Today we’re going to talk about some unusual objects astronomers have discovered, and why this number is only going to go way way up.
Dec 30th: Boyajian’s star and other strange stars
Astronomy Cast Archive
Dec 23rd: Missing Epochs: Observing before the CMBR
There are regions which we still haven’t seen: the Cosmic Dark Ages. What’s it going to take to observe some of these earliest moments in the Universe?
Dec 16th: Missing Epochs: Observing the Cosmic Dark Ages
Powerful observatories allowing us to see further back in time. But there are regions which we still haven’t seen: the Cosmic Dark Ages. What’s it going to take to observe some of these earliest moments in the Universe?
Dec 9th: Stellar nucleosynthesis revisited: In and on and around dead stars
Last week we gave you an update on the formation of elements from the Big Bang and in main sequence stars like the Sun. This week, we wrap up with a bang, talking about the death of the most massive stars and how they seed the Universe with heavier elements.
Dec 2nd: Stellar Nucleosynthesis Revisited: In Stellar Cores & Atmospheres
We believe these heavier elements formed in stars, but which stars? And at what points in their lives? Today we’ll update our knowledge with the latest science.
Nov 25th: Why Astronomy Still Needs Humans
Few sciences have been able to take advantage of the power of computers like astronomy. But with all this computing power, you might be surprised to learn how important a role humans still play in this science.
Nov 18th: Planetary Migration
Proving that there’s alien life on another world is to look for biosignatures, but it looks like there are natural sources that could explain almost any chemical we could hope to search for.
Nov 11th: Are Comets Asteroids or Are Asteroids Comets?
Things used to be so simple. Comets were snowballs from the outer Solar System, and asteroids were rocks from the inner Solar System. But now everything’s all shades of grey. Astronomers have found asteroids that behave like comets and comets that behave like asteroids.
Nov 4th: Biosignatures
Proving, once & for all that there’s alien life on another world. It should be straightforward, look for biosignatures, but it looks like there are natural sources that could explain almost any chemical we could hope to search for.
Oct 28th: Weird Issues: The Habitable Zone
Our series on Universe weirdness marches on. This week we take a look at the habitable zone, and how things aren’t as simple as we thought.