Space Junk

David Nagler is back in this episode to talk about the future of visual observing and all the cool stuff going on at Tele Vue.

So you're new to the night sky and want to know the coolest things you should look at on these cold winter evenings?  Wait no further because the answer to your questions are in this episode.  Join Dustin and Tony as they talk about what's up this month, what you need to image or observe these amazing objects and, as always, lots more.

This episode features feedback from you, our audience!  Dustin and Tony discuss everything from how to be an astronomer to what damage the Starlink satellites are going to do to our night skies.  Please reach out with more questions and comments so we can do more episodes like this.

As we say goodbye a banner year in amateur astronomy, full of new and exciting technologies and discoveries, Dustin and Tony reflect on 2019 with an eye towards 2020.

The largest ground-based telescope ever is being built in Chile right now.  In this episode Dustin and Tony talk with James Fanson, the Project Manager for the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT).

Craig Stark is a neuroscientist who has taken his experience with imaging brains to the skies.  The developer of the popular astronomy programs Nebulosity and PHD, he talks with Dustin about neuroscience, astrophotography, processing and more.

One of the most satisfying activities in astro imaging is getting high quality, high contrast images of the planets in our own solar system.  The bands and Great Red Spot of Jupiter, the wondrous rings of Saturn and the challenging dark spots of Neptune are now in the grasp of amateurs using off the shelf equipment.  In this episode we talk with Christopher Go, an amateur from the Philippines who has master many planetary imaging techniques to create stunning images of the planets.  

What are our latest effort with regard to listening for and otherwise searching for life in the universe?  Andrew Semion from the SETI Institute joins us to talk about some of our tools on the forefront of the search, like the Allen Telescope Array, and we also talk about what we think we'll find, if anything.

Understanding galaxies and how they form is hard enough for most astronomers, but have you ever tried to create one?  Space artist Lanchen Mihalic tells us how she creates galaxies from resin, an art medium that inspires her to make some of the most stunning images of galaxies and our night sky.

Jason Thomas is an avid science fiction and fantasy fan who uses his passion as a bridge to enjoy astronomy.  In this episode, Tony and Dustin talk with Jason about some of his adventures in a galaxy far, far away.  Please note some of this language is adult in nature, listener discretion is advised.