astro[sound]bites

In this episode, the (domestic) American sector of Astro[sound]bites covers the recent proposed budget cuts to NASA, the largest in NASA's entire history. We cover the downsides that these cuts would have for science and the economy, and what you can do to speak out.   How to reach out: Find your representative: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative   AAS Letter Writing Guidelines for Astronomers:  https://aas.org/advocacy/get-involved/action-alerts/action-alert-2025-support-science   Planetary Society Letter Writing Guidelines for the General Public https://www.planetary.org/advocacy-action-center#/53   Astrobite with Guidelines for Letter Writing https://astrobites.org/2025/04/15/help_nasa/   Sources:  The Budget Request (NASA Stuff begins on page 39 of the pdf) https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Fiscal-Year-2026-Discretionary-Budget-Request.pdf   Original ArsTechnica Report: https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/04/trump-white-house-budget-proposal-eviscerates-science-funding-at-nasa/   NASA's economic output: https://www.nasa.gov/fy-2023-economic-impact-report/#:~:text=NASA%20Boosts%20the%20U.S.%20Economy,D.C.%2C%20in%20fiscal%20year%202023.   NASA's economic output reaches all 50 states: https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasas-economic-benefit-reaches-all-50-states/   NASA's research on climate change https://science.nasa.gov/climate-change/   NASA's research on asteroid defense https://science.nasa.gov/planetary-defense/   NASA Education and Outreach https://www1.grc.nasa.gov/space/education-outreach/   Cuts disproportionately affect marginalized groups: https://www.fastcompany.com/91328007/trumps-federal-layoffs-are-disproportionately-impacting-women-and-people-of-color  

In today's episode, Cormac, Cole and Lucia catch you up with all things Citizen Science. In the epoch of ChatGPT, Grok and Gemini (no, not the telescope), it's easy to forget about the 20 Watt computer you're using to read this sentence. Yes, even YOU can contribute to cutting-edge astronomical research, as we present two examples of cosmic crowdfunding in action. Cole convinces us that nearby galaxies need some Clump Scouts, and Lucia shows us how volunteers have been the (tur)key to finding a new star-studded dwarf galaxy. We also discuss the non-research benefits of democratising science, and in a fourth-wall-shattering pivot, we ask you, yes YOU, what you'd like to hear more of on a[s]b. astrosoundbites@gmail.com Astrobites: https://astrobites.org/2024/07/29/galaxy-zoo-clump-scout/ https://astrobites.org/2023/11/18/a-lonely-little-galaxy-at-the-edge-of-our-neighborhood/ Space Sound: Adapted from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6vbST9iMOU XKCD Comic: https://xkcd.com/1425/ Article about the (not so?) amateur astronomer: https://astro.arizona.edu/news/tucson-doctor-wins-national-award-his-second-act-amateur-astronomer

That stars die will be old news for most listeners. But sometimes, stars don't just die, they get ripped apart by supermassive black holes. Cormac, Cole and Lucia discuss these so-called tidal disruption events. Specifically, how these events are connected to X-ray absorption features called extreme coronal lines. The hosts also take a look at one of the true superstars of supernova remnants: the Crab Nebula. As it turns out, studying the ejecta can give clues about the pulsar at the heart of the nebula. The discussion revolves around the every-day of doing science. Spoiler: it's not all like solving exercise sheets. A New Look at Our Old Friend, the Crab Nebula https://astrobites.org/2025/03/16/new-look-at-crab/ Exploring the remains of a destroyed (death) star https://astrobites.org/2025/03/08/exploring-the-remains-of-a-destroyed-death-star/  Space Sound: https://youtu.be/aG300vtQ1es

Shoot, someone made the mistake of letting Cole pick the episode topic. In this episode, Cole, Cormac, and Shashank talk about the big boy on cosmology campus: Lambda CDM. This model has gotten a bit too big for its britches we think: what are the things about the universe that this model can't explain? Shashank gives us a tour through the dark matter hearts of galaxies which don't match up with cosmological predictions and Cormac shows us how 1500 (ish? We're not clear on this one.) supernovae could hint at a fundamental flaw in Lambda CDM.   Astrobites: Testing cosmology with the DES 5-year supernovae dataset: https://astrobites.org/2024/03/22/template-post-21/   Digging into the Core: Dark Matter and Dwarf Galaxies https://astrobites.org/2015/07/14/digging-into-the-core-dark-matter-and-dwarf-galaxies/   Space Sound: Listen to the hum of NANOGrav's gravitational wave background https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGO0wQK9ns4

In this episode, Cormac, Lucia and Cole lift the lid on the lifecycle of space missions by peering into a preponderance of proposals. If you've ever wondered how your favourite telescope, rover or probe made it into space, then wonder no more. Lucia brings us a novel way to track potentially hazardous space junk using 5G, while Cole teases us with some magnetic results from the LISA Pathfinder mission. We also discuss our favourite proposed space missions, and debate the right balance between risk and reward. Astrobites: https://astrobites.org/2024/08/13/5g-signals-to-track-space-trash/ https://astrobites.org/2024/12/21/template-post-15-2/ Space Sound: https://www.nasa.gov/audio-and-ringtones/ (First Acoustic Recording of Laser Shots on Mars)

Episode 101: Weather Woes   In this episode, we take a dive into weather phenomena in space. Shashank, Cormac and Lucia discuss what the terms hot and cold mean in space and the temperature ranges we tend to see outside the Solar System and the galaxy. Then, Cormac tells us about the climate on Venus, and Lucia delves into cold fronts between galaxies. Finally, we round off with some hot takes about the most underrated parts of the electromagnetic spectrum in astrophysics!   Astrobites: https://astrobites.org/2024/12/24/its-getting-hot-in-here-so-take-off-all-your-h2o/ https://astrobites.org/2024/11/11/cold-front-outside/   Space sound: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYXAdXf5gWU

Astrobites turns 100! For our ten squared-th episode we take a tour of all of the extremes of astrophysics: the heaviest and the lightest, the fastest and the slowest, the brightest and dimmest. In doing so, Shashank covers an astrobite on itty bitty particles that pack a big punch, Lucia talks about medium-ish galaxies and their black hole hearts, and Cormac panics about the danger of violent kilonovae. To help us celebrate, we meet up with some old friends to discuss dark matter, exoplanets, and how ridiculously long a Ph.D. takes.  Astrobites: https://astrobites.org/2024/06/06/agns-quenching-dwarf-galaxies/ https://astrobites.org/2013/06/04/cosmic-rays-from-the-telescope-array/ https://astrobites.org/2023/11/20/kilonova-safety/ https://astrobites.org/2018/08/16/do_the_milky_ways_stellar_streams_have_that_fuzzy_dark_matter_feeling/ https://astrobites.org/2022/11/28/evaporating-exoplanet/ Space sound: http://soundcloud.com/alexhp-1/supernova-sonata MIT study on children thinking logarithmically:

Danger - explosive! This week's episode is all about supernovae. These star-ripping, neutrino spewing explosions are important to various fields of astrophysics. Cormac, Cole, and Lucia discuss just when stars actually go supernova. And also, whether we can use gravitational waves to tell which compact object is left behind. Everybody gets to share their favourite supernova science and (as we all love to do) to complain about how much astronomers love old, inconsistent nomenclature. Enjoy!   Intro questions: Powering a Supernova https://astrobites.org/2024/10/04/how-to-power-supernovae/ The explodability criterion: How to make a star go supernova https://astrobites.org/2024/09/13/explodability-criterion/ Can we perform a Supernova Autopsy Via Gravitational Waves? https://astrobites.org/2024/10/08/gwautopsy/ Space Sound: https://youtu.be/S-saaAyaW0c

In this episode, Cormac, Shashank and Cole dig deep into Galactic Archaeology as we look into the past of our Milky Way. Cole brings us a catastrophic computational collision, while Shashank gives us the low-down on low-metallicity, and we see just how the (Gaia) sausage gets made. We also discuss the rights, wrongs and funnies of Astronomers trying to name things, and the diverse design philosophies behind some of our favourite observational facilities. Astrobites:    https://astrobites.org/2023/07/27/colossal_collisions_and_the_milky_way/   https://astrobites.org/2024/08/03/pigs-sagittarius/   Space sound:   https://www.aip.de/en/news/exploring-the-history-of-the-early-milky-way-with-sound/   DOOFAS Acronyms website:   https://lweb.cfa.harvard.edu/~gpetitpas/Links/Astroacro.html

In this episode, Shashank, Cole and Lucia bend time in their debut podcast together as we talk about the various ways astronomy is like time travel. Lucia gives us a peek into the past with the storied supernova Cas A, while Cole brings us on a nostalgic quest into gravitational wave memory. We hope you enjoy time traveling with us!   Astrobites:    https://astrobites.org/2024/08/26/cas_a_jwst/   https://astrobites.org/2024/08/28/gwmem/   Space sound:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9vGpkQurfc JWST Cas A images:   https://webbtelescope.org/contents/media/images/2023/149/01HGGZ4TPD8XFNPCBTZ2QYM0ZM   https://webbtelescope.org/contents/media/images/2023/121/01GWQBBY77MHGFV3M3N63KDCEJ

This episode marks Kiersten's last astro[sound]bites episode (and also side note – we're posting this on her birthday!). To recognize Kiersten for her incredible time as a co-host, we take a journey through her academic paper trail by discussing her papers on how magma and metallicities affect how we think about exoplanetary formation and observations. Then we take a deep dive into Kiersten's time as a co-host and graduate student including her stance on “publish or perish” and what she's most excited about starting her NASA Sagan Postdoctoral Fellowship this fall.   Kiersten's Papers:  https://arxiv.org/pdf/2307.13726 https://arxiv.org/pdf/2407.13821

In this week's episode, we take you on a two-part journey to Europe! First, Lucia and Cormac guide you through the differences of graduate programs in Europe and the US. Then, we jump into a series of mini-interviews with fellow PhD students about their research. We journey through a wide range of topics, including black holes big and smalls, the powerful winds of massive stars, and much more. If you would like to learn more about any of these topics, check out the links below! The mini-interviews were conducted as part of the IMPRS-Astro Hackathon, an unconference organised by Cormac and a few colleges, which brought together students from Heidelberg and Munich. IMPRS-Astro Hackathon https://imprs-astro-hackathon.de/ Statistics on physics students in Germany (unfortunately in German) https://www.dpg-physik.de/veroeffentlichungen/magazine-und-online-angebote/pj/studierendenstatistiken Mini-Interviews The circumgalactic medium - Joanne's personal website https://tanofspace.github.io/ Past episodes relating to topics that came up in the mini-interviews Episode 93: Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Primordial Black Hole Machiney https://astrosoundbites.com/2024/06/20/episode-93-itsy-bitsy-teeny-weeny-primordial-black-hole-machineyepisode-92-5-the-ship-of-3-seus/ Episode 72: A Trip to the Optometrist https://astrosoundbites.com/2023/04/15/episode-72-a-trip-to-the-optometrist/ Episode 71: Galaxies Say Halo https://astrosoundbites.com/2023/03/26/episode-70-astronomy-10-years-into-the-future-part-ii-2/ Episode 70: Astronomy 10 Years into the Future Part II https://astrosoundbites.com/2023/03/04/episode-70-astronomy-10-years-into-the-future-part-ii/ Episode 49: A Fine Dining Experience https://astrosoundbites.com/2022/01/30/episode-49-a-fine-dining-experience/ Episode 3: 6 Unbelievable Facts about Black Holes https://astrosoundbites.com/2019/12/07/episode-3-6-unbelievable-facts-about-black-holes/ Credit for the jingle (transition to the mini-interviews): SergeQuadrado on freesound.org https://freesound.org/people/SergeQuadrado/sounds/455606/

Was the floor in your childhood home ever lava? If so, you may have been training to visit these spicy magma-filled exoplanets! In this episode, we're turning up the heat and investigating what makes magma/lava so important for potential extraterrestrial life. Sabrina takes us to the poster child of strange lava worlds and finally gives exoplanteers an answer to the long debate of whether it has an atmosphere or if its star blew it away. Then, Cormac tells us all about how water can play well with magma. Kiersten is convinced that these lava worlds might just be the perfect place for a hot summer vacation.   Astrobites: https://astrobites.org/2024/06/19/template-post-17/ https://astrobites.org/2023/09/21/magma-oceans-and-surface-water/   Kiersten's paper:  https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/acea85/pdf   Space sound: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3clDSXN26N9lQtCwJgMb2tR/sonification  

In this week's episode, we take a look at the hottest trend in dark matter candidates - Primordial Black Holes. They're like black holes, only smaller (in some cases)! Join us as we see what all the fuss is about. Kiersten shares a story of a black hole playing video games inside a star and glitching out of the mainframe, while Shashank makes his a[s]b debut with an explosive transient conundrum that *might* explain the mystery of dark matter once and for all. We round off with a discussion about our favourite pet dark matter theories and the merits of direct experimental searches. Astrobites: https://astrobites.org/2024/05/29/noclip-on-simulated-primordial-black-holes-could-dance-through-sun-like-stars/ https://astrobites.org/2024/05/31/are-pbhs-detonating-white-dwarfs/ Astrobite Paper with Pretty Orbits:  https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.08113 Space Sound: https://supernova.eso.org/news/releases/es2105/

We've reached a pivotal moment for astro[sound]bites: the podcast era where each of the original co-hosts has been replaced. Just like the Ship of Theseus, we ask: Is astro[sound]bites still the same show, even though all its original components have been replaced? We believe it is, and we're excited about its continued evolution. In this episode, we're thrilled to introduce the three new astro[sound]bites co-hosts: Shashank, Cole, and Lucia. They'll be joining us in the next few months, and we'll discuss what each is excited about for the future of the show. Stay tuned for an exciting new chapter as the new co-hosts take over steering the ship!

Episode 92: Beyond- Astronomy is a little Mental   Astronomy is hard! And in ways that extend far beyond the science we do every day. In this Beyond episode, Kiersten and Cormac talk all about mental health in astronomy and the structural issues that may be contributing to things like burnout and anxiety. It's not all doom and gloom though. There are a few things that studies suggest that can help. We also chat about strategies that have helped us when we were struggling in hopes that they may be useful to you too. We round off with Cormac's Hai-cool poetic riff for our one sentence summary.  Papers discussed: https://arxiv.org/abs/2202.01768 https://www.nature.com/articles/nbt.4089 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048733317300422?via=ihub https://comm.wayne.edu/files/keashly_spectra2015.pdf   Cormac's shameless plug for the Early Career Astronomers' session at the European Astronomical Society's meeting: https://eas.unige.ch/EAS2024/session.jsp?id=SS23 Crisis hotlines and remote support: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (US): +1-800-273-8255 (live chat also available on website; hearing-impaired TTY users can also dial 800-799-4889) National Crisis Text Line: text/SMS HOME to 741741 for US; to 686868 for Canada; to 85258 for the UK Crisis Services Canada: +1-833-456-4566 (text/SMS and live chat also available on website) Samaritans (UK and Ireland): +44 116 123 (email also available on website) The Trevor Project (US): +1-866-488-7386 (text/SMS and live chat also available on website; the lifeline will talk with any individual regardless of sexuality or gender) Trans Lifeline: US: +1-877-565-8860; Canada: +1-877-330-6366 TelefonSeelSorge (Germany): 0800 / 111 0 111 or https://online.telefonseelsorge.de/index.php

91 is the atomic number of protactinium. Speaking of protracted, it's finally time to say FareWill to Dr astroSaundbites himself, after five years of co-hosting our wonderful podcast. We begin with a deep dive into his Uranian adventures that might offer the key to our next mission there. We then reflect on his time in grad school, share some sage wisdom and explore what the future holds as he transitions to a not-postdoc at NASA.  Will's first paper: https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2021AJ....161..280S/abstract Will's' second paper: https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2022P%26SS..21305431S/abstract Will's third paper: https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2023PSJ.....4..199S/abstract (Will's fourth paper is in review - so stay tuned!) Will's career resource links: Websites to help you discover lots of careers you can pursue with your PhD and how to get there: https://beyondprof.com/ https://theprofessorisin.com/ https://myidp.sciencecareers.org/?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1 https://gradfutures.princeton.edu/ A great webinar on career transitions for astronomers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OX3aUONcLP0&ab_channel=AAS Great books: https://kansaspress.ku.edu/9780700626885/ https://theprofessorisin.com/buy-the-book/

How fast is the universe expanding? It turns out this important value, the Hubble constant (H0), is under constant debate. The two main teams have numbers that disagree by over 5 standard deviations! Today on a[s]b, we resolve the Hubble tension once and for all, as Cormac and Kiersten square off in the Great H0 Debate. Cormac comes in with feist and facts while Kiersten engages with rebuttal and reason. In the end, there can only be 1 winner, and that's for you to decide! Vote here for the winner of the debate, what the true value of H0 should be, and what we got wrong in the episode (we tried our best!). https://forms.gle/3dybtrhysS9Lvia37   Timeline of the Hubble tension: https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/format:webp/1*oekTYTkZQmw7DxzUaLqDVw.png   Astrobites used for this episode:  https://astrobites.org/2016/04/20/conflicts-between-expansion-history-of-the-local-and-distant-universe/ https://astrobites.org/2020/05/12/magnets-and-hubble/ https://astrobites.org/2021/04/01/south-polarization/ https://astrobites.org/2021/04/27/bursting-the-hubble-trouble-bubble-measuring-h0-with-fast-radio-bursts/ https://astrobites.org/2023/03/29/multi-messenger-constraints-on-the-hubble-constant/ https://astrobites.org/2023/10/04/holy-cow-is-our-journey-through-the-universe-the-reason-for-the-hubble-tension/ https://astrobites.org/2024/04/16/sn_h0pe/   Space sound: https://www.system-sounds.com/earth-day/. Credit: SYSTEM Sounds/Matt Russo/Andrew Santaguida   Article by Subir Sarkhar: https://inference-review.com/article/heart-of-darkness   Cool Wikipedia page Will references: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numeral_prefix   Chart Kiersten references: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_distance_ladder#/media/File:Extragalactic_Distance_Ladder_en.svg

In this episode, we hear about Kiersten and Will's epic adventures in both hemispheres! Both Kiersten and Will watched the eclipse that passed through North America on April 8, 2024 and are still buzzing with excitement. Kiersten tells us about a recent paper that explores why planets might act so indecisive about sitting between being a super-Earth or mini-Neptune. Will's astrobite describes a similarly chaotic exoplanetary tale about a very slow moving planet which “came in like a wrecking ball” and “never hit habitability so hard” (everything in quotations must be sung in Miley Cyrus' singing voice). All in all, we all share a laugh and an emotionally charged episode! Kiersten's astrobite: https://astrobites.org/2024/03/28/template-post-22/ Will's astrobite: https://astrobites.org/2024/03/06/exoplanet-hr-5183-b/   Eclipse XKCD: https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2914:_Eclipse_Coolness Eclipse Astronomy Photo of the Day: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240409.html Sonification: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8al9FRz-VKY Sonification description: https://www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse/listen-eclipse Miley Cyrus' “Wrecking Ball” music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My2FRPA3Gf8

In celebration of the a-bit-over-a-week after St. Patrick's (definitely not Patty's) Day, we bring you another Ireland-related episode. Due to historically unsupported stereotypes about the Irish being lucky, we bring you two astrobites busting with cosmic coincidences and a dash of luck. Kiersten tells about a plucky planet that avoided a hangry host star,  while Will brings us yet another binary black hole bonanza. Cormac shares a bit of an infamous Irish space sound that you could call cosmic comic relief.  In the spirit of luck, we talk about the role of luck in our own journeys to space and in the field of astronomy as a whole.   This week's “space sound” - https://www.tiktok.com/@ladbibleireland/video/7278649311334780192?lang=en  

In celebration of St. Patrick's (not Patty's) Day, we share a super short sneak peek at next week's episode, featuring fun Irish astronomical facts. We're calling it the Shamrock Shake-up! In addition to the astronomical facts, Will takes us on a journey to the past with some wild Irish lore of his own! We hope you enjoy what might be our first “Beyond the beyond” episode, and Lá Fhéile Pádraig faoi mhaise daoibh go léir!   Intro music excerpt: “Granny hold the candle while I shave the chicken's lip” - Bodega https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fz4IxFy27dw

We talk about gravitational waves again, but this time, in ways you wouldn't expect. Cormac tells us how you could use gravitational waves to study the interior of the Sun, if the alignment is just right. Sabrina explores whether gravitational waves could be detected by Earth's magnetosphere through the Gertsenshtein effect. Simultaneously, we learn that Sabrina knows how to pronounce Russian names properly and Will isn't the biggest fan of theory.    Astrobites: https://astrobites.org/2023/06/20/using-planetary-magnetospheres-to-detect-gravitational-waves/ https://astrobites.org/2023/11/11/using-gravitational-waves-to-peer-inside-of-the-sun/   Additional thematic material: https://astrobites.org/2023/02/08/detecting-gravitational-waves-with-the-moon/ https://astrobites.org/2022/12/22/gravitational-wave-parallax/ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0273117723009171?via%3Dihub   Space sound: https://www.nasa.gov/solar-system/sounds-of-the-sun/ Ultra-high-frequency gravitational wave conference: https://www.ctc.cam.ac.uk/activities/UHF-GW.php

In the second episode of the astro[sound]bites series focusing on Indigenous astronomy, we interview Duane Hamacher, a physics professor at the University of Melbourne and a world leading researcher in Indigenous astronomy. Duane shares his journey from Missouri to pursuing a PhD in Australia and immersing himself in the study of astronomy within the Torres Strait community, learning from Indigenous knowledge holders. He tells us how Indigenous peoples around the world have seen astronomy more as a way of life that's embedded in their culture. Through our discussion, we challenge common misconceptions and gain insight into the profound significance that Indigenous astronomy has held for humanity, long preceding the invention of telescopes. However, our interview only scratches the surface of the field of Indigenous astronomy.   Thank you to Prof. Duane Hamacher for taking the time to be interviewed for this episode! (Also sorry for the construction noise in the background of this episode! We hope the exciting interview makes up for it.)   Duanes' book The First Astronomers: https://www.thefirstastronomers.com/

Did you know that Indigenous communities around the world have been doing astronomy since ancient times? Indigenous peoples studied the night sky with great precision. In this episode, we talk to five indigenous astronomers from across the world to understand how their identity and communities shaped their journey to science. Their interviews tell us about their cultures from who their Elders are to how they used the constellations to harvest emu eggs.    Thank you to Kirsten Banks, Krystal de Napoli, Hilding Nielson, Bridget Kimsey, and Corey Gray for taking the time to be interviewed for this episode!   Check out these astrobites: https://astrobites.org/2018/10/26/additional-arguments-that-aboriginal-australians-observed-variable-stars/ https://astrobites.org/2022/11/11/book-review-the-first-astronomers/ https://astrobites.org/2023/07/01/betelgeuse-betelgeuse-betelgeuse-is-it-supernovatime/   The First Astronomers Book: https://www.thefirstastronomers.com/

Did we mention we're recruiting two new co-hosts? And also our new Mars Office Manager and Chief Astrologer? Lots of exciting things are happening on a[s]b (and on Mars) in 2024 and we want you to be a part of it! Find out more and apply to be a co-host here: https://astrosoundbites.com/recruiting-2024/. We can't wait to hear from you.

It's all about ice, ice, baby! In this episode, Sabrina takes us on a trek to Antarctica. While we hide from Cthulhu, she tells us how the frigid observatory IceCube is using elusive neutrinos to tell us about the Milky Way. Meanwhile, our meteorologist Will does some investigation of the flavors of ice we can expect to find on some potentially habitable planets.    Astrobites: https://astrobites.org/2023/06/29/ https://astrobites.org/2022/01/07/   Space sound: https://webbtelescope.org/contents/media/videos/2022/040/01GA960MD71VJ5ZE3EDFRT72NE

In this week's episode, Cormac has somehow made it to hosting a second time (applause). This time, we discuss the smallest, reddest and exoplanetiest(?) stars - M dwarfs! Find out why we call them that, and why these temperamental ‘tars are interesting for exoplanets. Sabrina tells us about not-so-boring M stars showing complex and periodic behaviour, and Will shares some *gasp* lab work-based results showing that M dwarfs may be more habitable than we think… This week's episode rounds off with a discussion about what the “Search for Life” really means, and how it's (sometimes mis)used in astronomy. Astrobites: astrobites.org/2023/11/02/ripples-in-time-the-transient-nature-of-mysterious-m-stars/ astrobites.org/2023/03/22/could-some-earthlings-survive-in-exoplanets-around-m-dwarfs/ Space Sound: “The Sound of Two Black Holes Colliding” by LIGO Lab Caltech : MIT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyDcTbR-kEA

This week, our astro[sound]bites co-host crew starts a dance crew with the help of Kiersten, a former professional ballerina. We get a sample of Kiersten's ballet skills through her astrobite, which tells us all about the secret spinning life of black holes. Our space sound sounds like something only those black holes could dance to! Cormac takes us through our first ever physics education astrobite on viewing solar eclipses with a disco ball. Do not fret if our dancing analogy still did not get you to put on your tap shoes as we also discuss the importance and diversity of analogies within astronomy and the podcast.   Astrobites: https://astrobites.org/2023/09/01/bhballet/ https://astrobites.org/2023/10/13/doing-astronomy-with-disco-balls/   Space Sound: https://www.mso.anu.edu.au/pfrancis/Music/library/QSOcomp.mp3   Paper on space sound:  https://www.mso.anu.edu.au/pfrancis/Music/  

In this week's episode, Cormac makes his hosting debut as we talk about the most pressing threat to modern Astronomy (other than a worldwide coffee shortage) – megaconstellations! Despite sharing a majority of syllables with the collective noun of asterisms we all know and pretend to remember, these formations of hundreds of satellites are becoming more and more of an issue for astronomers. Will tells us about how satellites are sprinkling spectra with a side of the Sun and Kiersten reveals how even the Hubble Space Telescope is not safe from the multi-headed monsters of Musk et al. Join us as we find out that things might not be as bad as they seem, and discuss the pros and cons of these developments. Astrobites: https://astrobites.org/2023/09/07/satellites-in-weave/ https://astrobites.org/2023/08/10/telescopes_in_orbit/ Space Sound:  Handcrafted by Cormac using twotone.io, based on a MESA stellar evolution model by Harim Jin.

In this week's episode, we meet some of the animals in the neutron star zoo through astrobites with two surprising observations. Will tells us about a mysterious signal from a magnetar that appeared two years ago for 20 minutes and has yet to come back. Meanwhile, Cormac provides Will's magnetar with some hope by telling us the story of a pulsar signal that appeared 20 years ago and just reappeared recently. Come along for a boomerang of a journey as we discuss observing pulsars from Earth, what it's like at the pulsars themselves, and all the way back to Earth for a discussion of bad naming and bad programming languages.   Astrobites: https://astrobites.org/2023/07/31/disappearing-pulsar/ https://astrobites.org/2023/08/21/long-period-magnetar/ Space Sound:  https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/musicshow/the-black-of-the-star--for-percussion-and-pulsar/5011294 Performance:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okeBqktyyS4

Spooky season is here! In this episode, we're investigating the ghostly disappearances of astrophysical objects. Sabrina does some detective work to solve the mystery of a missing black hole, and Kiersten tries to convince her that Halloween is the best holiday. Meanwhile, Cormac convenes with ghosts of stars to figure out where they have vanished off to. It turns out that gravitational waves are the perfect medium for an astrophysical seance!  Astrobites: https://astrobites.org/2022/05/10/missing-black-hole/ https://astrobites.org/2023/08/12/vanishing-stars-massive-island/   Space sound:  https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Xo3HajfkrKQ

We went on summer break (or winter break for our astronomer down under) but JWST did not! In our first episode back, we report on two new JWST Astrobites about exoplanet atmosphere. Kiersten tells us about the search for an atmosphere in a famous planetary system, Sabrina explains how poisonous gasses can signal “pre-life,” and Will appreciates null results that aren't his own.    Astrobites: https://astrobites.org/2023/08/08/vibe-checking-trappist-1c/ https://astrobites.org/2023/08/19/signs-of-pre-life-jwst/   Space sound:  https://chandra.si.edu/photo/2022/sonify5/animations.html

In this episode, astro[sound]bites gets even more international as we welcome our new co-host, Cormac Larkin, based in Europe! We sit down in three different time zones and continents to learn more about Cormac and discuss what we're each excited about for the next year of astro[sound]bites.  Introduction to research with astro[sound]bites: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1ztsQ92NeV0Nzhg0ZaohNB?si=a5a06325cb444076 Introduction to exoplanets with astro[sound]bites: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4YQaowzQUGlSiyQdtdglUy?si=9e1201dbabf34ba8  

We take a deep breath of exoplanet atmospheres, discussing what JWST is capable of and what it already has accomplished using transmission spectroscopy. In this episode, we learn that Sabrina misses SOFIA, brown dwarfs have sandy clouds, and Will knows a thing or two about Picaso (yes, that's with one “s”). AND as a tribute to Black Space Week, following up from Episode 76, the papers we presented in this episode were both written by Black astronomers.    Astrobites: https://astrobites.org/2021/12/22/atmospheres-small-planets-big-telescope/ https://astrobites.org/2022/09/02/jwsts-first-direct-spectrum/   Space sound: HARP. You can sign up to be a part of this amazing citizen science research!  https://listen.spacescience.org/

Only 1% of Physics PhDs awarded to US citizens were to Black students in 2019 (according to the American Institute of Physics). In celebration of Juneteenth, we've invited the Black In Astro team to chat about their mission to support and highlight Black people in space science-related fields. We hear about their trajectories in space sciences and astronomy and their perspectives on the future. This episode's release also marks the beginning of Black Space Week hosted by Black in Astro! They tell us how the celebration will be bigger and better in 2023 to continue celebrating Black scientists worldwide.    Black In Astro: https://www.blackinastro.com/   Black Space Week 2023: https://www.blackinastro.com/posters-and-advertisements-for-bsw2023   Juneteenth: https://www.nytimes.com/article/juneteenth-day-celebration.html   Black Representation in Physics & Astronomy: https://astrobites.org/2020/06/12/blackinastro-black-representation-in-astro-physics-and-the-impact-of-discrimination/   American Institute of Physics Report: https://www.aip.org/statistics/reports/trends-physics-phds-171819   Articles:  https://www.nature.com/articles/s41578-021-00361-5 https://hbr.org/2019/11/the-costs-of-codeswitching https://onezero.medium.com/a-break-up-letter-with-astronomy-from-a-young-black-woman-a30de24fe209 https://www.forbes.com/sites/janicegassam/2022/02/11/does-academia-actually-want-black-professors/?sh=6af2a1b1f4ca https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-diversity-makes-us-smarter/  

Did you know that talking about astronomy can actually make you hungry? In this episode, Kiersten and Will take us on a culinary adventure through food themed astrobites. Instead of starting with the main course, Will takes us to Mars for dessert where we dine on a meteorite that initially got confused for a huge piece of chocolate. Then, Kiersten takes us to a stellar cooking class where we learn about the ingredients needed to make small exoplanets and its striking similarities to baking a cake.    Sonification & Visualization: Sounds of Exoplanet Systems: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idlB8JgKGU4   Astrobites: https://astrobites.org/2023/04/29/cacao-meteorite-and-other-fe-ni-meteorites-on-mars/ https://astrobites.org/2022/10/21/the-great-planet-bake-off/

Before we bid our tearful farewells to Alex, Sabrina and Kiersten present and discuss two of his three publications. We learn how Alex developed and deployed a machine learning model to classify supernovae using only photometry from their host galaxies! Now that Alex is a *doctor*, he's taking his machine learning and supernova expertise to MIT and Harvard. During the episode, Will peppers Alex with some important and some…less than important interview questions. Together the gang explores what happens when you try to replace your friend with an AI.   Paper Kiersten presented: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2105.09963.pdf Paper Sabrina presented: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2305.08894.pdf  Another of Alex's papers (for the supernova lovers): https://arxiv.org/pdf/2008.09630.pdf   Alex's inspiration for Will's space sound: https://twitter.com/alexgagliano/status/1648034047942066176?cxt=HHwWgICw1YSP_94tAAAA  

Episode 73: Astrophysical Prison Break   We're planning a prison break! But first, we're consulting the experts on this topic. Sabrina takes us to a distant galaxy cluster to figure out how so much light is escaping. Once we know how it's breaking free, Will brings us back a little closer to home where he consults with the Trojans (and we don't mean the ones from Homer's Odyssey) about how a fraction of their fellow soldiers made a successful getaway. As Kiersten comes along for the ride, she makes the terrible mistake of mentioning the dreaded space sound by name. Will we successfully escape? Or will we be caught and forced to listen to space sounds forever?   Astrobites: https://astrobites.org/2023/03/11/ https://astrobites.org/2020/05/13/   Space sound: https://youtu.be/BAWkuv1HXy4

In case your graduate student insurance doesn't cover you over the summer, join us now as we take a quick trip to the optometrist! Kiersten checks the prescription of a neural network in finding strong lenses, and compares the results to those found by the original signers of the Declaration of Independence (there were 56, not 55, but Will gets his facts from National Treasure). Will takes us to the bleeding edge of the early Universe to a tiny protocluster lensed by JWST. Alex can't decide on a final space sound so he chooses a black hole, a giant star, an X-ray transient, a quasar, AND a nova, all wrapped into one.   Astrobites: https://astrobites.org/2023/02/16  https://astrobites.org/2022/12/17    Space sound: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2m1QE3lVDi8 

Today we say halo from a bird's eye view of the Universe by exploring some of the largest simulations that exist. Kiersten tells us how cosmological simulations help us study the black hole populations that the next generation of gravitational wave detectors will discover. We also say our first goodbye to Alex as he presents his last astrobite (but don't worry,  he'll still be around for a few more episodes!). He teaches us that most astrophysicists do not have an aversion to genetically modified organisms, especially when those GMOs are dark matter halos in the early universe.   Want to join the team? Apply to be an a[s]b co-host here!   Sonification & Visualization: https://vimeo.com/160122270 The Datasaurus Dozen: https://www.autodesk.com/research/publications/same-stats-different-graphs   Astrobites: https://astrobites.org/2023/03/09/smbh-mergers-in-cosmological-simulations/ https://astrobites.org/2021/05/03/genetic-galaxy-halos/ 

Who knew a decade would fly by so quickly? In the dramatic conclusion of our two-part series, we explore cosmology, supernovae, and galaxy evolution in the year 2033 (or 2034, if you ask Kiersten about Dragonfly). Alex tells us how massive stars might live out their final days (after a few too many disclaimers), and Sabrina portmanteaus her way through the early universe with a baby quasar in tow. We get eight futuristic forecasts from colleagues near and far (and none of them are Australian), and then we throw out our wildest predictions to tie it all together.   Do you think we'll see a Galactic supernova soon? Will we discover life on Mars, Titan, or in the surface chemistry of some distant exoplanet? Or will a solar storm fry all our tech before we get there? Let us know by tweeting at us @astrosoundbites. We can't wait to discuss.   Astrobites: https://astrobites.org/2021/09/29/a-stars-final-words/ https://astrobites.org/2022/05/11/missing-link-quasars/   Space sound: https://twitter.com/esascience/status/990625583989186560   AGN/Galaxy classification guide: https://astrobites.org/guides/galaxy-and-agn-types/

What will astronomy be like in the year 2033?  In the first of this two-part series, we predict the (short-term) fate of the solar system, exoplanets, and the culture of astronomy a decade down the line. Kiersten and Will both focus on planets, one close to home and the other (hopefully) not too far away. We then get futuristic forecasts from six guest astronomers working around the world, who paint us an exciting (and slightly troubling) picture of new-wave astrophysics, covering everything from the role of machine learning to a crisis in publishing, with discoveries of Earth-like exoplanets in between!   Stay tuned for Part II, in which Alex and Sabrina will talk about the more distant universe and eight more guest astronomers describe the future of their fields. Astrobites: astrobites.org/2023/02/13/earth-as-an-exoplanet/ astrobites.org/2021/05/08/where-to-find-biosignatures-on-mars-a-case-for-clays/   Space sound: https://eos.org/articles/nasas-perseverance-rover-records-the-first-sounds-of-a-dust-devil-on-mars   Imaginable book: janemcgonigal.com/2021/12/17/imaginable-how-to-see-the-future-coming-and-feel-ready-for-anything-even-things-that-seem-impossible-today/   Superforcasting book: wsp.wharton.upenn.edu/book/superforecasting/

Episode 68: Breaking the Stigma Around Community College Part II   In our second episode taking another in-depth look into community college, we start off by hearing about Sabrina's experiences. She tells us about her journey from attending high school abroad to starting community college. Kiersten also interviews , Prof. Andria Schwortz, a physics and astronomy professor at Quinsigamond Community College. Join us on an adventure to Europe, community college, and with a second love story sprinkled in. Don't forget to check out our associated astrobites beyond post!   Prof. Andria Schwortz twitter: https://twitter.com/aschwortz   Equity image link: https://healthcity.bmc.org/policy-and-industry/health-equity-vs-health-equality-whats-difference

Did you know that half of our astro[sound]bites co-hosts went to community college? We're here to talk about our experiences and work towards breaking the stigma! This is our first episode in this two part series which features Kiersten's trajectory from community college into a brilliant exoplanet scientist. Next, Alex interviews Dra. Natalie Nicole Sanchez, an NSF MPS-Ascend postdoctoral fellow at Carnegie Observatories and Caltech, whose interest in astrophysics was sparked while studying art at community college. Join us on a whirlwind tour of engineering, love affairs, and artistic endeavors - and stay tuned for an associated astrobites post!   Link to Dra. Sanchez's twitter: https://twitter.com/the_n_nicole

This episode is all about magnetic fields because we couldn't stay away from such a polarizing topic! Alex takes us on a journey to the center of a star where we find how intense its magnetic field actually is. Along the way, Kiersten brings up a blast from the past with a sonification that had its own record release. To wrap up, Sabrina tells how we can use radio waves to find an exoplanet with a magnetic field because cosmic rays and solar winds don't sound like a pleasant time for us humans.    Astrobites: https://astrobites.org/2022/07/19/ https://astrobites.org/2022/09/08/ Space sound: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5MHsnc67yw

In this episode, the gang catches multiplicity mania and learn about sextuple systems of stars, galaxies, and planets. Sabrina brings us an astrobite that resonates with us all (or maybe none of us), Will the Fourth carries the torch in studying the hierarchical Castor system, and Alex speeds through a requiem for high-redshift galaxies taken from us too soon.    Astrobites: https://astrobites.org/2021/09/30 https://astrobites.org/2022/11/07 https://astrobites.org/2022/02/26    Compact Object Merging with its Companion Star Triggering a Supernova:  https://www.sciencenews.org/article/astronomy-star-swallow-black-hole-supernova-cosmology   Space sound: https://vimeo.com/621744665   A transient radio source consistent with a merger-triggered core collapse supernova: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abg6037   In-Vitro Is Not The Only Reason Older Women Have More Twins: https://www.webmd.com/baby/news/20060222/older-women-more-likely-to-have-twins

We're back with more of the most important papers in our subfields. Sabrina tells us how Karl, an engineer at Bell Labs, became the father of radio astronomy and stole her heart through time and space. Kiersten couldn't pick just one paper so she choses a review article and gives it a favorable review on our own little a[s]b revue program. The gang really struggles on the space sound and then decides it just might be okay to peak in grad school.   Papers: https://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/pdf/1933PA.....41..548J https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1086/428383/pdf   Space sound: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/19/5065

Episode 63: Our Take on Landmark Papers Part I   In this week's episode, we take a deeper look into Alex and Will's research through two landmark papers in their field. Will pulls out a strip chart to teach us about how Neptune's atmosphere looked in the 1960s (and why it's still important today). Alex gives us a deeper look into explosive transients and presents a paper on supernovae from the early 1970s that reveals the power of fermi estimation and a little intuition. Meanwhile, Sabrina kicks off a conversation about the ethics of research and faces the reality of not being able to check every line of source code from the simulations she uses. See you next episode for Kiersten and Sabrina's turn! Link to sonification competititon: https://astrosoundbites.com/astrosoundbites-sonification-challenge-2022/ Papers: https://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/pdf/1969A%26A.....2..398K https://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/pdf/1973A%26A....29..393D   Space Sound:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3x0sBCQ_c8   Acoustic dispersion (and its connection to laser beams and FRBs): https://www.npr.org/2016/12/21/506305383/why-does-a-frozen-lake-sound-like-a-star-wars-blaster Link to Will's research graphic: https://williamrsaunders.com/#occ-movie

Halloween is in the air! Get ready for a spoooooky episode where we take a stroll through the haunted side of the Universe. Alex takes us on a trek through a graveyard to investigate the skeletons the Milky Way is hiding - and no, we're not talking about the candy! Then Will tells us a ghost story about the old blue monsters hiding under our extragalactic beds, but don't worry too much. He reassured us that they only eat dust.    Astrobites: https://astrobites.org/2022/06/22/galactic-skeletons/ https://astrobites.org/2022/09/27/did-blue-monster-galaxies-in-the-early-universe-sweep-away-their-dust/   Space Sound:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfFoUWm3NDA

The gang is back! In this episode, we take a trip to the largest and the smallest astronomical scales to learn about all the exciting new ways that JWST is transforming the field in its first 100 days. Sabrina zooms out to find some sparkly galaxies and catch a glimpse into the  dazzling high-redshift Universe. Then Kiersten zooms into JWST's first directly imaged exoplanet to figure out why it's making us all so hungry. We round out the episode with an interview from York University Professor Sarah Rugheimer, who tells us all about the science to get excited about in the years to come. Astrobites: https://astrobites.org/2022/09/06/sparkling-stars/ https://astrobites.org/2022/09/01/jwsts-first-directly-imaged-exoplanet/   Space Sound:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=49&v=La9DB-bcy5Y&feature=emb_title

We're herded into a crowded auditorium for a press conference held by our very own Sabrina Berger. The breaking news? We're going on break! But not just that, we're launching our second sonification challenge! This challenge is focused on using sound for instruction, so submit a sound that teaches us about an astronomy concept in two minutes or less. Click the link below for details. To get inspired, we hear from Jendaya Wells, a music major at Lincoln University and a member of the team using sonification to explore data from the upcoming Vera Rubin Observatory! Both her and her sonifications are very bright.    Links: Astro[sound]bites Sonification Contest: https://astrosoundbites.com/astrosoundbites-sonification-challenge-2022/ Rubin Rhapsodies: https://lsst-tvssc.github.io/RubinRhapsodies Sound Effects: https://sound-effects.bbcrewind.co.uk