25th Aug 2010
- Is Our Solar System Strange?
Is our solar system normal? We compare ourselves to the ever increasing list of exoplanets to find out if we’re the weird ones in the universe in this month’s Naked Astronomy. Also, we explore the Nili Fossae region of Mars, where the rocks may contain evidence of early life – if only we could get there to find out. Plus, news about the shrinking moon and buckyballs in space and we tackle your space science questions.
Find out more about SETI from their series of seminars - go along if you're in California, or watch the archive online.
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How do you answer the biggest questions in the Universe? In this month’s Naked Astronomy, we’ll find out how Stuart Clark tackles these issues, why satellites the size of a Rubic’s cube can help launch new and innovative technology, and how to measure Earth’s magnetic field. Plus, news about the birth of massive stars, the asymmetric death of old stars and extreme weather on exoplanets.
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25th Jun 2010
- Watching Worlds Wander
Can we watch whole worlds wandering? We’ll explore the mechanisms of - and evidence for - planetary migration in this month’s Naked Astronomy, and find out if migration in our own solar system can account for Earth’s violent history. Also, we explore the processes that get stars started. Plus, news about strange flashes spotted on Jupiter, the origins of the Oort cloud and the Hayabusa mission bringing asteroid dust home to Earth.
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25th May 2010
- The Brightest Events in the Universe
Gamma Ray Bursts are the brightest events in the Universe. They shine like beacons, revealing the existence of galaxies we couldn't previously see, but what are they now showing astronomers? Also, we focus on the engineering challenges of extremely large telescope technology and how devices developed for stargazing could also hold the key to clean electricity here on Earth. Plus, a look back at Herschel's first year in action, how black holes get thrown out of galaxies, planet eating stars, as well as your questions on black holes, dark matter and the shape of the Milky Way.
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25th Apr 2010
- Riding in a Comet's Wake
We find out how to measure a comet by riding in it's wake in this Naked Astronomy, as well as explore the latest exhibit in the Galaxy Zoo - brand new Hubble Space Telescope images. Plus, spotting a lightning strike on Saturn, Venusian volcanoes and cooling neutron stars, as well as your questions on black holes, shrinking comets and how to set your watch on the moon!
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25th Mar 2010
- Is there anybody out there?
Is our galaxy home to aliens? Well, yes, but only if you’re talking about clusters of stars. We find out how the Milky Way has stolen globular clusters from other galaxies on this month’s Naked Astronomy, as well as explore why our search for ET has been met with an eerie silence. Plus, news of lava channels on Mars, the youngest exoplanet ever found and your questions about gravity, the earlest elements and the evidence for the big bang.
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25th Feb 2010
- What's Hiding in the Starlight?
Blocking the light from a star is the only way to see some extra solar planets, as we find out in this month's Naked Astronomy. We discover how small, precise optics can do this job for us, as well as explore some of the current missions studying the Sun, and find out what the recently launched Solar Dynamics observatory will add. Plus, the seasons on Pluto, a comet-like collision confusion and your space science questions!
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25th Jan 2010
- How to Spot a Supernova
We find out how to identify an exploding star in this edition of Naked Astronomy, with record holder and super supernovae spotter Tom Boles. Plus, how the Faulkes Telescope Project puts schoolchildren in charge of a 5 million pound telescope, the latest science news and we answer your questions on black holes, star shapes and what it’s like to live on Venus!
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25th Dec 2009
- Is there a planet beyond Pluto?
In this edition of Naked Astronomy, why scientists are making mud in the laboratory to try free a trapped Mars rover, the discs that give birth to new planets, the space equivalent of an ordnance survey map for the stars and how scientists are seeking the origins of life in outer space. Plus, your queries about the cosmos: could Earth capture a new moon, why is the asteroid belt not just a planet and is there a planet beyond Pluto...
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20th Nov 2009
- The Oldest Light in the Universe
In this launch edition of Naked Astronomy, we report on how the Planck probe is seeing the oldest light in the Universe, the Rosetta mission flyby en-route to a distant comet, how LCROSS executed a deft lunar impact and what it revealed, how the LRO has imaged the Apollo landing sites and how Herschel promises to shed some light on the deep dark depths of space. Plus, your cosmological questions answered including, what's a quasar, why are the rings of Uranus vertical, do astronauts age more rapidly and could we brighten up the full moon with a giant lunar reflector...?
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