NASA Blueshift

Jasmin Evans is an undergraduate student in astronomy and physics at the University of Central Lancashire in the UK. She shadowed us for the week and while she was here, she interviewed Nobel Laureate Dr. John Mather for our podcast. She talked to him about what lead him to science, what advice he would give to those young people currently trying to decide in which direction they should take their careers, and (of course) about JWST.

In July, we featured a guest post on our blog from astronomer Nick Howes about how he was able to image the Herschel observatory, which sat a million miles away from the Earth at the 2nd Lagrange point (and is now being moved into a graveyard orbit). For this podcast, we interviewed him about the back story about how he imaged Herschel, the telescopes he used, and what got him into astronomy.

This is the last part of our interview with Dr. Phil Plait, the so-called "Bad Astronomer." Phil is a scientist who now writes about science for the public, with a large focus on debunking bad science and astronomy. In this podcast, we talk with Phil about how science works, and how we learn.

This is part three of four of our interview with Dr. Phil Plait, the so-called "Bad Astronomer." Phil is a scientist, writer, and specializes in debunking bad science. In part 1, we learned how he got started, and in part 2, we talked about science in entertainment. In part 3, we discuss how he busts misconceptions, and the value of looking up at the sky.

A college friend of Maggie's, Dr. Eric Mamajek, discovered a cool potential exoplanet system that might also have a ring system - we reported on it last January after the American Astronomical Society conference. We checked with Eric a year later to talk more about his discovery, any updates, and the art done of his potential exoplanet system by Ron Miller, who we also recently interviewed in our two-part series about "The Art of Space." Visit our website (http://universe.nasa.gov/blueshift/) to see Ron's visualization of the exoplanet system discussed in this episode.

This is the second episode of our two-part interview with space artist Ron Miller. In this episode, Ron talks specifically about how he illustrates exoplanets, and we discuss specific pieces of his art. To listen to the first part of this interview, and to see examples of Ron's art, visit our website at: http://universe.nasa.gov/blueshift/

Blueshift recently interviewed space artist Ron Miller. Not only is he an amazingly talented illustrator, but he’s also the author, consultant, and former art director for the National Air and Space Museum's Albert Einstein planetarium. He's written and illustrated many books, one of which, "Out of the Cradle," is a classic and a huge inspiration to our generation. We recently came across his art illustrating a news article about an unusual exoplanet system which might actually have a ring system like Saturn's. This led us to Ron and resulted in a two-part podcast all about his extraordinary work. This is part 1. You'll find examples of Ron's art on our website at: http://universe.nasa.gov/blueshift/

Dust - on Earth, it's a nuisance. But in space, it's a valuable natural resource, a raw material essential to the formation of nearly any object imaginable. NASA Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Christina Richey studies interstellar dust grains through laboratory-created analogs, comparing the properties of simulated stardust to data from missions like SOFIA, Spitzer, and Herschel. This hands-on approach gives Christina and other researchers unique insight into the building blocks of stars, planets, and even life. This research complements observational data, computer simulations, and other studies of how objects form and work in space. In this interview, Blueshift spoke to Christina about her research as well as her adventures outside the lab, looking for life in exceptionally hostile environments.

As you might imagine, the James Webb Space Telescope is a pretty big deal here at NASA Goddard, because much of it is being assembled here. As a companion to all our tech coverage of Webb, we thought it would be nice to talk about the science it will do and how it is the scientific successor to, rather than the replacement for, the Hubble Space Telescope. We chatted with Dr. Amber Straughn, one of the project scientists on Webb, to learn about what this new observatory will bring to the scientific community. We also talked about Amber’s own research, how she uses Hubble data, and what she hopes to get out of Webb data in the future.

As science educators, encouraging critical thinking and skepticism is something we think is really important. We interviewed the "Bad Astronomer," Dr. Phil Plait, to get his thoughts on the subject. He is a trained scientist who used to work at NASA Goddard... but now he works full-time as a science writer and a public advocate for good science. In Part 1 of our interview with Phil, we learned why he started blogging about hoaxes and misconceptions, about the importance of asking "why," and ended with the start of an intriguing discussion about how the trend today in entertainment is for scientists to actually be the heroes and the good guys. This podcast is Part 2 of our interview (with two more to come), in which Phil shares his experiences with the TV shows The Big Bang Theory and Mythbusters, and tells us why he gets such joy out of teaching people about how great science is.

It's an exciting experience for any space geek to watch a new satellite launch into orbit. Earlier in 2012, we were excited about the launch of NuSTAR, a small explorer X-ray mission collaboratively created by teams at Caltech, NASA, and over a dozen other institutions around the world. NuSTAR advances the international astronomical community's ability to observe some of the hottest, densest, and most energetic objects in the Universe. We were interested to find out more about NASA Goddard's involvement in the mission, so we interviewed post-doc Dr. Dan Wik about his work with the satellite's optics and his interest in observing galaxy clusters with NuSTAR.

Wouldn't it be exciting to do astronomy in the Amazon, surrounded by the wild plants and animals of the rainforest? In January, visitors to the AstroZone event in Washington, DC, got to do something like that - they met dozens of astronomy professionals at the National Zoo's Amazonia exhibit! AstroZone is a special public event that's offered in conjunction with each meeting of the American Astronomical Society (the major professional organization for astronomers). For one afternoon, astronomers share their passion for the Universe with the local public with hands-on activities, goodies, and other special opportunities. We talked to some of the exhibitors at the event in DC, and we wanted to share their exciting science with you. The next AstroZone event is this weekend in Miami, Florida - if that's your hometown, come check it out at the Miami Dade Main Public Library on May 22nd!

When you were a kid, dreaming of the future, did you expect to have a flying car someday? Or to live on the Moon? Traveling into space has fueled the dreams of many people, but the reality is that space flight is difficult and expensive. Though escaping Earth's gravity to reach orbit is a real challenge, it is much easier and less expensive to take sub-orbital flights - that is, those that reach an altitude of 100 km (approximately 62 miles) above Earth. This may prove to be an affordable way for scientists to do science in space, especially with the technology to do these getting close to being ready for use. One of our scientists, Joe Hill, builds x-ray and gamma ray instruments... and she also wants to be an astronaut. Recently, she was given the opportunity to participate in sub-orbital scientist training, which took her one step closer to realizing her dream of going into space.

Working at NASA can provide unique and exciting job opportunities. It can be the chance of a lifetime to work on a satellite and see the products of your hard work launched into space. The flip side is that many projects only span a few years, so your dream job may not last forever. Many of us change projects routinely - and also have to deal with some level of uncertainty concerning employment. There are, however, some long-running projects at NASA - and the Hubble Space Telescope is one of them. HST was carried into orbit nearly twenty years ago, and it has been serviced by astronauts four times. Each repair of Hubble called for specialized skills that may or may not be applicable elsewhere. With Servicing Mission 4 successfully complete, we wanted to find out what the people who spent years (and perhaps their entire careers) on Hubble were doing now that the final servicing mission is done.

Professional meetings are a part of the lives of most scientists - but what actually goes on at one of these? It's not just sitting in meetings and listening to talks! These meetings offer an opportunity to share exciting results, catch up with old friends, and pick up some goodies in the exhibit hall. The Blueshift team team attended the American Astronomical Society (AAS) meeting in January and we thought we'd give you a tour of what we were doing there. Because what happens at a professional meeting... ends up on Blueshift! Check out our gallery of photos, too!

A remote research outpost like McMurdo Station in Antarctica draws many different kinds of people - scientists, engineers, writers, artists, and more. The station provides many of the comforts of home, and it's difficult to get bored with the opportunities presented during a visit. Whether it's learning to drive the special ice-friendly vehicles or participating in a chili cook-off, visitors often find themselves embarking on adventures and picking up unusual skills outside the scope of their own area of expertise. In our last episode, we interviewed Dr. John Mitchell about scientific ballooning in Antarctica and his experiences launching his experiment, BESS, in 2004 and 2007. But what's it like to spend a summer on the southernmost continent? In the second part of this interview, Dr. Mitchell tells us about the unique experiences he's had at McMurdo during his visits.

Hunting for antimatter requires a serious expedition. Scientists aren't looking for run-of-the-mill particles - they're collecting cosmic radiation that could be the signature of primordial black holes or other forms of dark matter. With instruments suspended from enormous scientific balloons, they're looking for a launch site that offers long orbits and lots of particles to detect. Where's one of the best places in the world to go particle hunting? Over the remote Antarctic continent! To find out more about Antarctic scientific ballooning, we talked to Dr. John Mitchell, the lead scientist on BESS (the Balloon-borne Experiment with a Superconducting Spectrometer), a joint Japanese/US project that is studying antimatter in cosmic radiation. BESS has flown twice from Antarctica, and a team is headed back this month to recover their detectors from the last flight. We caught Dr. Mitchell just before he left for his latest Antarctic adventure. And no, the last name is not a coincidence - Dr. Mitchell is Blueshift producer Sara Mitchell's father!

We're looking to the future here at NASA Goddard, with the construction of our new Exploration Sciences Building. To celebrate the occasion, we're preparing to seal a time capsule that won't be opened until the year 2059. In this episode of Blueshift, we talked to Dr. Michelle Thaller to find out all the details about this time capsule, and then we went around and talked to our friends and colleagues to find out what they thought might best speak to the people of the future about the NASA of today. Also, if you work in the Sciences and Exploration Directorate here at NASA Goddard, it might not be too late for you to contribute something to our time capsule. There's more information on this at the end of the podcast!

The evening of November 2, 2009 was the world premiere of "Cosmic Reflection," an orchestral composition inspired by one of NASA's satellites, in Washington, DC. This opus began as a simple prelude inspired by (and performed by a brass quintet at) the launch of the GLAST mission. To celebrate the first birthday of this satellite (since renamed Fermi), composer Dr. Noel Gasser wrote a symphony which uses music to aurally portray the history of the universe. We were able to go backstage at the Kennedy Center on the day of the performance to speak to a few of the people involved in this project, including the composer, the producer, a NASA scientist, and the "voice" of Cosmic Reflection.

The makings of new planets lie in dusty, debris-filled disks rotating around stars, held in place and shaped by the influence of their host stars. But the dust, ice, and small bodies in these planet-forming disks also feel the effects of a system's motion through space - and interaction with interstellar gas can warp a dusty disk into a weird and unexpected shape. We spoke with Goddard astrophysicist John Debes about his team's research into these oddly-shaped disks. Using the Hubble Space Telescope, scientists are investigating these disks in hopes of finding clues about how other planetary systems are formed - and perhaps even discovering the origins of our own.

For scientists, winning the Nobel Prize is a lot like winning an Oscar. Winning one comes with prestige and recognition, both from inside and outside of the science community. There are many other prizes and awards in science that are very prestigious, but you may never have heard of them. Science should be awarded and valued - after all, there is a great deal of groundbreaking science that will never win a Nobel Prize, but is still extremely important in the effort to understand the workings of the Universe. (In the same way, movies can't get made without the folks they give the technical Oscars to in the non-televised ceremony!) To celebrate the start of "award season", we have a special presentation for you - the First Annual Blueshift Awards show, complete with Red Carpet and a Very Special Interview.

This summer, the world was watching as seven astronauts visited the Hubble Space Telescope and did the first ever on-orbit repairs in space. This fifth and final Shuttle mission to service Hubble has equipped the telescope with cutting-edge technology and extended its mission lifespan for several additional years. Here at the Astrophysics Science Division, we are excited about the data being captured by Hubble's enhanced instruments, and the discoveries that are sure to come. One of the astronauts on this mission, Dr. John Grunsfeld, is also an astrophysicist. We interviewed him about his experiences with Hubble as both a researcher and a repairman. He shared his thoughts about Hubble's new capabilities, the value of astrophysics, and more. He also told us about a gorgeous image he snapped on a previous servicing mission and is now using as a screensaver - and you can download this image for your own computer!

Scientist Dr. Stefan Immler was part of a team that captured a new and unique view of one of our closest galactic neighbors with the Swift satellite, which has the ability to detect ultraviolet light. The Andromeda Galaxy, or M31, is a beautiful "nearby" spiral galaxy that is actually visible to the naked eye. We talked with Dr. Immler about what his team learned about the galaxy when Swift took a look in the UV.

Earlier this summer, Nobel Laureate Dr. John Mather told us that data are beautiful when they have meaning. Astronomical images communicate information about the way the universe works and how we know what we know. But can a pretty picture be just as lovely even if you don't know what it's about? We interviewed Dr. Randall Smith of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, a collaborator on the Aesthetics and Astronomy project that is looking into how the public perceives multi-wavelength astronomical imagery. A team of scientists, educators, and psychologists are examining the intersection of science and art in the processing of astronomical data. In this conclusion to our summer series on data, Dr. Smith shares some surprising early results from the project that may change the way we communicate with images.

The Hubble Space Telescope is famous for its beautiful images of celestial objects - from planets in our own Solar System to far away galaxies. The Orion Nebula (known to astronomers as Messier object 42, or M42) is a cloud of dust, gas, and stars. It's actually visible with the naked eye, located in the "sword" of the constellation Orion. The nebula contains both an open cluster of stars known as the Trapezium, and many stellar nurseries. Because of this, it's of interest to scientists who want to learn more about how stars are born. And we don't mean the kind out in Hollywood! (We know, that's a terrible joke.) Astronomer Massimo Robert from the Space Telescope Science Institute has dedicated a lot of his research to the Orion Nebula, and he talked to us about the creation of a breathtaking mosaic of it made with data from the Hubble Space Telescope.

How have you spent your summer vacation? An internship at NASA may not be the most relaxing way to spend these summer months, but for hundreds of high school and college students, it's an opportunity to gain valuable experience. The offices and labs here at Goddard Space Flight Center overflow every summer with interns from around the country, working with their mentors to analyze data, design and build instruments, write software, solve problems, and try their hands at unraveling the mysteries of the universe. Some of Goddard's interns were also interested in getting a taste of science communication - so we gave them the opportunity to put together an episode of Blueshift. They share their stories of how they got here, what they're working on, and what the future holds for their education and career plans.

It's summertime, which means that Hollywood is releasing a bunch of long-awaited, big-budget blockbusters! You can cool off in the theater with action, adventure, and... astronomy? Space science has been written into a variety of films - from the predictable genre of science fiction to romance, drama, and comedy. But do these movies get it right? Occasionally, but many movies have astronomers and other space-savvy members of the audience gritting their teeth and groaning at the misconceptions and misrepresentations upon the big screen. We took our microphone into the hallways and offices of the Astrophysics Science Division and asked: What's your pet peeve about astronomy in the movies? The opinions included represent that of the individuals we interviewed, and not Blueshift or NASA. Sound off on our website or Twitter about astronomy movies that drive you crazy!

It's easy to think of a satellite as a fancy digital camera - just point, shoot, and look at the pretty picture that emerges. But it's not that simple. Astronomical data has a far longer journey to make it from the satellite to end users. Bounced between satellites, sent to Earth, processed, networked, and archived... each observation has to pass through several steps before it can be analyzed by scientists. And that's not even considering the further effort required to make a pretty picture! This episode follows data from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope on its odyssey from space to Earth, interviewing key personnel along the way.

To kick off our special summer series about data, we interviewed 2006 Nobel Laureate John Mather about the importance of imagery in communicating science and sharing data with the public. More than just "pretty pictures," data can be used to tell a story and explain the mysteries of the cosmos. Not every piece of data would be considered a work of art, but the information contained is at the very heart of NASA science. Working with COBE and the James Webb Space Telescope, Dr. Mather is no stranger to the power of data and the importance of scientific imagery. We got the scoop on how data is used in communication and why every bit of data is beautiful in its own way.

The telescope on everyone's mind during this month's Space Shuttle flight was certainly the Hubble Space Telescope, as astronauts inspected, repaired, and upgraded the satellite for years of additional scientific observations. But two additional telescopes were aboard Atlantis for this historic flight - a museum-quality replica of one of Galileo's telescopes, and a 200-year-old telescope built by master craftsman Jesse Ramsden. To give you the scoop about these telescopes, we interviewed Marvin Bolt of the Adler Planetarium. Hubble may be NASA's best-known telescope, but it wouldn't be here without 400 years of innovation.

NASA is famous for its acronyms and technical jargon. If you've ever watched a rocket launch or a spacewalk, you've heard some of them. Blueshift is produced by the ASD EPO team at NASA GSFC - that is, the Astrophysics Science Division Education and Public Outreach team at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Do we need to spell out NASA, too? In this episode, we explore NASA mission names and where they come from. And we make a very special dedication - this one's for you, Stephen Colbert!

Join Blueshift for a unique tour of the solar system, as we walk the B and A Trail's Planet Walk in Maryland and talk to scientists along the way. Armed with hiking boots and a portable recorder, Francis Reddy brings you the sounds of the solar system and a factoid about each planet along the way. Also featuring the Sun and lonely former-planet Pluto! Recorded during the 100 Hours of Astronomy earlier this month, this episode gives you a taste of the activities organized by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and its community partners.

In astrophysics, the development of innovative technology is crucial to answering scientific questions about the Universe around us. The types of technology invented are determined, at least in part, by the answers we are seeking. At the heart of this science-technology cycle are "professional tinkerers," scientists and engineers that balance the needs of the astrophysics field and the opportunities afforded by an impressive palette of tools. In this episode, we interviewed Dr. Harvey Moseley, one of the "tinkerers" here at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. He gave Blueshift some advice on how to take inventions from the drawing board to reality.

2009 has been chosen as the International Year of Astronomy because it marks the 400th anniversary of a big event in astronomical history - the first recorded observations of the night sky with a telescope. Galileo Galilei pointed his telescope at the Moon, the stars, and Jupiter, and changed our perceptions of the Universe forever. In celebration, there will be a variety of special events throughout 2009. The first big global event will be the 100 Hours of Astronomy, held April 2-5, 2009. In honor of this special year, we decided to interview Galileo himself about what he did and why it was important to astronomy. We hope you'll look into 100 Hours of Astronomy events in your own area, and perhaps take a look through a telescope yourself.

HD 80606b would not be a fun place to live, with its high winds, intense storms, and temperatures thousands of degrees hotter than any region on Earth. This exoplanet goes on a wild ride around its host star, with an orbit that takes it extremely close - and then extremely far away. This sends the planet through rapid heating and cooling cycles that astronomers are keenly studying to learn more about planetary atmospheres and climate patterns. In this episode, we interviewed Dr. Drake Deming, a Goddard astronomer studying HD 80606b, about this extreme planet and what makes exoplanets so interesting and valuable to observe. Though it isn't a friendly place, this extreme planet may be a step along the way to finding another world much like our own.

Have you ever wondered where Google Sky gets the data that lets you pan and zoom your way around the cosmos? Much of it comes from NASA's SkyView Virtual Observatory, a database of astronomy data from a variety of different sources. Google Sky and WorldWide Telescope are two sites that access the database for users, but anyone can use SkyView directly with just a web browser! It's like having a powerful - and versatile - telescope at your fingertips, ready to show you whatever you'd like to see in the Universe. We interviewed Tom McGlynn, the creator of SkyView, about what this powerful virtual telescope can do and how people are using it. Hunt for near-Earth asteroids, research a homework assignment, check out multiwavelength data... or just play!

This episode features a strange signal from deep space, which could be a plot straight out of a Hollywood film. But this radio signal was detected by a NASA mission called ARCADE, which flew above the atmosphere suspected from a balloon to capture light from the first stars and galaxies that formed in the Universe. When data showed something totally unexpected, that's when things got interesting. We interviewed Al Kogut and Dale Fixsen about this discovery, ARCADE, and how you can also detect this mysterious radio signal from outer space with any FM radio.

After taking some time off to seek listener feedback and consider the future direction of our podcast, Blueshift is back with a new episode to kick off 2009! For our re-launch, we've focused our first episode on another recently launched NASA project - the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope - and the exciting gamma-ray bursts that it observes.

Welcome to the December 2007 episode of Blueshift, from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. We're celebrating the new year with a look at the typical life cycle of NASA missions and the typical day of our science staff. We'll start with a look back at the FUSE mission, which ceased operations earlier this year. Then we'll give you an inside look at what it takes to make a mission happen - from the birth of ideas to the day-to-day operation of a satellite after launch.

Welcome to the November 2007 episode of Blueshift, from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. This month, find out what it's like to spend a summer vacation at NASA in interviews with some of our 2007 interns. Also, join us for a birthday party that's out of this world... happy 10th birthday, ACE! And finally, we'll share the answer to the Episode 4 brain teaser.

Welcome to a special episode of Blueshift! As we approach another year of Nobel Prizes, we are releasing our full-length interview with NASA's own Nobel Laureate, John Mather (an edited version appeared in Episode 4). Learn more about cosmology, Dr. Mather's new position at NASA Headquarters, the importance of small missions, and the exciting future of the James Webb Space Telescope.

Welcome to the July 2007 episode of Blueshift, from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Catch up on the latest astronomy headlines, and listen to our audio scrapbook from the American Astronomical Society meeting in Hawaii. For this episode, we interviewed Dr. John Mather, co-winner of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physics. Dr. Mather talks about cosmology, NASA missions, winning the Nobel Prize, and his induction into a little-known Swedish student organization. We've also got a new brain teaser - and we're eagerly awaiting your answers at our website!

Welcome to the June 2007 episode of Blueshift, from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. We're featuring X-ray astronomy this episode - listening to black holes and learning about what it takes to build an X-ray telescope. We interviewed Jerry Bonnell, co-curator of the Astronomy Picture of the Day, for a behind-the-scenes look at the website. We'll wrap things up with a new question from the mailbag, and a brain teaser.

Welcome to the May 2007 episode of Blueshift, from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. We'll discuss our search for Earth-like planets outside of our own Solar System. We'll also look into gamma ray bursts, and how the Swift satellite team is working to solve their mysteries. This episode includes a brain teaser and mailbag question.