Podcaster: Ralph & Paul
Title : Awesome Astronomy – July Edition (episode 13)
Organization: Awesome Astronomy
Link : www.awesomeastronomy.com
Description: Awesome Astronomy is the show for anyone and everyone who has even the slightest interest in astronomy and science.
Bio: Awesome Astronomy is the show for anyone and everyone who has even the slightest interest in astronomy and science.
Join Ralph & Paul at the beginning of each month, for an informative and fun astronomy programme telling you what to look out (and up) for every month. You can be guaranteed a passion for astronomy, simple explanations of complex and fundamental topics, space and science news, absorbing interviews with people that make the astronomy news and listeners’ astronomy questions answered.
As both presenters have been accused of being a little skeptical in the past, you can also expect everything to be frivolous but fact-based.
Transcript:
The Discussion: Ralph & Paul’s observations this month and a new astronomy event to raise funds for programmes of education for people that are disengaged from learning.
The Sky Guide: Paul describes the wonders of the July skies and tells you how to get the best from the northern hemisphere objects on offer to the naked eye, with binoculars and through a telescope. This month’s sky guide covers the sun at aphelion, a chance to see all eight planets in a single night, a glut of lunar occultations, the dense concentration of deep sky objects as we gaze towards the galactic core, the meteor showers on offer and the Cassini team’s upcoming image of Saturn & Earth– don’t forget to wave!
The News: In the news section, Ralph brings us a possible revision to the Goldilocks Zone for potentially habitable planets, 6 planets around Gliese 667c (3 of which are thought to be in the Goldilocks Zone), a busy time on Low Earth Orbit, the current and future activities for the Mars Science Laboratory, space radiation hazards for Mars-bound astronauts and the discovery of black hole concentrations in the Andromeda Galaxy.
The 5 Minute Concept: galaxies in miniature form the basis of Paul’s 5 Minute Concept as he explores those dense concentrations of old stars in galactic haloes that make up globular clusters.
The Interview: this month, Ralph talks to the European Space Agency’s Project Scientist for the upcoming ExoMars mission to specifically detect past or current life on the Red Planet.
Q&A: Listeners’ questions via email, Facebook & Twitter take us on a journey into the astronomy issues that have always plagued our understanding or stretched our credulity. This month Ralph & Paul answer:
•Guys, a question for the show. When referring to magnitude, why is minus brighter than plus? And what would a benchmark of zero be?
Darren Knight via Facebook
•Can you tell me more about the sun’s 11 year cycle?
@CosmicRayGirl, from Scotland via Twitter.
•What’s your favorite galaxy? Ours is a dead tie between Milky Way & Whirlpool Galaxy. Hoag’s Object though… weak sauce?
@SciandFiFilms, USA via Twitter.
End of podcast:
365 Days of Astronomy
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The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the New Media Working Group of the International Year of Astronomy 2009. Audio post-production by Preston Gibson. Bandwidth donated by libsyn.com and wizzard media. Web design by Clockwork Active Media Systems. You may reproduce and distribute this audio for non-commercial purposes. Please consider supporting the podcast with a few dollars (or Euros!). Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at info@365DaysOfAstronomy.org. In the new year the 365 Days of Astronomy project will be something different than before….Until then…goodbye