Astronomy Cast

AstronomyCast 383: Approaches to Absolute Zero by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

The coldest possible theoretical temperature is Absolute Zero, this is the point at which no further energy can be extracted from a system. How are physicists working to get as close as possible to this extreme cold?

AstronomyCast 382: Degenerate Matter by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

In some of the most extreme objects in the Universe, white dwarfs and neutron stars, matter gets strange, transforming into a material that physicists call “degenerate matter”. Let’s learn what it is, how it forms.

When we finally make the jump to fully colonizing the Solar System, we're going to want to use asteroids as stepping stones. We can use them as way stations, research facilities, even as spacecraft to further explore the Solar System. Today we'll talk about the science and science fiction of hollowing out asteroids.

AstronomyCast 381: Hollowing Asteroids by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 380: The Limits of Optics by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

When he wasn’t puzzling the mystery of alien civilizations, Enrico Fermi was splitting atoms. He realized that when atoms were split, the neutrons released could go on and split other atoms, creating a chain reaction – and the most powerful weapons ever devised.

Astronomers rely on the optics of their instruments, and there are some basic limits that you just can’t avoid. Whatever we look at is distorted by the optics, in fact, a basic property of light means that we’ll never get perfect optics. Here’s why we can’t “magnify and enhance” forever.

AstronomyCast 379: Fermi's Atom Splitting by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay