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#760: What to Look For This Summer

It’s almost time for our annual summer hiatus, but before we go, we wanted to direct you towards all the fun and space stuff we’ll be enjoying this summer. We’ve got meteor showers, planets, rocket launches, TV shows, movies! Here’s what’s good. In a couple of weeks,...

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Fraser Cain
Universe Today

Dr. Pamela Gay
CosmoQuest

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700+ Episodes

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Questions Show: Imaging Extrasolar Planets, Infinite Universe, Inside a Black Hole

What will we eventually be able to see on extrasolar planets? What does an infinite Universe mean? And what’s down there, inside a black hole?
If you’ve got a question for the Astronomy Cast team, please email it in to info@astronomycast.com and we’ll try to tackle it for a future show. Please include your location and a way to pronounce your name.

Ep. 144: Space Elevators

If you want to travel into the Solar System, you have to get off the Earth. Traditionally, that meant blasting off in a rocket. But there’s another strategy for escaping the Earth’s gravity. Climb to the top of an extremely tall tower, and just jump away. That’s the idea behind space elevators. Theoretically possible, but practically unfeasible, space elevators have gotten new life thanks to new, super strong materials.

Questions Show: Matter Balance, Jumping Light Speed and Black Hole Star Formation

Why was there a difference between the amount of matter and antimatter at the beginning of the Universe? Mathematics lets us travel faster than light speed, so why can’t we? And are there stars forming around black holes?
If you’ve got a question for the Astronomy Cast team, please email it in to info@astronomycast.com and we’ll try to tackle it for a future show. Please include your location and a way to pronounce your name.

Ep. 143: Astrobiology

We know there’s life in the Universe. We see it all around us here on Earth. But is there life anywhere else? By studying the extremes that life can take here on Earth, scientists are learning just how hardy and adaptable life can really be. And if you consider other ways that life might function, the options open up considerably. This week we’ll discuss the study of life – extreme life here on Earth, and the possibility of finding life on other worlds.