Ep. 686: Ice in the Shadows

Ep. 686: Ice in the Shadows

The permanently shadowed craters on the Moon are the focus of so much research. That’s because they seem to contain vast reserves of water ice. Water we could use for oxygen, propellant and so much more, but also, to help us understand where the Earth’s water came from.

Ep. 676: Other Things with Rings

Ep. 676: Other Things with Rings

We’ve spent a lot of time gushing about Saturn’s rings, but there are other places with ring systems. And not just Jupiter and the ice giants, but asteroids, dwarf planets, centaurs and even exoplanets. Today we’ll gush about them.

Ep. 675: Exotic Forms of Ice

Ep. 675: Exotic Forms of Ice

Ice is ice, right? You know, what you get when water freezes. Well, maybe here on Earth. But across the Universe, water can be squeezed together at different temperatures and pressures, leading to very different structures. Today we’ll talk about the different forms that ice can take.

Ep. 674: Asteroid Early Warning Systems

Ep. 674: Asteroid Early Warning Systems

The asteroid apocalypse is one of those existential crises that keep astronomers up at night. But the DART mission showed us that we can push an asteroid off its trajectory if we have enough warning. Today we’ll talk about how humanity is building early warning systems to give us time to respond to a dangerous asteroid.

Ep. 666: Solar System References to the Underworld

Ep. 666: Solar System References to the Underworld

Well, we did it. We made it to episode 666, an auspicious number to be sure. What can we do to celebrate this accomplishment? An episode all about things in the Universe that have been named after mythological people and places in the underworld?

Ep. 663: End of Year Observing Events

Ep. 663: End of Year Observing Events

We generally save our stargazing suggestions for the summer, when it’s warmer in the northern hemisphere. But you’re tough, you can handle a little cold. And it’s worth it because there are some wonderful things you can see in the night sky this time of year.

Ep. 656: Smashing Asteroids for Science!

Ep. 656: Smashing Asteroids for Science!

This week we saw the incredible image of DART smashing into asteroid Dimorphos. Beyond avenging the dinosaurs, what can we learn scientifically from this and other asteroid/comet impact missions?

Ep. 653: Climate Change: Looking at the Variables

Ep. 653: Climate Change: Looking at the Variables

Climate change is on our minds these days, with increasing wildfires, droughts and floods. What are the variables that play into a planet’s changing climate, and what can this teach us about the search for habitable planets across the Milky Way?

Ep. 644: Is Earth… Normal?

Ep. 644: Is Earth… Normal?

Now that we’ve discovered thousands of exoplanets, we’re learning more and more about what kinds of planetary systems there are out there across the Universe. Are planets like Earth unique or totally rare?

Ep. 642: Is the Sun… Normal?

Ep. 642: Is the Sun… Normal?

We’ve always assumed that we lived in a perfectly normal system with a normal star and normal planets. It’s all… normal. But with our modern understanding of billions of stars, just how normal is our Sun, anyway?

Ep. 628: The Sun Revisited

Ep. 628: The Sun Revisited

Once again, it’s time to take a look at the Sun. You know, ongoing thermonuclear explosion of fusing hydrogen that’s right over there. Fortunately, there’s a fleet of spacecraft and ground observatories ready to give our best ever view of the Sun.

Ep. 627: Mercury Revisited

Ep. 627: Mercury Revisited

It’s been about a thousand years since we last looked at Mercury, so we figured it’s time for an update. What new things have we learned about Mercury, or even new questions? Fortunately, there’s a mission on the way to help get us some answers.

Ep. 625: End of the Year Review

Ep. 625: End of the Year Review

We’ve reached the end of 2021, and this is the last episode of the year. Let’s look back at the big space events of the last year and talk about what we’re looking forward to in 2022.

Ep. 624: Small Rocky Bodies (Including Phobos and Deimos)

Ep. 624: Small Rocky Bodies (Including Phobos and Deimos)

We’ve talked about the icy objects of the Solar System, today let’s talk about space rocks. There’s a surprising variety of rocky material in the Solar System, and each object has a story to tell about the history and formation of the planets, moons and other rocky bodies.

Ep. 623: NEOS: Concern or Nah?

Ep. 623: NEOS: Concern or Nah?

Are asteroids dangerous? Just ask the dinosaurs, and they’ll tell you a sad story of fiery death. It turns out we’re in a shooting gallery of space rock and metal, and somewhere out there there’s one with our name on it. Should we be worried or are the risks so minimal to be irrelevant?

Ep. 622: Rocky Moons and Giant Asteroids

Ep. 622: Rocky Moons and Giant Asteroids

A rock is a rock is a rock, right? Across the Solar System there are giant rocky asteroids and even rockier moons. What’s the difference between these two families of objects, and where did they come from?

Ep. 621: Gas Giants

Ep. 621: Gas Giants

For the longest time, the only gas giant planets we knew about were Jupiter and Saturn. But now in the age of extrasolar planets, astronomers have discovered thousands of gas giants across almost as many star systems. What new discoveries have been made about gas giants, both here in the Solar System and across the Milky Way?

Ep. 620: Why Getting to the Outer Worlds is So Difficult

Ep. 620: Why Getting to the Outer Worlds is So Difficult

Good news! Over the next few years, we’re going to see a flotilla of new missions headed to Jupiter and Saturn. Why aren’t we seeing more missions to the outer planets, like Uranus and Neptune? It turns out, those places are far away. Today let’s talk about the challenge of exploring the outer Solar System.

Ep. 619: Icy Moons and Dwarf Planets

Ep. 619: Icy Moons and Dwarf Planets

The outer Solar System is far enough from the Sun that water doesn’t get blasted away into deep space. In this icy realm, there are many worlds with vast quantities of water ice. Today let’s look at the icy outer moons and dwarf planets.

Ep. 618: Ice Giants

Ep. 618: Ice Giants

We’re learning more and more about the outer planets of the Solar System. Uranus and Neptune are ice giants, filled with water and other volatiles that we’d consider ice if it was here on Earth. What’s inside these worlds, and what could we expect to find across the Milky Way?

Ep. 615: Planet 9

Ep. 615: Planet 9

After Pluto lost its planethood, we were down to 8 planets. But there’s growing evidence of another world (or worlds) out beyond the orbit of Pluto. Is Planet 9 out there and how will we find it? Could there even be a Planet 10?

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