specifically designed to look for life on other worlds. In this episode, we discuss the capabilities and design of this exiting telescope

The Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) Jan 23, 2019

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The next generation of world-class ground based observatories are being built right now. Among them, The Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT). Learn about this amazing telescope that will become the world's largest by mid-2020's

Building Huge Telescopes in Space Using Robots Jan 18, 2019

Show notes

Astronomy’s Future Will Be Built: New Capabilities to Assemble in Space the Largest Observatories.

Scientific performance of telescopes depend strongly upon the observatory’s aperture, its capability to collect faint light. Eventually, the challenging goals of astronomers will require telescope mirrors larger than can be deployed in space without the capability to assemble them, either with astronauts or with robots, enabled by the decreasing cost of commercial launch vehicles.

Join Tony Darnell as he discusses the promise, the challenges, and the capabilities being assessed to assemble the largest future space observatories with Drs. Nicholas Siegler (NASA JPL), Bradley Peterson (OSU/STScI) and Gordon Roesler (Robots in Space LLC).

Come hear about a new NASA-chartered study that is looking into this potentially enabling capability.

Future in Space Hangouts are endorsed by the American Astronomical Society and the American Astronautical Society.

From the Moon to Mars Jan 03, 2019

Show notes

For decades advocates of the exploration of the Moon have argued that this will make possible subsequent exploration of Mars. But is this really true?

Recently several dozen experts critically examined whether astronaut exploration of the Moon could be used to feed forward to a human mission to the martian surface by the end of the 2030s. Their findings may surprise you.

Join Tony Darnell and Alberto Conti as they discuss the findings of a recent Moon-to-Mars workshop with Clive Neal (Notre Dame), Steve Mackwell (USRA), and Joseph Cassady (Aeroject Rocketdyne).

The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Dec 21, 2018

Show notes

Did you know there is an effort underway to actually see the event horizon of a black hole? Right now, astronomers around the world are processing data taken earlier of the center of our galaxy in attempt to see the boundary between normal space and that of Sag A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way.

The results are due out soon and this hangout is your chance to learn about one of the most amazing astronomy endeavours ever attempted from Geoff Bower, Chief Scientist for Hawaii Operations for the Event Horizon Telescope.

Using Resources in Space to Sustain Human Exploration Dec 18, 2018

Show notes

NASA has for decades been assessing options to utilize the resources available in space – often on the Moon and Mars – to sustain long-duration human operations. It will be prohibitively expensive to send from Earth to either location sufficient resources for astronauts to carry out priority mission goals, to say nothing of eventual settlement. With NASA’s human space flight program focusing on lunar operations and technologies to enable eventual human missions to Mars, in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) has become a high priority in NASA’s technology investment plans. Join Tony Darnell and Harley Thronson as they discuss the current status of ISRU with Jerry Sanders and Stephen Hoffman, both of NASA Johnson Space Center. Future in Space Hangouts are endorsed by the American Astronomical Society and the American Astronautical Society.

The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) Dec 06, 2018

Show notes

The largest ground-based telescope is now being built on the top of Mauna Kea in Hawaii. The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) is a new class of extremely large telescopes that will allow us to see deeper into space and observe cosmic objects with unprecedented sensitivity. The TMT International Observatory LLC (TIO), a non-profit organization, was established in May 2014 to carry out the construction and operation phases of the TMT Project. The Members of TIO are Caltech, the University of California, the National Institutes of Natural Sciences of Japan, the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Department of Science and Technology of India, and the National Research Council (Canada); the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) is a TIO Associate. Major funding has been provided by the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation. Please join Tony Darnell and Christian Ready as they discuss the status of this project with Dr. Christophe Dumas, TMT Observatory Scientist & Head Operations Department.

The Origin of Life w/ PZ Myers Nov 29, 2018

Show notes

Had a great discussion yesterday with biologist PZ Myers about the origin of life on Earth. What is our current knowledge of how life began on our planet? Is life easy or hard to make? We also extend the discussion to life on other worlds.

Amazing Astronomy at the European Southern Observatory Nov 12, 2018

Show notes

The European Southern Observatory (ESO) has been on the forefront of astronomy discovery for decades. They operate telescopes primarily in South America, in Chile, and their astronomers have made groundbreaking observations in exoplanet research, cosmology, black holes, galaxy formation, etc. Please join us to learn about this amazing institution and what they are doing.

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