Astronomy Cast

By Fraser Cain and Dr. Pamela Gay

Natural Sciences Education

What's Astronomy Cast about?

Astronomy Cast brings you a weekly fact-based journey through the cosmos.

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LAST EPISODE

Ep. 546: Weird Issues: Plan...

11.11.2019

Before we discovered other planets, our Solar System seemed like a perfectly reasonable template for everywhere. But now we see massive planets close to their stars, which leads you to the question, how does it all get there. Do the ...

Astronomy Cast episodes:

11.11.2019 Ep. 546: Weird Issues: Planetary Migration Before we discovered other planets, our Solar System seemed like a perfectly reasonable template for everywhere. But now we see massive planets close to their stars, which leads you to the question, how does it all get there. Do the ...
11.05.2019 Ep. 545: Weird Issues: Are comets asteroids or are asteroids comets? Things used to be so simple. Comets were snowballs from the outer Solar System, and asteroids were rocks from the inner Solar System. But now everything's all shades of grey. Astronomers have found asteroids that behave like comets and comets ...
10.28.2019 Ep. 544: Weird Issues: Biosignatures Once again, another place where the Universe is going to make this difficult for us. Proving, once and for all that there's alien life on another world. It should be straightforward, look for biosignatures, but it looks like there are ...
10.21.2019 Halley's Meteor Shower and Two spacecraft updates Got clear skies? Go out tonight and catch the Orionids Meteor shower, a storm of falling stars generated by Halley's comet. Later this week, we'll see aurora like those that will one day be predicted by the ESA Solar Probe. ...
10.20.2019 Ep. 543: Weird Issues: The Habitable Zone Our series on Universe weirdness marches on. This week we take a look at the habitable zone, and how things aren’t as simple as we thought. In this episode we mentioned donations.
10.14.2019 Ep. 542: Weird Issues: The Age of the Universe Our series on Universe weirdness continues, this time we learn how astronomers are struggling to make sense of the age of the Universe.
10.07.2019 Ep. 541: Weird Issues: Expansion Rate of the Universe 541: Weird Issues: Expansion Rate of the Universe Astronomy Cast 541: Weird Issues: Expansion Rate of the Universe by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Just when the Universe was starting to make sense, the cosmos throws a curveball at ...
09.30.2019 Ep. 540: Weird Issues: How Do (or Don't) Planets Form? As astronomers started to discover planets orbiting other stars, they immediately realized that their expectations would need to be tossed out. Hot jupiters? Pulsars with planets? We're now decades into this task, and the Universe is continuing to surprise us.
09.23.2019 Ep. 539: Weird Issues: Why We Don't Know the Age of Saturn's Rings How old are Saturn's rings? They could be brand new, or they could be as ancient as the Solar System itself. Planetary scientists thought they knew the answer thanks to new data from Cassini, but new ideas are calling even ...
09.16.2019 Ep. 538: Asteroids: Rubble piles of the Solar System Thanks to all the work from Hayabusa 2 and OSIRIS-REx, astronomers are getting a much better look at the smaller asteroids in the Solar System. It turns out, they're piles of rubble... but fascinating piles of rubble. Let's talk about ...
09.09.2019 Ep. 537: Reusable Rocket Revolution We took a hiatus this summer, but SpaceX sure didn’t, with the tests of the Starhopper prototype. Today we’re going to talk about the revolution in reusable rocketry and quest to build a fully reusable two-stage rocket.
08.10.2019 Libsyn Survey Request Please help us keep bringing you content by going to http://survey.libsyn.com/astronomycast and filling out the survey, so Libsyn can find us sponsors for Astronomy Cast!
07.01.2019 Astronomy Cast on Hiatus until Sept 2019 Astronomy Cast will be on hiatus for July and August. Don't worry, we'll be back in September, and we might just have surprises for you all along this summer! Don't forget you can still catch Pamela with Daily Space, rocket ...
07.01.2019 Ep. 536: Everyday Relativity 536: Everyday Relativity Astronomy Cast 536: Everyday Relativity by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Relativity is used in more day to day situations than you may realize. In this episode, we will count (some of) the ways. This episode ...
06.24.2019 Ep. 535: Astronomy-Related Things To Do This Summer 535: Astronomy-Related Things To Do This Summer Astronomy Cast 535: Astronomy-Related Things To Do This Summer by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay It's summertime, and time for our annual Astronomy Cast hiatus. But that doesn't mean that the astronomy ...
06.17.2019 Ep. 534: Modern South African Astronomy 534: Modern South African Astronomy Astronomy Cast 534: Modern South African Astronomy by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay You know the drill now. Last week we talked about ancient south African astronomy, and so this week we'll talk about ...
06.10.2019 Ep. 533: Indigenous South African Astronomy 533: Indigenous South African Astronomy Astronomy Cast 533: Indigenous South African Astronomy by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Let's move to another continent this week, and look at the astronomy that was going on in southern Africa in ancient ...
06.03.2019 Ep. 532: Modern Astronomy of Australia 532: Modern Astronomy of Australia Astronomy Cast 532: Modern Astronomy of Australia by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Last week we talked about how well the indigenous Australians followed the night sky. Well, it turns out, Australia is still ...
05.27.2019 Ep. 531: Australian Indigenous Astronomy 531: Australian Indigenous Astronomy Astronomy Cast 531: Australian Indigenous Astronomy by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay South America, especially the Atacama Desert in Chile has become one of the best places in the world to put a telescope. It's ...
05.12.2019 Ep. 530: Astronomy of the Andes - Then and Now Pt. 2 530: Astronomy of the Andes - Then and Now Pt. 2 Astronomy Cast 530: Astronomy of the Andes - Then and Now Pt. 2 by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay South America, especially the Atacama Desert in Chile has ...
05.06.2019 Ep. 529: Astronomy of the Andes - Then and Now Pt. 1 529: Astronomy of the Andes - Then and Now Pt. 1 Astronomy Cast 529: Astronomy of the Andes - Then and Now Pt. 1 by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay The Andes mountains in South America are a hotspot ...
04.29.2019 Ep. 528: Modern Astronomy of the American Southwest 528: Modern Astronomy of the American Southwest Astronomy Cast 528: Modern Astronomy of the American Southwest by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Last week we talked about the ancient astronomy of the American Southwest. But this is actually Pamela's ...
04.22.2019 Ep. 527: Ancient Astronomy of the American Southwest 527: Ancient Astronomy of the American Southwest Astronomy Cast 527: Ancient Astronomy of the American Southwest by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Ancient peoples had no light pollution, and they knew the night skies very well. In fact, they ...
04.15.2019 Ep. 526: Event Horizon Telescope and the Black Hole at M87 526: Event Horizon Telescope and the Black Hole at M87 Astronomy Cast 526: Event Horizon Telescope and the Black Hole at M87 by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Today, of course, we're going to talk about the announcement from ...
04.08.2019 Ep. 525: 100 Years of the International Astronomical Union 525: 100 Years of the International Astronomical Union Astronomy Cast 525: 100 Years of the International Astronomical Union by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Even though they might be scattered around our planet, astronomers have way to come together ...
04.01.2019 Ep. 524: Judging Age & Origins, part 3 - Beyond Our System 524: Judging Age & Origins, part 3 - Beyond Our System Astronomy Cast 524: Judging Age & Origins, part 3 - Beyond Our System by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay We learned how to figure out the ages of ...
03.25.2019 Ep. 523: Judging Age & Origins, Pt. 2 Across the Solar System 523: Judging Age & Origins, Pt. 2 Across the Solar System Astronomy Cast 523: Judging Age & Origins, Pt. 2 Across the Solar System by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Today we push our aging curiosity out into the ...
03.18.2019 Ep. 522: Judging Age & Origins, part 1 - Earth Rocks 522: Judging Age & Origins, part 1 - Earth Rocks Astronomy Cast 522: Judging Age & Origins, part 1 - Earth Rocks by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay People always want to know how old everything is. And more ...
03.17.2019 Bonus Episode: Dust with Dr. Paul Sutter Bonus: Dust with Dr. Paul Sutter Astronomy Cast Bonus: Dust with Dr. Paul Sutter by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Recorded during the Astrotour to Costa Rica, Fraser talks to Dr. Paul Matt Sutter about the nature of dust ...
03.11.2019 Ep. 521: The Deep Space Network 521: The Deep Space Network Astronomy Cast 521: The Deep Space Network by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay We always focus on the missions, but there's an important glue that holds the whole system together. The Deep Space Network. ...
03.01.2019 Ep. 520: Transients: What They Are and Why They Matter, Part 2 520: Transients: What They Are and Why They Matter, Part 2 Astronomy Cast 520: Transients: What They Are and Why They Matter, Part 2 by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay
02.25.2019 Ep. 519: Transients: What They Are and Why They Matter 519: Transients: What They Are and Why They Matter Astronomy Cast 519: Transients: What They Are and Why They Matter by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay
02.18.2019 Ep. 518: When the Universe tried to Declare War 518: When the Universe tried to Declare War Astronomy Cast 518: When the Universe tried to Declare War by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay
02.11.2019 Ep. 517: Fritz Zwicky and the Zwicky Transient Facility 517: Fritz Zwicky and the Zwicky Transient Facility Astronomy Cast 517: Fritz Zwicky and the Zwicky Transient Facility by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay
02.04.2019 Ep. 516: Polar Vortices 516: Polar Vortices Astronomy Cast 516: Polar Vortices by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay
01.28.2019 Ep. 515: Space Radiation 515: Space Radiation Astronomy Cast 515: Space Radiation by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay
01.21.2019 Ep. 514: Planetary Protection Protocols 514: Planetary Protection Protocols Astronomy Cast 514: Planetary Protection Protocols by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay
01.14.2019 Ep. 513: Stellar Fusion 513: Stellar Fusion Astronomy Cast 513: Stellar Fusion by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay
01.07.2019 Ep. 512: Direct Imaging of Exoplanets 512: Direct Imaging of Exoplanets Astronomy Cast 512: Direct Imaging of Exoplanets by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay
12.31.2018 Ep. 511: Predictions for 2019 511: Predictions for 2019 Astronomy Cast 511: Predictions for 2019 by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay
12.24.2018 Ep. 510: 2018 - Year in Review 510: 2018 - Year in Review Astronomy Cast 510: 2018 - Year in Review by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay
12.24.2018 Ep. 510: 2018 – Year in Review 2018 was an incredible year in space news. Rockets launched, landers landed, spacecraft were born and died. We learned tremendous new things about Universe around us, and today we’re here to look back fondly over the last 12 months to ...
12.10.2018 Ep. 509: Fiction to Fact: 3D Printers 509: Fiction to Fact: 3D Printers Astronomy Cast 509: Fiction to Fact: 3D Printers by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay
12.03.2018 Ep. 508: 2018 Holiday Gift Guide 508: 2018 Holiday Gift Guide Astronomy Cast 508: 2018 Holiday Gift Guide by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay
11.27.2018 507: From Fiction to Fact: Ion Drive 507: From Fiction to Fact: Ion Drive Astronomy Cast 507: > From Fiction to Fact: Ion Drive by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay
11.27.2018 Ep. 507: From Fiction to Fact : Ion Drive Ion engines are a mainstay of science fiction, featured in both Star Trek and Wars. But this is a very real technology, successfully used on several missions out there in the Solar System right now. How do they work and ...
11.18.2018 Ep. 506: It's not Aliens, Unless it's Aliens Did you hear that astronomers from Harvard think that the interstellar asteroid Oumuamua was actually an alien solar sail? Is it aliens? Of course it's not aliens. But some day, it'll actually be aliens.
11.17.2018 506: It’s not Aliens, Unless it’s Aliens 506: It’s not Aliens, Unless it’s Aliens Astronomy Cast 506: It’s not Aliens, Unless it’s Aliens by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay
11.12.2018 Ep. 505: Seismology We’re always interested in the surface features of the planets and moons in the Solar System, but that’s only skin deep. It turns out, these worlds have an interesting inner life too. Thanks to the science of seismology, we can ...
11.11.2018 505: Seismology 505: Seismology Astronomy Cast 505: Seismology by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Older episodes

Astronomy Cast

What's Astronomy Cast about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Astronomy Cast episodes:

Ep. 546: Weird Issues: Planetary Migration

Ep. 545: Weird Issues: Are comets asteroids or are asteroids comets?

Ep. 544: Weird Issues: Biosignatures

Halley's Meteor Shower and Two spacecraft updates

Ep. 543: Weird Issues: The Habitable Zone

Ep. 542: Weird Issues: The Age of the Universe

Ep. 541: Weird Issues: Expansion Rate of the Universe

Ep. 540: Weird Issues: How Do (or Don't) Planets Form?

Ep. 539: Weird Issues: Why We Don't Know the Age of Saturn's Rings

Ep. 538: Asteroids: Rubble piles of the Solar System

Ep. 537: Reusable Rocket Revolution

Libsyn Survey Request

Astronomy Cast on Hiatus until Sept 2019

Ep. 536: Everyday Relativity

Ep. 535: Astronomy-Related Things To Do This Summer

Ep. 534: Modern South African Astronomy

Ep. 533: Indigenous South African Astronomy

Ep. 532: Modern Astronomy of Australia

Ep. 531: Australian Indigenous Astronomy

Ep. 530: Astronomy of the Andes - Then and Now Pt. 2

Ep. 529: Astronomy of the Andes - Then and Now Pt. 1

Ep. 528: Modern Astronomy of the American Southwest

Ep. 527: Ancient Astronomy of the American Southwest

Ep. 526: Event Horizon Telescope and the Black Hole at M87

Ep. 525: 100 Years of the International Astronomical Union

Ep. 524: Judging Age & Origins, part 3 - Beyond Our System

Ep. 523: Judging Age & Origins, Pt. 2 Across the Solar System

Ep. 522: Judging Age & Origins, part 1 - Earth Rocks

Bonus Episode: Dust with Dr. Paul Sutter

Ep. 521: The Deep Space Network

Ep. 520: Transients: What They Are and Why They Matter, Part 2

Ep. 519: Transients: What They Are and Why They Matter

Ep. 518: When the Universe tried to Declare War

Ep. 517: Fritz Zwicky and the Zwicky Transient Facility

Ep. 516: Polar Vortices

Ep. 515: Space Radiation

Ep. 514: Planetary Protection Protocols

Ep. 513: Stellar Fusion

Ep. 512: Direct Imaging of Exoplanets

Ep. 511: Predictions for 2019

Ep. 510: 2018 - Year in Review

Ep. 510: 2018 – Year in Review

Ep. 509: Fiction to Fact: 3D Printers

Ep. 508: 2018 Holiday Gift Guide

507: From Fiction to Fact: Ion Drive

Ep. 507: From Fiction to Fact : Ion Drive

Ep. 506: It's not Aliens, Unless it's Aliens

506: It’s not Aliens, Unless it’s Aliens

Ep. 505: Seismology

505: Seismology

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