Astronomy Cast

By Fraser Cain and Dr. Pamela Gay

Natural Sciences

What's Astronomy Cast about?

Take a fact-based journey through the cosmos. Tune in to hear weekly discussions on astronomical topics ranging from planets to cosmology. Hosted by Fraser Cain (Universe Today) and Dr. Pamela L. Gay (Planetary Science Institute), this show brings the questions of an avid astronomy lover direct to an astronomer. Together Fraser and Pamela explore what is known and being discovered about the universe around us. Astronomy Cast is supported thru patreon.com/AstronomyCast.

4.8

2,613 ratings

Download our free app to listen on your phone

LAST EPISODE

Ep. 689 - Our Warming World...

09.18.2023

Astronomy Cast Ep. 689 - Our Warming World: 20 Years of Climate Science by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Sep 11, 2023. It’s official! June and July were the warmest we’ve seen since records began over ...

Astronomy Cast episodes:

09.18.2023 Ep. 689 - Our Warming World: 20 Years of Climate Science Astronomy Cast Ep. 689 - Our Warming World: 20 Years of Climate Science by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Sep 11, 2023. It’s official! June and July were the warmest we’ve seen since records began over ...
07.10.2023 Hiatus Message Astronomy Cast - Hiatus Message by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Once again, we’ve reached the end of a season here on Astronomy Cast, and it’s time for the summer hiatus. See you in September!
07.03.2023 Ep. 688: What’s Next? Looking Ahead to Season 17 Astronomy Cast Ep. 688: What’s Next? Looking Ahead to Season 17 by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Jun 26, 2023. Once again, we’ve reached the end of a season here on Astronomy Cast, and it’s time ...
06.27.2023 Ep. 687: Prepping for the Moon Astronomy Cast Ep. 687: Prepping for the Moon by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay We’re going back to the Moon. In the next few years humans will set foot on the Moon again, ideally this time to stay. But ...
06.19.2023 Ep. 686: Ice In The Shadows Astronomy Cast Ep. 686: Ice In The Shadows by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Ga Streamed live on Jun 12, 2023. The permanently shadowed craters on the Moon are the focus of so much research. That’s because they seem to ...
06.12.2023 Ep. 685: Manufacturing In Space Astronomy Cast Ep. 685: Manufacturing In Space by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Jun 5, 2023. Launching satellites from Earth is counter-productive. You’ve got to make a satellite that can handle Earth gravity, then the brutal ...
06.05.2023 Ep. 684: Too Big, Too Soon: Massive Early Galaxies Defy Expectations Astronomy Cast Ep. 684: Too Big, Too Soon: Massive Early Galaxies Defy Expectations by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on May 29, 2023. One of JWST’s top jobs is to peer deeper into the Universe than ever ...
05.29.2023 Ep. 683: Cosmic Dawn Astronomy Cast Ep. 683: Cosmic Dawn by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on May 22, 2023. After the cosmic microwave background radiation was released, the Universe returned to darkness, cloaked in this clouds of primordial hydrogen and ...
05.22.2023 Ep. 682: Ultra-Diffuse Galaxies & Dark Matter Astronomy Cast Ep. 682: Ultra-Diffuse Galaxies & Dark Matter by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Ga Streamed live on May 15, 2023. Astronomers first noticed the strange behaviors of rotating galaxies almost 100 years ago, suggesting there’s an invisible dark ...
05.15.2023 Ep. 681: Kilonovae Astronomy Cast Ep. 681: Kilonovae by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on May 7, 2023. In 2017, astronomers detected the gravitational waves and electromagnetic radiation from colliding neutron stars. This had been long theorized as one of ...
05.08.2023 Ep. 680: Rogue Black Holes Astronomy Cast Ep. 680: Rogue Black Holes by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on May 1, 2023. Last week we talked about rogue stars. This week we’re going to take things up a notch and talk about ...
05.01.2023 Ep. 679: High(per) Velocity Stars Astronomy Cast Ep. 679: High(per) Velocity Stars by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Apr 24, 2023. Most stars in the Milky Way are trapped in here with us, doomed to orbit around and around and around. ...
04.24.2023 Ep. 678: World Building: Planet Formation, Growth & Ejection Astronomy Cast Ep. 678: World Building: Planet Formation, Growth & Ejection by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Apr 17, 2023. Okay sci-fi writers, today we’re going to give you a guided tour of building planets. How ...
04.17.2023 Ep. 677: The Answer is Always Dust Astronomy Cast Ep. 677: The Answer is Always Dust by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Apr 10, 2023. Whenever astronomers discover something surprising, the answer often turns out to be dust. Dust obscuring our view, dust ...
04.10.2023 Ep. 676: Other Things With Rings Astronomy Cast Ep. 676: Other Things With Rings by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Apr 3, 2023. We’ve spent a lot of time gushing about Saturn’s rings, but there are other places with ring systems. And ...
04.03.2023 Ep. 675: Exotic Forms of Ice Astronomy Cast Ep. 675: Exotic Forms of Ice by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Ice is ice, right? You know, what you get when water freezes. Well, maybe here on Earth. But across the Universe, water can be squeezed ...
03.27.2023 Ep. 674: Asteroid Early Warning Systems Astronomy Cast Ep. 674: Asteroid Early Warning Systems by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay The asteroid apocalypse is one of those existential crises that keep astronomers up at night. But the DART mission showed us that we can push ...
03.20.2023 Ep. 673: How to See Satellites (or Avoid Seeing Them) Astronomy Cast Ep. 673: How to See Satellites (or Avoid Seeing Them) by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Mar 13, 2023. If you’re in dark skies and look up, you’re certain to see a satellite. Lots ...
03.13.2023 Ep. 672: Space Debris Removal Astronomy Cast Ep. 672: Space Debris Removal by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Mar 8, 2023. We’ve talked about the rising problem of space junk. Okay, we know it’s an issue. So what can be done ...
03.06.2023 Ep. 671: The Consequences to Breaking Space Laws Astronomy Cast Ep. 671: The Consequences to Breaking Space Laws by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Mar 1, 2023. Last week we talked about the laws that govern space exploration. This week the rubber hits the ...
02.20.2023 Ep. 670 - Governing Space: The 1967 Outer Space Treaty & More! Astronomy Cast Ep. 670 - Governing Space: The 1967 Outer Space Treaty & More! by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Ga Streamed live on Feb 13, 2023. The Universe was inaccessible for most of human history, but the first tentative ...
02.13.2023 Ep. 669: Challenges to Dark Energy Astronomy Cast Ep. 669: Challenges to Dark Energy by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Feb 6, 2023. It’s been over 20 years since astronomers first discovered that the expansion of the Universe is accelerating thanks to ...
02.06.2023 Ep. 668: The Crisis In Cosmology Astronomy Cast Ep. 668: The Crisis In Cosmology by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Jan 30, 2023. Astronomers have made extremely accurate measurements of the expansion rate of the Universe and come up with different results. ...
01.30.2023 Ep. 667: JWST First Science Astronomy Cast Ep. 667: JWST First Science by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Jan 23, 2023. Astronomers came together in January to present their newest research. And not surprisingly, the winter AAS meeting was heavy on ...
01.23.2023 Ep. 666: Solar System References to the Underworld Sign up through to make a difference in the climate crisis, and Wren will plant 10 extra trees in your name! Streamed live on Jan 17, 2023. Well, we did it. We made it to episode 666, an auspicious number ...
01.16.2023 Ep. 665: The Age of Reionization Astronomy Cast Ep. 665: The Age of Reionization by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay The Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation tells us so much about the Universe. After that era, the Universe went dark. Then, as gas pulled together into ...
01.09.2023 Ep. 664: The First Stars Astronomy Cast Ep. 664: The First Stars by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit today to get 10% off your first month. The Sun is a third-generation star, polluted with metals from long-dead ...
12.19.2022 Ep. 663: End of Year Observing Events Astronomy Cast Ep. 663: End of Year Observing Events by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay We generally save our stargazing suggestions for the summer, when it’s warmer in the northern hemisphere. But you’re tough, you can handle a little ...
12.12.2022 Ep. 662 - Looking Ahead at New and Recycled Missions Astronomy Cast Ep. 662 - Looking Ahead at New and Recycled Missions by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Last week we talked about the missions we’re saying goodbye to. This week, we’re going to talk about some upcoming missions ...
12.05.2022 Ep. 661: Looking Back on the Missions That Ended Astronomy Cast Ep. 661: Looking Back on the Missions That Ended by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay It’s always sad to say goodbye, but when we send our robotic emissaries out into the cosmos, it’s just a matter of ...
11.28.2022 Ep. 660: Runaway! Runaway! Escaping Stars, Planets & Small Bodies Astronomy Cast Ep. 660: Runaway! Runaway! Escaping Stars, Planets & Small Bodies by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Moons orbit planets, planets orbit stars, stars orbit within galaxies. It’s orbits all the way down. But occasionally objects can receive ...
11.14.2022 Ep. 659: Clear Skies, Bright Satellites Astronomy Cast Ep. 659: Clear Skies, Bright Satellites by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Nov 8, 2022. Light pollution is big problem and it’s only getting worse. Not just near cities, but everywhere thanks to increased ...
11.07.2022 Ep. 658: Space Exploration Horror Stories Astronomy Cast Ep. 658: Space Exploration Horror Stories by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Oct 31, 2022. We’re recording this episode on Halloween, so how could we resist but take advantage of this opportunity. Space is ...
10.17.2022 Ep. 657: Astronomical Naming Schemes Astronomy Cast Ep. 657: Astronomical Naming Schemes by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Space is a big place, with lots of galaxies, stars, planets, moons, and that means a lot of names. So how do astronomers name stuff, like ...
10.10.2022 Ep. 656: Smashing Asteroids for Science! Astronomy Cast Ep. 656: Smashing Asteroids for Science! by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live Oct 3rd. This week we saw the incredible image of DART smashing into asteroid Dimorphous. Beyond avenging the dinosaurs, what can we learn ...
10.03.2022 Ep. 655: 65 Years of Space: Sputnik 1 Anniversary Astronomy Cast Ep. 655: 65 Years of Space: Sputnik 1 Anniversary by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Sep 26, 2022. It’s been about 65 years since the Soviets launched the first orbital satellite into low Earth ...
09.26.2022 Ep. 654: The Side Effects Of Clean Energy Astronomy Cast Ep. 654: The Side Effects Of Clean Energy by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay To battle climate change, we’ll need to rapidly move to carbon-free sources of energy. But this technology isn’t a free lunch. They require ...
09.19.2022 Ep. 653: Climate Change: Looking at the Variables Astronomy Cast Ep. 653: Climate Change: Looking at the Variables by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Climate change is on our mind these days with increasing wildfires, droughts and floods. What are the variables that play into a planet’s ...
09.12.2022 Ep. 652: The Rocket Race Towards Reusability Astronomy Cast Ep. 652: The Rocket Race Towards Reusability by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Last week we talked about how single-use rocketry has changed over time, and the role it still plays in launching payloads into orbit and ...
09.07.2022 Ep. 651: Artemis & The Decline of Single Use Rockets Astronomy Cast Ep. 651: Artemis & The Decline of Single Use Rockets by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Season 16 opener. On the day that we’re recording this, NASA’s Space Launch System is about to blast off. But everyone ...
07.20.2022 Ep. 650: Did JWST Work? Astronomy Cast Ep. 650: Did JWST Work? by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Sign up through to make a difference in the climate crisis, and Wren will plant 10 extra trees in your name! Well, this is it. We’re ...
07.18.2022 Ep. 650: Did JWST Work? Astronomy Cast Ep. 650: Did JWST Work? by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Well, this is it. We’re FINALLY going to talk about the James Webb Space Telescope. After decades of development, delays, budget creep, the powerful infrared observatory ...
07.11.2022 Ep. 649: Highlights From NASA’s Holiday Ruining History Astronomy Cast Ep. 649: Highlights From NASA’s Holiday Ruining History by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Have you ever noticed that significant space and astronomy events seem to happen during the holidays? It’s not a coincidence. There’s actually a ...
07.04.2022 Ep. 648: Summer Observing Astronomy Cast Ep. 648: Summer Observing by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Summer is officially, astronomically here, and for the folks in the northern hemisphere that means it’s a perfect time to head outside and see what’s happening in ...
06.27.2022 Ep. 647: Best Sci Fi Beach Reading Astronomy Cast Ep. 647: Best Sci Fi Beach Reading by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Summer’s here! And that means finally tackling that huge list of books piled up on your bedside table and filling up your Kindle. What ...
06.20.2022 Ep. 646: Our Long Term Future in Space Astronomy Cast Ep. 646: Our Long Term Future in Space by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay We always say that we're living in golden age of space and astronomy, but it feels like things are just accelerating. Space travel ...
06.13.2022 Ep. 645: The Future of the ISS Astronomy Cast Ep. 645: The Future of the ISS by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay The International Space Station has been continuously inhabited for over 20 years now, serving as a peaceful collaboration between space-faring nations. But it's a ...
05.30.2022 Ep. 644: Is Earth… Normal? Astronomy Cast Ep. 644: Is Earth… Normal? by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay We've now discovered thousands of exoplanets, we're learning more and more about the kinds of planetary systems there are out there across the Universe. But are ...
05.17.2022 Ep. 643: Sagittarius A* Astronomy Cast Ep. 643: Sagittarius A* by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay All the waiting is over, we've finally seen the image of the event horizon from the supermassive black hole at the heart of the Milky Way. Different ...
05.16.2022 Ep. 642: Is the Sun... Normal? Astronomy Cast Ep. 642: Is the Sun... Normal? by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay We've always assumed that we lived in a perfectly normal star system with a normal star and normal planets. It's all... normal. But with our ...

Older episodes

Astronomy Cast

What's Astronomy Cast about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Astronomy Cast episodes:

Ep. 689 - Our Warming World: 20 Years of Climate Science

Hiatus Message

Ep. 688: What’s Next? Looking Ahead to Season 17

Ep. 687: Prepping for the Moon

Ep. 686: Ice In The Shadows

Ep. 685: Manufacturing In Space

Ep. 684: Too Big, Too Soon: Massive Early Galaxies Defy Expectations

Ep. 683: Cosmic Dawn

Ep. 682: Ultra-Diffuse Galaxies & Dark Matter

Ep. 681: Kilonovae

Ep. 680: Rogue Black Holes

Ep. 679: High(per) Velocity Stars

Ep. 678: World Building: Planet Formation, Growth & Ejection

Ep. 677: The Answer is Always Dust

Ep. 676: Other Things With Rings

Ep. 675: Exotic Forms of Ice

Ep. 674: Asteroid Early Warning Systems

Ep. 673: How to See Satellites (or Avoid Seeing Them)

Ep. 672: Space Debris Removal

Ep. 671: The Consequences to Breaking Space Laws

Ep. 670 - Governing Space: The 1967 Outer Space Treaty & More!

Ep. 669: Challenges to Dark Energy

Ep. 668: The Crisis In Cosmology

Ep. 667: JWST First Science

Ep. 666: Solar System References to the Underworld

Ep. 665: The Age of Reionization

Ep. 664: The First Stars

Ep. 663: End of Year Observing Events

Ep. 662 - Looking Ahead at New and Recycled Missions

Ep. 661: Looking Back on the Missions That Ended

Ep. 660: Runaway! Runaway! Escaping Stars, Planets & Small Bodies

Ep. 659: Clear Skies, Bright Satellites

Ep. 658: Space Exploration Horror Stories

Ep. 657: Astronomical Naming Schemes

Ep. 656: Smashing Asteroids for Science!

Ep. 655: 65 Years of Space: Sputnik 1 Anniversary

Ep. 654: The Side Effects Of Clean Energy

Ep. 653: Climate Change: Looking at the Variables

Ep. 652: The Rocket Race Towards Reusability

Ep. 651: Artemis & The Decline of Single Use Rockets

Ep. 650: Did JWST Work?

Ep. 650: Did JWST Work?

Ep. 649: Highlights From NASA’s Holiday Ruining History

Ep. 648: Summer Observing

Ep. 647: Best Sci Fi Beach Reading

Ep. 646: Our Long Term Future in Space

Ep. 645: The Future of the ISS

Ep. 644: Is Earth… Normal?

Ep. 643: Sagittarius A*

Ep. 642: Is the Sun... Normal?

Other shows like Astronomy Cast: