Astronomy Cast-logo

Astronomy Cast

Science Podcasts

Take a fact-based journey through the cosmos. Tune in to hear weekly discussions on astronomical topics ranging from planets to cosmology. Hosted by Fraser Cain (Universe Today) and Dr. Pamela L. Gay (Planetary Science Institute), this show brings the questions of an avid astronomy lover direct to an astronomer. Together Fraser and Pamela explore what is known and being discovered about the universe around us. Astronomy Cast is supported thru patreon.com/AstronomyCast.

Location:

United States

Description:

Take a fact-based journey through the cosmos. Tune in to hear weekly discussions on astronomical topics ranging from planets to cosmology. Hosted by Fraser Cain (Universe Today) and Dr. Pamela L. Gay (Planetary Science Institute), this show brings the questions of an avid astronomy lover direct to an astronomer. Together Fraser and Pamela explore what is known and being discovered about the universe around us. Astronomy Cast is supported thru patreon.com/AstronomyCast.

Language:

English


Episodes
Ask host to enable sharing for playback control

Ep. 734: The Einstein Mission

11/18/2024
Astronomy Cast Ep. 734: The Einstein Mission By Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Nov 11, 2024. Hosted by: Fraser Cain and Dr. Pamela L. Gay. Another day, another space telescope! Today we’re looking at the newly launched Einstein Probe. A collaboration between the Chinese Space Agency and the European Space Agency. The mission has been operating since January searching the cosmos for short, bright flashes of X-rays. SUPPORTED BY YOU This Episode is made possible thanks to our Patrons on Patreon. Join at the Galaxy Group level or higher to be listed in our YouTube videos. Thanks to: Andrew Poelstra, BogieNet, Brian Cagle, David, David Truog, Ed, Gerhard, Schwarzer, Jeanette Wink, Siggi Kemmler, Stephen Veit

Duration:00:30:02

Ask host to enable sharing for playback control

Ep. 733: Euclid Of Alexandria

11/11/2024
Astronomy Cast - Ep. 733: Euclid Of Alexandria By Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Nov 5, 2024. Last week we talked about the mission. This week we’ll talk about Euclid of Alexandria, the ancient Greek mathematician who inspired the mission. Let’s learn about his life and the ground breaking work that made so much of our modern mathematics possible. Hosted by: Fraser Cain and Dr. Pamela L. Gay. SUPPORTED BY YOU! This Episode is made possible thanks to our Patrons on Patreon. Join at the Galaxy Group level or higher to be listed in our YouTube videos. Thanks to: Andrew Poelstra, BogieNet, Brian Cagle, David, David Truog, Ed, Gerhard, Schwarzer, Jeanette Wink, Siggi Kemmler, Stephen Veit!

Duration:00:27:32

Ask host to enable sharing for playback control

Ep. 732: The Euclid Telescope

11/4/2024
Astronomy Cast Ep. 732: The Euclid Telescope By Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Oct 28, 2024. Let's look at the Euclid Space Telescope. Hosted by: Fraser Cain and Dr. Pamela L. Gay The Euclid 208-Gigapixel image! SUPPORTED BY YOU! This Episode is made possible thanks to our Patrons on Patreon. Join at the Galaxy Group level or higher to be listed in our YouTube videos. Thanks to: Andrew Poelstra, BogieNet, Brian Cagle, David, David Truog, Ed, Gerhard Schwarzer, Jeanette Wink, Siggi Kemmler, Stephen Veit

Duration:00:33:12

Ask host to enable sharing for playback control

Ep. 731: Neil Gehrels

10/28/2024
Astronomy Cast Ep. 731: Neil Gehrels By Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Oct 21, 2024. Last week we talked about the Neil Gerhels Swift Telescope, this week we’ll be talking about the man behind the mission. Gerhels was the principle investigator behind many missions, including Swift. Hosted by: Fraser Cain and Dr. Pamela L. Gay. SUPPORTED BY YOU! This Episode is made possible thanks to our Patrons on Patreon. Join at the Galaxy Group level or higher to be listed in our YouTube videos. Thanks to: Andrew Poelstra, BogieNet, Brian Cagle, David, David Truog, Ed, Gerhard, Schwarzer, Jeanette Wink, Siggi Kemmler, Stephen Veit

Duration:00:30:42

Ask host to enable sharing for playback control

Ep. 730: The Neil Gehrels Swift Telescope

10/21/2024
Astronomy Cast Ep. 730: The Neil Gehrels Swift Telescope By Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live October 15, 2024. Let's look over the long life of the Neil Gehrels Swift Telescope as it watches for the multi-spectral flashes of high energy explosions. This Episode is made possible thanks to our Patrons on Patreon. Join at the Galaxy Group level or higher to be listed in our YouTube videos. Thanks to: Andrew Poelstra, BogieNet, Brian Cagle, David, David Truog, Ed, Gerhard, Schwarzer, Jeanette Wink, Siggi Kemmler, Stephen Veit

Duration:00:26:58

Ask host to enable sharing for playback control

Ep. 729: The James Webb Space Telescope

10/7/2024
Astronomy Cast Ep. 729: The James Webb Space Telescope By Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Sep 30, 2024. Let's talk about that giant telescope that's changing everything. We have been waiting our entire careers to make this episode on the James Webb Space Telescope, AKA the JWST. This historic Observatory was launched just a couple of years ago and it's already overturning our understanding of the early Universe star formation and exoplanets!

Duration:00:37:55

Ask host to enable sharing for playback control

Ep. 728: Solar Scientist Eugene Parker

9/30/2024
Astronomy Cast Ep. 728: Solar Scientist Eugene Parker By Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Sep 23, 2024. Last week, we talked about the Parker Solar Probe. As always, we like to talk about the person who inspired the mission. What makes this amazing and different is that Eugene Parker was there to watch the launch of the mission that shares his name. Why is he so influential on solar astronomy? SUPPORTED BY YOU! This Episode is made possible thanks to our Patrons on Patreon. Join at the Galaxy Group level or higher to be listed in our YouTube videos. Thanks to: Paul Fischer, Joe Holistein, Janelle aka Veronica_Cure, Lenore Horner, David Troug, Timelord Iroh.

Duration:00:30:17

Ask host to enable sharing for playback control

Ep. 727: Parker Solar Probe

9/23/2024
Astronomy Cast Ep. 727: Parker Solar Probe By Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Sep 16, 2024. Let's look over the long life of the Parker Solar Probe as it explores the Sun and nearby worlds. The Sun! It’s that ongoing thermonuclear explosion that’s happening right over there! And although the Sun is necessary for life on Earth, we still have questions! So NASA has sent the Parker Solar Probe to visit the Sun up close, to get us some answers. SUPPORTED BY YOU! This Episode is made possible thanks to our Patrons on Patreon. Join at the Galaxy Group level or higher to be listed in our YouTube videos. Thanks to: Paul Fischer, Joe Holistein, Janelle aka Veronica_Cure, Lenore Horner, David Troug, Timelord Iroh.

Duration:00:30:40

Ask host to enable sharing for playback control

Ep. 726: Looking Back Over The Summer

9/16/2024
Astronomy Cast Ep. 726: Looking Back Over The Summer By Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live Sep 9, 2024. We made all sorts of predictions, and some of the stuff we didn't know about last July, somehow, we still don't know about as we set up this episode on September 3! Join us for the first episode of Season 18 as we review all the crazy space science that happened during our Summer Hiatus.

Duration:00:37:59

Ask host to enable sharing for playback control

Bonus Content: June 10 Pre-show Ramble about Starliner, Starship, and more

9/9/2024
From Jun 10, 2024. Prior to recording their exoplanets episode, Fraser and Pamela discussed their wild week of space flight news and discussed their concerns about the Starliner and StarShip programs. This is particularly timely as we prepare to look back on what actually happened with all this missions.

Duration:00:22:30

Ask host to enable sharing for playback control

Ep. 173: Herschel Space Observatory - REMASTER

8/26/2024
Astronomy Cast Ep. 173: Herschel Space Observatory - REMASTER By Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay From January 18, 2009. Last week we talked about Herschel the people – William Herschel, his sister Caroline, and his son John. This week we look at the Herschel Space Observatory, a mission launched in 2009 to reveal the coldest and dustiest regions in the Universe.

Duration:00:25:15

Ask host to enable sharing for playback control

Ep. 172: William Herschel - REMASTER

8/19/2024
Astronomy Cast Ep. 172: William Herschel - REMASTER By Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay From January 11, 2010. Ancient astronomers knew of 5 planets, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn – 6 if you count Earth. And then in 1781, William Herschel discovered an entirely new planet, Uranus, boosting the number of planets to 7. Let’s learn about Herschel, his equipment, his discoveries, and his sister Caroline – an accomplished astronomer all on her own!

Duration:00:25:33

Ask host to enable sharing for playback control

Ep. 88 - The Hubble Space Telescope - REMASTER

8/12/2024
Astronomy Cast Ep. 88 - The Hubble Space Telescope - REMASTER By Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay From May 12, 2008. Our understanding of the cosmos has been revolutionized by the Hubble Space Telescope. The breathtaking familiar photos, like the Pillars of Creation, pale in comparison to the astounding amount of science data returned to Earth. Hubble’s getting old, though, serviced several times already, and due for another mission later this year. Let’s relive the historic observatory’s amazing life so far, and see what the future holds.

Duration:00:32:42

Ask host to enable sharing for playback control

Ep. 162: Edwin Hubble - REMASTER

8/5/2024
Astronomy Cast Ep. 162: Edwin Hubble - REMASTER By Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay From November 2, 2009. You might know the name “Hubble” because of the Hubble Space Telescope. But this phenomenal observatory was named after one of the most influential astronomers in modern history. Hubble discovered that galaxies are speeding away from us in all directions, leading to our current understanding of an expanding Universe. Let’s learn about the man behind the telescope.

Duration:00:26:47

Ask host to enable sharing for playback control

Ep. 219 - Planck Mission - REMASTER

7/29/2024
Astronomy Cast Ep. 219 - Planck Mission - REMASTER By Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay From February 7, 2011. Another mission named after a famous physicist. This time we’re looking at the Planck mission, designed to study the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation over the entire sky. Like the previous WMAP mission, this will help astronomers understand the first moments after the Big Bang. This Episode is made possible thanks to our Patrons on Patreon. Join at the Galaxy Group level or higher to be listed in our YouTube videos. This video was made possible by the following Patreon members: - BogieNet - Stephen Veit - Jeanette Wink - Siggi Kemmler - Andrew Poelstra - Brian Cagle - David Truog - Ed - David - Gerhard Schwarzer THANK YOU! - Fraser and Dr. Pamela

Duration:00:29:28

Ask host to enable sharing for playback control

Ep. 218 REMASTER - Max Plank

7/22/2024
Astronomy Cast - Ep. 218 REMASTER - Max Plank By Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay From Jan 31, 2011. It’s time for another action-packed double episode, where we meet a man and his mission. This time around its German physicist Max Planck, considered to be the father of quantum theory – he was later granted a Nobel Prize for just that discovery. Let’s take a trip back just over 100 years to learn about the man who changed our understanding of the very small.

Duration:00:28:56

Ask host to enable sharing for playback control

Bonus Content: The week of too much news

7/15/2024
In this bonus episode, we bring you behind the scenes audio from our June 10 pre-show discussion about the “far too much news” that occurred the week of June 3, 2024.

Duration:00:21:02

Ask host to enable sharing for playback control

Ep. 725: Looking Ahead

7/1/2024
Streamed live on Jun 24, 2024. Normally Pamela refuses to think about the future. But today, on our final episode before hiatus, she’s throwing out those rules. It’s like the PURGE! Here’s what we’re excited about for the future. Especially for the next couple of months until we return in September. This Episode is made possible thanks to our Patrons on Patreon. Join at the Galaxy Group level or higher to be listed in our YouTube videos. From Pamela: I also have a favor to ask - I'm working on a research project with my collaborator Sanlyn Buxener on what factors help and hinder people learning and doing science. Can you please take our survey? THANK YOU! - Pamela Join our Patreon: This video was made possible by the following Patreon members: - BogieNet - Stephen Veit - Jeanette Wink - Siggi Kemmler - Andrew Poelstra - Brian Cagle - David Truog - Ed - David - Gerhard Schwarzer THANK YOU! - Fraser and Dr. Pamela

Duration:00:33:48

Ask host to enable sharing for playback control

Ep. 724: Summer (Science & Sci Fi) Reads

6/24/2024
Astronomy Cast Ep. 724: Summer (Science & Sci Fi) ReadsFraser & Pamela list their favorite books! Take notes! It’s almost time for our summer hiatus. A time to catch up on all that reading. We’ll give you some book recommendations, and what we’re hoping to read during the summer. Streamed live Jun 20, 2024. From Pamela: I also have a favor to ask - I'm working on a research project with my collaborator Sanlyn Buxener on what factors help and hinder people learning and doing science. Can you please take our survey? THANK YOU! Join our Patreon: This video was made possible by the following Patreon members: - BogieNet - Stephen Veit - Jeanette Wink - Siggi Kemmler - Andrew Poelstra - Brian Cagle - David Truog - Ed - David - Gerhard Schwarzer THANK YOU! - Fraser and Dr. Pamela

Duration:00:31:11

Ask host to enable sharing for playback control

Ep. 723: Exoplanets by the Numbers

6/17/2024
Astronomy Cast Ep. 723: Exoplanets by the Numbers By Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Jun 10, 2024. Astronomers have discovered thousands of exoplanets, revealing entirely new types of worlds that we just don’t have in the solar system. It’s enough to start getting a rough sense of what kinds of planets are out there. What’s the big picture? This Episode is made possible thanks to our Patrons on Patreon. Join at the Galaxy Group level or higher to be listed in our YouTube videos. This video was made possible by the following Patreon members: - BogieNet - Stephen Veit - Jeanette Wink - Siggi Kemmler - Andrew Poelstra - Brian Cagle - David Truog - Ed - David - Gerhard Schwarzer THANK YOU! - Fraser and Dr. Pamela

Duration:00:29:15