Ep. 351: Asteroid Adventures

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (0.0KB) Astronomy Cast’s 2014/15 season begins! With Rosetta’s arrival at Comet 67/P, we’re about to see a comet up close and personal. What will it take to explore, exploit and enjoy the asteroids and comets hurtling around our Solar System. And...

Ep. 337: Photometry

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (0.0KB) There’s a lot you can learn by just staring at an object, watching how it changes in brightness. This is the technique of photometry, and it has helped astronomers discover variable stars, extrasolar planets, minor planets, supernovae, and much...

Ep. 329: Telescope Making, Part 3: Space Telescopes

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (0.0KB) As we’ve said before, all telescopes really want to be in space. In part 3 of our series on amateur telescope making, we bring you up to speed on the final frontier: amateurs building space telescopes. The hardware and software is available off the...

Ep. 328: Telescope Making, Part 2: Serious Gear

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (0.0KB) Some astronomers are control freaks. It’s not enough to buy a telescope, they want to craft every part of the experience with their own hands. If you’re ready, and willing to get your hands dirty (and covered in glass dust), you can join thousands of...

Ep. 327: Telescope Making, Part 1: Toys and Kits

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (0.0KB) Why pick up a low quality, wobbly telescope from the department store when you can craft your own – just like Galileo, and all the great astronomers from history. For a minor investment, you can build a worthy telescope out of spare parts and high...

Ep. 319: The Zodiac

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (0.0KB) Although the Zodiac is best known for astrology nonsense, it has a purpose in astronomy too. The constellations of the Zodiac define the plane of the ecliptic: the region where the Sun, Moon and planets appear to travel through the sky. What are the...