HD and the Void

I live in the Northern Hemisphere of Earth, which means I see some constellations and stars that people in the Southern Hemisphere don't see. The opposite is true as well, and it's more interesting for me to talk about the constellations I don't get to see, so please enjoy an episode on the important constellations that appear in the Southern Hemisphere: Crux, the Pointers, and the Magellanic Clouds. Bonus: Aurora Australis!

I have spoken about radio astronomy, so it makes sense to move on to infrared astronomy. The method for gathering infrared data involves telescopes mounted in planes that can fly above Earth's atmosphere, and there is a rich history of airborne astronomy. Two topics in one!

Hear an overview of two of the major types of active galaxies: quasars and blazars! I discuss the history of the study of quasars as well as where we're going with future studies of these extragalactic objects.

As Black History Month 2018 wraps up, learn about some of the African-American men and women who have contributed to space research and exploration! 7 astronomers and 9 astronauts shine in this episode, which spans from the 1700s to modern-day folks.

Be brave in the face of an extremely technical episode where I tackle radio astronomy! Astronomers collect radio waves to map distant objects. To do their work they need a level of quiet that's hard to find without some help from Radio Frequency Interference security folks and some governmental regulations. That's where Radio Quiet Zones come in...

January 28th was the anniversary of the Challenger space shuttle disaster, and while I do discuss what happened, I talk more about the American space shuttle program and what the repercussions of this disaster were for NASA as an agency. I have clear instructions on how to skip the description of the disaster if you don't want to hear it.

Hear about the American space shuttle program and the space shuttle Challenger disaster.

How to astronauts shower? How many astronauts are on the International Space Station right now? How do you pack enough food for them? What kind of comfortable housing options are available when orbiting Earth? What can you pack and not pack? All these questions and more are answered in this episode on long-term astronaut survival in outer space.

Zombie stars were in the news in November but get in the holiday spirit by hearing about them now! Learn about the life cycle of a star, the power of a supernova, and what undeath looks like in a star.

Dark Sky Reserves exist to prevent light pollution in select areas. Learn about the reasons why these reserves are so important, and also hear about the Bortle Scale, which amateur astronomers use to quantify sky conditions when they are out observing deep space.