Astronomy Cast
Astronomy Cast offers you a fact based journey through the cosmos. Each week Fraser Cain (Universe Today) and Dr. Pamela Gay (SIUE / Slacker Astronomy) take on topics ranging from the nearby planets to ubiquitous dark matter.
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Ep. 324: Sun Grazers
Comets can spend billions of years out in the Oort ...
Comets can spend billions of years out in the Oort Cloud, and then a few brief moments of terror orbiting the Sun. These are the sun grazers. Some survive their journey, and flare up to become the brightest comets in history. Others won't survive their fi
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Ep. 323: Isotopes
The number of protons defines an element, but the number ...
The number of protons defines an element, but the number of neutrons can vary. We call these different flavors of an element isotopes, and use these isotopes to solve some challenging mysteries in physics and astronomy. Some isotopes occur naturally, and
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Ep. 322: SOHO
As we’ve mentioned before, the Sun is a terrifying ball ...
As we’ve mentioned before, the Sun is a terrifying ball of plasma. It’s a good thing we’re keeping an eye on it. And that eye is the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, or SOHO. Operating for more than 18 years now, SOHO has been making detailed observati
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Ep. 321: Solar Flares
Sometimes the Sun is quiet, and other times the Sun ...
Sometimes the Sun is quiet, and other times the Sun gets downright unruly. During the peak of its 11-year cycle, the surface of the Sun is littered with darker sunspots. And its from these sunspots that the Sun generates massive solar flares, which can sp
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Ep. 320: Layers of the Sun
Our Sun isn’t just a terrifying ball of white hot ...
Our Sun isn’t just a terrifying ball of white hot plasma, it’s actually a lot more complex. It’s got layers. And today, we’re going to peel back those layers and learn about the Sun – from the inside out.
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Ep. 319: The Zodiac
Although the Zodiac is best known for astrology nonsense, it ...
Although the Zodiac is best known for astrology nonsense, it has a purpose in astronomy too. The constellations of the Zodiac define the plane of the ecliptic: the region where the Sun, Moon and planets appear to travel through the sky. What are the const
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Ep. 318: Escape Velocity
Sometimes you’ve just got to get away from it all. ...
Sometimes you’ve just got to get away from it all. From your planet, your Solar System and your galaxy. If you’re looking to escape, you’ll need to know just what velocity it’ll take to break the surly bonds of gravity and punch the sky.
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Ep. 317: Observatories
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to visit one ...
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to visit one of the big research observatories, like Keck, Gemini, or the European Southern Observatory? What’s it like to use gear that powerful? What’s the facility like? What precautions do you need to take when ob
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Ep. 316: Observational vs. Experimental Science
Sometimes you can do science by watching patiently, and sometimes ...
Sometimes you can do science by watching patiently, and sometimes you've just got to get your hands dirty with an experiment or two. These two methods have their advantages and disadvantages for revealing Nature's secrets. Let's talk about how and why sci
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Ep. 315: Particle Accelerators
Who knew that destruction could be so informative? Only by ...
Who knew that destruction could be so informative? Only by smashing particles together with more and more energy, can we truly tease out the fundamental forces of nature. Join us to discover the different kinds of accelerators (both natural and artificial
