Walkabout the Galaxy

Latest Episodes:

The Airing of Grievances! Oct 14, 2020

Show notes

We celebrate the Nobel Prize in Physics for Roger Penrose and Andrea Ghez and Reinhard Genzel for discoveries about black holes, but Strange quark has some grievances to air about the Netflix show Away and Penrose's penchant for exclamation marks. We also see how the Sun is helping us better understand observations of distant stars and learn about the Astroquarks' very own satellite getting ready for launch.

Jerk, Snap, Crackle, Pop Oct 07, 2020

Show notes

A nifty story about complexity from the simplicity of gravity helps reveal the origins of the comets in the Oort Cloud and explain their current distribution. If that's not far out enough, we also take a look at the mysteries of quantum entanglement and explore the story of the long-forgotten fourth Rice Krispies elf, Jerk!

It's a Small Waterworld Sep 30, 2020

Show notes

New research shows that Enceladus's ocean may have produced geysers at different locations on the small moon in the past, and the odd shapes of stellar remnants known as planetary nebulae finally get an explanation. We also get a special Charm Quark trivia from Addie to celebrate International Observe the Moon Night.

A Deep Dive into Venus's Atmosphere Sep 23, 2020

Show notes

With all the excitement about the potential discovery of a biomarker, Phosphine, on Venus, we take a close look at the observations with Venus expert Dr. Brad Sandor who explains the challenges and problems with the observations. And we take a look at a system where the planet is larger than its own star! Join us for two fascinating science topics and a planetary volcanology trivia question.

Mary Robinette Kowal Sep 16, 2020

Show notes

Hugo and Nebula Award winning author Mary Robinette Kowal joins us for a wide ranging discussion from her Lady Astronauts novels to her work as a puppeteer and writing mentor. We also have math professor Dr. Pat Hooper join us to explain the answer to our math trivia.

Big Black Holes and Tiny Water Worlds Sep 09, 2020

Show notes

The astroquarks go to DragonCon in this special edition of Walkabout the Galaxy. We review the latest gravitational wave discovery of the biggest small black hole seen to date and the surprising abundance of liquid water on small bodies in the solar system. Then test your six degrees of Josh Colwell knowledge in a special egotistical trivia challenge.

Pressures Great and Small Sep 02, 2020

Show notes

The astroquarks delve into the interiors of White Dwarfs, the relics of sunlike stars, with the help of Einstein's theory of general relativity. And the Mars Insight lander collected some intriguing data that may help pin down the details of the death spiral of its moon Phobos. Don't worry, we've got a hundred million years, give or take. Also catch up on new nerd news and biological trivia as well as launches and crashing satellites.

Ceres is a Planet with Water! Aug 26, 2020

Show notes

Ceres, whatever you want to call it, seems to have a bunch of salty water near its surface. Top quark gets worked up about planet nomenclature, while Strange and Charm get worked up about how Top pronounces "Ceres"! And, somehow, a nearby microquasar is tickling a gas cloud to emit gamma rays. Join us for a tour of these new discoveries, trivia, and more.

The One With All The Fields Aug 12, 2020

Show notes

Low mass stars and high mass planets are the talk of the astroquarks in this episode, featuring a close-up look at the weather on Jupiter and a revisit to just what kind of stars provide the star stuff we're all made of. You can also find out what tractor beams have to do with Jedi mind tricks, and how crowded our local stellar neighborhood is. There's more to it than meets the eye!

Strange Neutrinos and the Bucket Brigade Aug 05, 2020

Show notes

Deep in the interior of the Sun all the energy that supports life on Earth is created by fusing hydrogen into helium. For the first time, neutrinos produced by the relatively rare CNO fusion process in the Sun have been detected. Elsewhere, we explore a hypothesis that planets like the Earth might get their water via an interplanetary bucket brigade. In addition to all that we'll explore continental drift, lunar drift, and dreams for our next missions - and movies.

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