The Discussion: The release of JWST’s first images, the press conferences and media coverage. Emails on astrophotography, Dr Jen’s TV appearances and a more politically correct alternative name for JWST. The News: Rounding up the astronomy news in August, we have: We now know why Jupiter doesn’t have rings like Saturn A huge triple star system with a violent past A fossil galaxy – one of the first galaxies from the early universe Some good news for the prospects for life on Mars The big news sto...
Aug 01, 2022•1 hr 19 min
The Discussion: Another heatwave in the UK Dr Jen on TV covering the latest JWST news The Orville on Disney+ Night Sky on Amazon Prime The News: Preparations for the launch of Starship and an unexpected explosion! Artemis 1 readied for launch to the moon The topsy turvy world of international cooperation in space Virgin Galactic’s next plans The news discussion: NASA’s CAPSTONE mission to lunar orbit Q&A: If you let your breath out couldn't you dash across 100m of lunar surface in a damaged ...
Jul 15, 2022•1 hr 3 min
The Discussion: More filming for the BBC Longer days and shorter nights L Showcasing amateur photography on noctilucent clouds Listeners’ emails on Less well known cultural names for Ursa Major The current planetary alignment in the sky The News: Rounding up the astronomy news in April, we have: The Milky Way once went through a massive rate of star formation Solving the riddle of how Mars’ storms can be so big and violent A new data release from the incredible Gaia space telescope Solving the r...
Jul 01, 2022•59 min
The Discussion: Discrimination in science and academia Returning to the Welsh valleys to attempt astronomy Free NASA merch from Official NASA Gear Listener’s comments on Boeing and the state of spaceflight innovation. The News: Assembly of China’s Tiangong space station Artemis 1 wet rehearsal attempt #2 France join the Artemis Accord NASA outsources moon suit developments SpaceX’s critical approval for starship flight tests The news discussion: NASA to formally investigate UFOs – is this wise? ...
Jun 14, 2022•1 hr 7 min
The Discussion: You can now watch Jen presenting on BBC TV’s Weatherman Walking (from 06:40) Walking, astronomy and animal abuse in the New Forest NASA find the Awesome Astronomy bunker on Mars ! Listeners’ emails on Obscure names for constellations Podcast editorial suggestions Sending us your astrophotography The News: Rounding up the astronomy news in April, we have: A companion star that survived a supernova! Galaxies that had their dark matter stripped away Everything we thought we knew abo...
May 31, 2022•1 hr 17 min
The Discussion: Getting back in the studio Watch us recording in our behind the scenes 10th Anniversary show Inspiring children to think about careers in science Listener’s emails about swearing in the podcast and catching objects from space. The News: Our favourite Welsh satellite space company, Space Forge Rocket Lab’s attempt to catch a falling rocket booster with a helicopter More JWST updates Jeff Bezos buys every western rocket (that’s not owned by Musk) for the next 5 years UK Space Energ...
May 15, 2022•1 hr 9 min
The Discussion: Jeni’s magazine article on ‘everything JWST’ UK government's social mobility commissioner gets us wound up Listeners’ emails on: Professional vs amateur astronomy Artificial Intelligence in consumer telescopes JWST’s Early Release Observations The News: Rounding up the astronomy news in April, we have: New type of nebula discovered by an amateur astronomer Detecting life-giving hydrothermal vents on Saturn’s moon Europa An exoplanet around a dead star in a potential habitable zon...
May 01, 2022•1 hr 19 min
Also check out our YouTube channel here for much more astronomy and spacey goodness: https://www.youtube.com/awesomeastronomy?sub_confirmation=1 The Discussion: Watching a SpaceX Starlink launch Tales from this month’s AstroCamp star party Jeni on the radio and TV again A listener’s email on JWST’s first image. The News: NASA’s moon rocket finally undergoes testing for the Artemis 1 moon mission next month! Rocket Lab attempt to catch a falling rocket booster with a helicopter Further affects of...
Apr 14, 2022•1 hr 8 min
The Discussion: Observing trip with Cardiff Uni students Really bright ISS passes Jen’s first TV presenting gig about to be released Watching a SpaceX launch Listeners' email about previous episodes The News: Rounding up the astronomy news in April, we have: NASA think JWST will perform better than expected! (see also https://youtu.be/YJMBvcG7nRM ) A milestone 5,000 confirmed exoplanets (see also https://youtu.be/ByfigQW-6Mk ) The carbon impact of running large observatories ’Impossible’ superma...
Apr 01, 2022•1 hr 4 min
The Discussion: A little bit of singing to brighten your day and abuse your ears It's Messier Marathon season A Messier challenge A great listeners' email on naming space missions The News: Rounding up the space exploration news this month we have: Space Forge's reusable satellites demonstrator ESA's demonstrator for extracting oxygen from the lunar surface The countdown to the death of NASA's Mars Insight lander SpaceX's Starship developments The future for ExoMars and the ISS Main news story: ...
Mar 15, 2022•55 min
The Discussion: Stargazing & post-covid travel A lovely email from our good friend @SsonnyY The joys of being an astronomy beginner Pioneer 10’s 50th anniversary The News: Rounding up the astronomy news in March, we have: A new planet discovered in our neighbouring Alpha Centauri system A massive new dataset of 4.4m brand new radio objects to get excited about Quasars, blazars, - turns out they’re all the same thing The first observation of a free floating black hole Mini-Neptunes may evolve...
Mar 01, 2022•54 min
The Discussion: Techniquest in Cardiff Bay Our Good friend Dylan O’Donnell at Star Stuff A listener’s email on the naming of spacecraft, prompting a debate on history, cultures and tearing down statues. The News: Britain’s ambitious spaceports hit regulatory purgatory China’s plans for this year include space station completion, comet and asteroid missions Unknown heroines of space & astronomy for International Women in Science Day The news discussion: NASA contract a Mars Sample return rock...
Feb 15, 2022•1 hr 4 min
The Discussion: AstroCamp returns for listeners to observe with us 2-5th April. Book tickets here . Listeners’ emails on: A Venus sample return mission Why our website is so poor L The News: A very big far away star with a very big planet Unpicking the riddle of where the matter is that makes up all the stars Another of Saturn moons may be hiding an ocean Why there are no newly formed stars within 500 light years of the Sun Big News Story: a mysterious radio signal points to a new type of magnet...
Feb 01, 2022•56 min
The Discussion: Astronomy in Lego Jeni on the BBC Listeners emails on space traffic control and the Chinese space programme The News: SpaceX’s troubled start to 2022 New York Times reports sexual harassment at SpaceX International Space Station operations extended to 2030 A look at Arianespace The news discussion: JWST Nebulas: A look at the weird and wonderful nebulae that you can see through telescopes or use to understand the interstellar medium and star formation. This month we focus on supe...
Jan 15, 2022•59 min
The Discussion: Astronomy Christmas presents Listener’s email about the value of early human space endeavours Listener’s email about the marvelousness of Musk The News: Rounding up the astronomy news in October, we have: The largest valley in the solar system (on Mars) is packed with water More evidence to suggest there may be living organisms in Venus’ atmosphere The sharpest images yet of the region around our galaxy’s supermassive black hole Astronomers find 70 new rogue planets free-floating...
Jan 02, 2022•1 hr 7 min
We defer our usual Xmas frivolity to go to NASA’s coverage of Elon Musk’s Penetrating Explorer Neo Insertion System rocket delivering NASA’s Advanced Solar System probe to Uranus and look back at the astronomy and space exploration highlights of 2021: The first detection of an exoplanet in another galaxy, the first exomoon and the most abundant stars perhaps being habitable hosts A great alignment of planets in the sky for backyard astronomers NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter on Mars The advances in ...
Dec 23, 2021•55 min
The Discussion: Jen becomes the Managing Editor of the Sky Guide app and talks hazardous asteroids on BBC1’s Breakfast show Observing Comet Leonard Listeners emails on colonising the galaxy and killing Mars potatoes The News: Recreating Mars in Antarctica Future space tourists are unlikely to be getting official astronaut wings News ways to capture space debris Elon Musk announces concerns over the viability of his Starship rocket The news discussion: With the recent Russian anti-satellite test,...
Dec 15, 2021•1 hr 9 min
The Discussion: Sex with aliens (sorry) Jen’s reveals the secrets of TV trickery AweAst now has videos! Head over to YouTube Emails about our new YouTube channel & aliens watching us The News: Rounding up the astronomy news in October, we have: Water on exoplanets probably didn’t come from comets Another 301 exoplanets drop out of old Kepler data An(other) weird signal from outer space Violent galaxy growth in the early universe Are exoplanets made of strange materials not conducive to life?...
Dec 01, 2021•1 hr 19 min
The Discussion: Jen as a space expert on BBC1’s Breakfast show AweAst on YouTube is coming! Head over and help us out by subscribing here . An email on the less than stellar working conditions at Blue Origin The News: The results of Astro2020 - the next decadal survey from the US National Academies of Sciences NASA’s moon programme officially slips back a year SpaceX’s 3rd crewed launch to the International Space Station Heinz go all ‘Mark Watney’ with tomatoes. The news discussion: Commercial p...
Nov 15, 2021•1 hr 15 min
The Discussion: A bonanza of radio interviews Jeni’s guide to the darkest and best places to stargaze in the UK A trip to the satellite company Space Forge . Emails about radio interviews and the first AweAst episodes The News: Rounding up the astronomy news in October, we have: Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is speeding up Crazy exoplanets orbits Red and dead galaxies Solving the mystery of alien radio signals The 1st exoplanet discovery in another galaxy The Sky Guide: This month we’re taking a look...
Nov 01, 2021•1 hr 14 min
The Discussion: Tales from a dark sky weekend Jen appearing on the Cosmic Companion and at the Open University Space Society Emails on space tourism and from a US state penitentiary The News: NASA gets ready to test an asteroid redirect mission Shatner in space Mixed fortunes in the news for Bezos & Musk The James Webb Space Telescope is still on track for a December launch The news discussion: NASA’s Lucy mission to Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids. Moons of the Solar System: Our show segment exp...
Oct 14, 2021•1 hr 11 min
The Discussion: Murder on a submarine Jeni’s exoplanet talk for the Open University Space Society - available here on YouTube An email from Eastern Europe prompting a discussion on future energy harvesting The News: Rounding up the astronomy news in October, we have: Understanding asteroids using ground based telescopes Solving The Mysterious Case of the Missing Supernova Discovering a new asteroid close to the Sun Evidence of recent volcanoes on Venus A look at the joys of star parties (not jus...
Oct 01, 2021•1 hr 11 min
The Discussion: Our practical astronomy gathering is back – join us in Wales on 2-5th October Jen is contributing to Andy Oppenheimer’s book Stars of Orion Submit your support for Lego to create a clockwork solar system Watch Jen’s free online exoplanet talk for the Open University Space Society Emails from our good friends: Casey Ash in Thailand, about the perennial issue of satellite constellations Conor Brian from Texas about the first Martian settlers The News: Ongoing problems with the Jame...
Sep 15, 2021•1 hr 8 min
The Discussion: Jeni Nearly joined a cult Farewell to Carolyn Shoemaker The Room of Doom at Redditch Astronomical Society The new updated Sky Guide app (that Jen works on) Listeners’ emails on how annoying we are and nebulae The News: Rounding up the astronomy news in September, we have: A new classification of habitable exoplanets Astronomers find thousands of new galaxies Red Dwarf stars might not be as hostile to life as previously thought Have we found a new spiral arm to the Milky Way? Why ...
Sep 01, 2021•1 hr 5 min
This podcast extra is all about our favourite topic of them all, exoplanets. Thanks to our good friends Ian and Billy, we'll be taking a look at the very exciting upcoming low-Earth orbit space mission Twinkle. This small satellite will help us better understand the chemical composition of known exoplanets, which in turn will help us understand their history - and even their weather! Guests: Ian Stotesbury - master of astrophysics and lead systems engineer at Blue Skies Space. Ian has a backgrou...
Aug 20, 2021•30 min
The Discussion: Presenting on the BBC The importance of dust to astronomy The News: A round up of current Mars exploration from Perseverance, Ingenuity, Hope & Zhurong. The mystery of the disappearing Mars rock The Boeing gremlins continue Bezos joins the billionaire space tourism club Moons of the Solar System: Our show segment exploring the discovery, exploration and our knowledge of the solar system’s moons. And we move onto the moons of Neptune. Q&A: Why would anyone want to venture ...
Aug 15, 2021•1 hr 14 min
The Discussion: Star Wars marathon Observing the ISS & the Nauka Module NAM 2021 Amateur recreation of the Antikythera Mechanism Spectrum analysing the new audio anomaly The News: Rounding up the astronomy news in August, we have: Detecting light from behind a black hole New Insights shows Mars’ interior is very different to Earth’s Evidence of an ocean beneath the surface of Jupiter’s moon Ganymede The Oort Cloud could be filled with extrasolar debris Earth rock may contain extraterrestrial...
Aug 01, 2021•1 hr 6 min
The Discussion: Hubble’s still in trouble Jeni’s presenting on the BBC’s Weatherman Walking Ideas for a new segment to replace the moons of the solar system The News: Ingenuity helicopter is exceeding all expectations Russia looks to expand its real estate on the ISS NASA’s Artemis 1 is being stacked for a November launch China’s sending Taikonauts to the moon & Mars Bezos & Branson Moons of the Solar System: Our show segment exploring the discovery, exploration and our knowledge of the ...
Jul 15, 2021•1 hr 9 min
The Discussion: Can you help out the Scottish Dark Sky Observatory? Combining sports & astronomy The hive mind responds to the new audio anomaly The News: Rounding up the astronomy news in July, we have: Hubble in trouble Incredible new images of Jupiter’s moon Ganymede A glimpse of the first ever stars Cosmic twisters The biggest comet ever seen comes barreling into the solar system The Sky Guide: This month we’re taking a look at the constellation of Aquila with a guide to its history, how...
Jul 01, 2021•1 hr 1 min
To illustrate the epic saga of the Great Dimming of Betelgeuse, in this podcast extra, we revisit all our previous discussions of the red supergiant – collated just for you in one handy dandy place! We cover all the previous major studies of the Great Dimming event from the past year and a half, to let you relive the glorious adventure that is scientific investigation! Tune in to see how this amazing story has evolved and remind yourself of the previous theories; from coincidental pulsation cycl...
Jun 16, 2021•32 min
