Podcasts about astronomers

Welcome back to The 'X' Zone Radio Show, broadcasting from our studios in St. Catharines, Ontario, on the 'X' Zone Broadcast Network and our affiliated partners across North America and around the world. I'm your host, Rob McConnell. Joining me now for our second hour tonight is a man who has spent decades scanning the skies and listening to the stars for signs that we're not alone—Dr. Seth Shostak, senior astronomer at the SETI Institute. Seth is not only a leading figure in the scientific search for extraterrestrial intelligence but also a prolific speaker, writer, and host of the long-running podcast Big Picture Science. With a background in radio astronomy, Seth has become one of the most recognizable and respected voices in the field of astrobiology. His mission? To find the evidence—hard data—that intelligent life exists beyond Earth. And tonight, we'll explore that quest with him in depth. Seth's official website is www.sethshostak.com, and tonight, he's here to discuss SETI, alien life, technology, and whether that signal from the stars might be closer than we think. Seth, welcome to The 'X' Zone!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-x-zone-radio-tv-show--1078348/support.

Ever wondered what's inside a black hole?

The Strawberry Moon's name doesn't come from it's color but from what time of year strawberries are at peak ripeness. Japan's Resilience spacecraft has slammed into the Moon. Astronomers have dicovered an object "unlike anything we've seen before". Axiom's Ax-4 has been delayed again. Axiom has partnered with NASA to study DNA of fruit flies. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/made-of-stars--4746260/support.

There was a lot of talk earlier this year about an asteroid with the highest odds of hitting Earth ever calculated. The chances of an impact by asteroid 2024 YR4 in December of 2032 peaked at about three percent. The asteroid is big enough to cause major damage if it hit. As astronomers tracked it a little longer, though, they realized that’s not going to happen – the asteroid will miss by at least 60,000 miles. Such close calls aren’t rare. Hundreds of asteroids pass within a few million miles of Earth every year. This weekend, in fact, asteroid 2014 LL26 will miss us by just two million miles. Its orbit overlaps Earth’s orbit, so it passes close fairly often. And it could hit our planet at some point in the future – though not anytime soon. Astronomers have discovered more than 27,000 potentially hazardous asteroids. And they discover more all the time. The one that caused the kerfuffle earlier this year, in fact, was just discovered in December. Several automated searches scan the sky every night. Those efforts yield thousands of asteroids every month. But it takes observations over a period of days or weeks to give us a good measurement of an asteroid’s orbit. Most of the new discoveries are in the asteroid belt, between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. But some are close enough to keep an eye on – potential hazards to life on Earth. Script by Damond Benningfield

Do stars fall down?

Das Bild vom Blauen Planeten, das sich den ersten Astronauten bei ihrem Flug zum Mond bot, ist zur Ikone unserer Zeit geworden. Wie ein kreisrunder Juwel schwebt die Erde als unser Heimatplanet inmitten der Weite des unermesslichen, pechschwarzen Weltraums – vermutlich einzigartig. Denn für die Entstehung von komplexem Leben müssen viele günstige Faktoren zusammenkommen. Die Erde – ein planetarischer »Glücksfall«. Können wir aus dieser astronomischen Perspektive Lösungswege für die Probleme auf unserer Erde ableiten, allem voran der globalen Klimakrise? Dr. Leonard Burtscher, ist diesen weiten Weg von der Astronomie und der Erkundung des Weltalls zur „Erdpolitik“ auch persönlich gegangen: Der Physiker wurde am Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie in Heidelberg promoviert und forschte in Garching und Leiden (Niederlande). 2019 war er Mitgründer von »Astronomers for Planet Earth«: eine internationale Graswurzelbewegung von Studierenden, Amateuren und Wissenschaftler:innen, die die Klimakrise aus astronomischer Sicht angehen. Seit September 2022 arbeitet Leonard Burtscher als Referent für Energie- und Klimapolitik am Umweltinstitut München e.V.

Darkness Radio presents Supernatural News/Parashare:  When a Ghost Murders  Edition w/ Mallie Fox ! This Week, Astronomers have discovered a new minor planet behind Pluto... and it ISN'T PLANET NINE!  A Man dies after claiming that a ghost tried to kill him!  A psychic's earthquake warnings trigger record travel cancellations in Japan! And, The site of an alleged alien base in Alaska has now become a UFO hotspot! See the picture of Bitsy, the six legged cat, here!  https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/387688/6-legged-cat-found-in-edmonton-canada-becomes-a-local-celebrity Check out all things Mallie here:  https://www.paranormalgirl.com/ Mallie has been spreading her wings and featured as a researcher and talking head on Strange Evidence on the Science Channel!  You can stream it on demand on Discovery + or on Max!  Get Max here:   https://bit.ly/469lcZH There are new and different (and really cool) items all the time in the Darkness Radio Online store at our website! . check out the Darkness Radio Store!   https://www.darknessradioshow.com/store/ Want to be an "Executive Producer" of Darkness Radio? email Tim@darknessradio.com for details!  #paranormal  #supernatural  #paranormalpodcasts  #darknessradio  #timdennis #malliefox #paranormalgirl #strangeevidence #supernaturalnews  #parashare  #ghosts  #spirits   #hauntings #hauntedhouses #haunteddolls #demons #supernaturalsex #deliverances #exorcisms #paranormalinvestigation #ghosthunters  #Psychics  #tarot  #ouija    #Aliens  #UFO #UAP #Extraterrestrials #alienhumanhybrid #alienabduction #alienimplant #Alienspaceships  #disclosure #shadowpeople #AATIP #DIA #Cryptids #Cryptozoology #bigfoot #sasquatch #yeti  #abominablesnowman #ogopogo #lochnessmonster #chupacabra #beastofbrayroad #mothman  #artificialintelligence #AI  #NASA  #CIA #FBI #conspiracytheory #neardeatheexperience 

The US has vetoed the UN Security Council's draft resolution calling for an "unconditional and permanent" ceasefire in Gaza. The meeting of ambassadors at the UN comes on the day the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross called the situation in Gaza "worse than hell on earth".President Trump says he's had another phone conversation with Russia's President Putin about the war in Ukraine. During the call Mr Trump said the Russian President told him that Moscow would retaliate after Ukraine attacked Russian war planes over the weekend.Also on the programme; Astronomers say they've discovered a big new planet, which is unusually orbiting around a very small star. The physicist who discovered the planet joins us.And the American novelist, Edmund White, famous for chronicling gay life in the US - has died at the age of 85. We hear from Damian Barr, Scottish Writer and broadcaster, who shares his memories of meeting White.(Photo: Smoke rises from Gaza after an explosion, as seen from Israel, 4 June, 2025. Reuters/Amir Cohen)

You can’t tell just by looking, but the universe undergoes constant change. Stars explode. Quasars flare up. Asteroids zip past Earth. And soon, astronomers will be able to generate super-high-definition movies of those changes almost every night of the year. That’s because a new telescope dedicated to “time-domain” astronomy is about ready to take its first looks at the heavens. The telescope is the centerpiece of the Vera Rubin Observatory. It’s named for an astronomer who provided strong evidence for the existence of dark matter. It’s atop an 8700-foot mountain in Chile. The telescope’s main mirror, which gathers and focuses starlight, is 8.4 meters across – almost 28 feet. It has a wide field of view, allowing it to photograph the entire southern sky every few nights. It’ll record its observations on the largest digital camera ever built – 3200 megapixels. Astronomers will use those observations to learn more about dark energy and dark matter, and to map the Milky Way Galaxy. And they’ll watch for things that change. They’ll discover asteroids and comets – both close to Earth and deep in the outer solar system. They’ll see novas, supernovas, and other brilliant flare-ups. And the observatory will send out immediate notices of each new outburst, allowing other astronomers to make detailed follow-up observations – learning much more about our constantly changing universe. Script by Damond Benningfield

Darkness Radio presents Supernatural News/Parashare:  When a Ghost Murders  Edition w/ Mallie Fox ! This Week, Astronomers have discovered a new minor planet behind Pluto... and it ISN'T PLANET NINE!  A Man dies after claiming that a ghost tried to kill him!  A psychic's earthquake warnings trigger record travel cancellations in Japan! And, The site of an alleged alien base in Alaska has now become a UFO hotspot! See the picture of Bitsy, the six legged cat, here!  https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/387688/6-legged-cat-found-in-edmonton-canada-becomes-a-local-celebrity Check out all things Mallie here:  https://www.paranormalgirl.com/ Mallie has been spreading her wings and featured as a researcher and talking head on Strange Evidence on the Science Channel!  You can stream it on demand on Discovery + or on Max!  Get Max here:   https://bit.ly/469lcZH There are new and different (and really cool) items all the time in the Darkness Radio Online store at our website! . check out the Darkness Radio Store!   https://www.darknessradioshow.com/store/ Want to be an "Executive Producer" of Darkness Radio? email Tim@darknessradio.com for details!  #paranormal  #supernatural  #paranormalpodcasts  #darknessradio  #timdennis #malliefox #paranormalgirl #strangeevidence #supernaturalnews  #parashare  #ghosts  #spirits   #hauntings #hauntedhouses #haunteddolls #demons #supernaturalsex #deliverances #exorcisms #paranormalinvestigation #ghosthunters  #Psychics  #tarot  #ouija    #Aliens  #UFO #UAP #Extraterrestrials #alienhumanhybrid #alienabduction #alienimplant #Alienspaceships  #disclosure #shadowpeople #AATIP #DIA #Cryptids #Cryptozoology #bigfoot #sasquatch #yeti  #abominablesnowman #ogopogo #lochnessmonster #chupacabra #beastofbrayroad #mothman  #artificialintelligence #AI  #NASA  #CIA #FBI #conspiracytheory #neardeatheexperience 

6/4/25: DA David Sullivan: ICE arrests here & Deerfield Academy's sex abuse victims. Serious Play Director Sheryl Stoodley, John Feffer (ISP) & actor David Keohane: “Lungs.” Brian Adams w/ Smith Coll astronomer Kimberly Ward-Duong: life on other planets. Documentary filmmakers Larry Hott & Lous Alvarez: "American Tongues" & politics.

From September 20, 2023. Hosted by Tony Darnell. Episode 39. In recent years, scientists have made great strides in the search for extraterrestrial life. They have discovered thousands of exoplanets. And some of them are located in the habitable zone of their star, which means that liquid water could exist on their surface and is essential for life as we know it.   The search for life however, is a little more involved than finding planets, measuring their location and distance around the star and figuring out their location within a habitable zone.  Astronomers need more information to learn if life may be there.   We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.  Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too!  Every bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------ Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness! http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations.  Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!) ------------------------------------ The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at info@365DaysOfAstronomy.org.

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  

Thanks to our sponsor, Venice.AI. Get 20% off a pro plan using our link: venice.ai/coolstuff and code coolstuff. Experimental painkiller could outsmart opioids -- without the high The first US solar storm emergency drill did not go well | Popular Science Our Planet Is Woefully Unprepared For A Bad Solar Storm, Says Report By NASA And NOAA | IFLScience Mysteriously Perfect Sphere Spotted in Space by Astronomers : ScienceAlert Astronomers Discover Sphere Teleios: A Perfect Sphere Found In Deep Space | The Lifesciences Magazine Contact the Show: coolstuffcommute@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chocolate Yoddah reads a Sarah Williams classic from 1868.Follow Me On TikTokhttps://www.tiktok.com/@chocolate_yoddahGet Uncensored Content On Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/ThePersistentRumorFacebookhttps://www.facebook.com/ThePersistentRumorInstagramhttps://www.instagram.com/ThePersistentRumorTwitterhttps://twitter.com/PersistentRumorOriginal theme music written, produced, and performed by Chocolate Yoddah

(Host: Christine) In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, siblings William and Caroline Herschel dedicated their lives to studying the stars. Among their accomplishments were discovering a planet (William) and comets (Caroline), causing them to leave their marks on the field of astronomy forever. This episode of Footnoting History explores their fascinating lives from their surprisingly musical beginnings to their astronomical achievements. ​ For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

Dr. Sven Buder is an astrophysicist and researches the night sky in Canberra — with a particular focus on so-called galactic archaeology. In this interview, Buder talks about his journey from Germany to Australia, his current research and the challenges that satellite systems such as Starlink pose for astronomical observation. He also talks about the importance of indigenous star knowledge and cooperation with First Nations astronomers. - Dr. Sven Buder ist Astrophysiker und erforscht in Canberra den Nachthimmel – mit einem besonderen Fokus auf die sogenannte galaktische Archäologie. Im Gespräch berichtet Buder von seinem Weg von Deutschland nach Australien, seiner aktuellen Forschung und den Herausforderungen, die Satellitensysteme wie Starlink für die astronomische Beobachtung mit sich bringen. Außerdem spricht er über die Bedeutung indigener Sternenkenntnisse und die Zusammenarbeit mit First Nations Astronomen.

Today in 1857, the birthday of Williamina Fleming, a big name in the world of astronomy but one who had a pretty low-profile start. Plus: starting tomorrow in Illinois, it's the Long Grove Chocolate Festival. Williamina Fleming, From Scottish Maid to Harvard Astronomer (New England Historical Society)Long Grove Chocolate Festival Help this show shine as a backer on Patreon

The “halo” that surrounds the Milky Way Galaxy is dark but heavy. It’s much more massive than the galaxy’s bright disk, but we don’t see much there. So the halo must be filled with dark matter. It produces no detectable energy, but it reveals its presence through its gravitational pull on the matter we can see. The leading idea says dark matter consists of some type of exotic particle. But efforts to find such particles have come up empty. Astronomers have also looked to see if the dark matter might consist of MACHOs – massive compact halo objects. The list of candidates includes faint stars, dead stars, black holes, free-floating planets, and brown dwarfs. Such objects are extremely faint. But they can sometimes brighten – not directly, but by magnifying the light of stars behind them. The technique is known as gravitational lensing. When one massive body passes in front of another, it causes the background object to get much brighter. The flare-up can last from hours to months. How long it lasts, and how much the background star brightens, reveals details about the lensing object. And that reveals the type of object. Searches for gravitational lenses have found many planets, faint stars, and even the first “rogue” black hole – one that couldn’t be seen any other way. But there just aren’t enough MACHOs to account for more than a small fraction of the dark matter – leaving us in the dark about its nature. Script by Damond Benningfield

Sponsor Details:Incogni...if you don't like sharing your details with all and sundry online, then you need Incogni. To get our SpaceTime listener deal, visit www.incogni.com/stuartgary or use the coupon code STUARTGARY at checkout.Insta360 - the leaders in 360 degree video shooting. Check out their gear and get your SpaceTime free offer with purchase by visiting www.store.insta360.com and use the coupon code SpaceTime at checkout.This episode of SpaceTime explores remarkable discoveries and urgent cosmic events that are reshaping our understanding of the universe.New Giant Galaxies DiscoveredAstronomers unveil the discovery of 15 new giant radio galaxies, each spanning over 3 million light years and hosting supermassive black holes. Utilizing the advanced capabilities of the Australian Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder (ASCAP), researchers reveal the unique characteristics of these galaxies, including their powerful jets and lobes traveling at superluminal speeds. We delve into the implications of these findings for our understanding of galaxy formation and evolution.Changes on TitanNext, we discuss the intriguing changes occurring on Saturn's moon Titan, which is experiencing rapid orbital changes on geological timescales. Scientists explore the factors influencing Titan's tidal dissipation rate and what it reveals about the moon's internal structure and history. This study provides insights into the dynamic processes at play in our solar system's moons.Failed Soviet Spacecraft ReturnsWe also cover the dramatic re-entry of the Kosmos 482, a failed Soviet spacecraft that spent 53 years in orbit before crashing back to Earth. Launched in 1972 on a mission to Venus, the spacecraft's uncontrolled descent raises concerns about space debris and its potential impact on Earth.AI and Humanity's FutureFinally, we tackle the controversial topic of artificial intelligence and its potential risks to humanity. With AI evolving at an unprecedented pace, we examine the findings of a new study that assesses the likelihood of AI leading to human extinction. As science fiction warns of a future dominated by AI, we explore the reality of these threats and what they mean for our future.www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com✍️ Episode ReferencesScience Advanceshttps://www.science.org/journal/sciadvJournal of the American Medical Associationhttps://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/spacetime-space-astronomy--2458531/support.00:00 This is space time series 28, episode 57 for broadcast on 12 May 202500:54 Astronomers have discovered 15 giant radio galaxies each hosting a supermassive black hole09:35 You're still learning about these galaxies11:57 Now you, uh, mentioned starburst galaxies earlier. What are we seeing in elliptical galaxies when this happens15:04 Foreign astronomers have discovered that the orbit of the moon Titan is changing quickly18:49 A failed Soviet era spacecraft has crashed back to Earth21:24 New study claims there's still little chance of artificial intelligence actually exterminating humanity25:39 Using cannabis during pregnancy may increase risk of several adverse birth outcomes, study finds

The NASA Kepler Spacecraft has discovered more than 2,000 planets which have been confirmed to be orbiting distant stars. It performs this remarkable feat by imaging more than 145,000 stars simultaneously to observe and measure the tiny dips in light which occur as a planet passes in front of its star. Astronomers have long known that many of the solar systems in the Milky Way have more than one star. To investigate the possibilities for life in a double star system, Dr Max Popp a scholar at Princeton University and Dr. Siegfried Eggl of Germany's Max Plank Institute substituted the real giant planet orbiting the stellar pair Kepler 35A and B with an Earth sized one orbiting the Kepler AB pair with periods between 341 and 380 days. Their detailed analysis is published in the journal Nature Communications.

Astronomers recently detected a signature of life on a distant planet. This does not mean that we have discovered aliens, but it's reasonable to wonder what is giving off this signal. We discuss the mission to find planets that are brimming with life — or are at least habitable. We also talk about why the search for life remains so intriguing to so many scientists. Our guest:Adam Frank, Ph.D., author and Helen F. and Fred H. Gowen Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Rochester

Scientists have been seriously debating whether K2-18b, a planet 124 light-years away in the Leo constellation, could be an ocean world that hosts tiny life forms. Using the James Webb Space Telescope, a British-US team found two chemicals in its atmosphere — dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and dimethyl disulfide — that, here on Earth, are only made by living things like microscopic phytoplankton. They're being super careful though, saying we need a lot more data before shouting “alien life!” from the rooftops. Still, it's a massive deal, because K2-18b is in the habitable zone — not too hot, not too cold, just right for liquid water. It's more than eight times heavier and 2.5 times bigger than Earth, making it a rare, exciting find. Animation is created by Bright Side. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/ Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD... Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook:   / brightplanet   Instagram:   / brightside.official   TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.of... Stock materials (photos, footages and other): https://www.depositphotos.com https://www.shutterstock.com https://www.eastnews.ru ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If a black hole shreds a star and nobody is around to hear it, does it make a sound? To find out, Dr. Charles Liu and co-host Allen Liu welcome Professor Yvette Cendes, (aka u/Andromeda321 on Reddit), a Radio Astronomer studying transient radio signals from space. As always, though, we start off with the day's joyfully cool cosmic thing, a report by the Dark Energy Survey that seems to show that the amount of dark energy originally described as the cosmological constant by Albert Einstein might in fact be variable. As Prof. Cendes explains, the data indicates that universal expansion is still accelerating but the rate might be changing. After Yvette explains what she does, and how radio astronomy works in concert with optical astronomy to deliver a more complete understanding, Chuck asks her to explain Tidal Disruption Events, or TDEs, about which she's a world expert. A TDE is when a star wanders too close to a supermassive black hole and ends up getting shredded. Yvette prefers to call them “Shredders.” Our first audience question comes from Nachama, who asks, “When will the black hole in the Milky Way eat the Sun?” The good news, according to Yvette, is that will never happen. As she explains, black holes actually don't suck any more than anything that massive would, and we're 25-30,000 light years away from Sagittarius A* – too far away to worry about. Next, Chuck asks Yvette about one of the most famous transient signals we've ever found, the so called “Wow!” signal detected in 1977 by Jerry Ehman at the now-defunct Xavier Observatory in Ohio. Because the signal looked exactly like what might be expected if it were of extraterrestrial origin, Ehman circled it on the printout and wrote, “Wow!” Unfortunately, it never repeated. The most likely explanation, according to Dr. Cendes, is that it was some sort of manmade interference, although the signal is currently being reinvestigated. Yvette recounts how she ended up ended up as a first-term professor at the University of Oregon after studying in the Netherlands and Toronto and working at Harvard. Then she answers an audience question from Yan Min, who asks, “Where is the best place in the world to study astronomy? I live in New York – Is it New York?” Unfortunately for Yankees fans, Yvette says it would most likely be Cambridge, Massachusetts thanks to Harvard, which has the biggest number of astronomers under one roof and operates the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, and M.I.T. on the other side of town if you get bored. Chuck asks Yvette what happens after a black hole shreds a star. Shredders, she explains, are rare. In our own Milky Way, they probably happen once every million years. Once a TDE is classified by optical astronomers, Yvette and her team point their radio telescopes at the tidal radius outside of the event horizon to discern the outflows weeks, months and even years after the initial event. He also asks Yvette if she has any hobbies to help her decompress from thinking about violent events in the universe. She likes to cross stitch, the “original pixel art.” Yvette shows us a cross stitch she made of the James Webb Space Telescope complex mirror, another featuring an 8-bit Mario screen with the words “What doesn't kill me makes me smaller,” and a third with objects in the Solar System. She also embroiders and shows us a hoop featuring the constellations visible in the northern hemisphere night sky. We end with Yvette and Allen schooling Chuck about Reddit's immense reach and value in scientific discourse. One subreddit, called r/Space, has “27 million intelligent lifeforms” subscribed to it. On Reddit, Yvette's username is u/Andromeda321, and she's one of the top users on the platform over 1 million karma points. She's known for starting her posts that explain or comment on recent discoveries with the phrase, “Astronomer here!” If you'd like to follow Dr. Yvette Cendes, you can find her on Reddit, where she's u/Andromeda321, and her dedicated subreddit, reddit.com/r/Andromeda321. You can also follow her on Bluesky @whereisyvette.bsky.social. Links to the astronomy cross stitch kits shown in the episode: Wonders of the Solar System cross stitch by Climbing Goat: https://www.climbinggoat.co.uk/products/wonders-of-the-solar-system  Constellation Series Star Map by Kiriki Press: https://kirikipress.com/products/star-map  We hope you enjoy this episode of The LIUniverse, and, if you do, please support us on Patreon. Credits for Images Used in this Episode: Artist's conception of a tidal disruption event (TDE). – Credit: Sophia Dagnello, NRAO/AUI/NSF The Wow! signal represented as "6EQUJ5". – Credit: Big Ear Radio Observatory and North American AstroPhysical Observatory (NAAPO) Artist's illustration of the material generated by a TDE or “Shredder” – Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Queen's Univ. Belfast/M. Nicholl et al.; Optical/IR: PanSTARRS, NSF/Legacy Survey/SDSS; Illustration: Soheb Mandhai #liuniverse #charlesliu #allenliu #sciencepodcast #astronomypodcast #yvettecendes #andromeda321 #astronomerhere #radioastronomer #transientradiosignals #darkenergysurvey #cosmologicalconstant #universalacceleration #wow!signal #6equj5 #tde #tidaldisruptionevents #supermassiveblackhole #shredders #sagittariusa #milkyway #crossstitch

The beginnings of our end — where the anus came from Our distant evolutionary ancestors had no anuses. Their waste was excreted from the same orifice they used to ingest food, much like jellyfish do today. Now a new study on bioRxiv that has yet to be peer-reviewed, scientists think they've found the evolutionary link in a worm with only a single digestive hole. Andreas Hejnol, from Friedrich Schiller University Jena, said he found genes we now associate with the anus being expressed in the worms in the opening where its sperm comes out, suggesting that in our evolutionary history a similar orifice was co-opted as a butt hole. Deepfake videos are becoming so real, spotting them is becoming increasingly diceyDetecting deepfake videos generated by artificial intelligence is a problem that's getting progressively worse as the technology continues to improve. One way we used to be able to tell the difference between a fake and real video is that subtle signals revealing a person's heart rate don't exist in artificially generated videos. But that is no longer the case, according to a new study in the journal Frontiers in Imaging. Peter Eisert, from Humboldt University and the Fraunhofer Heinrich-Hertz-Institute HHI in Germany, said detecting manipulated content visually is only going to become a lot more difficult going forward. Crows can use tools, do math — and now apparently understand geometryCrows are known to be among the most intelligent of animals, and a new study has explored their geometrical sophistication. Researchers including Andreas Nieder from the University of Tübingen found that crows can recognize and distinguish different kinds of quadrilateral shapes, an ability we had thought was unique to humans. The research was published in the journal Science Advances.There's gold in them thar magnetically charged neutron stars!Astronomers have discovered a new source of the universe's heavy elements — things like gold, platinum and uranium. A study led by astrophysicist Anirudh Patel found that magnetars — exotic neutron stars with ultra-powerful magnetic fields — may produce these elements in a process analogous to the way solar flares are produced by our Sun. The research, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, found that a single flare from a magnetar could produce the mass equivalent of 27 moons' worth of these heavy elements in one burst.It may not be big, but it's small — and stroppyYou might not expect an insect so tiny you need a magnifying glass to see it properly to be an aggressive defender of its territory, but that's because you haven't met the warty birch caterpillar. Its territory is just the tip of a birch leaf, but it defends it by threatening intruders with vigorous, if not precisely powerful, vibrations. Jayne Yack at Carleton University has been studying this caterpillar since 2008. This research was published in the Journal of Experimental Biology.Criminals beware — the microbiome leaves fingerprintsScientists have developed a new tool that can track location based on traces of the bacteria characteristic to different places. Eran Elhaik, from Lund University in Sweden, trained the AI tool using nearly 4,500 microbiome samples collected around the world from subway systems, soil and the oceans. He said they could identify the city source in 92 per cent of their urban samples, and in Hong Kong, where a lot of their data came from, they could identify the specific subway station samples were taken from with 82 per cent accuracy. The study was published in the journal Genome Biology and Evolution.

From October 29, 2021. (Halloween) Astronomers researching the G237 protocluster find 63 galaxies within, all producing stars and more galaxies at a high rate, acting as a “shipyard” for their region of the cosmos. Plus, Juno looks inside Jupiter's cloud bands and a review of “Invasion” on AppleTV+   We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.  Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too!  Every bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------ Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness! http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations.  Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!) ------------------------------------ The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at info@365DaysOfAstronomy.org.

The star Spica, which is quite close to the Moon tonight, is quite different from the Sun. It consists of two stars, not one. Both stars are many times bigger and heavier than the Sun. And their surfaces are tens of thousands of degrees hotter, so the stars shine blue-white. On the other hand, the Sun and Spica are made of almost exactly the same ingredients: mainly hydrogen and helium, with only a smattering of heavier elements. That composition was figured out by an astronomer who was born 125 years ago tomorrow, in England. Cecilia Payne caught the astronomy bug when she saw a lecture by Arthur Eddington, one of the world’s leading astronomers. She started her education in England, then finished in the United States. She earned a Ph.D. in 1925. And her doctoral thesis shook up the field. Decades later, in fact, Otto Struve, the first director of McDonald Observatory, called it the most brilliant thesis ever written in the field. Astronomers already had the techniques for measuring what stars are made of. Their work led them to believe that stars contain the same mixture of elements as Earth. But Payne used a new way to analyze the readings, taking into account the charge of atoms. She concluded that stars were made mainly of hydrogen and helium – elements formed in the Big Bang. By a few years later, just about everyone accepted her analysis – completely changing our concept of the stars. Script by Damond Benningfield

The surface of the Sun is like a pot of boiling water. Millions of bubbles of hot gas churn across it, constantly rising and falling. But the bubbles are a little bigger than those on your stovetop. The bubbles are known as granules. They form as energy from deep inside the Sun works its way to the surface. That heats the gas in the Sun’s top layer, forming bubbles. As they reach the surface, their gas cools and drops back into the Sun. This non-stop activity creates an easy-to-see pattern of bright blobs – the hot gas – with dark lanes between them – the cooler gas. The size of the granules varies from about a hundred miles to more than a thousand – big enough to swallow Texas. And each granule lasts for no more than about 20 minutes. A recent study said the granulation changes a bit during the Sun’s 11-year cycle of magnetic activity. Just after the peak of the cycle, there are slightly more granules than average, but they’re a little smaller than average. Other stars are so far away that we can’t see the granulation on most of them. But several types of observations confirm that they, too, are boiling away. Astronomers have seen granulation on a few stars. The stars are much bigger than the Sun. And they’re late in life, so they’re undergoing big changes. The granules on those stars are tens of millions of miles across – dozens of times the diameter of the Sun – giant bubbles of hot gas on giant stars. Script by Damond Benningfield

Read by Marcus Ellsworth Production and Sound Design by Kevin Seaman

Astronomers have discovered a black hole has torn apart a star in a surprising location.

In 1816, 18-year-old Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin (later Shelley) birthed science fiction during a rainy vacation on Lake Geneva. Inspired by a vision of a man crouched beside the corpse he reanimated, Frankenstein warned of what happens when man tries to play God. Two centuries later, the monsters are real, and they're called Musk, Altman, and Zuckerberg. Today's tech titans, like Frankenstein's Victor, race to build superintelligent machines in their image: soulless wannabe-gods with devastating reach. Gil Duran, of the Nerd Reich newsletter, connects this to A.I. worship, quoting a billionaire obsessed with “creating God” through algorithms. M.I.T.'s annotated Frankenstein likens Victor's horror to Oppenheimer's nuclear regret. We've entered a new atomic age, but instead of bombs, it's information weapons and hacked minds. As Pulitzer-nominated journalist Carole Cadwalladr warns, this is what a digital coup looks like. A.I. is trained to replace journalists, strip away privacy, and deepen inequality, just as Gaslit Nation has warned since 2018. What's the answer? Community. Skill-sharing. Nature. The real world. Jack Welch, once worshipped like Musk is today, gutted G.E. with fear-based leadership. Now he's a cautionary tale. So will today's tech gods be. Mary Shelley saw it coming. “Frightful must it be,” she wrote. We agree. But there's power in human connection, in rejecting the machine's illusions. Frankenstein's monster was abandoned. Let's not abandon each other. Join our resilience salons. Find your people. Build the future together. Want to enjoy Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, ad-free episodes, exclusive Q&A sessions, our group chat, invites to live events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit! Show Notes   The song you heard in this week's episode is “Unspoken Word” by Evrette Allen: https://soundcloud.com/user-726164627/unspoken-word-mix-13/s-GEvlnfQnmh4?si=954f31de09d644948d51a225224bd7ba&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing   Nerd Reich: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/02/12/the-strange-and-twisted-life-of-frankenstein   After two hundred years, are we ready for the truth about Mary Shelley's novel? https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/02/12/the-strange-and-twisted-life-of-frankenstein   Astronomers have determined the exact hour that Mary Shelley thought of Frankenstein. https://lithub.com/astronomers-have-determined-the-exact-hour-that-mary-shelley-thought-of-frankenstein/   AI's Energy Demands Are Out of Control. Welcome to the Internet's Hyper-Consumption Era Generative artificial intelligence tools, now part of the everyday user experience online, are causing stress on local power grids and mass water evaporation. https://www.wired.com/story/ai-energy-demands-water-impact-internet-hyper-consumption-era/   Short-term profits and long-term consequences — did Jack Welch break capitalism? https://www.npr.org/2022/06/01/1101505691/short-term-profits-and-long-term-consequences-did-jack-welch-break-capitalism   Carole Cadwalladr TED Talk: This Is What a Digital Coup Looks Like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZOoT8AbkNE   Self-styled prophets are claiming they have "awakened" chatbots and accessed the secrets of the universe through ChatGPT https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/ai-spiritual-delusions-destroying-human-relationships-1235330175/

The gusty winds of spring make it a good season for flying a kite. But you might not want to try it on the planet Wasp-127 b – it would be hard to hang on. Winds high above the surface blow at an astounding 20,000 miles per hour – a hundred times faster than winds in the strongest category five hurricanes on Earth. The star – Wasp-127 – is a lot like the Sun. But the planet isn’t much like any planet in the solar system. It’s much wider than Jupiter, the largest planet. But it’s only one-sixth of Jupiter’s mass. That makes it one of the “puffiest” planets yet seen. Wasp-127 b was discovered because it passes in front of its parent star every four days. As it does so, starlight filters through the atmosphere. Astronomers use that effect to learn something about the atmosphere. Recent observations revealed that material in the upper atmosphere is moving extremely fast – blown by the fastest winds yet seen on any planet. The observations also suggested that there’s a big temperature difference between the dawn and evening skies – more than 300 degrees Fahrenheit – one more reason the planet isn’t a good place to fly a kite. The Wasp-127 system is in the constellation Sextans, the sextant. This evening, it’s well to the lower right of the Moon. But the system is more than 500 light-years away, so the star is too faint to see without a telescope. Script by Damond Benningfield

Sponsor Details:Insta360 X5 Camera. To bag a free invisible selfie stick worth US$24.99 with your purchase, head to store.insta360.com and use the promo code "spacetime", available for the first 30 standard package purchases only.This episode of SpaceTime explores fascinating new discoveries and urgent updates from the cosmos.First, astronomers have identified a vast molecular gas and dust cloud named Eos, located just 300 light years away from Earth. This remarkable finding, published in the journal Nature Astronomy, marks the first detection of a molecular cloud using far ultraviolet emissions of molecular hydrogen. Eos, which is composed primarily of hydrogen, presents unique opportunities for studying the interstellar medium and the processes of star formation. We discuss the implications of this discovery and how it could reshape our understanding of molecular clouds across the galaxy.Jupiter's Polar Cyclones Under the MicroscopeNext, we delve into the latest revelations from NASA's Juno mission, which is providing new insights into Jupiter's ferocious polar cyclones and the volcanic activity on its moon Io. With fresh observations, scientists are uncovering the dynamics of Jupiter's atmosphere and the subsurface temperature profile of Io, shedding light on the gas giant's extreme weather patterns and the moon's geological activity.Out of Control Russian SpacecraftFinally, we discuss the impending re-entry of the Venera 8 spacecraft, a remnant of the Soviet era, which is expected to crash back to Earth on May 10. Launched in 1972, this spacecraft has been tumbling in low Earth orbit for over five decades. We examine the risks associated with its uncontrolled descent and the potential impact it may have upon re-entry.www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com✍️ Episode ReferencesNature Astronomyhttps://www.nature.com/natureastronomy/NASA Juno Missionhttps://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/juno/main/index.htmlBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/spacetime-space-astronomy--2458531/support.00:00 This is space Time Series 28, episode 54 for broadcast on the 5th May, 202500:48 Astronomers have discovered a vast invisible molecular, gas and dust cloud near Earth12:40 Two key experiments are needed to help us understand the origin of Jupiter15:42 A failed Soviet spacecraft designed to land on Venus is about to crash on Earth19:00 New study claims people who use cannabis have higher risk of heart attack21:12 New study claims ghost lanterns in South Carolina may be caused by earthquakes

Astronomy Cast Ep. 754: K2-18b By Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay Streamed live on Apr 28, 2025. You've heard the news! Astronomers are reporting the discovery of biosignatures at K2-18b. Is this proof of life or should we all be more skeptical? It's in the news and people are claiming aliens... but is it aliens? Let's see what the data actually says.    SUPPORTED BY YOU This Episode is made possible thanks to our Patrons on Patreon. Join at the Galaxy Group level or higher to be listed in our YouTube videos. Thanks to: BogieNet, Stephen Vei, Jeanette Wink, Siggi Kemmler, Andrew Poelstra, Brian Cagle, David Truog, Ed, David, Gerhard Schwarzer, Sergio Sancevero, Sergey Manouilov, Burry Gowen, David Rossetter, Michael Purcell, Jason Kwong

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z34YkwKA6N0 Streamed live on Apr 28, 2025. Hosted by: Fraser Cain and Dr. Pamela L. Gay You've heard the news! Astronomers are reporting the discovery of biosignatures at K2-18b. Is this proof of life or should we all be more skeptical? It's in the news and people are claiming aliens... but is it aliens? Let's see what the data actually says.    SUPPORTED BY YOU This Episode is made possible thanks to our Patrons on Patreon. Join at the Galaxy Group level or higher to be listed in our YouTube videos.   Thanks to: BogieNet, Stephen Vei, Jeanette Wink, Siggi Kemmler, Andrew Poelstra, Brian Cagle, David Truog, Ed, David, Gerhard Schwarzer, Sergio Sancevero, Sergey Manouilov, Burry Gowen, David Rossetter, Michael Purcell, Jason Kwong   We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.  Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too!  Every bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------ Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness! http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations.  Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!) ------------------------------------ The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at info@365DaysOfAstronomy.org.

Streamed live on Apr 28, 2025. Hosted by: Fraser Cain and Dr. Pamela L. Gay You've heard the news! Astronomers are reporting the discovery of biosignatures at K2-18b. Is this proof of life or should we all be more skeptical? It's in the news and people are claiming aliens... but is it aliens? Let's see what the data actually says.    SUPPORTED BY YOU This Episode is made possible thanks to our Patrons on Patreon. Join at the Galaxy Group level or higher to be listed in our YouTube videos.   Thanks to: BogieNet, Stephen Vei, Jeanette Wink, Siggi Kemmler, Andrew Poelstra, Brian Cagle, David Truog, Ed, David, Gerhard Schwarzer, Sergio Sancevero, Sergey Manouilov, Burry Gowen, David Rossetter, Michael Purcell, Jason Kwong

Something really weird happened out in space, and astronomers are totally baffled. A strange cosmic explosion lit up the sky, and it might be a super-rare event where everything lined up perfectly — or it could be something completely new that no one's ever seen before! It's called EP240408a, and it was first spotted by the Einstein Probe, an X-ray space telescope, on April 8, 2024. At first, it looked like your typical gamma-ray burst, which usually blasts out insanely bright X-rays. But the more scientists looked, the more things didn't add up. Now everyone's wondering if we just witnessed something brand new in the universe! Credit: CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... Gemini South: by International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/M. Paredes, https://noirlab.edu/public/images/noi..., https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... Blue Optical Transient: by NASA, ESA/Hubble, STScI, A. Chrimes (Radboud University), https://esahubble.org/images/heic2309c/, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... Sirius: by Pablo Carlos Budassi, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... Tde-simulation: by Danieljamesprice, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... Survey camera: by DOE/FNAL/DECam/R. Hahn/CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA, https://noirlab.edu/public/images/noi..., https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... Einstein Probe: by China News Service, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... Antennas at Narrabri: by John Masterson, CSIRO, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... FBOTvsGRBvsSN: by Bill Saxton, NRAO/AUI/NSF, https://public.nrao.edu/news/new-clas..., https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... telesopes near Datil: by Murray Foubister, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/..., https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... Einstein Probe Transient: by The Astrophysical Journal Letters, https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10... What Are Gamma-ray Bursts?: by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14738#media... Wavelengths of Light: by NASA, ESA, CSA, Leah Hustak (STScI), https://webbtelescope.org/contents/me... Black Hole Accretion: by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman, https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13326#media... Isolated Black Hole: by NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt (IPAC), https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14620#media... Black Hole Devouring A Star: by NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/CI Lab, https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/10807/#medi... Animation is created by Bright Side. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/ Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD... Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook:   / brightplanet   Instagram:   / brightside.official   TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.of... Stock materials (photos, footages and other): https://www.depositphotos.com https://www.shutterstock.com https://www.eastnews.ru ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'm Rob, your Last Minute Astronomer, bringing astronomy to normies and nerds, with little time to spare. We'll start by talking about this month's big events, then highlight the naked eye planets, and finish up with the lunar phases, so you can plan ahead better than me.    5th – ETA AQUARID METEOR SHOWER – Around 10-20 meteors per hour if we're lucky, the Eta Aquarids are a minor shower that favors those in the southern hemisphere.  The best time this year is after midnight (when the Moon sets) and before dawn. Just remember each meteor is a piece of debris left over from Halley's comet, and we're crashing into it at over 100,000 miles per hour, which crushes the atmosphere it hits, heating it up and causing the bright flash. You never know when you'll see something awesome! Some advice for watching:  Find a dark location and lie down in a reclining chair or something that insulates you from the ground. Check the weather to see if the skies will be clear  Adapt your eyes to the dark by staying away from light sources or using a red light if you need to look at a star chart or not trip over something.     Naked-eye PLANETS Sunset: Jupiter - About 30˚ up the sky in the W after sunset, above Taurus' head, in between its horns, setting around 11pm.  Later in the month, Jupiter is lower in the sky and sets around sunset.   Mars - Almost straight above us after sunset, but toward the SW, between Gemini and Leo (in Cancer), setting by 2am. Throughout the month, Mars will move away from Cancer and toward Leo, a little lower in the sky, setting around 1am.   Music was produced by Deep Sky Dude and used with permission.    We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.  Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too!  Every bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------ Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness! http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations.  Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!) ------------------------------------ The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at info@365DaysOfAstronomy.org.

Find me and my music here:https://linktr.ee/filipholmSupport Let's Talk Religion on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/letstalkreligion Or through a one-time donation: https://paypal.me/talkreligiondonateSources/Recomended Reading:Badakhchani, S.J. (translated by) (1999). “Contemplation and Action: The Spiritual Autobiography of a Muslim Scholar”. I.B. Tauris.Badakhchani, S.J. (translated by) (2004). “The Paradise of Submission: A Medieval Treatise on Ismaili Thought”. Ismaili Texts and Translations. I.B. Tauris.Chittick, William (1981). “Mysticism versus Philosophy in Earlier Islamic History: The Al-Ṭūsī, Al-Qūnawī Correspondence”. In Religious StudiesVol. 17, No. 1 (Mar., 1981). Cambridge University Press.Daftary, Farhad (2007). "The Isma'ilis: Their history and doctrines". Cambridge University Press.Meisami, Sayeh (2019). “Nasir al-Din Tusi: A Philosopher for All Seasons”. The Islamic Texts Society.Qara'i, Ali Quli (translated by) (?) “Awsaf al-Ashraf: Attributes of the Noble”. In al-Tawhid Islamic Journal, Vol.11, No.3, No.4. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The universe can be frustrating. Roughly two-thirds of everything in the universe appears to consist of dark energy. Despite decades of study, though, scientists haven’t been able to explain what dark energy is. Astronomers discovered dark energy by studying a type of supernova – exploding stars. The supernovas brighten and fade in a predictable way. That allows astronomers to measure their distance and their motion away from us. Stars that are farther were moving away faster than expected. That suggested that something was causing the universe to expand faster over time: dark energy. But a recent study said that dark energy might not exist. Instead, the researchers proposed a new model to explain what we see, called timescape. The model notes that matter clumps together in clusters of galaxies, with huge “voids” between them. Time passes more slowly in the presence of stronger gravity – like that exerted in the denser regions. So the voids, with less gravity, could be billions of years older than the clusters – creating “bubbles” of spacetime. If that’s correct, then it would be tough to know just when the supernovas in different parts of the universe exploded. And that makes it tough to know how fast they’re moving away from us. So the study says we don’t need dark energy to explain what we see in the universe. But there’s still a lot of work to be done to understand dark energy – including whether it even exists. Script by Damond Benningfield

Preview: Astronomer Marc Hon recalls the moment he recognized there was something new in a signal of data from a system 140 light years distant. More later. 1995 Exoplanets

Astronomers have discovered a likely explanation for a fracture in a huge cosmic "bone" in the Milky Way galaxy, using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and radio telescopes.

This episode of SpaceTime is brought you with the support of NordVPN...our official VPN service. To get your 74% discount plus 4 months extra for free, all with a 30 day money back guarantee, simply visit www.nordvpn.com/spacetimeSupport the show and check them out.In this episode of SpaceTime, we delve into the mysterious absence of river deltas on Titan, Saturn's largest moon. Despite having rivers of methane and ethane, a new study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research Planets reveals that Titan is largely devoid of these geological features, raising intriguing questions about its unique processes and history. We discuss the implications of this finding and what it means for our understanding of Titan's climate and geological past.Volcanic History of MarsNext, we explore groundbreaking research from NASA's Perseverance rover, which has uncovered a diverse array of iron-rich volcanic rocks in Jezero Crater. This study, reported in Science Advances, provides fresh insights into Mars's geological history and its potential to have supported ancient life. The findings reveal complex volcanic processes that may have occurred on the Red Planet, enhancing our understanding of its habitability.Rare Earth Metals in Exoplanet AtmosphereFinally, we celebrate the discovery of rare Earth metals in the atmosphere of Kelt 9b, one of the hottest known exoplanets. Astronomers have detected vaporized elements such as sodium, magnesium, and the rare Earth metals scandium and yttrium, marking a significant milestone in exoplanet research. This discovery opens new avenues for understanding the atmospheres of distant worlds and their unique compositions.www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com✍️ Episode ReferencesJournal of Geophysical Research Planetshttps://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/21699356Science Advanceshttps://www.science.org/journal/sciadvAstronomy and Astrophysicshttps://www.aanda.org/NASAhttps://www.nasa.gov/Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/spacetime-space-astronomy--2458531/support.00:00 This is space Time Series 28, Episode 52 for broadcast on 30 April 202500:46 Scientists are looking for Titan's missing river deltas06:02 NASA's Mars Perseverance Rover is analyzing Martian volcanic rocks10:17 Astronomers have discovered rare Earth metals in the atmosphere of a hot exoplanet17:58 People who were conceived during colder seasons store fat differently, study finds20:25 YouTube is celebrating its 20th birthday with some interesting stats22:16 Google to launch Android 16 three or four months earlier than Apple's iOS

Until about 30 years ago, Jupiter was the king of the planets – bigger and heavier than any other known planet. Today, it’s not even in the top 500. It’s still the giant of our own solar system – it’s more massive than all the other planets and moons combined. But hundreds of planets in other star systems outrank it. The total number of confirmed exo-planets is up to about 6,000. They range from chunks of rock about as massive as the Moon to super-planets up to about 80 times Jupiter’s mass. Such giants are much easier to find than smaller worlds. Astronomers find most exoplanets in a couple of ways. One is to watch as a star fades a bit as a planet passes in front of it. Larger planets block more starlight, producing a bigger dip. The other way is to measure a tiny shift in a star’s light caused by the gravitational pull of an orbiting planet. Heavier planets exert a stronger pull, making them easier to find. Many of the “super Jupiters” are especially close to their parent stars. So these are the easiest planets to find. Over the years, though, the list of such planets in more-distant orbits has grown as well – bumping Jupiter farther from his throne as “king” of the planets. Jupiter is still a giant presence in our sky. It looks like a brilliant star. And it’s close to the Moon the next couple of nights – to the upper left of the Moon tonight, and a little closer below the Moon tomorrow night. Script by Damond Benningfield

The most amazing object visible through a small telescope doesn’t look all that remarkable. In fact, it looks like a faint star. Yet that point of light packs the power of 10 trillion Suns – the power of a quasar. 3C 273 is the first quasar ever discovered. When astronomers first saw it, they thought it was just another star. It looks like a star, and its main ingredient is like a star’s as well. But when they measured its distance, they were astonished: 3C 273 was two and a half billion light-years away. That meant it couldn’t be a star at all. Instead, they classified it as a quasi-stellar object – a quasar. Astronomers eventually figured out that it’s powered by a black hole at the heart of a giant galaxy. The black hole is about 900 million times the mass of the Sun. Its enormous gravity pulls in huge amounts of gas and dust, and maybe some stars. That material forms a spinning disk around the black hole. The disk is heated to millions of degrees, so it shines brilliantly – bright enough to see from two and a half billion light-years away. 3C 273 is in Virgo. The constellation’s brightest star, Spica, is low in the southeast at nightfall. The quasar stands high above it, about a third of the way up the sky. Despite its great power, it’s too faint to see with the eye alone. But a telescope reveals this deceptive wonder – a monster masquerading as a star. Script by Damond Benningfield

China's imports of US liquefied natural gas have completely stopped for more than 10 weeks, and Japan's chief trade negotiator leaves Washington without an immediate agreement after meeting Donald Trump. The European Central Bank has cut its benchmark interest rate by a quarter-point to 2.25 per cent. Plus, astronomers have found signs of biological activity on a planet 124 light years from Earth.Mentioned in this podcast:Astronomers claim strongest evidence yet of extraterrestrial life Donald Trump weighs in on Japan trade talks but Tokyo team leaves without deal Donald Trump says Fed chair Jay Powell's ‘termination cannot come fast enough'ECB cuts rates to 2.25% amid Trump trade war China stops buying liquefied gas from the US Audio credit: C-SPAN Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Preview: Colleague Dr. Ken Croswell, astronomer, explains a fresh discovery of a solitary black hole in the constellation Sagittarius. More later. 2007 HST

A tight pair of stars got a lot tighter a few years ago. The stars merged, forming a single star. And it’s still settling into its new configuration. V1309 Scorpii produced a brilliant outburst in 2008. At first, it was classified as a classical nova. Such an eruption occurs when a small dead star pulls gas from a close companion. When enough gas piles up, it causes a nuclear explosion. Over the months after V1309 erupted, though, it became clear that something else had happened. The two stars had merged, forming a rare beast called a red nova. The merger produced a brilliant flash, and expelled lots of gas and dust at half a million miles per hour. Continued study showed that the original stars were quite different. One was about half again as massive as the Sun, while the other was just half of the Sun’s mass. Since the outburst, the system has gotten fainter and bluer. That could mean it’s becoming a blue straggler – a star that looks younger and brighter as the result of a merger. Or it could be headed toward a phase known as a planetary nebula – expelling its outer layers, leaving behind only a dead core. Astronomers continue to watch to see what happens. V1309 is in Scorpius, which is low in the southern sky at dawn. Tomorrow, it’s just a tick to the lower left of the Moon. But it’s thousands of light-years away, so it’s too faint to see without a telescope. Script by Damond Benningfield

Dune. Star Wars. Alien. Science fiction movies love alien worlds, and so do we. But how do scientists find planets outside our solar system in real life? One way is by looking for the stars that wiggle. Historically, astronomers have measured those wiggles via the Doppler method, carefully analyzing how the star's light shifts. Thanks to new data from the GAIA telescope, scientists have a much better picture of distant stars' wiggles — and the exoplanets that cause them.Want to hear more about exoplanet discoveries? Send us an email at shortwave@npr.org. Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Are UAPs real? Is an extraterrestrial sighting even possible on Earth? What are the scientific explanations for alien sightings? Is a human-like civilization possible on another planet? Astronomer and astrophysicist Adam Frank (author of Little Book of Aliens) joins Mayim and Jonathan for an MBB Explores to discuss the scientific possibilities of aliens, UFOs, and why we all need to be more excited about what recent technological advances are enabling us to discover in space. Adam Frank discusses his feelings on the government reports on Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon (UAPs), his and fellow scientists' analysis of UFO videos, and why SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) took so long to be funded and taken seriously. Find out the staggering percentage of planets that likely hold potential for intelligent life and why we all feel such wonder looking at the stars. Plus, Adam Frank discusses his time consulting on Marvel's “Dr. Strange” and his feelings on the possibility of a metaverse in real life. You don't want to miss this mind-blowing exploration of what space has to offer! Check out Adam Frank's website to learn more about his books & research: https://www.adamfrankscience.com/ BialikBreakdown.comYouTube.com/mayimbialik