Can a mid-infra red view reveal the universe’s secrets? In this month's Naked Astronomy, we meet MIRI, the Mid Infra Red Instrument set to launch on the James Webb Space Telescope. It should give us a glimpse of the very first galaxies and examine the clouds of hydrogen gas spread throughout the universe. We’ll also find out how distorted galaxies can shed light on the distribution of dark matter, discover El Gordo - a newly discovered galaxy cluster.
|
20th Dec 2011
- Seeing Your House from the Space Station
If you could look down from the International Space Station, what would you look at? This month on Naked Astronomy, we discover UrtheCast – a system that could let you point a camera down from the International Space Station, and integrate your social media world with images from space. And we’ll get a glimpse of a star as it explodes, and get the first evidence of its chemical composition. Plus, we have a round up of space science headlines, and we your questions on neutrinos, cosmic expansion and the age of the universe...
|
25th Nov 2011
- Stars and Supernovae
Can supernovae account for all of the oxygen in the universe? What happens to massive stars at the end of their lives? This month, we delve into stellar science to look at the ultimate fate of stars, and why the first stars might be smaller than we thought. Plus, a round up of astronomical news, and your space science questions...
|
What are the mysterious blue straggler stars? In this month’s Naked Astronomy we’ll find out why some stars stand out from the crowd, as well as investigate the polarity of the universe. Plus, we hear the latest news from the Royal Astronomical Society, and take on your questions on rocket stability, detecting dark matter and our place in the universe.
|
25th Sep 2011
- Dark Planets and Dark Matter
Are the foundations of Dark Matter crumbling? How can a planet be blacker than black paint? What are the sunsets like on a planet with 2 suns? In this month’s Naked Astronomy, we’ll discover Kepler-16b; a planet with two suns, we look to recent experimental results to see if the Cold Dark Matter theory still stands, and we explore the least reflective planet ever found...
|
We look back over the last few months of Astronomy interviews. We'll hear how scientists search for planets in the glare of their parent star, why a simulated mission to Mars will help us to understand how astronauts will cope with isolation, and the challenges of communicating astronomy on television. Plus, what our solar system looks like to a distant observer, and how antique globes tell the story of our understanding.
|
What happens when a black hole rips a star to shreds? What can a solar science mission tell us about other stars? And is South Africa prepared for the largest radio telescope ever planned? This month on Naked Astronomy, we explore a unique gamma ray burst, discover the useful extra info in data from STEREO, and discuss the South African bid for the Square Kilometre Array. Plus, news of CoGeNT’s search for Dark Matter, Enceladus’ salty sub-surface sea, and clues on the creation of the solar system gathered from the remains of the Genesis mission.
|
How are sunspots born? What does a black hole collision look like? How long does it take to make a full-size galaxy? This month on Naked Astronomy, we find out why people searching for pulsars might spot colliding black holes in their data, how galaxies may form quicker than predicted, and where in the sun sunspots first arise. Plus, news from gravity probe B, why there’s no more space on the moon for craters, and how as many as half of all hot Jupiters may be spinning the wrong way.
|
In this special podcast from the National Astronomy Meeting in Llandudno, we hear how twisted sunspots cause solar flares, how 17th century poetry can put a date on a supernova, and why some pulsars are part-timers. We'll find out how CANDELS and LOFAR can probe the early universe, while DEBRIS looks for dusty disks around stars. Plus, we shed light on your solar science questions!
|
In this special edition of the Naked Astronomy podcast we look at the astronomical events held at the Cambridge Science Festival. We’ll hear from Dr Dan Stark about exploring the early Universe, find out what tooth x-rays and telescopes have to do with the man who coined the term “Big Bang” and ask if our Universe is but one of many... Plus, we catch up with Carolin Crawford, Andrew Pontzen and Dominic Ford to find out what they’ve been doing this month to bring space science to the wider public.
|
In this month's Naked Astronomy, we explore the unique system of six planets orbiting the star Kepler 11, and find out what to expect from the James Webb Space Telescope. Plus news of the runaway star spotted by WISE - the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, a STEREO view of the whole Sun and how a galaxy spotted at a redshift of 10 can teach us about star formation in the early universe.
|
This month on Naked Astronomy, we discover the streams of antimatter coming from lightning on Earth, and find out how to study the stars that ended the dark ages and brought light to the universe. We hear about Jupiter's role in Earth asteroid impacts, Cassini's flypast of Saturn's moon Rhea and the first science results from the Planck mission. Plus, your questions on light speed route planning, outrunning sunset and why the solstice doesn't coincide with the earliest dawn!
|
|
|