The 365 Days of Astronomy

Some place in space.

Hosted by Steve Nerlich.

Dear Cheap Astronomy – What is the role of AI in space?

AI simulates human decision-making and finds most practical usage in the sorting and analysing of various kinds of data. So. you can feed an AI program pictures of galaxies and the classifications they fit into and then the AI can then identify and classify new ones that you feed it. It's kind of like how Galaxy Zoo used to work, except with Galaxy Zoo it was actual crowd-sourced people that did the work.

...

From August 11, 2008.

Hosted by: Fraser Cain (@frasercain) and Dr. Pamela L. Gay (@CosmoQuest)

Last week we talked about rockets. How they work, how they go BOOM!, their limitations. And this week we're going to look at the future of propulsion systems. From the ion engines that are already working to explore the Solar System to the prototype solar sails to futuristic technologies like magnetic sails, and bussard ramjets. This is how we'll travel to other stars.

We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, a...

Dr. Al Grauer hosts. Dr. Albert D. Grauer ( @Nmcanopus ) is an observational asteroid hunting astronomer. Dr. Grauer retired from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 2006. travelersinthenight.org

From December 2025 & January 2026.

Today's 2 topics:

- Many people in our modern world rarely if ever experience night vision. To achieve this interesting state of sensory awareness you cannot look at your cell phone or any other source of bright light for 30 to 45 minutes. Your night vision comes about over time because the rod sensors in the retina of your eye undergo a chemical change...

Hosted by Chris Beckett & Shane Ludtke, two amateur astronomers in Saskatchewan who enjoy teaching astronomy classes and showing the public views through their telescopes. actualastronomy@gmail.com

On Episode 547 of Actual Astronomy, hosts Chris and Shane guide listeners through observing an array of August Messier objects across the constellations Ophiuchus, Scorpius, and Sagittarius. The show details viewing techniques for globular and open clusters—highlighting targets like the egg-shaped globular M19, the historical Ptolemy's Cluster (M7), and the beginner-friendly M23. Additionally, they explore iconic Milky Way nebulae, including the active star-forming Lagoon Nebula (M8) and the ne...

Hosted by our Director, Avivah Yamani.

Meet S301, the fastest known star in the Milky Way, racing around Sagittarius A* and offering astronomers a new way to measure the spin of our galaxy's supermassive black hole.

We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs. 

Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can!

Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too! 

Every bit helps! Thank you!

From July 30, 2026.

Hosted by: Dr. Pamela L. Gay (@CosmoQuest)

Science comes from many corners, and there is a need for both 600-m radio telescopes made on a great plain (Like the RATAN-600) and 60cm radio dishes built in a living room. In this After Hours, we talk with ASU professor Dr. Danny Jacobs (https://danielcjacobs.com)about how he engages students of all kinds in space sciences through educational tools like the cardboard radio telescope (https://astrochart.github.io), and in space telescope operations with the SPARCS small sat. (https://sparcs.asu.edu/) 

August Part 2.

Paul Hill hosts solo!

Damien Phillips, John Wildridge and Dustin Ruoff produce.

Join Paul in his Astronomy lair as he live sketches the Eclipse, chats to neighbours and talks Astronomy news while spotting Perseid meteors.

We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs. 

Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can!

Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too! 

Eve...

Physics under pressure!

Hosted by Dr. Paul M. Sutter.

What was the big deal about Chandrasekhar's discovery? Why did he meet so much resistance? How is his work tied to everything from supernovae to black holes? I discuss these questions and more in today's Ask a Spaceman!

Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter

All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com

Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/PaulMSutter

Read a book: https://www.pmsutter.com/books

Keep those questions about sp...

http://www.astronomycast.com/archive/

From December 12, 2008.

Hosted by: Fraser Cain (@frasercain) and Dr. Pamela L. Gay (@CosmoQuest)

In the old days, astronomers had to beg for telescope time. They'd put together a proposal, convince observatories to gather data for them, crunch that data and release the results. No telescope, no results. But everything's different now. Fleets of robotic telescopes constantly scan the skies, building up a vast database of raw data about the Universe. Anyone who wants can access the information through the Internet, download what they need to do real science...

Dr. Al Grauer hosts. Dr. Albert D. Grauer ( @Nmcanopus ) is an observational asteroid hunting astronomer. Dr. Grauer retired from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 2006. travelersinthenight.org

From December 2025.

Today's 2 topics:

- Dr. Lance Benner of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory headed up a team of scientists who used the 70 meter antenna at NASA's Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex to bounce RADAR beams off of the asteroid Florence as it made a close approach to Earth in September of 2017. The RADAR images these researchers obtained reveal that Florence consists of a 2.8 mile...

Today's episode is all about last Wednesday's total solar eclipse. But you have a partial lunar eclipse that's coming up that you can look forward to on August 27-28!

"ASTROMAN: the Dark Sky Guardian" is a podcast channel that aims to explore popular science in multiple disciplines and research on interdisciplinary approaches, such as sustainability, dark-sky protection, astrophotography, space exploration, astronomy innovation, inclusive science communication, and STEAM Education by integrating science and arts.

Exodus Chun-Long Sit, also known as the ASTROMAN, is a transmedia astronomy educator, popular science author, STEAM educator, an...

Hosted by: Dr. Pamela L. Gay (@CosmoQuest)

From July 22, 2026.

On July 20, the world celebrates International Moon Day. This UN designated holiday marks the anniversary of humanity's first landing on the Moon. The Apollo 11 landing in 1969 is now only a distant memory or a date from history for most people, but it is worth thinking about as the world prepares to return humans to the Moon in the coming decade. Joining us to discuss International Moon Day is Dr. Jekan Thanga, the head of the Space TREx Laboratory at the University of Arizona. Come learn how...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQtdQ94jy8I

From Oct 17, 2017.

Hosted by: Fraser Cain (@frasercain)

Some comets orbit the Sun on a regular basis, but others come in from deep space, a region known as the Oort Cloud. What causes them to make this journey, and will we ever be able to explore the Oort Cloud?

Before I get into this episode, I want to remind everyone that it's been several decades since I've been able to enjoy a bright comet in the night sky. I've seen mind b...

Hosted by our Director, Avivah Yamani.

Explore the August 2026 equatorial sky, from the Perseids and Milky Way to bright planets and the August 12 total solar eclipse.

We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs. 

Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can!

Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too! 

Every bit helps! Thank you!

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Do go visit http://www.red...

Hosted by Steve Nerlich.

We are still out there.

Dear Cheap Astronomy – Why do some space missions last so long?

So, we're all familiar with the stories of the Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, landing with mission lifespans of 90 days, that then went on to rove the surface of Mars for 15 years. And the Voyager probes, launched in 1977, were supposed to have five-year missions, which are now going on 47 years and counting. So, what's going on? Is NASA just crap at predicting mission lifetimes?

Dear Cheap Astronomy – How much faste...

http://www.astronomycast.com/archive/

From October 19, 2009.

Hosted by: Fraser Cain (@frasercain) and Dr. Pamela L. Gay (@CosmoQuest)

Every now and then, the Moon destroys the Sun. Okay, not destroys, covers. Well, not really covers, but from here on Earth, sitting inside the shadow of the Moon, that's what it sure looks like. These events are called eclipses, or more precisely, transits and occultations. They occur whenever one object passes in front of another from a 3rd perspective. They're beautiful and exciting, and deliver a tremendous amount of science as well.

Dr. Al Grauer hosts. Dr. Albert D. Grauer ( @Nmcanopus ) is an observational asteroid hunting astronomer. Dr. Grauer retired from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 2006. travelersinthenight.org

From December 2025.

Today's 2 topics:

- Meteors, shooting stars, or falling stars are different names for the streaks of light in the night sky which are in reality the dying embers of tiny asteroids. These small interplanetary travelers were speeding along at between 7 and 44 miles per second when they entered the Earth's atmosphere. In space, they are called meteoroids and typically ranged in size from...

Hosted by Rob Sparks.

The 10-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time has officially started, marking the beginning of a new era in astronomy and astrophysics. Over the next ten years, Rubin will relentlessly observe the entire southern sky every few nights to create an ultra-wide, ultra-high-definition time-lapse record of our Universe. This long-awaited milestone is the culmination of years of effort by thousands of people around the world. In this podcast, Dr. Christina Williams and Dr. Yumi Choi describe the LSST and its science goals as well as what they are most excited about researching with...

From July 15, 2026.

Hosted by: Dr. Pamela L. Gay (@CosmoQuest)

Our solar system readily provides us with free samples of other worlds in the form of meteorites. The trick comes in first recognizing them, and then in understanding what science is locked in their minerals. One major center for collecting and studying these space rocks is Arizona State University's Buseck Center for Meteorite Studies which houses the Carleton B. Moore Meteorite Collection. Join us as we discuss the collection with Director Rhonda Stroud.

https://meteorites.asu.edu

We've added a n...

Hosted by Chris Beckett & Shane Ludtke, two amateur astronomers in Saskatchewan who enjoy teaching astronomy classes and showing the public views through their telescopes. actualastronomy@gmail.com

Episode 545 of the Actual Astronomy podcast features hosts Chris and Shane discussing the observer's calendar and planetary visibility for August 2026. Throughout the month, skywatchers can track key planetary positions, including Venus in the morning sky and Jupiter rising around 3:00 AM. Notable astronomical highlights include the Perseid meteor shower, multiple lunar feature viewings, and a partial lunar eclipse accompanying the Full Moon on August 28th.

...

Life at lightspeed!

Hosted by Dr. Paul M. Sutter.

What does high-speed motion through the Universe do to your perspective? What is the Rindler horizon, and how does it appear? Would you get vaporized by a high-energy bath of radiation? I discuss these questions and more in today's Ask a Spaceman!

Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter

All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com

Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/PaulMSutter

Read a book: https://www.pmsutter.com/books

Ke...

Paul Hill and Dr. Jenifer "Dr. Dust" Millard host. 

Damien Phillips, John Wildridge and Dustin Ruoff produce.

Angry episode where Paul and Jeni have their blood boiled by the decision to defund Jodrell Bank Observatory and the plans to launch over a million satellites, thousands of which will be brighter then the full moon!

We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs. 

Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can!

Share the...

http://www.astronomycast.com/archive/

Hosted by: Fraser Cain (@frasercain) and Dr. Pamela L. Gay (@CosmoQuest)

From April 21, 2008.

Our senses can only detect a fraction of the phenomena happening in the Universe. That's why scientists and engineers develop detectors, to let us see radiation and particles that we could never detect with our eyes and ears. This week we'll go through them all, so you can understand how we see what we can't see.

We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, a...

Dr. Al Grauer hosts. Dr. Albert D. Grauer ( @Nmcanopus ) is an observational asteroid hunting astronomer. Dr. Grauer retired from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 2006. travelersinthenight.org

From November 2025.

Today's 2 topics:

- Throughout history small close approaching space rocks have been a part of our environment. Now, thanks to improved telescopes and cameras, asteroid hunters are routinely discovering these small asteroids as they pass closer than the Moon is to us. Since these tiny asteroids are only bright enough to detect for a few days out of their long, many month...

Hosted by Avivah Yamani, our Director!

Was Betelgeuse ever truly alone? For over 100 years, astronomers searched for a hidden companion to Orion's famous red supergiant. Now, new observations from ESO's Very Large Telescope have revealed the clearest evidence yet that Betelgeuse has a stellar companion. Discover the science, the mystery, and why this finding is changing our understanding of one of the sky's most famous stars.

We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs. 

Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy an...

From February 10, 2021.

Hosted by Dr. Pamela L. Gay.

Scientists collected fresh data on Orion's bright star Betelgeuse to try and understand this star that caused so much controversy. They found it's smaller than previously calculated, and last year's dimming was likely caused by dust, but it's also more complex than thought. Plus, galaxies, Earth's forests, ice on Mars, and Saturn's moon Rhea.

We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs. 

Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as...

https://spacescoop.org/en/scoops/2608/a-blazing-hot-world-with-a-buzzing-secret/

Hosted by our editor, Richard Drumm.

Far, far away from Earth, over 300 light-years away, is an incredible exoplanet called WASP-189b, in the constellation Libra, the scales. It lies a bit to the NW of Beta Librae, or Zubeneschamali, and almost exactly due north of the Libra star with my favorite star name: Zubenelgenubi! WASP-189 is the star & 189b is the planet.

It has about twice Jupiter's mass and about 1 1/2 times its diameter. It orbits its star in 2 days & 17 hours, so it's really close in! B...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC4LEozmqXE

From Feb 16, 2020.

Hosted by Fraser Cain.

Near the end of 2019, astronomers watching the red giant Betelgeuse noted how much the star had dimmed, continuing to steadily fade for months. It's a variable star, and it's known to get dimmer and brighter, but the big surprise is that it's still continuing to dim, recently passing magnitude 1.56 and still getting dimmer. This is unprecedented in the decades that astronomers have been watching the star.

The world's biggest telescopes are on the case, and t...

July Part 2!

Paul Hill & Dr. Jenifer "Dr. Dust" Millard host. 

Damien Phillips, John Wildridge and Dustin Ruoff produce.

Summer is here, so is the heat and so is the Eclipse! Chat, tips and hints about August's Eclipse and the Perseid meteor shower, as well as summer vibes, emails and Jeni dressing up as Max Wall.

Link:

https://github.com/marcel-jan/inkystarmap

We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs. 

Just visit: https://www.pat...

http://www.astronomycast.com/archive/

Hosted by: Fraser Cain (@frasercain) and Dr. Pamela L. Gay (@CosmoQuest)

From May 19, 2008.

Since the dawn of humanity, astronomers have wished to destroy the atmosphere. Oh sure, it's what we breathe and all, but that stupid atmosphere is always getting in the way. Since destroying the atmosphere is out of the question, astronomers have figured out how to work with it. To distort the mirror of the telescope itself though the magic of adaptive optics.

We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days o...

Dr. Al Grauer hosts. Dr. Albert D. Grauer ( @Nmcanopus ) is an observational asteroid hunting astronomer. Dr. Grauer retired from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 2006. travelersinthenight.org

From November 2025.

Today's 2 topics:

- The moon cycle from new moon through full moon and back to new moon again was used by many nations to regulate their activities and forms the basis of the Islamic lunar calendar. A calendar based on the first visibility of the lunar crescent is difficult to predict in advance since this observation depends on the clarity of the...

Hosted by Dr. Jacinta Delhaize, Dr. Tshiamiso Makwela, Dr. Daniel Cunnama & François Campher.

In this special episode of The Cosmic Savannah, we celebrate the 10th anniversary of IDIA(Inter-University Institute for Data Intensive Astronomy) with three very special guests: the new director Professor Roger Deane, astronomy support specialist Walter Silima, and head of outreach and development Associate Professor Sally McFarlane.

We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs. 

Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you...

From May 21, 2020.

Hosted by Dr. Pamela L. Gay.

Join us today as we discuss the impressive work by an undergraduate student who figured out how galaxy mergers influence the growth of supermassive black holes. We talk about a gigantic galaxy found in the early Universe. And finally, we look at amazing images of a planet being formed around a distant star.

We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs. 

Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as mu...

Hosted by Chris Beckett & Shane Ludtke, two amateur astronomers in Saskatchewan who enjoy teaching astronomy classes and showing the public views through their telescopes. actualastronomy@gmail.com

Description: This month we talk about some of the globular clusters from the Messier catalogue you can easily see on summer nights. From big and bright M5 and M4 to small and mighty M80 we talk about viewing some of the best globular clusters of the year. We also talk about a large, faint face on spiral galaxy. All of these objects are possible with binoculars, most are down right...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHMIv_zAbrM

From Oct 6, 2016.

Hosted by Fraser Cain.

As you know, I'm obsessed about the Fermi Paradox. Where are all the aliens? But an even stranger question is: where are all the robot aliens? If you've seen at least one other episode of the Guide to Space, you know I'm obsessed about the Fermi Paradox. This idea that the Universe is big and old, and should be teeming with life. And yet, we have no evidence that it exists out there.

We wonder, where are...

Solar Apocalypse!

Hosted by Dr. Paul M. Sutter.

What really keeps the Sun shining? How long would it stay warm if fusion stopped? How long would it take before we noticed? I discuss these questions and more in today's Ask a Spaceman!

Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter

All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com

Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/PaulMSutter

Read a book: https://www.pmsutter.com/books

Keep those questions about space, science, astronomy, astrophysics, physics, an...

http://www.astronomycast.com/archive/

From October 15, 2007.

Hosted by: Fraser Cain (@frasercain) and Dr. Pamela L. Gay (@CosmoQuest)

We interrupt this tour through the solar system to bring you a special show to deal with one of our most complicated subjects: the big bang. Specifically, how it's possible that the universe could have expanded faster than the speed of light. The theory is called the inflationary theory, and the evidence is mounting to support it. Einstein said that nothing can move faster than the speed of light, and yet astronomers think the universe...

Dr. Al Grauer hosts. Dr. Albert D. Grauer ( @Nmcanopus ) is an observational asteroid hunting astronomer. Dr. Grauer retired from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 2006. travelersinthenight.org

From May 2026.

Today's 2 topics:

- Asteroids could provide a solution for the serious problem of how to protect astronauts from harmful solar and cosmic radiation during long duration space flights and thus eliminate the need for the spacecraft itself to have heavy shielding material. The idea is for the spacecraft to spend most of the journey inside the asteroid.

- S...

When was the last time you saw the Milky Way? In this episode of Astroman, Exodus Chun-Long Sit explores how light pollution is changing our night skies, affecting wildlife, wasting energy, and limiting our view of the universe. Learn why protecting dark skies matters—and how simple actions can help bring the stars back.

"ASTROMAN: the Dark Sky Guardian" is a podcast channel that aims to explore popular science in multiple disciplines and research on interdisciplinary approaches, such as sustainability, dark-sky protection, astrophotography, space exploration, astronomy innovation, inclusive science communication, and STEAM Education by integrating sci...

From July 1, 2026.

How is this the last episode of the season? July snuck up on us. We'll be back Sept 2 with Season 5! For now, we've got astronomers asking questions; questions like "Did you eat a planet?" and "How did you get there?" Expect the unexpected with a side of rockets.

We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs. 

Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can!

Share the podcast with your friends and se...