AWESOME ASTRONOMY

The idea that sparked a billion-dollar space telescope was recorded in the most unlikely of places: a scrap of paper fished out a pocket while gondolas sailed by in Venice. In this talk, award-winning astrophysicist and science communicator Steve Eales of Cardiff University takes us on the unlikely journey of the Herschel Space Observatory, the most sensitive far-infrared space telescope yet launched. This talk wes recorded at the recent AstroCamp in Cwmdu, Wales

Produced by Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin

This month a bit of a JWST fest with news about the cosmic Web (Webb?! ) and those little red dots the seem to be breaking cosmology. There is also our normal skyguide and moon guide.

Produced by Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin

It's the chatty astrowaffle episode! Psyche rushing past Mars, Power instrument at VLT, GCSE Astronomy exams and listener emails.

Produced by Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin

A show recorded with the happy campers of Cwmdu. We talk smart scopes, late nights, planetary formation, news on Comet 3I and more on the Hubble tension.

Produced by Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin

This month what else can we chat about? Paul and Jeni talk Artemis II.

Produced by Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin

This episode Paul and Jeni look at a possible gravitational wave solution to the Hubble tension, NASAs new nuclear deep space engine, Hubble telescope boosting, and more news on the destruction of British science. There is also our monthly skyguide to to get you looking up.

Produced by Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin

Our chatty astrowaffle episode this month is all about the Artemis re-jig and what the future now holds for the programme. Oh and update on Jeni's drains.

Produced by Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin

This month it is the curious case of a vanishing star and galaxies that shine no light...plus our monthly skyguide and Jeni has a blocked drain!

Produced by Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin

This episode we chat about the potential ozone hole issue caused by mega constellations, how Jupiter has shrunk and what Aurora would look like when Earth's poles flip.

Produced by  Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin

We discuss the British Government's vandalism of UK physics and astronomy. In better news we celebrate the refunding of NASA and the up coming Artemis II mission... will Paul finally get excited?

Produced by Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin

So it looks like Low Earth Orbit is not just crowded but a disaster waiting to happen trapping humanity on this planet for a very long time...

Produced by, Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin

So it turns out Soundgarden nailed astrophysics in 1994. We explore latest thinking on Little Red Dots, Globular Custers, oldest supernovae, No-ceans on Titan as well as our monthly skyguide and moon guide.

Produced by Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin

It's time for our annual review of the year, a look forward to next year and of course the Panto!...and the return of an old face!

Produced by Ralph, Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin

In this chatty news episode we chat about more Artemis mission shenanigans and how the Russians have wrecked their only human rated launch pad.

Produced by Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin

This episode it is a new bananza with discussion of the Thirty Metre Telescope, shenanigans on Mars, asymmetrical supernovae and more trouble in the world of cosmology. There is a Xmas Telescope buying guide as well as our monthly skyguide!

Produced by Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin

In our second episode of the month we chat about the weird mess that is now the Artemis Programme, whether there is even a new space race and what strange shenanigans rogue planets are up to!

Produced by Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin

Time for a Comet 3I ATLAS deep dive, a chat about Paul's recent visit to the Cerne Abbas Starparty and our new extended skyguide.

Produced by Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin

This month we are at Astrocamp, our biannual dark sky retreat. We have a Q and A session with the campers and we talk a newly confirmed impact crater in the UK, Artemis II, ozone layer, and an upcoming comet bonanza!

Produced by Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin

A bumper end of summer episode with Paul out in the world of science outreach and communication in a Summer music festival. There's also discussion of the new Astronomer Royal, China's moon programme, Starship and a deep dive on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

This month we talk about Jen at the BBC, AI in science communication, a supernova in NGC7331, whether Betelgeuse has a companion, Exoplanet shenanigans, European hypersonic space planes, and of course our monthly sky guide and general chat.

Produced by Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin

A bumper episode or is that a Jumper episode if Jeni has her way. Paul has new scope and Jeni has been seeing the Sun. We have terrible news from LIGO, the end of Milkomeda, Light pollution paradox, Vera Rubin first light, a new satellite from Wales, spaceX kablooie, leaks on the ISS and of course the usual skyguide and emails! Phew!

This month we have Galactic sized lancing battles, Jupiter twice its size, Wales entering the space race and we have emails! Oh we have emails!

This month we have Galactic sized lancing battles, Jupiter twice its size, Wales entering the space race and we have emails! Oh we have emails!

This month we have Galactic sized lancing battles, Jupiter twice its size, Wales entering the space race and we have emails! Oh we have emails!

We come at you with all the fun of AstroCamp in Welsh Wales. Chat, debate and birdsong!

Produced by  Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin

We try to keep it upbeat this month with tales of blackholes, definitions of moons, and solar system science but unfortunately the fate of NASA and American science currently hangs in the balance...

Produced by Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin

It looks as though the European Southern Observatory is caught in an American light pollution pincer...starlink above and now the threat of an American industrial complex as a neighbour. Is this the end?

We have eclipse news, launch round up and the usual inane chatter from Jeni & Paul.

The world veers towards madness, asteroids threaten destruction and Gaia is no more. But the planets are putting on a show and Pluto is 95, so that's alright...

Produced by Ralph, Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin

Happy New Year! This month we talk about an new climate history for Venus, a new origin story for Mars' moons and we chat about the new potential head of NASA...

Produced by Ralph, Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin

It's that time of year again where the team get silly...this year Butch and Suni hijack the ISS...

This month we look at new old data about Uranus, a possible second dinosaur asteroid  the first image of a star in another galaxy and the image of a new planet forming. Plus sky and launch guides and a chat about Christmas present ideas!

Produced by Ralph, Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin

This month the episode is all about astronomy! Yep just astronomy. We catch up with the wonderful comet observations of the autumn, Jen's aurora cruise in Norway and we talk outreach astronomy in response to a listener's question.

The Team are taking a little break so here is a classic interview with Apollo astronaut Alan Bean.

Meet Dr Anna Horleston from Bristol University.

NASA's InSight lander was active on Mars from November 2018 to December 2022 – a total of 1446 sols (Martian days). InSight carried a suite of geophysical instruments designed to help us understand the interior structure of the red planet. The primary instrument was a seismometer – the first seismometer to be deployed to the surface of Mars – and my job was to analyse the seismic data, to find Marsquakes (like earthquakes but on Mars), and to figure out what was causing them. I'll take you through the highs and lows of working on an active...

This month the episode comes from the user dark skies of Wales as it is AstroCamp time! Discussion of Hera and Europa Clipper probes, comet news and the live recording of the Astrocamp panel! Enjoy

Between 2nd and 5th October, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) are celebrating 100 hours of astronomy. We've caught up with good friend of the show Neill Sanders, founder of Go Stargazing, who's helped create an app to get you and all your friends involved with the celestial party! Enjoy!

A bit different this month as Paul is joined by Dustin as they chat about aurora on Ganymede, starliner, Polaris Dawn, Blue Origin and Dustin shares an interview at a local astronomy Festival.

Produced by Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin

In this podcast extra for Awesome Astronomy in August 2024, we bring you two of the Plenary Sessions from the British Planetary Science Conference 2024, hosted by Space Park Leicester and the National Space Center. The first, from Dr Aprajita Verma, discusses the upcoming Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), and the second, from Dr Steve Banham, gives you a new view of Mars Evolution, based on Curiosity's work at Gale Crater. Keep an ear out for activities to get involved with!

This month the team talk Comet Olbers, black holes in globular Clusters, the cancellation of Vixen, the ultra calm lakes of Titan, more phosphine news from Venus and look forward to this months Perseids.

Produced by Ralph, Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin

Celebrating 55 years since humans first set foot on the Moon with Project Apollo, in this podcast extra, Dr Jen meets with Benoit Faiveley and Mario Freese, founder and chief engineer of Sanctuary on the Moon, a daring project to leave a legacy of humanity on our nearest celestial neighbour. In the late 2020s, 24 coaster-sized sapphire disks will sail to the Moon as part of NASA's Artemis CLPS program. Engraved upon them will be the essence of humanity. One hundred billion pixels depicting the human genome, the work of masters, and the every day - one pixel for every human...