Dog Stars

Dog Stars

By Dog StarsScienceAstronomy
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Dog Stars episodes

  • Stroll

    Chris is in Chicago, but still finds time for a walk with the adorable (and well behaved) Bowie. As the trip is to the Zooniverse team meeting, Bowie, Chris and his colleague Sam thought you'd like to know that by going to zooniverse.org you can contribute to science, by finding planets, identifying animals, sorting through old texts and more. Even if there aren't any dog projects yet.

    3 min
  • Episode 19: Perseids

    Chris and Mr Max are up in the fields, ignoring clouds and looking forward to the Perseid meteor shower which peaks on the 11th, 12th and 13th August. The pesky Moon is out of the way, so it's a good time to sit back, relax and enjoy a celestial spectacle - as long as no remote controlled cars are around. There's also a surprising link to John Denver.

    You can see spectacular images of the Perseids here: https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/advice/skills/perseid-meteor-shower-how-to-see-it/ and read more about them here: https://www.popastro.com/main_spa1/meteor/perseids/

    7 min
  • Episode 18: M13 Hercules

    Chris and Mr Max are back under a starry sky. The search for the shin bone continues, a crunchy substitute is found, and we consider the summer constellation of Hercules - the hero with the flailing limbs, which contains the beautiful cluster M13. M13 was the target for the Arecibo message, which you can see here: https://www.seti.org/seti-institute/project/details/arecibo-message.

    There's a glorious Hubble image of the cluster here : https://esahubble.org/images/opo0840a/ (You can see the blue stragglers) and some nice images through amateur telescopes here: https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/advice/what-see-through-telescope/

    9 min
  • Episode 17: Mare Serenitatis

    Chris and Mr Max are back pounding the sweltering streets of Oxford, enjoying a lovely view of the Moon in the twilight sky. Find out what links Mare Serenitatis - the sea of serenity - with Daft Punk, and hear about the intrepid exploration of the region by the Apollo 17 astronauts while Mr Max equally intrepidly explores a bush. It's hot, but the sky is still beautiful.

    You can find a map of the Mare here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01cgb3g/p01cg9rh and find detailed photos here: https://skyandtelescope.org/online-gallery/mare-serenitatis/

    7 min
  • Episode 16: Noctilucent Clouds

    An unusual episode of Dog Stars sees Chris and Mr Max out before sunset. The most exciting thing is the possibility of treats, but we also talk about eerie Noctilucent - night-shining - clouds, visible after sunset in the summer sky. These beautiful, mysterious apparitions are worth keeping an eye out for if the skies are clear - and we talk about the possible link to a nineteenth century volcano and the space shuttle.

    You can find out more about noctilucent clouds with the Sky at Night's Pete Lawrence here: https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/astrophotography/astrophoto-tips/photograph-motion-noctilucent-clouds/ and there's a beautiful image of them from the space station by Chris Hadfield https://www.universetoday.com/99606/noctilucent-clouds-imaged-by-astronaut-chris-hadfield/
    [Since we got back, Chris learnt that 'the year with no summer' was due to another 19th century volcano, not Krakatoa. He apologies to Mr Max, and to you, for the error].

    8 min
  • Episode 15: Virgo

    Chris and Mr Max are out on a lovely May evening, learning how to find the constellation of Virgo and its brilliant star, Spica. Find out what's special about this star, where the Milky Way is heading, and what the connection between a black hole and one of Mr Max's favourite foods is.

    There are some great images of Virgo galaxies here: https://esahubble.org/images/heic0815i/ and here: https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/astrophotography/galaxies/markarians-chain/
    And you can see the doughnut around the giant black hole in the galaxy M87 here: https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/2041-8205/page/Focus_on_EHT

    8 min
  • Episode 14: Mare Crisium

    The nearly full Moon has Chris thinking about Mare Crisium, our neighbour's Sea of Crises. We cover why it was nearly named after Britain, how high resolution images solved a mystery created by a Soviet probe, and nearly find a link to Star Trek.
    A guide to Mare Crisium is here: https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/astrophotography/moon/mare-crisium/
    Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter images of Luna 24 (which landed in the 70s, not the 60s or 80s as Chris says in the podcast) here: https://www.planetary.org/space-images/lroc-view-of-luna-24-on-the-moon
    And of the Apollo landing sites here: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/news/apollo-sites.html
    High resolution images of wrinkle ridges are here: https://moon.nasa.gov/resources/485/wrinkle-ridge-in-mare-crisium/

    7 min
  • Episode 13: Arcturus

    Another cloudy night in Oxford finds Chris and Mr Max in reflective mood. Join the pair on an evening ramble, and learn about the brilliant star Arcturus, why wine is dangerous and how the Chicago World's Fair started with a lie. Also marvel at us not barking at things.

    Thanks and happy 40th birthday to our sponsors the Oxford Cheese company!
    You can read about Arcturus in Sky and Telescope here: https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/meet-arcturus-guardian/

    10 min
  • Episode 12: Lyrids

    Chris isn't disheartened by a sucker zone, and Mr Max is on the trail of the missing bone. Meanwhile we talk about meteors, with the first decent shower of the year due this weekend, and learn how they help astronomers study the distant Universe.
    Here's the Sky at Night guide to the Lyrids: https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/advice/lyrid-meteor-shower/

    7 min
  • Episode 11: Leo

    Mr Max and Chris are out in blustery Oxford, looking at the ancient constellation of Leo, the lion. We find the sky's Sickle, find our place in and the galaxy and think about looking at the distant Universe - and do not bark at anyone, even when provoked.
    There's a nice guide to finding Leo from Bristol's 'We the Curious' here : https://www.wethecurious.org/curious-stuff/stargazing-night-sky/where-can-i-find-leo and a gorgeous picture of the Leo triplet of galaxies here: https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/astrophotography/galaxies/leo-triplet/.
    A recent view of our own galaxy is available here: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/resources/285/the-milky-way-galaxy/

    6 min

About Dog Stars

From the publisher's feed

Join Chris Lintott and Mr Max on their evening exploration of the night sky (Chris) and the discarded pizza boxes of Oxford (Max). Indulge in lazy astronomy: the art of being impressed simply by looking up. The podcast is your five minute guide to what to look for in our changing night sky and the stories of what's found there, as you wander with or without your own four-legged friend. Remember: No barking!