Jasmin Evans is an undergraduate student in astronomy and physics at the University of Central Lancashire in the UK. She shadowed us for the week and while she was here, she interviewed Nobel Laureate Dr. John Mather for our podcast. She talked to him about what lead him to science, what advice he would give to those young people currently trying to decide in which direction they should take their careers, and (of course) about JWST.

In July, we featured a guest post on our blog from astronomer Nick Howes about how he was able to image the Herschel observatory, which sat a million miles away from the Earth at the 2nd Lagrange point (and is now being moved into a graveyard orbit). For this podcast, we interviewed him about the back story about how he imaged Herschel, the telescopes he used, and what got him into astronomy.

This is the last part of our interview with Dr. Phil Plait, the so-called "Bad Astronomer." Phil is a scientist who now writes about science for the public, with a large focus on debunking bad science and astronomy. In this podcast, we talk with Phil about how science works, and how we learn.

This is part three of four of our interview with Dr. Phil Plait, the so-called "Bad Astronomer." Phil is a scientist, writer, and specializes in debunking bad science. In part 1, we learned how he got started, and in part 2, we talked about science in entertainment. In part 3, we discuss how he busts misconceptions, and the value of looking up at the sky.

A college friend of Maggie's, Dr. Eric Mamajek, discovered a cool potential exoplanet system that might also have a ring system - we reported on it last January after the American Astronomical Society conference. We checked with Eric a year later to talk more about his discovery, any updates, and the art done of his potential exoplanet system by Ron Miller, who we also recently interviewed in our two-part series about "The Art of Space." Visit our website...

This is the second episode of our two-part interview with space artist Ron Miller. In this episode, Ron talks specifically about how he illustrates exoplanets, and we discuss specific pieces of his art. To listen to the first part of this interview, and to see examples of Ron's art, visit our website at: http://universe.nasa.gov/blueshift/

Blueshift recently interviewed space artist Ron Miller. Not only is he an amazingly talented illustrator, but he’s also the author, consultant, and former art director for the National Air and Space Museum's Albert Einstein planetarium. He's written and illustrated many books, one of which, "Out of the Cradle," is a classic and a huge inspiration to our generation. We recently came across his art illustrating a news article about an unusual exoplanet system which might actually have a ring...

Dust - on Earth, it's a nuisance. But in space, it's a valuable natural resource, a raw material essential to the formation of nearly any object imaginable. NASA Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Christina Richey studies interstellar dust grains through laboratory-created analogs, comparing the properties of simulated stardust to data from missions like SOFIA, Spitzer, and Herschel. This hands-on approach gives Christina and other researchers unique insight into the building blocks of stars, planets,...

As you might imagine, the James Webb Space Telescope is a pretty big deal here at NASA Goddard, because much of it is being assembled here. As a companion to all our tech coverage of Webb, we thought it would be nice to talk about the science it will do and how it is the scientific successor to, rather than the replacement for, the Hubble Space Telescope. We chatted with Dr. Amber Straughn, one of the project scientists on Webb, to learn about what this new observatory will bring to the...

As science educators, encouraging critical thinking and skepticism is something we think is really important. We interviewed the "Bad Astronomer," Dr. Phil Plait, to get his thoughts on the subject. He is a trained scientist who used to work at NASA Goddard… but now he works full-time as a science writer and a public advocate for good science. In Part 1 of our interview with Phil, we learned why he started blogging about hoaxes and misconceptions, about the importance of asking "why," and...

It's an exciting experience for any space geek to watch a new satellite launch into orbit. Earlier in 2012, we were excited about the launch of NuSTAR, a small explorer X-ray mission collaboratively created by teams at Caltech, NASA, and over a dozen other institutions around the world. NuSTAR advances the international astronomical community's ability to observe some of the hottest, densest, and most energetic objects in the Universe. We were interested to find out more about NASA...

At its heart, science is about asking questions - looking at the universe around us and asking, "How? Why?" Science takes our natural curiosity and adds structure and rigor, examining things methodically to answer our questions and ask the next ones. It's not just a field of study, it's a valuable way to think about the world around you. In this first part in a series, well-known science advocate Dr. Phil Plait talks about his background, how he came to be "The Bad Astronomer," why he...

In a follow-up to our previous interviews with co-creator of "The Big Bang Theory," Bill Prady, we interviewed Dr. David Saltzberg, the show's resident astrophysicist and science consultant. Find out more about his research, adventures in astrophysics, and how he keeps the science of the show fresh, real, and accurate. For more, visit our website!

One of the bonuses of our set visit to The Big Bang Theory was that we got the chance to talk to co-creator and executive producer Bill Prady about how the show came to be, and how they get the science right in every episode. Since much of what we do is about communicating science to the public, we were naturally interested in how real science was worked into what is primarily a comedy. To supplement our podcast interview with Bill, Blueshift's Maggie Masetti wrote a web feature for NASA.gov.

Wouldn't it be exciting to do astronomy in the Amazon, surrounded by the wild plants and animals of the rainforest? In January, visitors to the AstroZone event in Washington, DC, got to do something like that - they met dozens of astronomy professionals at the National Zoo's Amazonia exhibit! AstroZone is a special public event that's offered in conjunction with each meeting of the American Astronomical Society (the major professional organization for astronomers). For one afternoon,...

When you were a kid, dreaming of the future, did you expect to have a flying car someday? Or to live on the Moon? Traveling into space has fueled the dreams of many people, but the reality is that space flight is difficult and expensive. Though escaping Earth's gravity to reach orbit is a real challenge, it is much easier and less expensive to take sub-orbital flights - that is, those that reach an altitude of 100 km (approximately 62 miles) above Earth. This may prove to be an affordable...

Working at NASA can provide unique and exciting job opportunities. It can be the chance of a lifetime to work on a satellite and see the products of your hard work launched into space. The flip side is that many projects only span a few years, so your dream job may not last forever. Many of us change projects routinely - and also have to deal with some level of uncertainty concerning employment. There are, however, some long-running projects at NASA - and the Hubble Space Telescope is one...

Professional meetings are a part of the lives of most scientists - but what actually goes on at one of these? It's not just sitting in meetings and listening to talks! These meetings offer an opportunity to share exciting results, catch up with old friends, and pick up some goodies in the exhibit hall. The Blueshift team team attended the American Astronomical Society (AAS) meeting in January and we thought we'd give you a tour of what we were doing there. Because what happens at a...

A remote research outpost like McMurdo Station in Antarctica draws many different kinds of people - scientists, engineers, writers, artists, and more. The station provides many of the comforts of home, and it's difficult to get bored with the opportunities presented during a visit. Whether it's learning to drive the special ice-friendly vehicles or participating in a chili cook-off, visitors often find themselves embarking on adventures and picking up unusual skills outside the scope of...

Hunting for antimatter requires a serious expedition. Scientists aren't looking for run-of-the-mill particles - they're collecting cosmic radiation that could be the signature of primordial black holes or other forms of dark matter. With instruments suspended from enormous scientific balloons, they're looking for a launch site that offers long orbits and lots of particles to detect. Where's one of the best places in the world to go particle hunting? Over the remote Antarctic continent! ...

We're looking to the future here at NASA Goddard, with the construction of our new Exploration Sciences Building. To celebrate the occasion, we're preparing to seal a time capsule that won't be opened until the year 2059. In this episode of Blueshift, we talked to Dr. Michelle Thaller to find out all the details about this time capsule, and then we went around and talked to our friends and colleagues to find out what they thought might best speak to the people of the future about the NASA of...

The evening of November 2, 2009 was the world premiere of "Cosmic Reflection," an orchestral composition inspired by one of NASA's satellites, in Washington, DC. This opus began as a simple prelude inspired by (and performed by a brass quintet at) the launch of the GLAST mission. To celebrate the first birthday of this satellite (since renamed Fermi), composer Dr. Noel Gasser wrote a symphony which uses music to aurally portray the history of the universe. We were able to go backstage at the...

The makings of new planets lie in dusty, debris-filled disks rotating around stars, held in place and shaped by the influence of their host stars. But the dust, ice, and small bodies in these planet-forming disks also feel the effects of a system's motion through space - and interaction with interstellar gas can warp a dusty disk into a weird and unexpected shape. We spoke with Goddard astrophysicist John Debes about his team's research into these oddly-shaped disks. Using the Hubble Space...

Welcome to a special Halloween episode of Blueshift! It's a time of transition here at Goddard Space Flight Center - a new Exploration Sciences Building has just been completed and the Blueshift team is on the move. For the past 50 years, Goddard's Building 2 has been the home of cutting-edge research and development for many of NASA's space science missions. In the midst of our packing, we wanted to share some stories from this old building and give you an inside look at one of NASA's...