On November 25th of 1915, Albert Einstein presented a paper on his General Theory of Relativity that by its end had conclusively shown that the Vulcan hypothesis was not necessary to explain the precession of the perihelion of the orbit of Mercury. It also completely reimagined the structure of space and time and remade the universe. In this episode of the podcast, we follow Einstein's journey of discovery from the work of James Clerk Maxwell to the eclipse observations of Arthur Stanley Eddingt...
Sep 03, 2017•1 hr 2 min•Season 3Ep. 82
In 1925, the astronomer Henry Norris Russell read a paper at the 33rd meeting of the American Astronomical Society. The paper, written by Edwin Hubble, a staff astronomer at the Mt. Wilson observatory, detailed observations of Cepheid variable stars in the Andromeda Nebula. These observations and the analysis of them showed that the spiral was a million light years outside the Milky Way Galaxy, thus establishing it as an island universe once and for all. The Great Debate was settled and the size...
Aug 27, 2017•47 min•Season 3Ep. 81
On April 26th of 1920, Harlow Shapley and Heber Curtis presented talks on the idea of island universes to the National Academy of Sciences. Held at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, the Great Debate, as it would come to be known, would showcase two differing views of the scale and structure of the universe.
Aug 21, 2017•1 hr 4 min•Season 3Ep. 80
In 1914, Harlow Shapley moved to work at the Mt. Wilson Observatory. Over the course of five years, using the 60 inch reflector there, he observed the 75 visible globular clusters and developed a whole new model of the Milky Way Galaxy and our place in it.
Aug 06, 2017•48 min•Season 3Ep. 79
In our final episode of this mini-series on the women who worked at the Harvard College Observatory, we dive into the life of Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin from her time at Cambridge University to her life in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Jul 30, 2017•52 min•Season 3Ep. 78
In this episode we take a look at the history of the development of the metric system out of the French Revolution.
Jul 24, 2017•53 min
Annie Jump Cannon and Henrietta Swan Leavitt would form the core of the calculation staff at the Harvard College Observatory for nearly two decades. They oversaw the transition of the Observatory from the directorship of Edward Charles Pickering to Harlow Shapley and established the dominant classification systems and physical laws for stellar spectra and variable stars in the early 20th century that would lead to foundational discoveries in the fields of astronomy and astrophysics.
Jul 16, 2017•48 min•Season 3Ep. 77
In the first part of a multi episode series, we look at the lives of two very different women. Williamina Fleming and Antonia Maury both made significant contributions to the field of stellar spectroscopy by developing classification systems to better understand the light from stars but their different backgrounds and training meant that they understood the role of being a calculator very differently.
Jul 09, 2017•53 min•Season 3Ep. 76
This week we take an in-depth look at the work done at the Harvard College Observatory on cataloging and classifying variable stars under the direction of Charles Edward Pickering. We examine the contributions of Williamina Fleming, Annie Jump Cannon and Henrietta Swan Leavitt that resulted in the the period luminosity relationship, also known as Leavitt's Law.
Jul 02, 2017•49 min•Season 3Ep. 75
This week we take a look at weather forecasting after the Navigator's trip to Boulder, CO for the NASA Social event for the launch of the JPSS-1 polar orbiting satellite. We discuss a brief history of weather forecasting, the roles of both geosynchronous and polar orbiting satellites in that endeavor and the JPSS program. Specific attention is given to the five instrument packages that will be places on the vehicle: CrIS, ATMS, VIIRS, OMPS and CERES.
Jun 25, 2017•1 hr 6 min
In the years between 1905 and 1911, the astronomer Ejnar Hertzsprung and Henry Russell Norris developed a way of representing the accumulating astronomical and astrophysical data on stars that revealed the presence of a relationship between a stars brightness and its temperature. This Hertzsprung-Russell or H-R Diagram would come to revolutionize our understanding of stellar evolution.
Jun 16, 2017•54 min•Season 3Ep. 74
This week, with the help of steampunk attired lady and gentleman bugs, we take a look at the Doppler effect. We use water waves, sound and light to examine the consequences of what happens with the observer of a wave is moving with respect to the wave's source. We also look at the history of the idea from the work of Christian Doppler to the applications suggested by Ernst Mach.
Jun 04, 2017•49 min•Season 3Ep. 73
This week we look at the spectral classification work of Antonia Maury and Annie Jump Cannon at the Harvard College Observatory.
May 30, 2017•59 min•Season 3Ep. 72
In this week's episode we look at the early work of the Harvard College Observatory under the direction of Edward Charles Pickering. We discuss his three big research initiatives: the visual photometric survey of stars, the All-Sky Survey and Catalogue and the Draper Memorial Catalogue that catalogued and classified the spectra of over 10,000 individual stars. Instrumental in this last effort was Williamina Fleming: Pickering's one time housekeeper turned lead calculator in the project.
May 21, 2017•48 min•Season 3Ep. 71
When Kirchhoff and Bunsen unlocked elemental spectra, they opened a new avenue of astrophysical investigation. This work work was originally done by the quartet of Lewis Rutherfurd, Astronomer Royal George Airy, Father Angelo Secchi and William Huggins. This work would lead to advances by Hermann Carl Vogel and Norman Lockyer who would be among those to propose an early model of stellar evolution.
May 14, 2017•50 min•Season 3Ep. 70
In 1861, Gustav Kirchhoff published the astonishing results that he could, merely by examining the light received from the Sun, determine what elements it was made from. One this episode, we'll trace the scientific investigation of the nature of light from Isaac Newton through Joseph Fraunhofer to the work of Kirchhoff and Robert Bunsen.
May 07, 2017•51 min•Season 3Ep. 69
In this episode we look at the various methods to determine the distances to the stars including Christiaan Huygens' comparison method, Robert Hooke's zenith telescope and Wilhelm Struve's and Freidrich Bessel's telescopic measurements. We also review the various ideas as to the distributions of these stars as advanced by Isaac Newton, William Stuckley, Thomas Wright and William Herschel.
Apr 30, 2017•45 min•Season 3Ep. 68
In this episode we examine the fates of Phaeton, Vulcan and Pluto as they were thought of by Olbers, Le Verrier and Clyde Tombaugh. We also examine the observations of James Craig Watson, introduce William Henry Pickering and follow the work of Percival Lowell.
Apr 23, 2017•58 min•Season 3Ep. 67
In 1782, William Herschel entered the service of his Royal Majesty, King George III of the United Kingdom. Over the next 20 years, he, along with his brother Alexander, would build hundred of telescopes including the largest research instruments in Europe as well as create the largest catalogue of deep sky objects ever compiled. Assisting him in this was his sister, Caroline Herschel, who would become an exceptional astronomer in her own right. He would seek to answer questions about the Sun's m...
Apr 16, 2017•57 min•Season 3Ep. 66
William Herschel was a Hanoverian musician turned British astronomer. In this episode we look at his journey from military band oboist to the court astronomer of King George III. Along the way we look at his work as a composer and orchestral director, his entry into the field of astronomical instrument construction and his bringing of the techniques of natural history to astronomical investigation. We also discuss telescope design, what's the best telescope for a beginner to invest in and the id...
Apr 09, 2017•1 hr 2 min•Season 3Ep. 65
This week we look at the work of William Herschel, Giuseppe Piazzi, Heinrich Olbers, Urbain Le Verrier, Alexis Bouvard and Johann Galle as they discovered new worlds in a Newtonian solar system. We consider the mathematical frameworks of Laplace and the Titius-Bode Law as guiding physical laws for the investigation of the natural universe.
Apr 02, 2017•45 min•Season 3Ep. 64
Following the publication of Newton's Principia, the extended process of adoption began. In this episode, we look at what barriers there were to Newton's ideas and how they were overcome. We also look at the acceptance of heliocentricism and the reworking of Newton's mathematical formalism up through the work of Pierre-Simon Laplace.
Mar 26, 2017•1 hr 3 min•Season 3Ep. 63
In our second episode devoted to the life and work of Edmond Halley, we recount his three voyages aboard the Paramour to create a map of magnetic variation and survey the tides and currents of the English Channel. We also cover his predictions on the return of the comet of 1682, now known as Halley's Comet, his discovery of the proper motion of the stars, his translation of the works of Apollonius, and his work as Britain's Astronomer Royale among a host of other accomplishments.
Mar 19, 2017•53 min•Season 3Ep. 62
This week we look at the earlier career of astronomer, mathematician and natural philosopher Edmond Halley. We look at the first part of his career but through about 1693 including his trips to St. Helena, Danzig and Paris. We also look at his ideas on measuring the size of the solar system, terrestrial magnetism, ocean salinity and the cause of the Biblical flood.
Mar 12, 2017•57 min•Season 3Ep. 61
In this episode we finally conclude our biographical sketch of Isaac Newton by looking at his life in the years following the publication of the Principia. We look at his political activities following the Glorious Revolution, his friendship with John Locke, the circle of young followers the gathered around him in London, including David Gregory, and his intense and troubled relationship with Nicolas Fatio de Duillier. We look at the emotional breakdown that took place in 1693 and his work after...
Mar 05, 2017•1 hr 9 min•Season 3Ep. 60
IN this impromptu and unscripted episode, I talk about the recent announcement of the discovery of severn earth-like world orbiting a nearby class M star now named TRAPPIST-1 after the telescope used to make the initial discovery. I look at how exoplanets are discovered, the specifics of this discovery, what we know and why it is important. Also discussed are the ideas of scientific collaboration and the concept of universality.
Mar 02, 2017•55 min
In 1687, Issac Newton, through the hard work and auspices of Edmund Halley, published the greatest scientific work of all time. In this episode we examine the events that led to the book's creation including Newton's correspondences with Robert Hooke and John Flamsteed. We also spend a bit of time considering the work's content.
Feb 26, 2017•59 min•Season 3Ep. 59
This week we look at Newton's work in the area of alchemy and examine his heretical religious views.
Feb 12, 2017•45 min•Season 3Ep. 58
In this episode we look at the emergence of Isaac Newton onto the public stage with the publication of his first work on Optics in the pages of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society in 1672. We then examine the growing conflict between Newton and Robert Hooke and consider the work of the Society's secretary, Henry Oldenburg in fostering scientific communication during the turmoil.
Feb 05, 2017•58 min•Season 3Ep. 57
In part 1 of our multipart biography of the father of physics, we look at the life of Isaac Newton from his early years in Woolsthorpe, Lincolnshire through his grammar school days to his time at Trinity College, Cambridge. We take some time to specifically look at the cultural and religious background that influenced his upbringing as well as his work on vision, color, light and optics.
Jan 29, 2017•49 min•Season 3Ep. 56
