Astronomy Cast

We begin a miniseries on Mars. How many episodes will we do? Who knows? But we start today with a discussion of the two Mars moons, Phobos and Deimos.

428: The Moons of Mars Astronomy Cast 428: The Moons of Mars by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

427: Click Bait vs Clear Science Astronomy Cast 427: Click Bait vs Clear Science by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Did you hear that Dark Energy doesn't exist any more? Neither does Dark Matter? It turns out that NASA recalculated the Zodiac and now you're an Ophiuchan! Science is hard enough, but communicating that science out to the public when there are publications hungry for traffic is even harder! Here's how to parse the click-bait science titles.

426: Confirmation Bias Astronomy Cast 426: Confirmation Bias by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

I hate to tell you this, but that meat computer in your skull is constantly betraying you. Don’t worry, we’ve all got the same, but fortunately, scientists have learned how this happens, and can help us make sure our science, and lives don’t suffer because of it.

Have you ever noticed spacecraft missions have some pretty cool names? How does anyone decide what to call these things?

425: Naming Spacecraft Astronomy Cast 425: Naming Spacecraft by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

424: Lightning Astronomy Cast 424: Lightning by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

It turns out that nature figured out how to use electricity long before humans did. Lightning storms are common across the Earth, and even the Solar System. What causes this electricity in the sky, and how can science use it?