Podcaster: Ralph & Paul
Title : Awesome Astronomy’s December Edition
Organization: Awesome Astronomy
Link : www.awesomeastronomy.com
Description:
The Discussion: Enjoying views of Jupiter as it nears opposition in January 2014 and wining a presenter in a charity auction.
The Sky Guide: Paul starts with a tour of the planets available this month to northern hemisphere observers – with the show-stopper Jupiter, Venus, Uranus and Neptune in the evening sky and Saturn, Mars & Mercury for the early risers. We take a look at the moon and suggest some tricky ‘libration craters’ for you to find. Comets ISON & Lovejoy grab our attentions as we look forward to two distant visitors that we hope will provide beautiful naked eye and telescope views during December. The Geminids & Ursids provide this month’s meteor showers, while Paul finishes off with a round up of the most interesting star clusters and nebulae on offer in the constellations of Taurus and Gemini.
The News: In the news section, Ralph begins with an geode to ‘what are comets, and the situation of Comet ISON. We then look at India’s Mars Orbiter Mission, launching a few days ahead of NASA’s MAVEN mission, both to go into Mars orbit in September 2014. And we finish the news with an asteroid that thinks it’s a comet.
The Christmas competition
We’ve teamed up with Astronomy Now and the European Southern Observatory to offer one lucky listener (anywhere in the world) a year’s subscription to Astronomy Now magazine and ESO’s 2014 calendar. Go to the website www.awesomeastronomy.com to enter.
The 5 Minute Concept: Paul takes a look at a familiar object to any one with an interest in astronomy, the Orion Nebula. He explains the gas clouds, star cluster and the black hole in its heart. Ideal listening as you observe this glorious object.
The Interview: This month, Ralph speaks with the European Space Agency’s Dr Gerhard Schwhem about his Giotto mission to examine Halley’s Comet in 1986 and the Rosetta mission to orbit Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko and send a lander down to its surface next year.
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:
- What do you think of the ancient alien theory and the ‘starchild’ find?
Harvey Wright in Derbyshire UK, audio question via email
- Could we observe anything if two non-feeding black holes merged?
Ollie Broad in Thailand, audio question via email
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 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
Today’s sponsor: This episode of “365 Days of Astronomy” is sponsored by — no one. We still need sponsors for many days in 2013, so please consider sponsoring a day or two. Just click on the “Donate” button on the lower left side of this webpage, or contact us at signup@365daysofastronomy.org.
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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