The Cosmic Savannah

Latest Episodes:

Episode 60: Pulsars and possibilities – a conversation with Jocelyn Bell-Burnell Jul 12, 2023

Show notes

In the world of astrophysics, few names shine as brightly as Professor Jocelyn Bell-Burnell. In today's episode, we are very privileged to welcome Jocelyn as a guest on The Cosmic Savannah. Jocelyn shares with us the full story behind her groundbreaking discovery of pulsars in the 1960s, how she overcame numerous obstacles as a woman in a male-dominated field, and her initiatives for improving diversity in physics and astronomy.

The post Episode 60: Pulsars and possibilities – a conversation with Jocelyn Bell-Burnell appeared first on The Cosmic Savannah.

Pre-season special: What’s been happening? Jun 01, 2023

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The Cosmic Savannah Podcast returns for its 5th season, taking listeners on another captivating cosmic journey. Explore distant galaxies, enigmatic black holes, and groundbreaking research in Africa. Engaging interviews, discussions, and unravelling the universe's complexities await. Stay tuned for updates on our website and social media platforms. In this pre-season special, Jacinta and Dan sit down to chat about what we've both been up to over the past few months and what we're looking forward to in the new season, including the SKA Commencement of Construction Ceremonies, the James Webb Space Telescope and Jacinta's rockstar performance at TEDxMandurah!

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Episode 59: Construction of the SKA commences! Dec 04, 2022

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The 5th of December 2022 sees the commencement of construction of the long-awaited Square Kilometre Array (SKA)!
We are honoured to be joined by the SKA Observatory Council Chairperson, Dr Catherine Cesarsky to talk about this momentous occasion.

The post Episode 59: Construction of the SKA commences! appeared first on The Cosmic Savannah.

Episode 58: Season 4 in Review Jun 21, 2022

Show notes

In this week's episode, Jacinta and Dan take a step back to review the past year of the Cosmic Savannah podcast. We chat about some of the highlights of the past year in astronomy and also some of our favourite episodes of the season.

The post Episode 58: Season 4 in Review appeared first on The Cosmic Savannah.

Episode 57: From dust to dust Jun 07, 2022

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In this episode we are joined by Dr Omima Osman who studies the lifecycles of cosmic dust. Omima explains how she is using computer simulations to understand how dust is created, grows and is destroyed in interstellar space.

The post Episode 57: From dust to dust appeared first on The Cosmic Savannah.

Episode 56: Our supermassive black hole May 26, 2022

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The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Collaboration has unveiled the first image of the supermassive black hole at the centre of our own Milky Way galaxy!

We are joined by Dr Iniyan Natarajan who is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Witwatersrand and who was part of the team of over 300 astronomers who made this possible.

The post Episode 56: Our supermassive black hole appeared first on The Cosmic Savannah.

Episode 55: A Trip Down Under (Re-run) May 10, 2022

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An oldie but a goodie - re-run of Episode 11. Jacinta takes us on a tour of her homeland, into the Australian bush, and chats about pathfinders, precursor telescopes and exciting collaborations between South Africa and Australia in the lead up to the Square Kilometre Array!

The post Episode 55: A Trip Down Under (Re-run) appeared first on The Cosmic Savannah.

Episode 54: The African Network of Women in Astronomy Apr 26, 2022

Show notes

In this week's episode we are joined by fours members of the board of the recently established African Network of Women in Astronomy (AfNWA).
AfNWA is an initiative that aims to connect women working in astronomy and related fields in Africa. AfNWA aims to guarantee the future participation of girls and women at all levels in astronomy and science developments in Africa.

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Episode 53: Space lasers! Apr 12, 2022

Show notes

A powerful, naturally occurring “space laser”, called a megamaser, has been discovered with South Africa’s MeerKAT radio telescope in a galaxy nearly five billion light-years away.

We speak with the lead researcher Dr. Marcin Glowacki and team-lead Associate Professor Sarah Blyth.

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Episode 52: Head Space Mar 29, 2022

Show notes

In this week’s episode, we take a step back from astronomy and focus on mental health in academia and beyond. We are joined by Dr Jack Radcliffe, an astronomer from the University of Pretoria who speaks to us about his work on galaxy evolution, as well his recent efforts to speak out about mental health challenges facing academics in particular.

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