With the successful launch of the JWST, the focus turns to the complicated process of unfurling the sunshield and unfolding the mirror. We’ll look at just where NASA is in the process and how much farther we have to go before first light. Plus, Earth and supernovae, and in this week’s What’s Up, we look forward to 2022’s astronomy events.
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2022-01-07 02:07:03 +0000 UTC View Post
Summary: The Rocket Roundup team takes a look back at the rockets that launched in 2021, with a review of the statistics and some highlights (including that one telescope that could have ruined Christmas).
Show Notes
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries- Inmarsat 6 F1 Press Release
Starlink Statistics- Johnatha...
2022-01-06 22:04:44 +0000 UTC View Post
Dr. Pamela and Beth each picked their three favorite stories from 2021, including news from Mars and Pluto and about distant comets and undead white dwarf stars. Plus, we interview Dr. Jackie Faherty from the American Museum of Natural History about citizen science, exoplanets, and JWST.
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Show Notes
P...
2022-01-05 09:02:01 +0000 UTC View Post
This week on Rocket Roundup, we have all the Falcon 9 launches! And another Kuaizhou 1A launch failure to wrap up the year. Plus, we look back at the origins of NORAD’s Santa Tracker.
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Show Notes
More Starlinks... that is all
Dr. Pamela takes a deep dive into her feelings about the JWST, its pending launch, and just what the telescope means to the astronomical community. Plus, general relativity is still true, a huge filament of gas in the Milky Way, and we interview Hamed Valizadegan, project lead for ExoMiner.
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Show Notes
Rela...
2021-12-24 07:39:36 +0000 UTC View Post
New models of sublimating nitrogen show that the process creates enough heat to drive the formation and texture of the polygons in Sputnik Planitia. Plus, black holes, star formation, and an interview with Dr. Jonathan McDowell, orbital police.
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Show Notes
Algorithm find actively feeding black holes
Hi Everyone,
This weeks office hours start in about 25min at bit.ly/PatreonOfficeHours.
In love and science,
Pamela
2021-12-19 19:35:17 +0000 UTC View Post
A team of scientists collected cores and modeled ice cliff failure and found that Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica is melting more quickly than ever and could be at risk of collapse, threatening global coastlines with almost a meter of sea-level rise. Plus, new results from Percy, and this week’s What’s Up.
Podcast
Show Notes<...
2021-12-17 07:31:23 +0000 UTC View Post
On Rocket Roundup, launches include the latest from Rocket Lab, a Blue Origin crewed launch, several Chinese launches, and a pair of Russian communication satellites. Plus, this week in rocket history, we look back at Apollo 17.
Podcast
Show Notes
Rocket Lab Electron launches sats for BlackSky Global
Using the ESO’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer, scientists have obtained the deepest and sharpest images of Sagittarius A*, the black hole at the center of the Milky Way. They tracked the orbits of stars and were able to more precisely measure the mass of the black hole. Plus, new ways to research meteors, and a review of a Peak Design camera anchor system.
Podcast
One of the benefits of being a member at the $5 and above level is that you have access to our Discord server. Please come join the conversation!
We have channels for all your interests, including science and live rocket launches we don't cover on Twitch. We also have a voice chat happening almost all the time. You can bring your joy, share your sorrows, and talk astronomy to your heart's content, plus join us for LEGO, Minecraft, Uno, Ticket to Ride, and more! And if you need any assis...
2021-12-13 20:17:46 +0000 UTC View PostHi Everyone,
I goofed last week and would like to apologize. For several years, Astronomy Cast on Friday and Office Hours on Sunday were at the same time. We moved AC one hour later, and we didn't mean to move office hours, but... mistakes in time were made.
Office hours are meant to be at 3pm Eastern / noon Pacific / 8pm London, and today they will be. Join me at bit.ly/PatreonOfficeHours
In love and science, Pamela
2021-12-12 19:28:00 +0000 UTC View Post
Using data provided by the Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 citizen science project, volunteers found a possible large planet or brown dwarf orbiting its star at a distance of more than 1,600 astronomical units. Plus, NASA launches the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer, and we review Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
Podcast
...
2021-12-12 08:34:13 +0000 UTC View Post
Researchers hypothesize that blobs in post-Big Bang fields of energy, known as Q-balls, could explain how matter came to dominate over antimatter in our Universe, and they plan to use gravitational waves to find their evidence. Plus, a crewed launch to the ISS features Japanese tourists, NASA selects the latest astronaut class, and What’s Up is the Geminids.
Podcast
In this week’s Rocket Roundup, we have more Starlink, European navigation satellites, a Chinese company launching to orbit again, a large U.S. government satellite, and a sounding rocket from Sweden. Plus, this week in rocket history, we look back at Little Joe 2.
Podcast
Show Notes
SpaceX confuses us with Starl...
2021-12-09 00:26:59 +0000 UTC View Post
Astronomers using the Very Large Array in New Mexico spent 40 hours observing galaxy AGC 114905, which seemed to have little to no dark matter in 2019 observations. The new evidence shows there is no dark matter in the galaxy at all. Plus, more Hubble and JWST updates, an eclipse over Antarctica, and an interview with Dr. Franck Marchis about citizen science.
Podcast
A Mars-sized planet was found just 31 light-years away, orbiting its star every eight hours and having 55 percent the mass of the Earth, leading scientists to conclude it’s mostly made of an iron-nickel core. Plus, water on Earth, a huge comet, and a review of a Canon lens.
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Show Notes
Simulations reveal ...
2021-12-06 09:00:01 +0000 UTC View Post
An analysis of over nine million samples of coccoliths whose ages span several million years has led scientists to conclude that changes in Earth’s orbit may have influenced changes in the size and shape of the microscopic algae. Plus, Europe contemplates geologic threats, and a comet is in this week’s What’s Up.
Podcast
S...
2021-12-06 08:02:33 +0000 UTC View Post4pm Eastern / 1pm Pacific join me random chat.
bit.ly/PatreonOfficeHours
Cheers,
Pamela
2021-12-05 20:37:25 +0000 UTC View Post
During this jam-packed episode of Rocket Roundup, we cover several Chinese launches, SpaceX’s launch of NASA’s DART mission to hit an asteroid, and Russia’s launch of a military satellite. Plus, this week in rocket history, we look back at Pioneer 10’s encounter with Jupiter.
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Show Notes
China launc...
2021-12-03 10:56:50 +0000 UTC View Post
Using a new deep neural network called ExoMiner, scientists have added 301 exoplanets to the Kepler mission’s already enormous total of 4,569 confirmed planets. Plus, another gravitational lens, updates on Hubble and JWST, how InSight mapped Mars’ inner structure, an ultrahot Jupiter, and rockets. Yup. Rockets.
Podcast
Show ...
2021-12-01 17:45:56 +0000 UTC View Post
A new research project called the Virgo Environment Traced in Carbon Monoxide Survey (VERTICO) used data collected by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to understand just what is stripping star-forming gases out of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies. Plus, calderas, a mass extinction, and this week’s What’s Up.
Podcast
Listen on Libsyn 2021-11-24 07:18:32 +0000 UTC View Post
On this week’s Rocket Roundup, SpaceX launches NASA astronauts and more Starlink satellites, and Arianespace launches military satellites for France. Plus, this week in rocket history we look back at the only launch of the Soviet Space Shuttle, Buran.
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Show Notes
SpaceX launches third ISS crew mis...
2021-11-24 03:26:14 +0000 UTC View Post
After five years of observations, researchers have found that the quasi-satellite Kamo’oalewa, which currently orbits the Earth, is similar to a lunar sample collected during the Apollo 14 mission. Plus, Russia blows up a satellite, TESS finds a circumbinary planet, and we interview Dr. Gail Christeson of the University of Texas, Austin, about mapping the Chicxulub crater.
Podcast
The Decadal Survey was released earlier this month, and we take a look at some of the recommendations. Plus, this week’s What’s Up and a review of the Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 lens.
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Show Notes
2020 Decadal Survey
We're off all next week due to the Thanksgiving holiday here in the U.S., so we have some time to decide on our next Rocket History segment for the 1 December show.
That's where you all come in! Which of these sounds most interesting?
2021-11-19 03:03:01 +0000 UTC View Post
Rocket Roundup includes two long-delayed Chinese launches that finally go up along with another surprise Chinese launch, Russia launches a space station resupply, and Japan launches nine small satellites. Plus, this week in rocket history, we look back at the first ISS Expedition.
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Show Notes
Chinese smalls...
2021-11-11 02:46:45 +0000 UTC View Post
After a bit of a scare, the aging Hubble Space Telescope has once again resumed its science operations with the ACS instrument brought back online. Plus, Landsat 9 released its first images and the Crew 2 Dragon splashed down safely. Then we interview Dr. Rosanne Di Stefano from the Center for Astrophysics about the potential discovery of the first extragalactic planet.
Podcast
Hi Everyone,
This week's office hours will start in about 30min at 3pm Eastern / noon Pacific. Due to the randomness of when daylight savings comes and goes, all the rest of you ... well... timestamps are our friend, unlike timezones 😉
In love and science,
Pamela
Astronomers researching the G237 protocluster find 63 galaxies within, all producing stars and more galaxies at a high rate, acting as a “shipyard” for their region of the cosmos. Plus, Juno looks inside Jupiter’s cloud bands and a review of “Invasion” on Apple+ TV.
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Show Notes
Spooky Space