Ep. 213: Supermassive Black Holes

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (0.0KB) It’s now believed that there’s a supermassive black hole lurking at the heart of every galaxy in the Universe. These monstrous black holes can contain hundreds of millions of times the mass of our own Sun, with event horizons bigger than the...

Ep. 203: Europa

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (0.0KB) Europa is the smallest of the Jovian satellites, but it might be one of the most exciting spots in the Solar System. When NASA’s Voyager spacecraft flew past the moon, they discovered huge cracks in its icy surface. Is it possible that Europa has a...

Ep. 202: The Planets at Gliese 581

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (0.0KB) With the discovery of a planet in the habitability zone of Gliese 581, the chances of finding life on other worlds is just getting better and better. Let’s take a look at the discoveries made at Gliese 581, provide some perspective on the real chances...

Ep. 201: Titan

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (0.0KB) Titan is Saturn’s largest moon, and the second largest moon in the Solar System. It’s unique in the Solar System as the only moon with an atmosphere. In fact, scientists think that Titan’s thick atmosphere – rich in hydrocarbons...

Ep. 196: Luminosity and Magnitude

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (0.0KB) Astronomers measure the brightness of stars as magnitude. But this brightness depends on the distance to the star as well as the total amount of energy it’s pumping out into space. And from our vantage point here on Earth, appearances can be...

Ep. 195: Planetary Rings

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (0.0KB) Saturn is best known for its rings. This huge and beautiful ring system is easy to spot in even the smallest backyard telescope, so you can imagine they were a surprise when Galileo first noticed them. But astronomers have gone on to find rings around the...