Summer is here and that means finally tackling your huge list of books piled up on your bedside table and filling up your Kindle. What books do we recommend for some fun reads?
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Fraser Cain
Universe Today
Dr. Pamela Gay
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18 Seasons
700+ Episodes
2018 Winner Parsec Award
Ep. 646: Long Term Future in Space
We always say that we’re living in golden age of space and astronomy, but it feels like things are just accelerating. What does the long-term future hold for our place in the Universe?
Ep. 645: The Future of the ISS
The International Space Station has been continuously inhabited for over 20 years now, serving as a peaceful collaboration between space-faring nations. But it’s a machine, and it’s getting old. In addition, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has made things complicated. What’s the future for the ISS?
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?
Recent Episodes
Ep. 203: Europa
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 huge ocean of...
Ep. 202: The Planets at Gliese 581
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 of life, and...
Ep. 201: Titan
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 - is similar to the early Earth, and...
Ep. 200: The Mariner Program
The first interplanetary series of missions was the American Mariner program. These successful spacecraft visited Mercury, Venus, and Mars, and laid the groundwork for the US missions to the outer planets. Let's take a look at the program and their incredible...
Ep. 199: The Voyager Program
Launched in 1977, the twin Voyager spacecraft were sent to explore the outer planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Because of a unique alignment of the planets, Voyager 2 was the first spacecraft to ever make a close approach to Uranus and Neptune. Let's take...
Ep 198: How is a Space Mission Chosen?
Space missions are expensive to build and launch, so there's a lot of planning that goes into choosing exactly what's going to be shot into space. Space scientists and engineers recently went through the process of deciding on their science goals, so we thought we'd...
Ep. 197: Astronomy Cast Live from Dragon*Con 2010
In this special live Dragon*Con 2010 episode of Astronomy Cast we welcomed special guest Les Johnson, Deputy Manager for NASA’s Advanced Concepts Office to talk about the state of human space exploration. And then we opened up the show to some amazing questions from...
Ep. 196: Luminosity and Magnitude
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 deceiving. Download Ep....
Ep. 195: Planetary Rings
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 other gas...
Ep. 194: Dwarf Planets
In 2006, the International Astronomical Union demoted Pluto out of the planet club. But they also started up a whole new dwarf planet club, with Pluto, Eris and the asteroid Ceres as charter members. Let's find out what it takes to be a dwarf planet, and discuss the...
Ep. 193: Astronomy with the Unaided Eye
We talk a lot about telescopes here on Astronomy Cast, but you really don't need any special equipment to appreciate what the night sky has to offer. Just head outside with some sky charts, maybe a planisphere, some friends and hot chocolate, and you're good to go....
Ep. 192: Chandra X-Ray Observatory
The Chandra X-Ray Observatory is the third of NASA's Great Observatories, sent into space aboard the space shuttle to view the Universe in high energy X-ray radiation. This is the territory of supernovae, supermassive black holes and neutron stars; some of the most...
Ep. 191: Chandrasekhar
The first half of the 20th Century was a productive time for astronomy, with theorists working out much of the science that we take for granted today. One of these astronomy stars was Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, who determined the maximum mass of a white dwarf star....
Ep. 190: Kepler Mission
Last week we studied Kepler the man, and this week we take a look at Kepler, the mission. Launched in March, 2009, this is a spacecraft designed to search for Earth-like planets orbiting other stars. Let's take a look at the history this mission, the launch and the...
Ep. 189: Johannes Kepler and His Laws of Planetary Motion
Nicolaus Copernicus changed our understanding of the Universe when he rearranged the Solar System to put the Sun at the center, with the Earth becoming just another of the planets orbiting it. But the movement of the planets didn't really match the theory; not until...
Ep. 188: The Future of Astronomy
We spent 5 episodes telling the story of astronomy so far, how we got from the work of the Babylonians to the modern discoveries made in the last decade. But now we want to look forward, studying the current space missions and experiments to uncover the mysteries that...
Ep. 187: History of Astronomy, Part 5: The 20th Century
Many of the modern ideas in astronomy happened in just the 20th century: dark matter, the Big Bang, inflation, quasars, black holes. So many discoveries in one important century. Download Ep. 187: History of Astronomy, Part 5: The 20th CenturyJump to ShownotesJump to...
Ep. 186: History of Astronomy, Part 4: The Beginning of Modern Astronomy
With our proper place in the Universe worked out, and some powerful telescopes to probe the cosmos, astronomers started making some real progress. The next few hundred years was a time of constant refinement, with astronomers discovering new planets, new moons, and...
Ep. 185: History of Astronomy, Part 3: The Renaissance
Now we reach time with names that many of you will be familiar: Galileo, Kepler, Copernicus. This is an age when the biggest names in astronomy used the best tools of their time to completely rearrange their understanding of the Universe, putting the Earth where it...
Ep. 184: History of Astronomy, Part 2:The Greeks
With the earliest astronomers out of the way, we now move to one of the most productive eras in astronomy; the ancient Greeks. Even though they didn't have telescopes, the Greeks worked out the size and shape of the Earth, the distance to the Moon and Sun, and even...