HD and the Void

Full disclosure: this is a kissing story. A kissing story about the ultimate mixtape and alien communication plan, sent out in 1977 and now in interstellar space. Hear about the Voyager Golden Record and the people who put it together as a compilation of everything amazing about planet Earth.

I've talked about dark matter, now it's time to talk dark energy. Learn why it exists as a theoretical (and maybe actual) object, how we see its effects manifest in the universe, and what it means for all our theories if it is or is not real.

In preparation for a future interview with someone who knows much more about astroparticle physics and dark matter than I do, tune in this week for a quick-and-dirty breakdown of a theoretical particle that, if it exists, would clarify a couple of strange things about galaxy rotations and mass. That's right, it's all about dark matter!

This is a short one but I do explain concepts you can see and track yourself over the months with very little effort. The shapes of the Moon and how long it takes different planets to orbit the Sun! Time is a human construct! Tidal forces and the best real, true physics word I have come across so far!

The hardest part of determining longitude was figuring out how sailors could find their longitudinal coordinates at sea. There were a lot of methods proposed but adding a ship into the equation makes precision difficult. Learn about the Longitude Act of 1714 and how, even though this podcast loves astronomy, the astronomical method might not always be the best option.

An overview of the little machines that taught us about our solar system, from Sputnik to future missions into deep space.

Double digits for the podcast! To celebrate, I'm talking about something I've mentioned a lot in past episodes; spectroscopy! Hear about the history of this area of astronomical science, how it opened up new understanding about the Sun and stars and nebulae, and what advancements were made during the 19th and 20th centuries thanks to spectroscopy.

There are a several amazing, prophetic, portentous astronomical events you can see with the naked eye, and two are coming up! Hear about auroras, meteor showers, and the total eclipse that will be sweeping the United States in August 2017.

Eight planets in the solar system or nine? I go into depth with nine because I grew up with Pluto. The first five planets are visible to the naked eye but how did we find Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto? What are we doing to still learn about our closest celestial neighbors? Learn what makes each planet in our solar system special.

Learn about four ancient (and contemporary, if you work on a ship) devices that utilize very specific areas of astronomy to help you figure out where you are and what time it is, and also predict where celestial bodies will be on other dates and at other times. I talk about the armillary sphere, the astrolabe, the sextant, and the Antikythera Mechanism.