The 365 Days of Astronomy

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...

Hosted by Avivah Yamani, our Director!

Some galaxies don't just make stars. They go on a star-making frenzy! Discover what turns an ordinary galaxy into a starburst galaxy, and why these spectacular events help astronomers understand how galaxies evolved over billions of years.

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! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikdOTj6g_Zw

Hosted by Fraser Cain.

From  Apr 26, 2017.

Here's a big mystery in astronomy: fast radio bursts. Brief shrieks of radio waves coming from space. What are they? Where do they come from? Astronomers have no idea.

Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com

Karla Thompson - @karlaii

Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com

You might think you're watching an educational channel, where I explain fascinating concepts in space and astronomy, but tha...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXW7uXo04aE

Hosted by Tony Darnell.

Streamed live on Mar 14, 2018.

Join Tony Darnell, Dr. Jeff Kuhn, Dr. Svetlana Berdugina and Kevin Lewis as they discuss the latest development in the field of astrobiology.  Want to learn the latest in Exoplanet research? The cutting edge of finding related to our search for life elsewhere?  Then this is the hangout for you!

This week we'll talk about Pi Day, Stephen Hawking's death, the GAO report on the JWST mission and much, much more.

 ...

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

From June 18, 2007.

The last decade has been the golden age of astronomy, with new observatories and space telescopes pushing out our understanding of the Universe. We see billions of light years away, watch dynamic events unfold in almost real-time, and see into every corner of the electromagnetic spectrum. But just you wait: things will only get better. Here come the supertelescopes!

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

...

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:

- In 2007 a small icy object moving in the constellation of Ursa Minor crossed the orbit of Pluto at a speed of approximately 4.2 mi/s starting its journey towards the inner solar system. It was between the orbits of Saturn and Jupiter traveling at some 9 mi/s towards the Sun, when my Catalina Sky Survey teammate Dr. Kacper Wierzchoś discovered i...

Neutron stars, the compact remains of a massive star following a supernova explosion, are the densest matter in the Universe. Some neutron stars, known as magnetars, also claim the record for the strongest magnetic fields of any object. How magnetars, which are a mere 15 kilometers across, form and produce such colossal magnetic fields remains a mystery. 

New observations by a team of astronomers, including NSF's NOIRLab's Dr. André-Nicolas Chené, may shed important light on the origin of these magnetic powerhouses. Using various telescopes around the globe, including the Canada-France-Hawai'i Telescope (CFHT) on Maunakea, the rese...

Hosted by Dr. Pamela L.  Gay.

From July 8, 2026.

The physics behind modern spaceflight explores everything from aerodynamics to thermodynamics with a lot of kinematics playing a role along the way. We welcome on guest Trisha Muro to discuss her new book, "It's (Just) Rocket Science", which explores how we can learn physics through spaceflight missions.

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!

Sha...

https://spacescoop.org/en/scoops/2609/why-does-jupiter-have-bigger-moons-than-saturn/

Hosted by our editor, Richard Drumm.

Jupiter and Saturn are the gas giants in our Solar System. Ummm… Uranus & Neptune are now called ice giants. But back to Jupiter & Saturn.

They are the largest planets, have the most moons compared to the other planets, and if that isn't cool enough, they're home to some of the largest moons in the Solar System. Saturn has 280 or more moons in total, a total that seems to be changing daily. Jupiter has over 100 known moons so far. 

As for...

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

Damien Phillips, John Wildridge and Dustin Ruoff produce.

This month it appears cosmology is saved, Swift maybe saved and exoplanets have their magnetosphere measured. Jeni has been in the States where she may have been turned into an android visiting Silicon Valley.

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 fri...

Hosted by Dr. Paul M. Sutter.

What are the weaknesses of inflation theory? How did the ekpyrotic theory attempt to improve it? How did it open up its own can of worms? 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, and co...

Mon 06: Astronomy Cast Ep. 6: Ep. 6: More Evidence For the Big Bang

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

From October 16, 2006.

Last week's episode started out with a bang… a Big Bang. This week we continue our discussion into the beginning of everything. We present three additional lines of evidence that have led astronomers to the conclusion that our Universe started out as a singularity 13.7 billion years ago, and has been expanding ever since.

Fraser Cain: So Pamela, last week we started out with the big bang and discussed the cosmic microwave bac...

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 April 2026.

Today's 2 topics:

- According to NASA an average of one catalogued piece of space junk per day has come down to Earth over the past 50 years. Research is described which can track space junk in the atmosphere and provide the starting location and altitude for tracking clouds of environmentally problematic toxic chemical and/or nuclear contaminants released by the disintegration of reentering...

Hosted by our Director, Avivah Yamani.

Discover the highlights of the July 2026 equatorial night sky, including Venus meeting Regulus, Mars and Uranus' closest conjunction until 2053, the Buck Moon, meteor showers, and the best nights to observe the Milky Way.

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 hel...

From June 24, 2026.

In this episode we look at the hidden and unexpected geology that may lurk beneath East Antarctica's ice sheet, evidence of past worlds and lost moons that may once have populated our solar system, and evidence of a past Supernova that today may be showering the Earth with material.

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 an...