Ep. 366: HARPS Spectrograph

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (0.0KB) Almost all the planet hunting has been done from space. But there’s a new instrument installed on the European Southern Observatory’s 3.6 meter telescope called the High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher which has already turned up 130...

Ep. 364: The COROT Mission

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (0.0KB) Before NASA’s Kepler mission searched for exoplanets using the transit method, there was the European COROT mission, launched in 2006. It was sent to search for planets with short orbital periods and find solar oscillations in stars. It was an...

Ep. 363: Where Did Earth’s Water Come From?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (0.0KB) Where on Earth did our water come from. Well, obviously not from Earth, of course, but from space. But did it come from comets, or did the water form naturally right here in the Solar System, and the Earth just scooped it up?? Ep. 363: Where Did...

Ep. 354: Comet Siding Spring vs. Mars

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (0.0KB) We were witness to a once in a million year event. A close approach of Comet Siding Spring to the Planet Mars. And fortunately, humanity had a fleet of spacecraft orbiting the Red Planet, ready to capture this monumental event in real time. What did we...

Ep. 353: Seasons on Saturn

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (0.0KB) You think we’re the only place that experiences seasons? Well, think again. Anything with a tilt enjoys the changing seasons, and that includes one of the most dramatic places in the Solar System: Saturn, with its rings and collection of...

Ep. 352: Water, Water Everywhere!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (0.0KB) Where ever we find water on Earth we find life. And so, it makes sense to search throughout the Solar System to find water. Well, here’s the crazy thing. We’re finding water just about everywhere in the Solar System. This changes our whole...