In this episode of Astrophysics for All, I'm joined by Professor Sarah Brough, Head of the School of Physics at University of New South Wales and an observational astronomer studying how galaxies grow and evolve over billions of years.

Professor Brough explores some of the faintest and most elusive structures in the Universe: tidal features and intracluster light. She explains how these delicate traces reveal galaxies’ hidden histories of mergers, disruption, and transformation. Professor Sarah Brough discusses her research on galaxy evolution, focusing on tidal features and intracluster light. She explains the challenges of detecting these faint cosmic phenomena and the technological advancements that have made such studies possible.

How is Antarctica's unique environment revolutionising the way astronomers observe the universe? In this episode, Professor Michael Ashley shares the advantages, challenges, and groundbreaking discoveries made from the icy continent.

Professor Ashley is an astrophysicist at the University of New South Wales, specialising in astronomical instrumentation and observational astronomy. He completed his Master’s at Caltech and his PhD at the Australian National University (ANU). His work focuses on conducting cutting-edge observations from Antarctica, one of the world’s most extreme and scientifically valuable observing sites. He has pioneered the use of robotic telescopes in remote environments, enabling studies of transient celestial events such as supernovae and gravitational wave sources.

Clouds might look soft and harmless, but they play one of the biggest roles in deciding Earth’s future climate.

In this episode of Astrophysics for All, I'm speaking with Professor Steven Sherwood, a leading climate scientist at UNSW Sydney, about how physics, computer models, and satellite data help us understand the atmosphere.

Professor Sherwood holds a physics degree from MIT, a master’s in engineering physics and fluid mechanics from UC San Diego, and a PhD in oceanography from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

In this episode of Astrophysics for All, I’m joined by Dr. Rosanna Ruggeri, a cosmologist and honorary research fellow at the University of Queensland. We explore how scientists map the large-scale structure of the universe, what dark energy is, and why understanding it is key to predicting the universe’s ultimate fate. Dr. Ruggeri shares her journey working with cutting-edge instruments like DESI and the Vera Rubin Observatory, and explains how curiosity, coding, and persistence shape a career in science.

In this episode of Astrophysics for All, I’m joined by Dr Laura Driessen, a radio astronomer and postdoctoral researcher at the University of Sydney’s Sydney Institute for Astrophysics. We explore what radio astronomy actually is, how scientists study stars and cosmic events using signals we can’t see, and why some of the universe’s biggest discoveries come from its quietest signals. Dr Driessen shares her journey into astronomy, her work with major telescopes like ASKAP and MeerKAT, and what it’s really like to search for things that appear, disappear, and change across the radio sky. Whether you’re interested in space, science, or how curiosity turns into a career, this episode offers an honest look at what it means to explore the universe.

"We only know life as we know it."

In this episode, we chat with Dr. Jerome de Leon, an astrophysicist who has helped discover dozens of exoplanets using telescopes like Kepler, TESS, and Subaru. He is a Project Assistant Professor at the University of Tokyo and an astronomer–data scientist leading international teams on new exoplanet discoveries. In this episode, we explore how scientists detect planets we can’t see directly, why exoplanets have such unusual names, and what makes a planet “habitable.” Dr. De Leon also shares his inspiring journey from the Philippines to some of the most remote observatories in the world. Whether you’re curious about life beyond Earth or just love space, this episode will bring the universe a little closer to you.

Curious about how to really learn astronomy? In this episode, Taweewat (Champ) Somboonpanyakul, an astrophysicist with roots at Stanford, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the University of Chicago, and now Chulalongkorn University in Thailand, walks us through the hands-on experiences that shaped his career, from childhood stargazing to using world-class telescopes. You’ll gain insight into how astronomers ask big questions and how different sciences come together to find answers.

In this episode, alongside Leah Kalimeris from the International Centre from Radio Astronomy Research, we explore the invisible part of the universe—radio waves! Learn what radio waves really are, how they’re different from visible light, and why radio astronomy is essential for discovering things like black holes, pulsars, and the early universe. We’ll break it all down in simple terms and show you how radio waves are not just for music, but for unlocking cosmic secrets.