Walkabout the Galaxy

Latest Episodes:

Ancient Astronomers and Ancient Lunar Impacts Aug 24, 2022

Show notes

We return to two of our favorite topics, the red giant star Betelgeuse, and of course the Moon. Some clever historical detective work has revealed that Betelgeuse was not red, but yellow, two thousand years ago. This tells us how massive the star is and how far along it is in its evolution to a supernova. Closer to home, another clever bit of detective work gives a new history to ancient lunar craters by examining the Moon's gravitational lumpiness. Cool!

Strange Lightning and the Youngest Planet Aug 17, 2022

Show notes

Lightning generally goes cloud to cloud or cloud to ground, but sometimes it shoots up to the ionosphere at the edge of space. We take a close look at strange lightning with lightning trivia. A baby star system in our own galaxy appears to be making a giant planet that's less than two million years old, while the ages of distant galaxies observed by JWST are now a controversy. Catch up with us on all the latest and greatest space news and discoveries.

Is There Something Wrong with the Standard Model? Aug 10, 2022

Show notes

Korea sends its first mission to the Moon, and Mars sent a very old piece of itself to Earth. Meanwhile, the Large Hadron Collider is finding more odd collisional products than expected: the rate of creation of three W bosons is a bit high. Do you ever feel that there's something wrong with the world? Maybe the LHC is getting a glimpse of new physics. Join us for all that, space chorizo, and the Jeans length with a full set of four astroquarks.

The Edges of Space, the Solar System, and the Universe Aug 03, 2022

Show notes

In this episode we explore clouds at the edge of space in the Earth's upper atmosphere and discoveries of galaxies far more distant than we have seen before. We also explore why it's so difficult to define the edge of something as ordinary as a planetary system, like our own solar system. And from that discussion is born Gravity Man and Electromagnetism Woman! Tune in to learn more!

JWST and the Circle of Life of Stars Jul 29, 2022

Show notes

We survey the initial five data releases from the JWST, from squiggly lines showing the composition of a distant planet's atmosphere, to turbulent star forming regions, and the depths of space and time in a stunning look back toward the big bang. Join us for a geek-out session over this amazing sneak preview of what is to come in the years ahead from this reminder that humans can do cool things too.

Fly Me to the Moon Again and Again Jul 07, 2022

Show notes

We've had more experience flying to the Moon than you might think, and done some odd things with it, like feeding it to cockroaches. Join us for a look at the history of flights to the Moon, an interesting crater produced by space debris, and a field of rogue stars lost in intergalactic space.

Two Odd Balls: Charon and Arrokoth Jun 29, 2022

Show notes

Journey with us to the far reaches of the outer solar system where we take a closer look at two small objects explored by New Horizons: Pluto's moon Charon and the Kuiper Belt Object Arrokoth. Charon's atmosphere goes through dramatic seasonal pulses that may explain its odd, reddish polar cap, while Arrokoth has the density of a fluffy snowbank 30 km long. There's some crazy stuff out there.

Noxious Fumes from Stars and Moons Jun 22, 2022

Show notes

What does Jupiter's volcanic moon Io have in common with one of the largest stars in the galaxy? Both are belching sulfur compounds, though for very different reasons. We learn about sulfuric outgassing on Io and the incredible hypergiant star VY Canis Majoris and its huge stellar eruptions. Plus, the European Space Agency is building a probe to hideout in space hoping to catch a passing rogue or long period comet. Join us for all that, plus space news and trivia.

The Galactic Gamma Ray Background from Pulsars Jun 15, 2022

Show notes

Pulsars are becoming the astrophysical version of big collisions for planetary scientists: they are explaining, perhaps, more and more things. Tune into this episode, where we welcome back Adam LaMee, to discuss the origin of a diffuse gamma ray glow from galactic central park as possibly due to a large population of pulsars. Also, don't forget the trivia and fake sponsors!

Space Haboobs and Martian Haboobs Jun 01, 2022

Show notes

The astroquarks talk haboobs. Unfortunately Jim is not with us to giggle, but Dr. Katariina Nykyri joins Strange and Charm to explain space weather and magnetospheric slingshots, and the Perseverance rover provides new insights into the generation of those famous Martian dust storms. Or haboobs.

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