Slacker Astronomy podcast
Astronomy news and slack
Last Update: Sun, 15 Aug 2010 11:21:00 +0500
Podcast: Fun from the SunMichael, Doug and Mike discuss coronal mass ejections, solar flares, aurora and related topics.
Published: Sun, 15 Aug 2010 11:21:00 +0500
Variable Stars and Epsilon AurigaeAwesome video, narrated by Timothy Ferris, about variable stars and epsilon Aurigae. Courtesy of the good people at citizensky.org.
Published: Thu, 29 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0500
The Extragalactic Distance ScaleMichael Koppelman interviews Dr. Lucas Macri about his work on the extragalactic distance scale using Cepheid variable stars and space telescopes.
Published: Tue, 20 Jul 2010 21:33:00 +0500
AAVSONet with Dr. Arne HendenMike Simonsen interviews Dr. Arne Henden about AAVSONet, a global network of research telescopes, including APASS and the BSM.
Published: Fri, 11 Jun 2010 00:01:00 +0500
Citizen Sky with Rebekah TurnerMichael, Doug and Mike regale us with their wit and humor and then Mike interviews Rebekah Turner about the Citizen Sky project.
Published: Sat, 22 May 2010 11:41:00 +0500
Interview: Robert Naeye of Sky & Telescope Part 2The conclusion of Mike Simonsen's interview with Robert Naeye, Editor-in-Chief of Sky & Telescope magazine. The topic today is science journalism and afterward Michael, Doug and Mike share their thoughts via their typical slacker banter.
Published: Sat, 03 Apr 2010 12:24:00 +0500
Interview: Robert Naeye, Editor-in-Chief of Sky & TelescopeMike Simonsen from Slacker Astronomy interviews Robert Naeye, Editor-in-Chief of Sky & Telescope magazine about the future of amateur astronomy. Michael, Mike and Doug also discuss various topics and provide brilliant insights and humorous commentary.
Published: Sun, 07 Mar 2010 02:03:00 +0500
Interview: Kevin KrisciunasMike Simonsen interviews Kevin Krisciunas about his recent paper that describes how to measure the eccentricity of the moon's orbit with a yardstick and some cardboard and lots of other stuff.
Published: Sun, 07 Feb 2010 11:12:00 +0500
Kepler and Extrasolar AsteroidsAn interview with Steve Howell from NOAO about the Kepler mission, extrasolar asteroids and Ophiuchans.
Published: Sun, 03 Jan 2010 12:12:00 +0500
HeatMichael, Doug and Mike discuss heat, temperature, thermodynamics, black bodies and associated hot topics.
Published: Sat, 12 Dec 2009 13:00:00 +0500
Supernovae and Caroline MooreMike interviews Caroline Moore, the youngest discoverer of a supernova and Michael, Doug and Mike dicuss supernovae in general in some detail.
Published: Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:45:00 +0500
CCDs, Cosmology and BenMichael, Doug and Mike discuss the charge coupled device (CCD), answer reader mail about cosmology and interivew Slacker Blogger Ben Huset.
Published: Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:04:00 +0500
North Star SpecialA thorough and lengthy show about the North Star, Polaris, including an interview with Dr. Edward Guinan.
Published: Sun, 04 Oct 2009 11:40:00 +0500
Slackerchat with Michael, Doug and MikeMichael, Doug and proto-Slacker Mike Simonsen discuss Citizen Sky, Jupiter, Stardust, Active SETI and much, much more.
Published: Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:50:00 +0500
Interview: Evalyn GatesDoug and Michael interview cosmologist Dr. Evalyn Gates about white dwarfs, dark matter, dark energy and women in science.
Published: Sun, 07 Jun 2009 21:05:00 +0500
Interview: Peter BrookhouseDoug Welch interview Peter Brookhouse about protecting Australia's observatories from bush fires.
Published: Tue, 12 May 2009 00:20:00 +0500
Simo-Slacker Interviews Pt. IIMike Simonsen interviews Christopher Tout, Paula Szkody and Boris Gaensicke about cataclysmic variable stars.
Published: Mon, 13 Apr 2009 22:25:00 +0500
Simo-Slacker Interviews Pt. IA full show complete with discussion by Michael and Doug, 2 interviews by Mike Simonsen about cataclysmic variable stars and more chatter and laughing.
Published: Mon, 30 Mar 2009 22:15:00 +0500
365 Days of Astronomy: 2/12/09This is a cross-post of our third contribution to The 365 Days of Astronomy podcast. It is part 2 of a 2 part series with Dr. Roberta Humphreys and Dr. Kris Davidson from the University of Minnesota, discussing massive stars.
Published: Thu, 5 Mar 2009 11:45:00 +0500
365 Days of Astronomy: 1/12/09This is a cross-post of our second contribution to The 365 Days of Astronomy podcast. It is part 1 of a 2 part series with Dr. Roberta Humphreys and Dr. Kris Davidson from the University of Minnesota, discussing massive stars.
Published: Thu, 5 Mar 2009 11:40:00 +0500
Interview with George HrabAn interivew with musician, skeptic, podcaster and 365 Days of Astronomy theme song writer George Hrab. Also includes a live extended version of the 365 Days of Astronomy theme song!
Published: Sun, 25 Jan 2009 00:45:00 +0500
Dark Energy with Dr. Michael TurnerAn interivew with cosmologist Dr. Michael Turner, who coined the term Dark Energy. We caught up with Dr. Turner at the AAS Meeting in Long Beach, CA on Jan 7th, 2009.
Published: Sat, 10 Jan 2009 11:45:00 +0500
365 Days of Astronomy: 1/5/09This is a cross-post of our first contribution to The 365 Days of Astronomy podcast. Doug and Michael discuss the cause of the seasons here on earth and other aspects of the night sky as explained by simple geometry.
Published: Mon, 5 Jan 2009 22:00:00 +0500
Interview: JJ Kavelaars and the Kuiper BeltMichael and Doug discuss Mars Phoenix, Hubble and iPhone rockets plus an interview with Dr. JJ Kavelaars about Kuiper Belt objects.
Published: Mon, 17 Nov 2008 10:35:00 +0500
Is Geoff Clayton the man from Nantucket?From the Nantucket studios of Slacker Astronomy, we join Aaron, Michael and Doug for some astronomical chatter, including an interview with Dr. Geoff Clayton, an expert on R Coronae Borealis stars.
Published: Thu, 23 Oct 2008 11:10:00 +0500
Another Slacker Chat!After the tragedy of the "lost episode", undaunted, we got the gang together on Skype and had some fun recording a new show. Warning: Some politics within!
Published: Thu, 25 Sep 2008 11:20:00 +0500
SOFIA and HubbleBrief discussions about SOFIA and the upcoming Hubble servicing mission from the AAS meeting in Saint Louis. Cameos by Phil Plait (Bad Astronomy) and Mike Simonson (AAVSO).
Published: Tue, 26 Aug 2008 23:50:00 +0500
Slacker Chat with Doug, Michael, Aaron and TravisWe bring the old gang back together for a chit chat about Mars, Brian May, kinematic footprints, IYA and more. We had some technical problems so please ignore the occasional static, beeps or bad jokes.
Published: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 17:30:00 +0500
Interview: Doug Baum on the BIPHDoug and Michael interview Doug Baum who, along with his partner Russ Lederman, has developed the Binocular Photon Machine (BIPH), a device which amplifies incoming light 50,000 times, effectively tripling your telescope aperture. We talk about the device, how it works and the cool ways it can be used.
Published: Fri, 08 Aug 2008 00:50:00 +0500
Interview: Ethan VishniacAn interview with Dr. Ethan Vishniac who is the editor-in-chief of The Astrophyscial Journal and a professor of astronomy at McMaster University.
Published: Sun, 27 Jul 2008 22:40:00 +0500
Interview: Science CafesAn interview with Ben Wiehe of WGBH about science cafes.
Published: Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:00:00 +0500
Aaron Price on BZ UMa [FF]Aaron Price won a Chambliss Astronomy Achievement Student Award for this poster on the cataclysmic variable star BZ UMa. Aaron walks us through his poster and results.
Published: Sun, 29 Jun 2008 15:00:00 +0500
The Goddess of the IYA [FF]A short interview with Susana Deustua about the International Year of Astronomy, with a brief cameo by Mike Simonson of the AAVSO.
Published: Fri, 13 Jun 2008 03:00:00 +0500
Ice CubeMichael and Doug discuss the Ice Cube Neutrino Observatory, supernovae light echos and buying a star.
Published: Mon, 26 May 2008 22:00:00 +0500
Light PollutionJulie Wilbert brings us a report on light pollution with members of the Minnesota Astronomical Society.
Published: Sun, 11 May 2008 23:00:00 +0500
Podcast interview with Brant RobertsonDoug and Michael chat with Brant Robertson, who is a Spitzer Fellow doing research at The Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics. Brant is a theoretical astrophysicist involved with computer simulations of the evolution of galaxies.
Published: Fri, 28 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0500
Interview: Timothy Ferris [FF]Astrotalk about news and events followed by an exclusive interview with author and film maker Timothy Ferris.
Published: Sat, 15 Sep 2007 17:00:00 +0500
Video: DAO Visit [FF]A tour of the DAO Observatory in Victoria, BC, Canada.
Published: Fri, 10 Aug 2007 01:00:00 +0500
SG Chit Chat #6 Opening skit, Astro news, another First Principles, discussions of astronomy tenure
policies and the first of a new recurring segment: Kavli Cosmology Nugget, where cosmologists sit
around a table with wine and cheese and talk shop.
Published: Fri, 25 May 2007 13:30:00 +0500
Cosmology #7: The CMB Soap Opera w/Dr. Stephan MeyerDr. Stephen Meyer has been a part of most of the major CMB discoveries in the past two decades.
He takes us on a journey of all the experiments, their challenges and successes and then sets the stage for the next
phase of CMB experiments.
Published: Thu, 17 May 2007 13:30:00 +0500
Cosmology #3: The Big Bang and CMB w/Dr. Clem Pryke Dr. Clem Pryke discusses the Big Bang, the cosmic microwave background, and
various properties of it currently being tested in an effort to test and answer open questions about the
Big Bang.
Published: Tue, 15 May 2007 13:30:00 +0500
Cosmology #2: Dark Matter w/Dr. Andrey KravtsovDr. Andrey Kravtsov gives a good description of the dark matter concept along with current
understandings, challenges and active experiments underway to positively detect dark matter.
Published: Tue, 15 May 2007 12:30:00 +0500
Cosmology #1: The South Pole Telescope and KICP w/Dr. John CarlstromOur first interview from the Kavli Institute For Cosmological Physics. The Director, Dr. John
Carlstrom, gives us an overview of the institute and the major equipment they are building and using. Throughout the
week we will bring you many interviews, both audio and video, from the institute and about all things cosmology.
Published: Mon, 14 May 2007 12:30:00 +0500
SG #5.0It's baaaacckk.
Published: Mon, 7 May 2007 12:30:00 +0500
First Principles 1.0: AstronomersThe first episode of a new segment called First Principles, in which we discuss the basics of what astronomers are and what they do.
Published: Tue, 13 Feb 2007 11:30:00 +0500
Second Life Astro Cafe Interviews PromoJoin us Feb. 3 and Feb. 5 in Second Life for Slacker Astronomy Cafe Interviews with
Dr. Stuart Lowe and Dr. Doug Welch. More on Second Life at slackerpedia.org.
Published: Sun, 28 Jan 2007 23:40:00 +0500
Video: Hot Astronomers [OF]Tonya, Michael and Travis wander the halls in search of hot
astronomers. Filmed at the 209th American Astronomical Society meeting in Seattle,
WA.
Published: Thu, 18 Jan 2007 23:40:00 +0500
AAS: Day 3 Round Up and The Hot Chocolate Experiment [FF]Aaron, Doug, Michael, Travis and a friend Anthony talk about day 3 of the
American Astronomical Society meeting and perform an experiment with hot chocolate from room service.
Craziness ensues.
Published: Wed, 10 Jan 2007 12:00:00 +0500
AAS Recap Days 1-2 [OF]A recap of the first two days of the American Astronomical Society meeting. Ryan
Wyatt (Science Visualization blog) joins us as a guest. Meeting blog at slackerastronomy.org.
Published: Tue, 9 Jan 2007 10:00:00 +0500
Dirty Rotten Astronomers [JF]Michael and Travis skip out to Bermuda and report on the Space Technology
6 program from NASA.
Published: Sat, 06 Jan 2007 23:45:00 +0500
SG 4.0: The Astronomer Who Cried Wolf [FF]In this show we cover stories of astronomical predictions: the good, bad and why it's
easier to be the former than the latter. We also have an interview with Ryan Wyatt, a science visualizer at the American
Museum of Natural History who talks about what goes on behind the scenes to turn those faint fuzzies into pretty pictures and
gives us a report from a recent astro-visualization conference. And of course the news, mail and more.
Published: Wed, 22 Nov 2006 17:45:00 +0500
Video: Behind The Scenes [FF] Michael is visited by Timothy Ferris and a video crew to shoot
a scene for an upcoming PBS show about amateur astronomers.
Published: Thu, 2 Nov 2006 10:40:00 +0500
SG Interview: Doug Welch on MACHO [FF]MACHO, and its sequel, SuperMACHO, are projects that have directly detected dark matter. Dr. Doug Welch is one of the researchers involved with the MACHO project. In this podcast interview with Michael Koppelman, Doug talks about all things MACHO.
Published: Wed, 04 Oct 2006 10:40:00 +0500
Lite Brite Supernovae Video [FF]For our first video podcast, we take 5 pounds of Lite Brite pegs and use them to illustrate the process of supernovae explosions.
Published: Mon, 18 Sep 2006 01:02:00 +0500
Slackerpedia Galactica #1.0 [FF]The first edition of the new show. Future shows will be posted on this same feed.
Info at www.slackerastronomy.org.
Published: Thu, 14 Sep 2006 01:02:00 +0500
Carbon Monoxide with PurposeThere are two good places to have CO detectors: In your house
and on your radio telescope. We talk about one good place to find CO, and it's not in
your basement.
Published: Mon, 28 Aug 2006 01:00:00 +0500
My Fair Plutonian Menance [FF]The things Pluto must do to remain in the brotherhood of planets would make even Luke remble
with fear.
Published: Wed, 16 Aug 2006 01:00:00 +0500
Sometimes Too Much Light Can Be A Bad Thing [FF]In the 90's, astronomers had a chance to see an object usually obsructed by glare. That window of
opportunity has just now closed so the results of the research are now starting to come out..
Published: Wed, 2 Aug 2006 01:00:00 +0500
Great Balls of FireA great ball of gas, greater in size than the distance between us and the Andromeda galaxy(!),
has been spyed plunging into the distance Abell 3266 galaxy cluster. Why? Well why not? If you were a bored bit of gas
living out your days in the suburbs of such a great galactic metropolis, wouldn't you too want to take a plunge, and go
live in the center of things for a while?
Published: Mon, 31 Jul 2006 01:00:00 +0500
Dusty Supernovae[FF]Astronomers prove you wouldn't have dustballs without supernovae.
Published: Wed, 5 Jul 2006 01:00:00 +0500
Weird Physics[FF]Weird hard math sometimes is and sometimes isn't weird good science.
Published: Thu, 22 Jun 2006 01:00:00 +0500
Digging In the Dirt [FF]To learn of the Sun, we must look to the Moon. Or, more accurately, the dirty footprints we left behind.
Published: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 23:00:00 +0500
Light Brite [FF]Lights, lights, lights everywhere and not a star to see. Just how many stars can you see in your area?
Published: Tue, 28 Mar 2006 23:00:00 +0500
WMAP's Anistropy Trophy [FF] The show is now one year old, but the rest of us are 13.7 billion years old. Break out the Geritol.
Published: Tue, 21 Mar 2006 23:00:00 +0500
Pop and Glow [JF]Occationally people go bump in the night, and occationally things flare in Gamma Rays. Did you go bump when GRB060218 went flare?
Published: Tue, 14 Mar 2006 23:00:00 +0500
As Simple As That [FF]The recurrent nova RS Ophiuci erupts for the first time in 21 years and illustrates the impermanence of existence - or just looks neato
Published: Tue, 28 Feb 2006 23:00:00 +0500
Gamma-Ray Candles [FF]Brad Schaeffer demonstrates that Gamma-Ray Bursts can be used to measure the Cosmological Variable.
Published: Mon, 16 Jan 2006 01:00:00 +0500
Are You Ready For Some Astronomy? [FF]Monday Night Football is no longer. Fret not fellow couch potatoes! We have Monday Night Astronomy and a story about low energy aurorae.
Published: Tue, 3 Jan 2006 01:00:00 +0500
Stellar Skeletons [FF]The Crab Nebula, SN 1970g, and Universal Expansion provide explosive science
Published: Wed, 07 Dec 2005 01:00:00 +0500
Saturn As a Litter Box [FF]Cassini and Mira team up to find wakes that look like Ridges in Saturn's Rings
Published: Wed, 30 Nov 2005 01:00:00 +0500
Sharin' CharonSharin' Charon (Show #19) - Pluto and its Moon Charon
Published: Mon, 25 Jul 2005 21:00:00 +0500
Dunkin' QuasarsShow #14: Dunkin' Quasars
Published: Tue, 21 Jun 2005 21:00:00 +0500
The Big Bad AstronomerShow #5: The Big Bad Astronomer capsule interview, full interview on the SA Extra Feed
Published: Mon, 4 Apr 2005 01:00:00 +0500
Going BoomShow #4: Going Boom
Published: Mon, 4 Apr 2005 01:00:00 +0500
Saturn's Hot SpotShow #-5: Saturn's Hot Spot
Published: Mon, 14 Feb 2005 01:00:00 +0500