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81: The era of precision astronomy with Dr. Rich Jan 22, 2017

Show notes

Dr Jeff Rich stops by the show to talk about variable stars. Some variable stars change brightness dramatically over several hours, and certain types can be used to measure distances. Jeff also explains what it's like to propose for, and get, time on the Hubble Space Telescope.

80: Places where people can have adventures with Br. Consolmagno Jan 15, 2017

Show notes

Brother Guy Consolmagno shares a Coke and talks about the Vatican Observatory, a discovery that got him in trouble with the Voyager team, and why being next to a dairy farm was convenient when he wanted to measure the properties of meteorites.

79: LIGO's high quality (factor) fibers with Dr. Robertson Jan 08, 2017

Show notes

Dr. Norna Robertson shares a drink from her home country and talks about a specific part of LIGO. She explains that LIGO's eighty-pound mirrors are suspended by four, incredibly thin, silica fibers that were developed just for this project.

78: Signals traveling through the fabric of spacetime with Dr. Kanner (Part 2) Jan 01, 2017

Show notes

Dr. Kanner explains how gravitational waves could teach us about the big bang, and how we might be on the cusp of discovering new phenomena that are so unusual, theorists haven't even predicted their existence.

77: Signals traveling through the fabric of spacetime with Dr. Kanner (Part 1) Dec 25, 2016

Show notes

Dr. Kanner talks about gravitational waves, which were detected for the first time by LIGO last year. He explains how studying neutron stars with gravitational waves can tell us how everyday elements like gold came to be.

76: Mars' teenage robot with Dr. Fraeman Dec 18, 2016

Show notes

Dr. Abby Fraeman returns to the show to talk about Opportunity, the rover that won't quit. Along with its sister rover, Spirit, Opportunity has discovered Mars rocks that could have only formed in the presence of water.

75: Looking for trouble with Eric Rice Dec 11, 2016

Show notes

Eric Rice talks about systems engineering and we drink what turns out to be the most disgusting beverage yet. He talks about what it is like to control a spacecraft, and explains why predicting what can go wrong with a spacecraft is a lot simpler than predicting what can go wrong at a wedding.

74: Asteroid families with Dr. Masiero Dec 04, 2016

Show notes

Dr. Joe Masiero returns to the podcast to talk about asteroid families, which are groups of asteroids that astronomers think are fragments from ancient collisions. He describes how he identifies these families, and how this work can help us understand how the solar system used to be millions of years ago.

73: Earthquake early warning systems with Dr. Weiser Nov 27, 2016

Show notes

Dr Debbie Weiser explains the importance of building an early warning system in the US before a major earthquake hits. Even a few seconds warning is enough to stop elevators, pause surgery, and give peace of mind to everyday folks experiencing aftershocks. To support this program, contact the California Governor's office or your congressional representatives.

72: Perturbing the Earth with Dr. Weiser Nov 20, 2016

Show notes

Dr. Debbie Weiser talks about human-made earthquakes on my favorite planet, Earth. She explains how seismologists try to distinguish between natural earthquakes and those caused by human activity, and why the earliest seismometers in California were installed by astronomers.

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