Astrophiz Podcasts

Astrophiz 215: Dr Ian Musgrave's June SkyGuide Summary: Mars close to thin crescent moon. Occultation of Antares behind the moon in the early evening sky. The moon comes close to some of the bright planets. … and Mars is close to the moon again at the end of the month. Moon Phases: June 3 ~ 1st Quarter Moon, and another time to catch the ‘Lunar X' late in the night, about 11pm for Australian Eastern states. 10:30 for central states and 9pm in the West. Lunar X Tip: take an image each 1/2 hour from moonrise. June 7 ~ Apogee, furthest from earth June 11 ~ Full Moon June 19 ~ Last Quarter Moon ~ ideal for stargazing June 23 ~ Perigee, closest to earth June 25 ~ New Moon ~ ideal for stargazing June 21 ~ Solstice: shortest day in Southern Hemisphere. longest day in Northern Hemisphere Evening Skies: Jupiter is lost into the twilight Mercury returns to evening skies mid-month, on the 27th it's 3°from the moon an hour after sunset, and will continue to be excellent until mid-July. Mars is low in the NW evening skies, and is still readily visible T Coronae Borealis is visible in late evening skies and still has not ‘Gone Nova' so the challenge is still … to capture a Nova before and after it blows! This Nova iswell ‘overdue' so all eyes are on it! Tuesday 10 June ~ The Occultation of Antares by the Moon is easily seen in binoculars and telescopes (for times, check Ian's Astroblogger website) Also June is a great opportunity to see The Dark Emu in the south, the Southern Cross and the magnificent globular cluster Omega Centauri is also at it's highest in the south. Morning Skies: Venus is furthest from the sun on 1 June, and is a half-moon shape in telescopes, and beside the crescent moon on 22 June Saturn is climbing higher in the morning sky, Scorpius is a feature in the dark morning sky in the east Saggitarius and the Heart of the Milky Way are also rising, a good opportunity to catch the Triffid and Lagoon nebulas in Saggitarius. Ian's 'Tangent' Ian discusses long-lived aspects of Indigenous astronomy like The Eagle, Stingray and Dark Emu, and how Western constellation names have changed over time. eg Argo was declared obsolete in 1930. Ian's Astrophotography Challenges: 1. Capture The Occultation of Antares on June 10th (almost full moon) 2. Then on a dark night with no moon, have a go at The Dark Emu, with your mobile phone/DSLR/camera, conveniently at 8pm in the south near Scorpius, the Pointers and the Southern Cross. Tips: Use your device's highest ISO (ASA) Under urban skies, take 10 x1second exposures, and stack them using a free stacking program or app. Under dark skies, you can take longer exposures If stacking in RAW, do a ‘dark frame' subtraction If stacking in JPEG, don't use dark frame subtraction.

Please meet Dr Anya Nugent … she is amazing … and she has some beautiful stories for us … let's hear all about unbelievably powerful Gamma Ray bursts and their host galaxies from an amazing Harvard and Smithsonian astrophysicist who uses incredible observatories like CHANDRA, XMM-Newton, ALMA, CHIME, MEERKAT, the VLA and even our old friend Hubble … to reveal new understandings of how our universe works.

May Moon Phases: May 4 ~1st Quarter May 11 ~ Moon at Apogee May 13 ~ Full Moon May 20 ~ Last Quarter Great for star gazing May 26 ~ Moon at Perigee May 27 ~ New Moon Great for star gazing What's Up in May? Planets: Evening Skies Jupiter is difficult to see this month Mars is visible, and nice to see just an hour after sunset Uranus will return in a couple of months Most of the planetary action is in the morning sky, Mercury Saturn and Venus are the standouts, but Mercury is lost in the twilight by mid month, returning to evening skies in June. May 2  ~ Asteroid Vesta (almost a dwarf planet) is at opposition (closest to earth) May 8 ~ Eta Aquariids Meteor Shower should be pretty good this year (debris from Halley's Comet) Great meteor spotting tips in the audio Will TCrB go Nova this month? Keep watching Ian recommends VESTA watching with naked eye under dark skies, in Binocs & 'scopes in the ‘Burbs. See his Astroblog, the Astrophiz FB page or Southern Skywatch for photos and easy finder charts Ian's Tangent: The Clouds of Mars. Ian tells us how earth's clouds were named, and about the clouds on other planets Websites to visit: * https://cloudatlas.wmo-DOT-int/en/home.html * https://europlanet-society-DOT-org/cloud-atlas-of-mars-showcases-array-of-atmospheric-phenomena/ ( * copy & paste, then replace the DOT with an actual dot) Ian's Astrophotography Challenge: Capture asteroid VESTA on your phone or camera. Great tips in the audio _______________________________ Next Up on Astrophiz: In two weeks were zooming over 14 timezones to speak with Dr Anya Nugent who is an enthusiastically awesome astrophysicist who does exciting research into some of the most powerful phenomena in our universe.  You'll love her stories about how she uses some of the world's most powerful optical and near-infrared observatories to hunt down the host galaxies of supernovae, kilonovae, and gamma-ray bursts to understand their unique origins … see you in two weeks

In Astrophiz 212, 'Space Governance' we are speaking with Space Lawyer, Ciara Guy, who has worked in the Justice system and Magistrates Courts. After completing her first law degree, she is now an assistant astronomer at Battlesteads Observatory and is majoring in Space Law for her Master's Law degree at Northumbria University. Her specialties are Dark Skies and Mega-constellations of proliferating low earth-orbit satellites.

Dr Ian Musgrave's April SkyGuide April Summary Jupiter & Mars are dominating the NW skies Venus, Saturn & Mercury dominate the morning skies. TCr Borealis is ‘lurking' … ready to go Nova The ‘Lunar X' is coming up April Moon Phases: First Quarter: April 5 Lunar X is visible on the 5th Daylight saving ends on Sunday 6 April Moon at Apogee April 13 Full Moon: April 13 Last Quarter April 21 Moon at Perigee April 28 New Moon: April 28 Evening Skies: Jupiter is high in the north-western evening sky when the sky is fully dark. Jupiter forms a line with the stars Aldebaran and Elnath. The Moon joins the line-up Jupiter on the 3rd, and on the 8th, Jupiter is 8 degrees from the crescent moon. Mars is high in the evening sky, setting just after midnight. Mars was at opposition, when it is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, earlier in the year on January the 16th. Mercury is lost in the evening twilight, but is moving to morning skies. … AND HAVE A HUNT FOR VESTA! Morning Skies: Saturn returns to the morning twilight. It is near the crescent Moon on the 28th Mercury is pretty easy Venus - Easiest Vesta is difficult, but getting easier as the month progresses Highlights: 3 April Crescent Moon near Jupiter in Evening twilight. 5 April "Lunar X" visible 5-6 April Mars around 5° from waxing Moon 13 April Apogee Full Moon 16-25 April The Lyrid meteor shower will be visible 25 April Saturn and Venus close in the morning twilight forming a triangle with the thin crescent Moon 26 April Crescent Moon close to Mercury in the morning twilight Astrophotography Challenges: 1. CHASING the ‘Terminator' on the Moon. Hint: 1/250 sec at ISO 400 every 30 minutes, and making a simple animation. 2. CATCHING The T Coronae Borealis Nova. The challenge is still … to capture a Nova before and after it blows! This Nova is ‘overdue' so all eyes are on it! Ian's Tip: use 1sec stacks T Coronae Borealis last brightened in 1946, and astronomers initially predicted it would brighten again by September 2024. It's a variable star in Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown, a backward-C-shaped constellation east of Boötes. T Coronae Borealis, dubbed the “Blaze Star” and known to astronomers simply as “T CrB,” is a binary system nestled in the Northern Crown constellation some 3,000 light-years from Earth. The system is comprised of a dense white dwarf – an Earth-sized remnant of a dead star with a mass comparable to that of our Sun – and an ancient red giant slowly being stripped of hydrogen by the relentless gravitational pull of its hungry neighbour. Ian's Tangent:

You'll be astounded when you listen to A/Prof Elizabeth Tasker as she takes us on an astonishingly brilliant 600million kilometre rollercoaster ride on the JAXA Hayabusa missions to collect the very first Asteroid samples and bring them back to earth for analysis, to reveal the primordial origins of our solar system. Elizabeth also gives us an update on JAXA's 2026 Mars Moons mission ~ MMX You'll marvel at this triumph of ingeniously designed and executed science and engineering! Great science stories of discovery are essentially ... great human stories.

March Moon Phases: Moon at Perigee March 2 First Quarter: March 7 Full Moon: March 14 Moon at Apogee March18 Last Quarter March 22 New Moon: March 29 Moon at Perigee again on March 30 Evening Skies: Mercury is very low in the evening twilight in the West. (binocs recommended but only after sunset) and Mercury will return to morning skies in April and will be quite nice then. Venus in the early evening twilight is very low in the West (and as a fine crescent in telescopes) … and will disappear from us by the end of the first week of March, and then will re-appear in the East as the ‘Morning Star' in April. Jupiter is in the north west all night and best viewed around midnight. Nice new storms can be picked out in telescopes in the equatorial belt. Mars can still be seen in the West Uranus at mag 5.8 is still visible Saturn returns to evening skies in late March Highlights: 1 March: Saturn and Mercury near to thin crescent Moon (2° apart for Mercury) very low in evening twilight, will require binoculars. 2 March: Crescent Moon near crescent Venus very low in evening twilight (5°) 6 March: Waxing Moon near Jupiter in evening twilight (6°) 9 March: Waxing Moon near Mars in evening sky (5°), Moon close to Pollux 14 March: Occultation of bright star Beta Virginis around midnight 20 March: Earth at Equinox 21 March: Occultation of bright star Antares just after midnight behind moon Astrophotography Challenge: The T Coronae Borealis Nova. The challenge is to capture a Nova before and after it blows! This Nova is ‘overdue' so all eyes are on it! Ian's Tip: use 1sec stacks T Coronae Borealis last brightened in 1946, and astronomers initially predicted it would brighten again by September 2024. It's a variable star in Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown, a backward-C-shaped constellation east of Boötes. T Coronae Borealis, dubbed the “Blaze Star” and known to astronomers simply as “T CrB,” is a binary system nestled in the Northern Crown constellation some 3,000 light-years from Earth. The system is comprised of a dense white dwarf – an Earth-sized remnant of a dead star with a mass comparable to that of our Sun – and an ancient red giant slowly being stripped of hydrogen by the relentless gravitational pull of its hungry neighbour. Ian's Tangent: Sky literacy, or lack thereof, as exemplified by ‘drone sightings' in the US and amplified by the Governor of Maryland. We also discuss easy pathways to develop better sky literacy.

Meet Dr Alex Cameron from Oxford University who is making fantastic discoveries about the earliest and most distant galaxies in our universe using the James Webb Space Telescope …

Dr Ian Musgrave brings us his February SkyGuide … telling us when, where and what to look for in the evening and morning skies this month, with some great astrophotography tips. Listen: Summary: February is again a wonderful month for celestial observers with a great lineup of planets in your evening skies/ February Moon Phases: Feb 2 Moon at perigee Feb 5 First quarter moon.
 Feb 13 Full Moon
 Feb 18 Moon at apogee
 Feb 21 Last quarter moon Feb 28 New moon
 February's Observing Highlights: All the action in Morning Skies has now moved to the Evening Skies where we have a fabulous line-up of planetary action all month. Saturn, Venus, Jupiter and Mars are putting on a marvellous visual display for us and blue Uranus is also relatively easy to find. Venus, even though it is in crescent phase, is at its brightest this month, As usual Ian gives us ‘Ian's Tangent' … and this month it's all about present and future ‘Planet Parades' and in two weeks we're zooming over to Oxford University to speak with Dr Alex Cameron, an amazing astrophysicist who has used the JWST to discover a new and most unusual class of galaxies in the very early universe, just after the big bang Keep looking Up!

Today we're zooming over 16 time zones from rural Australia to Toronto Canada where we are a guest on The York Universe Podcast with Dr Elaina Hyde and Julie Tomé where we are talking about What's Up in the Skies Down Under.

Dr Ian Musgrave gives us his fabulous Holiday SkyGuide where he tell us all the fabulous sights that are in store for us over December and January. Most of the planetary action is at family-friendly times in the evening skies. We have Venus Jupiter and Saturn all at their best these holidays, a meteor shower still worth a look despite the full moon mid-December, an occultation of Saturn by the moon, and a re-appearance of the 'Lunar X' phenomenon. In Ian's Tangent he reveals the latest advances in the science of tracing the origins of meteors. It's beautiful Science! For those celebrating festive occasions with friends and family in December and January, have a happy and safe festive season.

In this our two hundred and fourth episode of Astrophiz, we're going to listen in to another fabulous Astro podcast that you should subscribe to. Regular listeners will remember back to Episode 57 in 2018 where we interviewed a wonderful data scientist and astrophysicist, Dr Elaina Hyde. Elaina speaks four languages, has four undergraduate degrees in astronomy, physics, optical engineering and planetary sciences; two masters degrees in engineering and astronomy and astrophysics; and a Ph.D. in astronomy and physics. Now back then, Doctor Hyde was an post-doc research fellow at Western Sydney University and data science consultant …. and right now she is at York University in Toronto Canada where she is the director pf the Allan I Carswell Observatory and is an associate professor who has also developed wonderful outreach programs One aspect of Elaina's outreach repertoire is where Doc Hyde and her York University colleagues regularly produce a fabulous podcast! In this episode we are re-broadcasting today they take us on a deep dive into science and science fiction with space launches from the past. We travel through the 70s (and a bit of the 50s) with space launches from Mariner, Voyager, Pioneer, to mention a few …. Join Elaina and her co-hosts, as well as Professor Mary-Helen Armour for this literal blast into space! Here we go !!

Astronomy- The Astrophiz podcast with Dr Ian ‘Astroblog' Musgrave Moon Phases for November: 1 November - New Moon - ideal for stargazing 9 November - 1st Quarter Moon 14 November - Moon at perigee (closest) 16 November - Full Moon 23 November - Last Quarter Moon, also ideal for stargazing 26 November - Moon at apogee (furthest) Most of the planetary action is in the evening skies and late evening skies. Evening Skies: Venus is very high in early evening skies in the west Mercury is at its best in the evening twilight this month, near thin crescent moon on 3 November. Saturn is still quite good in the west this month. Jupiter is visible rising in the east in the late evening skies Mars enters evening skies later in the month, but still at its best in the mornings. In mid-month, Mercury, Venus and Saturn will be seen close to each other an hour after sunset. Uranus is in opposition at Mag5.7 so is actually an unaided eye object under dark sky conditions. Easy to find about 2 degrees above the Pleiades Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) is climbing higher and fading, but for the start of the month is still a nice binocular object in evening western skies before fading from most binoculars. The Leonid meteor shower is a waste of time this year due to a blazing moon. Morning Skies Mars is higher in the twilight in the East Jupiter is best in the mornings right now, as it slowly moves back to Aldabaran. Astrophotography Venus is in the heart of the galaxy, but you'll need dark skies to have the long exposures needed to bring out the Milky Way's heart. Comet C/2024 S1 is a possible (but not probable) ‘Lovejoy-type object' to keep an eye out for.

Astronomy ~ Astrophiz 202: Dr Genevieve Schroeder ~ Radio Eyes on Gamma-ray Burst Skies Meet Dr Genevieve Schroeder a fabulous astrophysicist who does exciting research into GRBs … Gamma Ray Bursts. A Gamma Ray Burst is the undisputed brightest-ever radiation coming from the most extreme events in the universe … Specifically, Genevieve hunts down and understands how Gamma-ray Bursts are generated by the most cataclysmic events in our universe

Astrophiz 201: Dr Ian Musgrave's October SkyGuide Highlights: Comet C/2023 A3 has been observed and photographed embedded in the eastern morning twilight over the past week, but is now (1 October) below the horizon and skimming behind the sun. The Comet emerges and becomes visible in the western evening twilight around 11 October, so we can look forward to catching it, and it could be quite bright before rapidly fading, but no one really knows how it will emerge after it's closest approach to the sun. Could be spectacular or a fizzer … So Ian's best advice is to go out just after sunset after 11 October and check out your western horizon. Watch this space! Planetary Action: Mainly moving to the evening skies. Mercury is returning and will be quite high in the sky later in the month. Saturn is easy to observe now in the mid-evening sky. Jupiter can be seen in evening skies by mid month, but still best and prominent in morning skies. Mars is getting brighter The Orionids meteor shower will be significantly affected by the moon :( Moon Phases: October 3 is the New Moon … Great for stargazing under dark skies. October 11 is 1st Quarter moon October 17 is the Full moon October 24 is the Last Quarter moon Corona Borealis is setting, no bang yet :/ Ians Tangent: All about Earth's temporary 2nd Moon - 2024 PT5 … and Quasi-Moons.

Today, to celebrate our 200th episode, we're bringing you a sensational interview with Larissa Palethorpe, a young PhD from Edinburgh University who has discovered the most Earth-like planet yet. You'll love Larissa and her Earth-shattering research.

Dr Ian Musgrave brings us his September SkyGuide … telling us when, where and what to look for in the evening and morning skies this month. As usual Ian also gives us his ‘Tangent' ... this time al about Full Moons, Apogee moons and Perigee moons, and how an astrologer made a typo leading to how our understanding of 'Blue Moons' has been somewhat flawed Also Ian is continuing his ‘Astrophotography Challenge' where he presents us with not one, but a trio of achievable and challenging tasks to undertake with our cameras in September. This month our challenge is to capture a Comet, a Nova and capturing a perigee and apogee moon with the same zoom settings, and an occultation. Moon Phases for September New Moon - 3 September - best for seeing the faint fuzzies and clusters Apogee Moon furthest from Earth - 6 September 1st Quarter Moon - 11 September Full Moon - 18 September Perigee Full Moon is also closest to Earth -18 September Last Quarter Moon - 25 September Evening Sky Venus in the evening twilight, close to thin crescent moon on the 5th, and close to Spica on the 18th. Saturn - almost edge on in the late evening, and for those in Northern Australia north of Alice Springs, an occultation on 17 September at about 6:20 in the evening .... and the centre of our galaxy is directly overhead this month, so when the sky is very dark this week (New Moon) and around to 25th (last quarter moon), please do get out and have a look at our magnificent Milky Way! Morning Sky Mercury has returned, low in the morning sky. Saturn rising ... always beautiful! Mars is moving into Gemini, and Jupiter getting higher also prominent in the morning sky, and may be joined by Comet C/2023A3 later on in the month, Comet C/2023A3 is closest to the sun on September 27, in the early morning if it doesn't disintegrate, but comets are like cats ... "they have tails and do as the please" Corona Borealis still hasn't banged, but is still expected to pop off before the end of September. Occultation of Antares best from Perth 10-11 September Ian's September Astrophotography Challenges: 1. Capture the apogee and perigee with same zoom. 2. Capture the comet oround the 13th or 14th, 3. Occultation 4. Corona Borealis Nova explosion Next Episode: In 2 weeks, to celebrate our 200th episode, we are bringing you a sensational interview with Larissa Palethorpe, a young PhD from Edinburgh University who has discovered the most earth-like planet yet … and it's only 40 Light years away You'll love Larissa and her earth-shattering research. Keep looking up!

Meet the amazing Dr Tessa Vernstrom! Tessa is the Project Scientist for the Evolutionary Map of the Universe aka EMU survey using the ASKAP telescope. She is also the co-chair of the SKA Magnetism Science Working Group as well as lead in the POSSUM survey of the polarized radio sky. In this fabulous episode, Tessa introduces us to a fun and engaging Citizen Science Project ~ The Radio Galaxy Zoo: EMU In summary, you will hear how Tessa is using the world's most powerful and sensitive instruments to unlock the secrets of the faintest and furthest objects and most mysterious phenomena in our known universe, and she has chosen to work on the most difficult research areas possible. You'll love her stories ...

Astrophiz 197: Dt Ian Musgrave's August SkyGuide Moon Phases for August New Moon - 4 August - best for seeing the faint fuzzies and clusters Apogee Moon furthest from Earth - 9 August 1st Quarter Moon - 13 August Full Moon - 20 August Perigee Moon closest to Earth - 21 August Last Quarter Moon - 26 August Evening Sky Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan is binocular-visible in Leo. Mercury is a fine sighting early in the evenings in August near the Western horizon. Mercury, Regulus and Venus are visible till an hour after sunset On the 6th, Mercury, Regulus and Venus form a triangle with the thin crescent moon. Venus is climbing higher and becoming more prominent as the ‘Evening Star' Saturn is rising about 8:30 in the evening and is best telescopically a few hours later when it is higher. Saturns Rings are almost edge on at the moment. Morning Sky Mars has been heading towards Jupiter and the horizon, and in the first week of August lands in the constellation Taurus, forming a second red ‘eye' with Aldabaran in the bull's head. Between the 12th and 17th Mars and Jupiter are less than a finger width apart, and on the 15th, less than half a finger width apart. Looking East and North East in the morning, the Pliades Cluster, Hyades Cluster, Mars, Jupiter and Aldabaran are making interesting patters throughout the month. Capturing a recurrent Nova Explosion About an hour and a half after sunset when the sky is completely dark, you look North and a little bit West, you'll spot the bright star Arcturus, then if you look down and a little to the right, you'll see a circle of stars called Corona Borealis. The Astrophotography Challenge Take a photo of Corona Borealis every clear night during August-September to capture the pre-Nova view and then continue till after TCR-B has gone Nova. Ian's Tangent : How do we define a planet? We have a definition of a solar system planet: Forms a sphere under its own gravity. It must orbit our sun. It must have cleared its own orbit Now because we cannot yet determine if an exoplanet is a sphere, we now have a proposed definition of an exoplanet, It must orbit a sun, or suns. Its mass must be smaller than can have fusion occurring Its mass must be enough to clear its orbit. Yesterday the ESA released an image of a ‘Cold Jupiter' named Epsilon Indi Ab. The planet is several times the mass of Jupiter and orbits the K-type star Epsilon Indi A (Eps Ind A), which is around the age of our Sun, but slightly cooler. The team observed Epsilon Indi Ab using the coronagraph on Webb's MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument). Of the 5000+ exoplanets known to date, only a few tens of exoplanets have been directly imaged previously by space- and ground-based observatories. "This discovery is exciting because the planet is quite similar to Jupiter — it is a little warmer and is more massive, but is more similar to Jupiter than any other planet that has been imaged so far,” quoted lead author Elisabeth Matthews of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Germany.

Today we have a brilliant interview for you as we speak with a fabulous Early Career Researcher, Dr Lauren Rhodes from the University of Oxford. Lauren has just published a paper on the BOAT … the Brightest Object of All Time … a “Once in 10,000 year event” The blast, called GRB 221009A, was over 100 billion times brighter than the sun. Lauren works in powerful collaborations which use a variety of radio interferometers, such as MeerKAT and e-MERLIN to study the radio emissions from explosive celestial events including jets from X-ray binaries and gamma ray bursts. She is using multi wavelength observations of these sources to understand each event's jet physics and its surrounding environment. This stunning episode is available free from Audible Podcasts, Soundcloud, Apple podcasts and Youtube MP3 links and a full transcript for those who may prefer to read our interview, is published on Astrophiz.com

Astrophiz 195: Dr Ian Musgrave's July SkyGuide Dr Ian Musgrave brings us your July SkyGuide … telling us when, where and what to look for in the evening and morning skies this month. And July is again also a wonderful month for celestial observers, especially the early risers amongst us :) As usual Ian gives us 'Ian's Tangent' … and this month it's all about the ‘Comet Ferret', Charles Messier, and his famous catalog of 13 comets and 110 iconic ‘Messier Objects' now known to be galaxies, nebulae and globular clusters. See if you can spot the ‘False Comet' in the tail of Scorpius. Then Ian gives us his ‘Astrophotography Challenge' where he presents us with an achievable and challenging task to undertake with our cameras. This month our challenge is to capture the occultation of the Mulayndynang/Pleiades cluster by the moon on Tuesday July 30 PLUS: July's Observing Highlights:

Today we have a brilliant show for you as we speak with Associate Professor Duncan Galloway from Monash University in Australia. His research involves the rarest, most powerful and cataclysmic events that occur in our universe ... Neutron stars colliding!

Astrophiz 193: Dr Ian Musgrave's June SkyGuide Dr Ian Musgrave brings us his June SkyGuide … telling us when, where and what to look for in the evening and morning skies this month. And June is also a wonderful month for celestial observers, especially the early risers amongst us :) As usual Ian gives us his ‘Tangent' … and this month it's all about how animals respond to celestial appearances and then he gives us his ‘Astrophotography Challenge' where he presents us with an achievable and challenging task to undertake with our cameras. This month our challenge is to capture Saturn as it is occulted by the moon.

Today we're speaking with Dr. Marcus Lower, who is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Australia's National Science Agency, the CSIRO. His research primarily focuses on pulsars … rapidly rotating neutron stars that emit beams of electromagnetic radiation from their magnetic poles. He's the principal investigator of a Pulsar Timing Project, which uses the CSIRO, Parkes Murriyang radio telescope to understand the long-term behaviour of neutron stars and how they can be used to study the interstellar medium. Marcus is the lead author in a just-published Nature Astronomy paper using the 64-meter Parkes-Murriyang dish and also the monster 76-meter Lovell Telescope at the Jodrell Bank Observatory in Manchester to reveal really mystifying behaviours of Pulsar XTE J1810-197, which we have never seen anything remotely like this before.

Astrophiz 191: May SkyGuide Dr Ian Musgrave brings us his May SkyGuide … telling us when, where and what to look for in the evening and morning skies this month. And May is a wonderful month for celestial observers, especially the early risers amongst us :) As usual Ian gives us his ‘Tangent' … and this month it's all about the depiction of Comets throughout history and then he gives us his ‘Astrophotography Challenge' where he presents us with an achievable and challenging task to undertake with our cameras. This month our challenge is to capture Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks as it passes through the majestic Orion 'The Hunter' Constellation,

Enjoy this great interview with Professor  Katie Auchettl, who is the Associate Professor of Astrophysics and Physics at Melbourne University.  Katie is an observational astrophysicist whose research focuses on the extreme death of stars. Katie has worked with a team of young astronomers on a sensational book for aspiring astrophysicists that's just been freely published on the Archive (ArXiv) Server. The book is called: “Astronomy as a Field: A Guide for Aspiring Astrophysicists”  … and it is sensational …. and I can't recommend it highly enough for any student … any person …. who has an interest in astronomy …. It's a springboard to the stars and sure to be ground zero to many brilliant careers for aspiring astrophysicists …           Get your free pdf copy at tinyurl-DOT-com/aspiringastro Katie is also currently the PI of a large Australian Research Council grant project looking at  Tidal Disruption Events …  known affectionately as TDEs, where stars get ripped apart by supermassive black holes. We even get to hear what spaghettification is. Enjoy Katie's fabulous stories!

Welcome to the April SkyGuide: Dr Ian Musgrave is telling us when, where and what to look for in the evening and morning skies in April. He also gives us his ‘Tangent' about Fungi and Lichen on the ISS. This month Ian continues his 'Astrophotography Challenge' where he presents us with an achievable and challenging task to undertake with simple cameras. Our target for April is Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks ... and he gives us some excellent tips to capture this celestial Dragon. Are you up for it?

Professor Orsola De Marco is a Professor at Macquarie University and Deputy-Director of the  Astrophysics and Space Technologies Research Centre at Macquarie University in Sydney. She obtained her PhD at University College London as a Perren Scholar, after which she was a Swiss National Science Foundation research fellow at ETH Zurich, a FUSE Fellow at University College London and Asimov Fellow at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. She was an ARC Future Fellow. Her research focusses on stellar interactions and how they alter the structure and evolution of stars in multiple systems.

Dr Ian Musgrave brings us his March SkyGuide …  telling us when, where and what to look for in the evening and morning skies this month. He also gives us his ‘Tangent' about perigee and apogee Moons. Also Ian is continuing his ‘Astrophotography Challenge' where he presents us with an achievable and challenging task to undertake with our cameras. This month it's imaging Vesta and learning how to use the free Deep Sky Stacker software

Today listeners, we're zooming over 10 timezones to Denmark for some cutting edge science …, and you're invited to a very special conversation with Dr Hannah Diamond-Lowe who is a senior researcher in the Exoplanet Group at the National Space Institute, Technical University of Denmark … where her groundbreaking research characterizes small exoplanet atmospheres using ground- and space-based observatories. She is also the Principal Investigator of the Hot Rocks Survey, a large observing program using the James Webb Space Telescope to test terrestrial rocky exoplanets for their atmospheres as they orbit nearby M-dwarf stars, as well as the companion program Hot Rock Stars, which will measure the UV output of the M dwarf hosts with Hubble.

Dr Ian Musgrave kicks off 2024 with his February SkyGuide telling us when, where and what to look for in the evening and morning skies in February. He gives us a Tangent about perigee and apogee Moons. This year Ian is introducing his 'Astrophotography Challenge' wher ehe presents us with an achievable and challenging task to undertake with our cameras.

Astrophiz 184: Hyerin Cho Meet Hyerin Cho, an inspiring young astrophysicist from Korea who is doing her PhD at the Harvard Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Hyerin uses her formidable computational skills to simulate still-mysterious black holes using supercomputers, as well as revealing the mysteries and enigmatic fast radio bursts AKA FRBs. For her main research, she produces simulations of plasma accreting onto black holes and is on an already successful quest to discover what really makes these wonderful phenomena tick and how galaxies and their central black holes interact with each other, regardless of their relative size. An amazing researcher making supermassive discoveries!

Dr. Rebecca Davies is an Astro3D postdoctoral researcher and has just been awarded an ARC-DECRA fellowship at the Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia. Rebecca researches the stuff that flows out of Galaxies AKA ‘Galactic Outflows' … and she looks across the majority of the history of the universe from right now and right back through time to less than a billion years after the Big Bang. Rebecca uses spectroscopic data from Hubble, JWST … the Awesome James Webb Space Telescope and the VLT, the Very Large Telescope which consists of a optical array of four 8.2 m telescopes high up in the Atacama desert in Chile. From these data, Rebecca is creating new understandings of how Galaxies evolve, filling in some of those gaps in our knowledge, and her Honours and PhD students are in multiple research groups on related quests to understand galactic evolution. Now, when not doing Astrophysics. Rebecca can most likely be found bike riding or playing violin … and she's currently a violinist with the brilliant Zelman Memorial Symphony Orchestra in Melbourne.

Moon Phases: November 5 - the Last Quarter Moon is Sunday, good time for evening skygazing. November 7 - The Moon is at apogee, when it is furthest from the Earth November 13 - New Moon, good time for skygazing the entire night. November 14 - The very thin ‘day old' moon is near Mercury in the west just after sunset. A genuine challenge to catch this. November 20 - First Quarter Moon, great binocular moon gazing time, with Saturn nearby. November 22 - The Moon is at perigee, when it is closest from the Earth. November 25 - Jupiter is only 2 degrees away from the waxing moon. November 27 - Full Moon. Evening Sky: Saturn is nice and high in evening skies and always a joy to observe in the north. On 23 November, Saturn casts its deepest shadow over its rings …. well worth a look, or a photo. Jupiter is bright all night long all the month, and on November 2 - Opposition of Jupiter, Mercury returns to evening skies from mid-month onwards, and easily visible in the west towards the end of the month. Morning Sky: Venus is high and highly visible, and on the 10th, just 4 degrees from the crescent moon. As the month progresses Venus approached the bright star Spica. Stars to watch out for: Scorpius begins to sink below the western horizon. Orion, Canis Major, Carina, Puppis and Vela are beginning to rise in the east, but quite visible by the end of the month, and even easier to see in December. It's a great time to also observe the Magellanic Clouds and the double stars in Tucanae, and the beautiful Tarantula Nebula. December:: Dec 22 - Earth is at Solstice Geminids Meteor Shower - combining with the New Moon, the Geminids will be very nice this year, peaking on Dec 14, but in Australia, best on the morning of Dec 15th, with a show of about 60 meteors/hour expected in Northern Australia, and about 30/hr in the south, depending on the darkness of your sky, from about 1am onwards. Expect to see some very bright ones. Ian's Tangent: Hand-held ‘pocket portable' sundials

Today's special episode is from your host, Brendan O'Brien, and is all about ­­the amazing James Webb Space Telescope: “Unveiling the Cosmos” Our story begins in a remote, microscopic corner in the vast expanse of the cosmos, where humankind has always yearned to uncover its deepest mysteries. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) represents a monumental leap in our quest to explore the universe. From its conception as an ambitious dream in the early 1990's … to its launch on Christmas Day 2021, … it's successful deployment and calibration has resulted in the mind-boggling imagery that it is constantly beaming back down to us; the JWST has already been a testament to human ingenuity, perseverance, and the unquenchable pursuit of new knowledge. This is for our regular listeners, new listeners, space enthusiasts, and those with a curious heart.

Show Notes: Morning Sky Two beautiful bright planets will reward those who get up early in the mornings this month. Jupiter is is rising before midnight but is still best in the morning sky, it is close to the Moon on October 1 and on the 29th. Venus is moving from crescent to half moon phase and climbs higher the morning twilight coming very close to the bright star Regulus by weeks end. Partial penumbral lunar eclipse on October 28 is difficult to observe in central Australia and impossible in eastern states, but is fully visible from WA where the maximum eclipse is at 5:13am. The Moon occultation of the Pleiades (the 7 Sisters, not far from the bright star Aldabaran between about midnight and 01:24 am on 31 October depending on your location. Stars & Constellations Scorpius is setting in the west. Sagittarius is still a feature The globular cluster M22 is always worth catching Southern Cross is also a great feature to view. The LMC is reasonably high in the sky, and there is a move to have the Magellanic Clouds renamed because of Ferdinand Magellan's treatment of indiginous peoples during his voyages. For astrophotographers, the Southern pole star Sigma Octantis is a nice magnitude 5 star challenge for those wanting a perfect circle of star trails. Ian's Tangent The Russian probe crashed on the moon on August 19, which is a reminder that there may be future problems with spacecraft and landers contaminating the moon's water deposits with dust, regolith, hydrazine and other rocket exhaust products.

Today we are speaking with Dr Daniel Palumbo, from the Harvard & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Daniel is an astrophysicist and data scientist with the Event Horizon Telescope who worked on those amazing black hole images using data from the planet-sized telescope, the EHT, the Event Horizon Telescope. He is involved in ongoing work on the Next Generation EHT consortium In this episode he shares his science journey, how the EHT works and how he worked with the imaging teams to produce those two historic and stunning black hole images from our Milky Way Galactic Center, Sagittarius A* and the more distant supermassive black hole in Messier 87* Brilliant science beautifully explained. Thanks Daniel.

Your planetary action is split between the evening and morning skies. Venus and Mercury return to the morning twilight. Mars is a dim glowing ember in the evening skies. Saturn is just past opposition and still high in evening skies Jupiter enters evening skies, but still look better in morning skies. Moon Phases: Last quarter moon: September 7, ideal for stargazing Moon at apogee: September 15. New moon: September 16, also ideal for stargazing First quarter moon: September 23. Moon at perigee: September 28. Full moon: September 29. Earth is at its Spring Equinox on September 23 for the Southern Hemisphere and the Autumn/Fall Equinox for the Northern Hemisphere. Evening skies Saturn is still nice and high, big and bright in the evening sky. Mars is sinking lower and will be near the moon on the 16th and 17th of September Mercury is only visible in the evening twilight in the first week of September, before returning to the morning twilight and will be down close to the horizon thus difficult to see. Jupiter returns to the evening skies in the eastern horizon by the end of the month. Sagittarius, at the centre of our galaxy is high in the sky and a perfect hunting ground for globular clusters like M22, so get those binoculars and telescopes out on those dark nights. Morning skies: Venus is climbing higher in the morning twilight and a distict crescent in telescopic views. On September 11 and 12, crescent Venus is relatively close to the crescent moon, down low an hour before sunrise. Jupiter is climbing higher in the morning skies, looking magnificent and will be close to the waning moon on the 4th.

In this extended and enthralling interview, Associate Professor Michelle Cluver from Swinburne University's Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing reveals the captivating world of mid-infrared research. With boundless enthusiasm, she unravels the mysteries of this innovative field, igniting our imagination and highlighting her powerful results and the immense potential of being able to peer deep through previously unseeable interstellar dust clouds. Her contagious passion for discovery is palpable as she reveals the astonishing understandings obtained through powerful instruments like Spitzer, WISE, MeerKAT, SKA pathfinders and the JWST, and as Co-PI, the promise of the 4MOST survey in cataloging the spectral properties of 6 million distant galaxies. Dr Cluver unveils the cutting-edge radio and optical technologies used to explore the depths of the mid-infrared spectrum, enabling fellow scientists to delve into uncharted territories of the universe. You will also love her insights into the nature of collaborative science, and her commitment and style in nurturing the learning and research trajectories of her graduate and undergraduate students.

Highlights: Blue Moon Opposition Of Saturn We lose Venus from Evening skies Mercury is at its best this month Moon Phases August 2nd Perigee Full Moon August 8th Last Quarter Moon (ideal for observing galaxies and globular clusters in the early evening) August 16th New Moon is ideal for stargazing anytime August 24th First Quarter Moon August 31st Perigee Full (Blue) Moon ie the 2nd Full Moon for the month and the best perigee full moon of the year. Mercury is best seen at the start of the month rising higher and higher in the evening sky and passing above the sinking Venus, which will reappear in the east in the morning twilight at the end of the month as the ‘Morning Star'. Mars is getting further away from us and dimming Saturn is at its closest to earth (in opposition) on 27 August and will be excellent viewing in the northern/north east evening skies all of August and well into next month. Saturn is close to the moon on the 3rd and the 30th. Sagittarius and the centre of our Milky Way galaxy (look for the upside down Teapot) are directly overhead and M22 is a brilliant globular cluster galaxy of millions of stars often seen as a faint cotton ball in binocs and smaller telescopes. Also nearby are the lovely Triffid Nebula and the Lagoon Nebula. Highly recommended: Get out your telescope See when you local astronomical society or club is having an ‘open day' or public viewing night, because seeing Saturn through a telescope is truly amazing! Morning Skies. Jupiter (and its moons) is easily seen in the north as the brightest object in morning skies and looks great even in binoculars. Ian's Tangent Ian tells a tale about Solar System objects with tails, how they are formed and how they can be detected. Well comets of course … but that's not all! Mercury has a sodium tail. The moon also has a very faint tail which has been detected. The asteroid Phaethon has a sodium tail, raising all sorts of questions for further research. Thanks Ian …. that's a great tale!

[ Full transcript at Astrophiz.com ] In this fabulous episode of Astrophiz, Greg Sleap, the Software and Systems Team Leader at CIRA, the Curtin Institute of Radio Astronomy, a node of ICRAR (The International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research) discusses the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) and its role in capturing radio data from the cosmos. The MWA is a low-frequency radio telescope array located in remote Western Australia. It is used for various scientific studies, including the search for the signals of the Epoch of Reionization, detecting black hole radio jets, studying supernova remnants, and monitoring space junk. The MWA has been successful in producing over 300 journal papers and is preparing for future developments, including the use of all 256 tiles and collaboration with the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) telescope.

Astrophiz 174: Dr Ian Musgrave's July SkyGuide Moon Phases: The Full Moon is Monday, July 3. Last Quarter is July 10. New Moon is July 18. First Quarter is July 26. The Moon is at perigee, when it is closest to the Earth, on the 5th. Summary: Most planetary action is in the evening skies, apart from Jupiter looking magnificent in the mornings, and Venus and Mars are nice in the evenings this month, with Mercury returning to evening skies later in the month. Till then, Mercury is lost in the morning twilight. Evening Skies: Venus is prominent from the evening twilight to early evening, is closest to Mars on the 1st and remains close to Mars for the rest of the first week of July. Venus and Mars are both coming closer to the bright star Regulus. Saturn is now rising around just before 10 pm local time and is close to the moon on the 6th. Sirius is still prominent low in the western sky. Scorpius is readily visible in in the east. Morning Skies: Jupiter is prominent in the morning sky. Saturn climbs higher in the morning skies and is rising just before 10 pm local time. Saturn is close to the Moon on the 6th. On July 7 the Earth is at aphelion, the waning Moon near Saturn in the morning sky Southern Delta Aquariid Meteor Shower: The Southern Delta Aquariids meteor shower runs from 12 July to 23 August, peaking on Sunday 30 July, with faint meteors visible about every 4-5 minutes. Best time will be 2am-3am on Sunday 30 July when the moon is sufficiently low in the sky. For Charts maps and more text info, always check out Ian's ‘Astroblog' and ‘Southern Skywatch' websites via your fav search engine.

Dr Jesse Van De Sande is the  ASTRO3D research fellow at the Sydney Institute for Astronomy at the School of Physics at the University of Sydney. He is an observational astronomer who uses many of the world's most iconic and powerful telescopes, including the four 8 meter telescopes that comprise the VLT, the Very Large Telescope high up in the Andes in Chile. He is researching galaxies at low and high Redshift up to 15 billion light years away, and his research focuses on how massive galaxies form, evolve, and die. Jesse  co-leads a team which has published new and amazing discoveries about our very own Milky Way Galaxy, which some say are destined to re-write the astronomy textbooks …. And he has a long history with the famous SAMI survey. In his generous in-depth interview we hear about his journey from a small village in northern Netherlands to researching the largest structures in our universe. He brings us up to date with the SAMI and GECKO surveys, his outreach work, his latest research and collaborations and his work on the promotion of Nuclear Fusion energy and our need to solve pervasive social problems. You will love how Jesse showcases his perfectionist approach to complex and sky-breaking science with absolute and approachable clarity. From this interview you will come away with a rich and clear understanding of both this exceptional scientist and his wonderful science. Enjoy!

Astrophiz 172: Dr Ian Musgrave's June SkyGuide What's up in the Southern Sky in the month of June?  The dates for the Moon Phases for June, Evening Sky Highlights and all the beautiful Morning Sky Highlights. Planetary action: Mars, then Venus, meets the Beehive cluster, The moon occults Delta Scorpii, then forms attractive patterns with Jupiter, Mars and Venus. More details, times plus charts on Ian's 'Southern Skywatch' + Ian's Tangent - Comets & Dyson Spheres Bonus: Using binoculars effectively Next Episode: Dr Jesse Van De Sande with new Galactic discoveries

Dr Rodolfo Montez Jr is better known as Rudy. Rudy is an astrophysicist working at the Chandra X-Ray Centre at the famous Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. He has wide research interests and among them he does amazing work using NASA's flagship X-ray space telescope, the Chandra X-ray Observatory to research some of the hottest regions of our universe. He is also known for his mentoring and championing of undergraduates from underrepresented backgrounds. In this episode you will hear how X-rays from high energy events billions of light years away are cleverly captured by Chandra's unique design and the resulting data is distributed to astrophysicists world wide for analysis to build an unprecedented understanding of our universe. Rudy is a legend who lays bare the secrets of Chandra. You will love his explanations as you develop a clearer understanding of how X-ray astronomy works! Thank you Dr Rodolfo Montez Jr!

Moon Phases for May Full Moon - 6 May (with penumbral eclipse in the early morning) Moon at Perigee - 11 May Last Quarter - 12 May New Moon - 20 May First Quarter - 28 May (also apogee moon) Evening Sky Highlights VENUS - moving from Taurus into gemini and getting brighter and climbing higher in the West. From the 9th to 10th Venus is closed to the open cluster M35. On the 23rd Venus is just 3degrees from the crescent moon, and on the 30th Venus will be right next to the Mag 3 double star Kappa Geminorum. Venus is in it's ‘half-moon' phase at the moment. MARS - shrinking as it moves further away from earth in its orbit, but still easily visible, but you'll need a serious large telescope to pull in deatils of Mars. On the 31st Mars is next to the Beehive Cluster. On the 24th Mars, Venus and the waxing moon make a neat little triangle in the West. Morning Sky Highlights On the 18th MERCURY the thin crescent moon with Jupiter above will be a nice capture for astrophotographers and naked eye observers. On the 29th Mercury is at its highest in Eastern morning skies and easily found. SATURN in morning skies is a decent telescopic object again and angled just right to feature the maximum amount of shadow from Saturn's rings. The Heart of the MILKY WAY is beginning to rise again with Scorpius very visible. The Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower is strong and reliable, however this year the Full Moon will play havoc for meteor watchers. Of course some meteors will be observed on the morning of the 5th if you choose your time wisely. Ian's Tangent - Betelgeuse is brightening Scorpius is now down close to the Western Horizon taking Betelgeuse with it. After the 2019 ‘dimming' of the red giant, caused by outgassing, we are observing the brightening of Betelgeuse again. Ian also gives us great tips on how to start observing variable stars. Next Episode: Dr Rodolfo (Rudy) Montez Jnr gives us a brilliant expose of X-Ray astronomy and the astonishing science of the Chandra X-Ray Observatory

I am really excited to be speaking again with Dr Laura Driessen, who is now recognised as one of Australia's Superstars of STEM! You first met Laura 5 years ago back in 2018 when she was doing her PhD at the University of Manchester and Jodrell Bank. Laura's back story is all there in Astrophiz Episode 54. You heard about her obsession with space starting at age 4 and her natural yet meandering academic Astro journey up to the point where she was using commensal searches on the MeerKAT array in South Africa for pinpointing and localization of FRBs, Fast Radio Bursts. Today we're taking up that story from where we left off, and we hear of her first post-doc with the CSIRO in Perth, her FRB and Radio Star research and her outreach work in the outback with indigenous school kids who live near the iconic Murchison Widefield Array and the ASKAP Array. Laura tells us about her current research and her work as the joint Science lead on the VAST project and you will love the clarity of her description of the power and nature of Commensal Searches, and how she uses archival data to verify that her radio data is actually coming from her targeted star and not from a radio galaxy hiding behind it. Another gift Laura gives us is her brilliant explanation of how scientists establish and maintain collaborations both big and small, and how scientists often begin with a large number of hypotheses to explain observed phenomena and how the null hypothesis is such a powerful tool in developing an accurate understanding of our universe. On social media you'll find Laura, she's @AstroLauraD on Twitter. And her non-astro work can be found on Etsy at Oomigoomi ….. and her Whippet dog is astro.the.whippy on Instagram

Shownotes In Australia Daylight Saving ends on April 2nd Moon Phases: Full moon April 6th So for those out camping over Easter, you'll have very nice dark skies to see lots of clusters and nebulae as well as Venus and Mars without any interference from the moon. Last Quarter April 13th Perigee moon April 16th New Moon April 20th First Quarter (apogee) Moon appears in evening skies on April 28th. In the Evening Skies Mercury is a very difficult target even for those with very low western horizons. Venus is very easily observed in the West in the early evening just after sunset for an hour and a half. Over April Venus is moving closes and closer to the iconic open cluster the Pleiades and between the 10th and the 12th Venus and the Pleiades close together will make great binocular viewing. On the 23rd Venus is just 3 degrees from the crescent moon. Mars is still prominent, but is shrinking and fading and moving from the Taurus constellation into Gemini. At the start of April is close to the open cluster M35 and within binocular distance from the 1st to the 4th. On the 26th Mars is close to the waxing moon. The Emu dark constellation is always great to see around 10pm when the sky is fully dark. In the Morning Skies Jupiter is lost to view in evening skies and won't turn up in morning skies till May. Saturn is climbing higher and higher in the morning skies, easily seen an hour before sunrise On the 16th and 17th Saturn is near the thin crescent moon Orion the Hunter is sinking to the West and Scorpius is rising in the East April's Signature Event ~ A Total Solar Eclipse A Total Solar Eclipse in remote Western Australia is on the April 20, but all accomodation and campsites have been fully booked out years in advance, so if you're not booked in, you're best to see totality happen by watching online. Other parts of Australia will experience a partial solar eclipse. On April 20, the shadow of the moon will graze in a 40-kilometre-wide track over one of the most beautiful parts of the world – the World Heritage-listed Ningaloo region near Exmouth. The website at Ningalooeclipse-DOT-com is highly recommended. For Western Australia start to look about 10am Perth residents will see 71% of the sun covered at 11:20am Darwin gets 80% of the sun covered at 1:50pm For Central Australia and Northern Territory their partial eclipse begins around 12 noon. For Eastern States it's round about 1pm, with only a small percentage of the sun covered. DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN. You WILL go blind. Specialist astronomical solar glasses from astronomical supply shops are OK for viewing, and NEVER used 'smoked glass' or ‘filters' or you will lose your vision. Ian describe how to make a pinhole projector to safely observe an image of the eclipse which is projected onto a flat surface Further safe observing tips can be found on Ian's Astroblog at astrobloggerDOTblogspotDOTcom Ian's Tangent The Colours of Space Our eyes can only see the visible spectrum ROYGBIV Bees can see in the ultra violet. The famous Hubble images are obtained by using filters and assigning colours using the Hubble Pallette. Most meteorites do not have striking colours, some comets and meteors can have spectacular colours. Gases in space can predominantly be Hydrogen, Helium, Methanol and Ethanol, and many complex molecules have been observed and identified. The Orion Nebula's colour is due to ethanol, and Ian goes on to explain how the spectacular colours of space are out of this world. Next Episode: And in 2 weeks find out all the latest in X-ray astronomy and high energy astrophysics from Dr Rodolfo Montez from The Harvard-Smithsonian Chandra X-ray Observatory.

Recently I had the privilege of interviewing Mia Walker, an engineer and Project Officer at the Curtin Institute of Radio Astronomy in Western Australia. Mia's passion for astronomy is the driving force behind her career in this field, where she has contributed to the development and operation of the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) radio telescope, a stunning project designed to help unlock the mysteries of the Universe. But without Mia and the team she works with, the astronomers hungry for MWA data would all be staring at blank screens! During this interview, Mia shares her experiences and insights about her work with radio astronomy instrumentation, and projects on the path to the even bigger SKA-Low telescope. Mia speaks about the toughest challenge that radio telescopes face, and how the MWA is overcoming this in the field, which is an extremely remote region of Western Australian outback – where battles with the elements (both environmental and antenna-related) are commonplace. Mia also shares her thoughts on role models in STEM fields, and emphasizes the importance of visibility in encouraging young women to pursue careers in science and engineering. Overall, this interview with Mia is a fascinating insight into the world of radio astronomy and the incredible work being done at the Curtin Institute of Radio Astronomy. Mia's passion and expertise in the field are inspiring, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have learned so much in such a short time from her experiences. You will love looking into this window of Mia's wonderful world!

This month the planetary action is still largely in the western evening skies. Earth is at equinox on Tuesday, 21 March. At this time day and night are roughly equal in duration. March 2; Venus and Jupiter at their closest. March 3; Mercury and Saturn close low in the twilight. March 4; apogee Moon. March 7; Full Moon. March 15; Last Quarter Moon. March 20; the thin crescent moon near Saturn in the morning twilight. March 20; Moon at perigee. March 22; New Moon. March 24; the crescent Moon is very close to Venus in the twilight. March 29; First Quarter Moon. March 28; the Moon is close to Mars. March 30, Mars close to open cluster M35. March 31; Venus is just 1.5 degrees from Uranus. MERCURY: Mercury falls back towards the eastern horizon and is lost to view early in the month, reappearing in the evening twilight late this month. On the 3rd Mercury and Saturn are about 1 degree apart, deep in the twilight. You will need a level, unobstructed horizon and binoculars to see the pair at their best. VENUS: Venus climbs yet higher in the evening sky this month; the low angle of the ecliptic means it never gets really high although it is prominent at nautical twilight by end of the month when Venus is (just) visible when the sky is full dark. Venus has three close encounters this month. The stand out is on the 2nd when Venus and Jupiter are just 0.5 apart, visible well before nautical twilight, difficult telescopically. On the 24th Venus will be just 1° from the crescent moon, making a fine binocular sight. Venus currently looks like a gibbous Moon. On the 31st Venus is just 1.5 degrees from Uranus. MARS: Mars is making a line with Aldebaran and Beta Taurii. At the beginning of the Month Mars also forms a triangle with Beta and Zeta Taurii (the tips of the horns). Mars is shrinking in telescopic view but is still a worthwhile telescopic object this month. By the end of the Month Mars is close to the open cluster M35, an excellent sight in binoculars. On the 28th Mars is around 4° from the waxing moon (very obvious as the brightest object near the moon), mid power binocular fields will just fit the pair in. JUPITER: Jupiter is lowering in the north-western evening sky. Jupiter and Venus have been approaching each other all February, and on the 2nd on March they are just 0.5° apart. Jupiter continues to sink towards the horizon and is lost to view around mid month. SATURN: Saturn enters the morning skies but is only really visible from mid-March. On the 3rd Saturn is about 1 degree from Mercury deep in the twilight. You will need a level, unobstructed horizon and binoculars to see the pair at their best. On the 20th Saturn is close to the thin crescent moon low in the morning twilight.

"Are We Alone? In an exclusive interview, Dr. Vishal Gajjar, a leading researcher on the Breakthrough Listen project, discussed his groundbreaking work using machine learning and AI to facilitate the detection of technosignatures on the project's search for Extraterrestrial life. The Breakthrough Listen project, led by the University of California Berkeley and the SETI Institute, is one of the most ambitious efforts to search for intelligent life in the universe. Using some of the world's largest radio telescopes, the project scans the cosmos for signs of intelligent civilizations, such as radio signals and other technosignatures. Dr. Gajjar, who is a principal investigator on the project, is using AI to help analyse the vast amounts of data generated by the telescopes. "The amount of data we collect is enormous, and it would be impossible for humans to go through it all," he explained. "Using machine learning algorithms, we can sift through the data much more efficiently and identify patterns that might indicate the presence of a technosignature." One of the key challenges of the project is distinguishing between signals that are truly indicative of Extraterrestrial life and those that are just background noise. Dr. Gajjar's AI algorithms are able to filter out false positives, making the search for technosignatures more accurate. The use of AI in the Breakthrough Listen project is not only increasing the efficiency of the search for Extraterrestrial life, but it's also pushing the boundaries of what we can do with this technology. "We're using AI in a way that it's never been used before," said Dr. Gajjar. "It's exciting to think about the potential implications of this work, not just for our understanding of the universe but also for other fields like medicine and finance." The Breakthrough Listen project is a 10-year initiative with funding from the Breakthrough Initiatives, a program founded by internet investor and philanthropist Yuri Milner. Currently we have purchased time on the GBT in Virginia in the US and the Parkes telescope in Australia and we have time on about a dozen other radio telescopes around the world and we have also purchased time on optical telescopes. This is an exciting time for the search for Extraterrestrial life, and Dr. Gajjar's work with AI on the Breakthrough Listen project is a major step forward in this quest. As Dr. Gajjar put it, "The potential discovery of intelligent life beyond Earth would be one of the most profound discoveries in human history. I'm honoured to be a part of this effort and can't wait to see what we'll find." `