AWESOME ASTRONOMY

The Discussion:

The release of JWST's first images, the press conferences and media coverage.

Emails on astrophotography, Dr Jen's TV appearances and a more politically correct alternative name for JWST.

The News:

Rounding up the astronomy news in August, we have:

• We now know why Jupiter doesn't have rings like Saturn
• A huge triple star system with a violent past
• A fossil galaxy – one of the first galaxies from the early universe
• Some good news for the prospects for life on Mars

The big news story: What else? It's JWST innit?

The Sky Guide:

This month we're taking a look at the summer constellation of Cygnus with a guide to its history, how to find it, a couple of deep sky objects and a round-up of the solar system views on offer in August.

Q&A:

No time for Q&A – we've got JWST to prattle on about!

The Discussion:

• Another heatwave in the UK
• Dr Jen on TV covering the latest JWST news
• The Orville on Disney+
• Night Sky on Amazon Prime

The News:

• Preparations for the launch of Starship and an unexpected explosion!
• Artemis 1 readied for launch to the moon
• The topsy turvy world of international cooperation in space
• Virgin Galactic's next plans

The news discussion: NASA's CAPSTONE mission to lunar orbit

Q&A: If you let your breath out couldn't you dash across 100m of lunar surface in a damaged spacesuit? From our good friend Ben Harding in the UK.

The Discussion:

• More filming for the BBC
• Longer days and shorter nights L
• Showcasing amateur photography on noctilucent clouds
• Listeners' emails on
• • Less well known cultural names for Ursa Major
  • The current planetary alignment in the sky

The News:

Rounding up the astronomy news in April, we have:

• The Milky Way once went through a massive rate of star formation
• Solving the riddle of how Mars' storms can be so big and violent
• A new data release from the incredible Gaia space telescope
• Solving the riddle of Barnard's Loop

The big news story: A big boost in the search for life in the universe

The Sky Guide:

This month we're taking a look at the constellation of Serpens with a guide to its history, how to find it, a couple of deep sky objects and a round-up of the solar system views on offer in July.

Q&A:

Will a black hole always look like a donut whichever direction you observe it from? From our good friend Mitch Sevier, presumed to be in the United States.

The Discussion:

• Discrimination in science and academia
• Returning to the Welsh valleys to attempt astronomy
• Free NASA merch from Official NASA Gear
• Listener's comments on Boeing and the state of spaceflight innovation.

The News:

• Assembly of China's Tiangong space station
• Artemis 1 wet rehearsal attempt #2
• France join the Artemis Accord
• NASA outsources moon suit developments
• SpaceX's critical approval for starship flight tests

The news discussion: NASA to formally investigate UFOs – is this wise?

Q&A: How many people can you get on the International Space Station? From our good friend O G Duddy (@Derry_Man1) in Derry, Northern Ireland.

The Discussion:

• You can now watch Jen presenting on BBC TV's Weatherman Walking (from 06:40)
• Walking, astronomy and animal abuse in the New Forest
• NASA find the Awesome Astronomy bunker on Mars!
• Listeners' emails on
• • Obscure names for constellations
  • Podcast editorial suggestions
  • Sending us your astrophotography

The News:

Rounding up the astronomy news in April, we have:

• A companion star that survived a supernova!
• Galaxies that had their dark matter stripped away
• Everything we thought we knew about galaxy evolution is wrong L
• We were just buzzed by an asteroid a mile wide.

The big news story: Only an image of the black hole region at the centre of our galaxy!

The Sky Guide:

This month we're taking a look at the constellation of Draco with a guide to its history, how to find it, a couple of deep sky objects and a round-up of the solar system views on offer in June.

Q&A:

What sites and activities could you recommend for disabled amateur astronomers? From our good friend Ash in Wales.

The Discussion:

• Getting back in the studio
• Watch us recording in our behind the scenes 10th Anniversary show
• Inspiring children to think about careers in science
• Listener's emails about swearing in the podcast and catching objects from space.

The News:

• Our favourite Welsh satellite space company, Space Forge
• Rocket Lab's attempt to catch a falling rocket booster with a helicopter
• More JWST updates
• Jeff Bezos buys every western rocket (that's not owned by Musk) for the next 5 years
• UK Space Energy initiative's concept for a Bond villain style space-based solar power plant

The news discussion: The ongoing saga of Boeing's Starliner spaceship

Q&A: Blue Origin have New Glenn and New Shepard rockets, named after American pioneers of spaceflight. Assuming that this isn't going to just be the men, does this mean that in the future we can expect a rocket called "New Ride"? From our good friend Andy Burns in the UK.

The Discussion:

• Jeni's magazine article on 'everything JWST'
• UK government's social mobility commissioner gets us wound up
• Listeners' emails on:
• • Professional vs amateur astronomy
  • Artificial Intelligence in consumer telescopes
  • JWST's Early Release Observations

The News:

Rounding up the astronomy news in April, we have:

• New type of nebula discovered by an amateur astronomer
• Detecting life-giving hydrothermal vents on Saturn's moon Europa
• An exoplanet around a dead star in a potential habitable zone
• 'Impossible' galaxies with no dark matter

The big news story: the Planetary Science Decadal Survey is out!

The Sky Guide:

This month we're taking a look at the constellation of Ursa Major with a guide to its history, how to find it, a couple of deep sky objects and a round-up of the solar system views on offer in May.

Q&A:

Will JWST be able to confirm the existence of the Ort Cloud? From our good friend Oren Wyche in Maryland USA.

Also check out our YouTube channel here for much more astronomy and spacey goodness: https://www.youtube.com/awesomeastronomy?sub_confirmation=1

The Discussion:

• Watching a SpaceX Starlink launch
• Tales from this month's AstroCamp star party
• Jeni on the radio and TV again
• A listener's email on JWST's first image.

The News:

• NASA's moon rocket finally undergoes testing for the Artemis 1 moon mission next month!
• Rocket Lab attempt to catch a falling rocket booster with a helicopter
• Further affects of the war in Ukraine to the spaceflight industry
• Jeff Bezos buys every western rocket (that's not owned by Musk) for the next 5 years

The news discussion: The Axiom-1 mission to the International Space Station

Nebulas: A look at the weird and wonderful nebulae that you can see through telescopes or use to understand the interstellar medium and star formation. This month we close this segment of the show with a focus on Dark Nebulas.

The Discussion:

• Observing trip with Cardiff Uni students
• Really bright ISS passes
• Jen's first TV presenting gig about to be released
• Watching a SpaceX launch
• Listeners' email about previous episodes

The News:

Rounding up the astronomy news in April, we have:

• NASA think JWST will perform better than expected! (see also https://youtu.be/YJMBvcG7nRM)
• A milestone 5,000 confirmed exoplanets (see also https://youtu.be/ByfigQW-6Mk)
• The carbon impact of running large observatories
• 'Impossible' supermassive-blackhole orbits discovered

The Sky Guide:

This month we're taking a look at the constellation of Leo with a guide to its history, how to find it, a couple of deep sky objects and a round-up of the solar system views on offer in April.

Q&A:

How soon, at current space travel speeds, would we as a species have to leave the galactic neighbourhood in order to avoid the inevitable Milky Way/Andromeda galaxy collision catastrophe?

The Discussion:

• A little bit of singing to brighten your day and abuse your ears
• It's Messier Marathon season
• A Messier challenge
• A great listeners' email on naming space missions

The News: Rounding up the space exploration news this month we have:

• Space Forge's reusable satellites demonstrator
• ESA's demonstrator for extracting oxygen from the lunar surface
• The countdown to the death of NASA's Mars Insight lander
• SpaceX's Starship developments
• The future for ExoMars and the ISS

Main news story: The knock on effects to cooperation in space caused by the situation in Ukraine.

Nebulae Our section of the show explaining every type of nebulae in the galaxy that you can oberse or image for yourself. This month we cover Reflection Nebulae.