Kielder Observatory Podcast

February is the month of love, and in this episode of the Kielder Observatory Podcast discover how to see a heart light years away in space! Our Director of Astronomy Dan Pye explains the other celestial events occurring through February including our Pye in the Sky challenge!

The main theme of this episode is the Aurora, our science communicator Ishbel Wright has recently ventured north of the Arctic Circle as part of a university project to install a network of cameras to give us a better understanding of this phenomenon. But of course she also saw the northern lights for herself more intensely than ever! As we move towards another peak time to see the Aurora in the UK, we also give you a few tips to improve your chances of bagging a photo for yourself!

Aurora Borealis, Arctic Circle, Night Sky, Planetary Conjunctions, Venus, Heart Nebula, Cassiopeia, Pleiades, Constellations, Andromeda Galaxy, Science Communicator, Ionosphere, Tromso Norway, Astronomy, Astrophysics, Star Clusters, Caroline Rose Cluster, Ishbel Wright, Dan Pye

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In this episode we are joined by some of the team behind out "Kielder Narratives" project: Composer Will Todd, Poet Dan Simpson, and musician & Producer Chad Male join Ian Brannan & Director of Astronomy Dan Pye to tell the story behind the work, and we will also hear the final production in full too!

Kielder Narratives is a collaborative project which builds upon the work we have already delivered with Southpaw Dance Company as part of Kielder Dark Skies.
We wanted to find different ways of engaging the communities in and around Kielder, so that they themselves can tell their story of working, living and playing in such a unique environment.

Funded by Arts Council England, Kielder Observatory were able to commission a poet, Dan Simpson, to complete a residency in the area- engaging with local communities to find out what the dark skies mean to them. The poet co-created poems, plays, songs and spoken word pieces to help articulate the thoughts and feelings of the communities were work in. 

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This month we are joined by Adrian West, an astronomer with over 30 years' experience. Better known as Virtual Astro, he has one of the largest independent astronomy and space accounts on social media. He's passionate about the night sky and inspiring people to look up.

Adrian is author of the book "The Secret World of Stargazing", and is now touring the UK with his show "The Night Sky Show Live". You can see Adrian performing in the North East at the Sunderland Empire on January 6th 2024.

For more info visit thenightskyshow.co.uk 

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In this episode we hand over to Amber, age 6 (nearly 7!) from Sunderland who came to visit and take part in one of out many family events. Rather than a grown up talk all about it, we thought it best to hear about the experience from one of our younger guests!

Rockets & More is one of the summer events which has become a firm part of the Kielder programme, ultimately ending with kids building and launching their own rockets into the sky!

There are many family events all year round, they take place much earlier at around 5pm, and suitable for a variety of ages. Find out more about them at kielderobservatory.org and book your visit.

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This month Ian and Dan head out to combine recording a podcast, with a spot of stargazing as they highlight some of the other great and free locations across the North East offering a great view of the night sky.

They have a chat on a hill near Derwent Reservoir which despite some patch weather on the day is a great vantage point to see the Aurora, the Milky Way and meteor showers. 

August sees the return of proper astronomical darkness at night, but it's also a month filled with great events such as the Perseids meteor shower, the Milky Way being visible, and the possibility of the Aurora putting on a show!

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This month for the first time ever we record the Kielder Observatory Podcast on location at the observatory! And it has been a busy time, not least with one of our telescopes being renamed. Find out its new name, and why it was chosen in the podcast!

Plus Ian Brannan and Director of Astronomy Dan Pye look at some of the recent scientific breakthroughs in space, and what this could mean for our understanding of the universe.

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Who is responsible if something goes wrong in space? Whilst we are a way off having an intergalactic police force, there are many laws and regulations specific to space. From space junk & satellites to who owns a planet, the countries of Earth have come together to make agreements on the rules of space.

Northumbria University is one of the few places which specialises in the subject of "Space Law", and in this episode we chat to lecturer Lauren Napier to find out more about the rules that keep space a safe-ish place, and also keeps out dark skies clear!

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This month on the Kielder Observatory podcast we speak to photographic artist Melanie King, and explore her work capturing scenes of the night sky via classic analogue methods. Many of us now have switched to digital cameras or even smart phones, but Melanie explains her love for space and the constellations that inspire her the most.

We also update you on the latest news from the observatory, and take a look at some of the things to look out for at night, even though the nights are getting lighter!

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In this episode of the Kielder Observatory Podcast Ian Brannan and our Director of Astronomy Dan Pye are joined by special guest Dr Olivia Jones, to look back on the first year since first light on the James Webb Space Telescope.

Dr Olivia Jones was involved in the launch mission, and is one of a number of scientific researchers working on the project and now analysing the data sent back from JWST.

Even after a short period of operation the JWST has given us stunning images and data from deep into the universe, looking billions of years into the past. It has also detected characteristics in the atmospheres of some Exo Planets which show that deep in the universe, if there is other life, it may well not be as we know it..!

We also give you a round up of what's been happening at Kielder Observatory over the past few weeks, and details of the major things to look for in the night sky though April.

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The Aurora Borealis, or the Northern Lights are widely regarded as a Holy Grail for any sky watchers. For those lucky enough to see a display it's all about the beautiful serene colours lighting up the sky.

However what we witnessing is the Earth's magnetic field protecting us from a violent onslaught of energised particles from the Sun, slamming into the planet at 45 million MPH!

Dr Melanie Windridge is a physicist, explorer and author of “Aurora: In Search of the Northern Lights” who has travelled the world to witness the Aurora, and tells us about the phenomena and also the best places to see it.! 

We also talk about fusion, which is the source of the Aurora, and how this could one day lead to unlimited energy here on Earth.

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