In all fields of science, sometimes more is learned when you fail at what you’re trying to do than when you succeed. So what new science discoveries have failed expectations given us in astronomy?

AstronomyCast 416: Fireballs from Space by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

Every now and then we look up and see bright fiery balls falling from the sky. Don’t panic, these are just bolides. Sometimes they leave trails, sometimes they explode, and sometimes they survive all the way to the ground.

AstronomyCast 415: The Temperature of the Universe by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

The temperature of the Universe can vary a dramatic amount from the hot cores of stars to the vast cold emptiness of deep space. What’s the temperature of the Universe now, and what will it be in the future?

AstronomyCast 414: Navigating Far by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

AstronomyCast 413: Navigating Near by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay

In our last episode, we talked about what it’ll take to navigate across the Solar System. In this episode we scale things up and speculate how future civilizations will navigate to other stars and even other galaxies.

It’s hard enough finding your way around planet Earth, but what do you do when you’re trying to find your way around the Solar System? Today we’ll talk about how spacecraft navigate from world to world.

AstronomyCast 412: The Color of the Universe

by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay