Space Junk

What's the latest with the "space telescope for everyone"?  SpaceFab is building a space telescope using Cubesats and special technology that will allow everyone access to imaging from space.  SpaceFab CEO Sean League joins us to talk about the latest on this exciting program.

This episode is just Tony and Dustin, getting some alone time to talk about stuff that's on their mind.  We talked about the Apollo 11 anniversary and what it means to each of us, and whether our night sky is in danger of losing good astro-imaging because of thousands of new satellites being planned by SpaceX, Amazon and Facebook.  Also, getting ready to travel in the coming months and would like to hear from you about places to go.

Most of us are amateur astronomers in part because we are curious about the heavens and want to connect directly with the stars.  We stare through eyepieces, open our camera shutters, and process our images with the goal of uncovering the beauty of the cosmos for ourselves.  It often evokes an emotional response and a desire to share the night sky with others.  Today we discuss what all of this means to us and Travis Burke, a professional adventure photographer joins in the discussion.

In this episode we are going to be talking with John Michael Godier, a futurist, science fiction author and maker of amazing astronomy videos on YouTube.  He has written several sci fi books that are available on Amazon, notably Supermind, a story that deals with biological augmentation and supercomputer simulations of the universe.  He also runs two highly successful YouTube channels: one bearing his name, John Michael Godier, where every video he makes garners tens of thousands of views - and sometimes way more than that -  with range in topics from life in the universe to going to Mars.  His second YouTube channel is a collaboration called Event Horizon where each Thursday a new topic reflecting the latest research in astronomy and cosmology is discussed with professionals in the field.  John is an expert on astronomy education for the masses, and he sat down with us to give us a little insight on what it’s like to fight the battles of a science communicator in today’s world.

This episode features one of the best astrophotographers around: iDeepSpace.  From his home in Tampa, FL, Jeremiah takes some of the most breathtaking images we've ever seen.  He's been features on many APODs and feeds from all over the internet.  Listen in to this week's episode to learn more about iDeepSpace and how he takes his images.

One of the most challenging aspects of astro imaging with todays wonderful telescopes and cameras is focusing.  While your GOTO telescope can easily zero in on obscure, faint nebulae and galaxies and your camera can take breathtaking high-contrast images, nothing happens without good focus.  In this episode, we talk with Jeff Dickerman from Optic Inc, a company that makes wonderful automatic focusers and more.

In this episode, Dustin and Tony talk with Bray Falls, an advanced astrophotographer who is sharing his ideas, tips and techniques with all of us.

What's it like to go to a solar eclipse?  What equipment should you use?  How can you image during an eclipse?  What are the various wavelengths available for solar observing?  All of these questions and more are revealed in our conversation with Dr. Jay Pasachoff, solar astronomers and  Chair, International Astronomical Union Working Group on Solar Eclipses .

Once again the amazing Skylias joins the gang at Space Junk Podcast to talk about astronomy on twitch and being an astronomy communicator in this digital age.

Time for round two with Fraser Cain from Universe Today.  In this episode, we dive into the topic of "Where is everybody?"