Astronomy Cast Episode 693: Mission Roll Call, Part 2: Looking Outward from Earth by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Oct 9, 2023. Last week, we brought you up to speed on the spacecraft which are helping to study Earth from above. Many of our missions are in Earth orbit but looking outward to study the Universe. Today, we’ll talk about the missions close to home, helping us understand our place in the cosmos.   This video was made possible by the following Patreon members:...

Astronomy Cast Ep. 692: Mission Roll Call Part 1: Earth Orbit by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay It’s time for another series! This time we’re gonna look at the missions that’re currently in place across the solar system. Today we’ll start with the key missions here on Earth, studying the planet from above and looking out into the Universe. 

Astronomy Cast Ep. 691: Jupiter’s Changing Red Spot by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Sep 25, 2023. Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is one of its most iconic features. First seen hundreds of years ago. Although it’s certainly long lasting, it’s been changing in size over the last few decades. Shrinking, changing in color. Is it fading away? And what can the changes tell us about storms on giant planets?

Astronomy Cast Ep. 690: Climate on Mars - From Ice Caps to Dust Storms by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Sep 18, 2023. We’ve looked at Earth’s changing climate, now let’s see what it’s like for another world: Mars. Much looks familiar, but some of it is totally alien, from ice caps of frozen carbon dioxide to planetary dust storms that can obscure the entire world from view.   This video was made possible by the following Patreon members: Stephen Veit Jordan Young Jeanette...

Astronomy Cast Ep. 689 - Our Warming World: 20 Years of Climate Science by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Sep 11, 2023. It’s official! June and July were the warmest we’ve seen since records began over a century ago. Fires are rampant across Canada, and we’re seeing record droughts around the world. Today we’re going to look at 20 years of climate science, how well does reality match up with the predictions.   This video was made possible by the following Patreon members:...

Astronomy Cast - Hiatus Message by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Once again, we’ve reached the end of a season here on Astronomy Cast, and it’s time for the summer hiatus. See you in September!

Astronomy Cast Ep. 688: What’s Next? Looking Ahead to Season 17 by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Jun 26, 2023. Once again, we’ve reached the end of a season here on Astronomy Cast, and it’s time for the summer hiatus. But the Universe never takes a break. What can we expect to happen over the summer while we’re catching up on our reading, building our gardens and planning for Season 17?   This video was made possible by the following Patreon members: Burry Gowen Stephen...

Astronomy Cast Ep. 687: Prepping for the Moon by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay We’re going back to the Moon. In the next few years humans will set foot on the Moon again, ideally this time to stay. But this will be different than the Apollo era, going to the scientifically fascinating, and difficult southern pole of the Moon. What needs to be done to prepare the way back to the Moon?   This video was made possible by the following Patreon members: Burry Gowen Stephen Veit Jordan Young...

Astronomy Cast Ep. 686: Ice In The Shadows by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Ga Streamed live on Jun 12, 2023. The permanently shadowed craters on the Moon are the focus of so much research. That’s because they seem to contain vast reserves of water ice. Water we could use for oxygen, propellant and so much more, but also, to help us understand where the Earth’s water came from.   This video was made possible by the following Patreon members: Burry Gowen Stephen Veit Jordan Young Jeanette Wink...

Astronomy Cast Ep. 685: Manufacturing In Space by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Jun 5, 2023. Launching satellites from Earth is counter-productive. You’ve got to make a satellite that can handle Earth gravity, then the brutal flight to space, then deployment in orbit. What if you could build your spacecraft in space?   This video was made possible by the following Patreon members: Burry Gowen Stephen Veit Jordan Young Jeanette Wink Andrew Poelstra Brian Cagle David Truog...

Astronomy Cast Ep. 684: Too Big, Too Soon: Massive Early Galaxies Defy Expectations by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on May 29, 2023. One of JWST’s top jobs is to peer deeper into the Universe than ever before, watching as the first galaxies came together. Surprisingly, astronomers found galaxies that seemed much more mature than expected, much earlier than it was believed possible. What’s going on and what does it mean for cosmology?   This video was made possible by the...

Astronomy Cast Ep. 683: Cosmic Dawn by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on May 22, 2023. After the cosmic microwave background radiation was released, the Universe returned to darkness, cloaked in this clouds of primordial hydrogen and helium. Gravity pulled these vast clouds into the first stars, and then the first galaxies. This is Cosmic Dawn, and JWST will help us probe this mysterious time in the Universe.   This video was made possible by the following Patreon members:...

Astronomy Cast Ep. 682: Ultra-Diffuse Galaxies & Dark Matter by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Ga Streamed live on May 15, 2023. Astronomers first noticed the strange behaviors of rotating galaxies almost 100 years ago, suggesting there’s an invisible dark matter hold them together with gravity. Or maybe we just don’t understand how gravity works at the largest scales. Observations are much better now, and astronomers have found examples of galaxies that are almost entirely made of dark...

Astronomy Cast Ep. 681: Kilonovae by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on May 7, 2023. In 2017, astronomers detected the gravitational waves and electromagnetic radiation from colliding neutron stars. This had been long theorized as one of the causes of a certain type of gamma-ray burst. By studying the event and its afterglow, astronomers have learned a tremendous amount about the formation of the heaviest elements in the Universe.   This video was made possible by the following...

Astronomy Cast Ep. 680: Rogue Black Holes by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on May 1, 2023. Last week we talked about rogue stars. This week we’re going to take things up a notch and talk about an even more extreme event. Rogue black holes. Astronomers recently discovered a supermassive black hole on an escape trajectory, leaving newly forming stars in its wake. It’s wonderful, terrible, nightmare fuel. Fraser’s rogue SMBH article: The original paper:   This video was made...

Astronomy Cast Ep. 679: High(per) Velocity Stars by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Apr 24, 2023. Most stars in the Milky Way are trapped in here with us, doomed to orbit around and around and around. But a few have found a way out, an escape into the freedom of intergalactic space. How do stars reach escape velocity, never to return?   This video was made possible by the following Patreon members: David Burry Gowen Stephen Veit Jordan Young Jeannette Wink Venkatesh Chary...

Astronomy Cast Ep. 678: World Building: Planet Formation, Growth & Ejection by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Apr 17, 2023. Okay sci-fi writers, today we’re going to give you a guided tour of building planets. How they form, how they grow, and how things can go horribly horribly wrong. [Editor’s Note: Google HL Tau, click on the Wikipedia link and see planets forming!]   This video was made possible by the following Patreon members: David Burry Gowen Stephen Veit Jordan...

Astronomy Cast Ep. 677: The Answer is Always Dust by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Apr 10, 2023. Whenever astronomers discover something surprising, the answer often turns out to be dust. Dust obscuring our view, dust changing the polarity, dust warming things up, dust cooling things down. It’s always dust. Until it isn’t.   This video was made possible by the following Patreon members: David Burry Gowen Stephen Veit Jordan Young Jeannette Wink Venkatesh Chary Andrew...

Astronomy Cast Ep. 676: Other Things With Rings by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Apr 3, 2023. We’ve spent a lot of time gushing about Saturn’s rings, but there are other places with ring systems. And not just Jupiter and the ice giants, but asteroids, dwarf planets, centaurs and even exoplanets. Today let’s gush about them!   This video was made possible by the following Patreon members: David Burry Gowen Stephen Veit Jordan Young Jeannette Wink Venkatesh Chary Andrew...

Astronomy Cast Ep. 675: Exotic Forms of Ice by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Ice is ice, right? You know, what you get when water freezes. Well, maybe here on Earth. But across the Universe, water can be squeezed together at different temperatures and pressures, leading to very different structures. Today we’ll talk about the different forms that ice can take.   This video was made possible by the following Patreon members: David Burry Gowen Stephen Veit Jordan Young Venkatesh Chary Andrew...

Astronomy Cast Ep. 674: Asteroid Early Warning Systems by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay The asteroid apocalypse is one of those existential crises that keep astronomers up at night. But the DART mission showed us that we can push an asteroid off its trajectory if we have enough warning. Today we’ll talk about how humanity is building early warning systems to give us time to respond to a dangerous asteroid.   This video was made possible by the following Patreon members: David Burry Gowen...

Astronomy Cast Ep. 673: How to See Satellites (or Avoid Seeing Them) by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Mar 13, 2023. If you’re in dark skies and look up, you’re certain to see a satellite. Lots of them. But how can you know which one you’re seeing, and how can you improve your chances of a sighting? Today we’ll talk about how to see satellites, or avoid seeing them.   This video was made possible by the following Patreon members: David Burry Gowen Stephen Veit Jordan Young...

Astronomy Cast Ep. 672: Space Debris Removal by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Mar 8, 2023. We’ve talked about the rising problem of space junk. Okay, we know it’s an issue. So what can be done about it? Today we’ll talk about ideas to remove space junk, making sure space is open to use for the centuries to come.   This video was made possible by the following Patreon members: David Burry Gowen Stephen Veit Jordan Young Venkatesh Chary Andrew Poelstra Brian Cagle David...

Astronomy Cast Ep. 671: The Consequences to Breaking Space Laws by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Mar 1, 2023. Last week we talked about the laws that govern space exploration. This week the rubber hits the road. What are the consequences for actually breaking these rules? Are they really going to stop anyone?   This video was made possible by the following Patreon members: David Burry Gowen Stephen Veit Jordan Young Venkatesh Chary Andrew Poelstra Brian Cagle David Truog...

Astronomy Cast Ep. 670 - Governing Space: The 1967 Outer Space Treaty & More! by Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Ga Streamed live on Feb 13, 2023. The Universe was inaccessible for most of human history, but the first tentative steps to space in the 20th Century made humanity realize that science fiction was becoming science reality. New rules would have to be written to govern how we used this limitless expanse. Today we’ll talk about the Outer Space Treaty of 1967.   This video was made...