The Jodcast

This issue we talk to Dr Alan Chapman about Victorian astronomer and popular lecturer Richard Proctor. We get your astronomical questions answered by Dr Edward Boyce and we find out if it is possible to escape from asteroid Ianmorison.

Happy New Year and welcome to the first show of 2008. This time we find out all about highly magnetised neutron stars - magnetars. We find out how observations with X-ray telescopes are allowing us to measure star quakes and probe the insides of magnetars. As it is the start of a new year we describe a selection of our favourite astronomical images from 2007 and tell you what to expect in the coming months. As always we also get the latest news from Megan and Ian tells us what we can see in the night sky

In the last Jodcast of 2007 Ken Kellermann and Dave Jauncey tell us about the discovery of quasars, particularly the lunar occultations of 3C 273 in the early 1960s. Jodcast newcomer Roy Smits gives us a summary of the Jodrell Bank Illuminate Art event and we ask your astronomical questions to Dr Edward Boyce.

This is our Cassini-Huygens special all about the NASA/ESA mission to the planet Saturn. We find out all about Cassini from Carl Murray and find out how radio astronomers helped recover some data from the Huygens lander. We also get the latest news from Megan and find out what you can see in the night sky from Ian.

This issue we talk to Professor Don Burnett about NASA's Genesis Mission to capture particles from the solar wind and bring them back to Earth for study. We also talk about a new image from the Japanese Space Agency's Kaguya spacecraft and then get your questions answered by Tim O'Brien.

Is there intelligent life out there? In this issue we find out about the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence and ask listeners to complete our second survey. We find out if space has the ingredients necessary to make a beer and get the low down on ESO's Catch a Star competition. We also get the latest news from Megan and find out what you can see in the night sky during November from Ian.

We've got another bumper show for you starting with some interviews we recorded at the Modern Radio Universe conference. We talk to the Astronomer Royal, find out about adapting spacecraft technology to track TB on Earth, the successor to SMART1, and how astronomers and particle physicists are using the Moon as a huge neutrino detector. We listen to audience comments on the fantastic Space 50 event where the Lovell Telescope was turned into a giant projector screen and then we have our main interview about the Dark Energy Survey. We also have an announcement about an event being held in Macclesfield on 27th October. Finally, we answer your questions in Ask an Astronomer.

It is the 50th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik and we're going back to 1957 with the last part of our Audience with Sir Bernard Lovell. In the rest of the show we talk to Professor Albert Zijlstra about planetary nebulae, get the latest news and find out what we can see in the night sky. We also introduce our new Facebook group and mention the Big Space Draw.

This issue we present the second part of our 'Audience with Sir Bernard Lovell' bringing the story up to the start of October 1957. We also have Ask an Astronomer and get an update on the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity.

We're back from our August break with a bumper show for you. We talk to Professor Gregor Morfill about the ability of dust to form amazing shapes in space. We also have the first of a three part interview with Jodrell Bank founder Sir Bernard Lovell. As usual we also get the latest news from Megan and Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky this month.