Podcasts about Astrophysics

On October 6, 2025, hundreds of space advocates from across the United States joined The Planetary Society and 20 partner organizations on Capitol Hill to deliver one clear message: protect NASA’s science budget. We begin with Ari Koeppel, AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow and Space Policy Intern at The Planetary Society, who shares why this moment matters for scientists facing uncertainty about their future. Then Britney Schmidt, planetary scientist at Cornell University and member of The Planetary Society’s Board of Directors, calls in from Washington, D.C., to share what it’s like on the ground as hundreds of advocates come together to defend the future of space science. Next, we take you to the press conference on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, featuring Bill Nye, CEO of The Planetary Society, Representative Glenn Ivey of Maryland’s 4th District, Marcel Agüeros, president-elect of the American Astronomical Society, and Brandon Jones, President of the American Geophysical Union. Together, they urge Congress to restore NASA’s science funding and maintain the United States' leadership in discovery. We close with Casey Dreier, chief of space policy at The Planetary Society, reflecting on the power of grassroots advocacy and what comes next for the Save NASA Science campaign. Finally, in What’s Up, Bruce Betts, The Planetary Society’s chief scientist, joins host Sarah Al-Ahmed to look ahead, exploring the great mysteries we could solve in the coming years if we continue to invest in space science. Discover more at: https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/2025-day-of-action-for-nasa-scienceSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Landon Ashworth a multi-talented individual - a TV / Movie Director, as well as an Actor, he is not only creative, he is also intelligent and smart having studied Aerodynamics and Astrophysics in University.  Proof of his wide-ranging talent, Landon parlayed his schooling into a career as an Airline Pilot before he pivoted careers to get in the Film Industry. Landon Ashworth is on the Autism Spectrum and calls his Autism his "Golf Superpower."  He joins #OntheMark to let you into his mind and how he approaches golf in a simple, creative, artistic and disciplined fashion to regularly shoot under-par scores. He discusses:  Visualization and how he sees the target in lines and the swing in circles. Learning in either Visual or Auditory terms. Expectations and how he "fakes" being normal. Creativity and using a golf-club as a tool to craft a shot. Becoming friends with your golf-clubs. Surrendering to, and becoming addicted to practice. Cultivating self-belief. Blending the technical aspect of golf with the artistic form of the game, and Developing a strategy for success before each round of golf. Landon also shares insights on his "Think Box" and his "Play Box" and how Golf can be played as a "Well Planned Battle." Prepare to be entertained and informed by a movie star whose dream it was to become an astronaut.  An honest human being who is prepared to share his deepest secrets and his love for golf.  Landon Ashworth is a gem and time with him will enrich your life and your golf. This podcast can be viewed as a Vodcast on YouTube.  Search and subscribe to Mark Immelman.  

In this episode, friend of the show Geriant Lewis, Professor of Astrophysics at the Sydney Institute for Astronomy within the University of Sydney, joins us to unpack a fascinating New Scientist article theorising on how a strange line of dwarf galaxies may have formed.  We explore how high-speed collisions between dwarf galaxies can scatter gas and stars across space, sometimes giving rise to entirely new tidal galaxies. Geraint explains the latest thinking on where these dwarf galaxies come from, what makes a galaxy “relaxed” or “unrelated,” and how these cosmic smash-ups might even shed light on one of the biggest mysteries in physics: the true nature of dark matter. www.geraintflewis.com/ Linkedin: Geriant Lewis Bluesky: cosmic_horizons

In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss another significant anniversary happening this year. We recently aired CCP165: On the Nicene Creed as 2025 marks the 1700th anniversary of the creed. This year also marks the 100th anniversary of what's known as the Scopes Trial (or the “Monkey Trial”) - a sensational trial in American history where the debate over creation vs. evolution entered the courtroom. Set in the small town of Dayton, Tennessee back in 1925, the trial set defenders of evolutionary theory against those who wanted public schools to teach what was considered to be a biblical view of the origin of the world's inhabitants. Episode Links As Dr. White mentioned, the church plays a huge role when it comes to apologetics - helping people to know why they believe what they believe and to be able to give an account of their faith to others. This has always been a priority at Mecklenburg Community Church. In fact, you may be interested in checking out the following series that were given by Dr. White, all related to apologetics and/or faith vs. science: “Doubt” “Don't Check Your Brains at the Door” “The Science of God” “Astrophysics… for People Who Are Open to God” “Why Believe?” There are two resources we'd suggest you check out related to the conversation today. For a better understanding of the Hebrew mindset, we'd suggest Our Father Abraham written by Marvin R. Wilson. And then for more on the interplay between faith and science, we suggest you read How I Changed My Mind About Evolution, edited by Kathryn Applegate and J.B. Stump. Finally, today's discussion was sparked by an article on NPR by Scott Neuman and Nell Greenfieldboyce titled “100 years after evolution went on trial, the Scopes case still reverberates” outlining the cultural ramifications of this trial even 100 years later. You can read or listen to that article HERE. For those of you who are new to Church & Culture, we'd love to invite you to subscribe (for free of course) to the twice-weekly Church & Culture blog and check out the Daily Headline News - a collection of headlines from around the globe each weekday. We'd also love to hear from you if there is a topic that you'd like to see discussed on the Church & Culture Podcast in an upcoming episode. You can find the form to submit your questions at the bottom of the podcast page HERE.

Send us a textIf you've ever felt forced to choose between a telescope and a tarot deck, this conversation will make you breathe easier. We chatted with Rosa Hope—a practicing PhD astrophysicist and transpersonal hypnotist—to trace the surprising places where hard science and deep spirit not only coexist, but actually help each other do their best work. Rosa unpacks materialism in plain language, shows how quantum-scale weirdness challenges “solid” reality, and explains why science answers "how" while spirituality answers "why."Rosa shares the raw story of losing a roommate, developing severe PTSD, and finding unexpected relief in a single 90-minute hypnosis session that unraveled a core pattern of guilt. She offers a pragmatic bridge for skeptics: you don't have to believe in angels or past lives; treat it as a guided imaginative exercise and judge by results—less pain, more agency, better relationships. Rosa also challenges default cultural lenses, naming the limits of Jungian dream symbols and uplifting learning within living traditions. The through line is generous and clear: meet people where they are, let practice lead belief, and use these tools in service of healing.If you're curious about hypnosis, integration, and the space between the measurable and the meaningful, this is your map. To learn more or to work with Rosa:Visit: www.rosa-hope.comClairvoyaging is now a fiscally sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a 501(c)(3) charity, so any donations are now tax deductible. If you'd like to support our projects that aim to foster understanding for diverse spiritual belief systems, visit www.clairvoyaging.com/support. Support the show-- DONATE to the Clairvoyaging Documentary (it's tax-deductible!)-- SUBSCRIBE in your preferred podcast app! -- Follow @clairvoyagingpodcast on Instagram.-- Send us an email: clairvoyagingpodcast@gmail.com-- Become a Clairvoyager on Patreon and get access to exclusive extras!

Associate Professor Charley Lineweaver, Astrophysicist at ANU's Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, joined Philip Clark on Nightlife to discuss the latest in science and space. 

In this episode of SpaceTime, we dive into the cosmos to uncover the secrets of the early universe, explore the potential for black hole atmospheres, and examine the intriguing history of habitability on Mars, alongside the launch of a new deep space antenna by the European Space Agency.Mysterious Red Dots in the Early UniverseAstronomers have identified a population of enigmatic red dots in the early universe, potentially representing exotic stellar atmospheres around ancient black holes. These findings, published in Astronomy and Astrophysics, could bridge the gap in understanding the rapid growth of supermassive black holes. The Webb Space Telescope's observations suggest these objects might be a new class of celestial body, challenging existing models of galaxy formation and offering insights into the origins of galaxies.Multiple Episodes of Habitability on MarsNASA's Perseverance rover has provided compelling evidence that Mars's Jezero Crater experienced multiple episodes of liquid water flooding, each capable of supporting life. By analysing geochemical data, scientists have identified various minerals that reveal a dynamic history of volcanic activity and water interactions, suggesting a complex aqueous past that could have fostered life on the Red Planet.European Space Agency's New Deep Space DishThe European Space Agency is set to inaugurate its latest Australian deep space antenna at the Norcia tracking station in Western Australia. This 35-metre parabolic dish will enhance ESA's deep space communications capabilities, supporting missions and ensuring robust data transmission from spacecraft exploring our solar system. The new facility complements ESA's existing network of antennas worldwide, reinforcing their commitment to deep space exploration.www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com✍️ Episode ReferencesAstronomy and Astrophysicshttps://www.aanda.org/Journal of Geophysical Research Planetshttps://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/21699356European Space Agencyhttps://www.esa.int/Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/spacetime-space-astronomy--2458531/support.Mysterious Red Dots in the Early UniverseMultiple Episodes of Habitability on MarsEuropean Space Agency's New Deep Space Dish

In this episode of SpaceTime, we explore the thrilling prospects of observing exploding black holes, an astonishing stellar jet on the outskirts of the Milky Way, and the meticulous preparations for an Earth observation satellite mission.Exploding Black Holes on the HorizonA groundbreaking study suggests that astronomers may soon witness a black hole explosion, an event theorised to occur once every 100,000 years. Researchers now believe there's a 90% chance of observing such an explosion within the next decade, potentially revealing primordial black holes formed shortly after the Big Bang. These explosions could provide a comprehensive catalogue of all subatomic particles, including those yet to be discovered, fundamentally altering our understanding of the universe's origins.Immense Stellar Jet DiscoveredAstronomers have identified a colossal stellar jet erupting from a young star in the Milky Way's outskirts, specifically in the Sharpless 2284 region. This rare phenomenon involves twin jets of hot plasma extending over eight light years, driven by superheated gases falling onto the massive star. Captured by NASA's Webb Space Telescope, this discovery not only sheds light on star formation but also offers insights into the conditions of the early universe.Preparing for Earth ObservationThe European Space Agency is conducting rigorous tests for a future Earth observation satellite mission, including an airborne campaign in the Arctic. Scientists are evaluating a new imaging microwave radiometer designed to monitor sea ice and its evolution. This mission aims to gather vital data on climate change and the Arctic environment, contributing to a better understanding of global phenomena.www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com✍️ Episode ReferencesPhysical Review Lettershttps://journals.aps.org/prl/NASAhttps://www.nasa.gov/European Space Agencyhttps://www.esa.int/Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/spacetime-space-astronomy--2458531/support.Exploding Black Holes on the HorizonImmense Stellar Jet DiscoveredPreparing for Earth Observation

In this week's episode, we tell the story of a Giant Blue Star that made the terrible, terrible mistake of trying to nibble on its more evolved sibling; it's black hole of a sibling. Folks, don't eat the dark holes in spacetime. We also look at this week's news, including lumpy planets, forming planets, asteroids getting up close and personal, and how Leopard spots are in style for life hunting Mars Scientists. We also have tales from the launch pad.

Episode 137. Joining us in Verbier, Switzerland is astrophysicist and astronomer, Jose Rodrigues. He spared me some time to hang out educate me about the recent blood moon, ancient civilizations and their astronomical knowledge, the impact of light pollution on stargazing, and the search for exoplanets and dark matter. Jose makes a complicated subject very easy to understand. Enjoy...Follow Jose's outstanding photographs of the stars here https://www.instagram.com/joserodrigues.space/Follow Mister Kindness:Twitter/X https://twitter.com/MisterKindnessInstagram https://www.instagram.com/misterkindness_podYouTube https://www.youtube.com/@misterkindnessFacebook https://www.facebook.com/njohn.kindness.9on #Verbier #Switzerland #astronomy #astrophysics #ancientcivilizations #bloodmoon #lightpollution #exoplanets #darkmatter #planetnine #lunareclipse #astrophotography #stargazing #reclaimourstars

Jonathan Gagné is producing some of the best work in the world in terms of increasing our understanding and appreciation of coffee. And his new book, The Physics of Espresso, is incredibly smart, impressively easy to understand, and…fun! So it was an honor to have Jonathan on to talk about astrophysics, boulders, dust, soup, crema, headspace, and more. We Want to Hear from You!Have a topic, craft category, or craft company you'd like to see us cover? Email us here to share those or any other thoughts you have about CRAFTED.RELATED LINKS:Blister Craft CollectiveBecome a BLISTER+ MemberThe Physics of EspressoThe Physics of Filter CoffeeInstagram: Jonathan's Gagné Jonathan's site: coffeeadastra.comTOPICS & TIMES:Jonathan's Work in Astrophysics (2:54)Brown Dwarfs (4:54)Origins of His Interest in Coffee (12:07)Filter Coffee & Espresso: His 2 Books (17:29)Is This the Most Interesting Time in Espresso? (26:45)Soup & Low-Pressure Espresso (28:00)Crema (34:02)Grinders (Weber EG-1 & Turin DF83 v2) (38:28)Burr Size: Is Bigger Always Better? 50:14)Boulders (58:26)Headspace (1:03:23)Puck Screens & Other Variables (1:08:19)Baskets & Bed Depth: 49mm vs 58mm (1:14:21)Jonathan's website: Coffee ad Astra (1:16:33)SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicBikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30Blister Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Associate Professor Charley Lineweaver, Astrophysicist at the ANU's Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, joined Philip Clark on Nightlife to discuss the latest in science and space.   

The Power of Dirndls And Lederhosen: Part 1Hans channels his grandfather's German roots, to overcome his inadequacies with women.Based on the post by cb summers, in 2 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.September 22October was almost here. Outside, a cold, gusty wind was blowing the freshly fallen leaves across the campus commons. But I was warm in my room, snuggled under the covers, devouring chapter seven of Advanced Organic Chemistry. I had a test scheduled for the next morning, but studying wasn't a chore for a nerd like me. It was a joy. I was basking in the awesome power of carbon, and the stunning ways it had chemically combined with other compounds over the unimaginable eons of time to form the very basis of life itself.I loved learning. I loved science. I loved textbooks. They allowed me to escape myself. In textbooks I wasn't a loveless, lonely virgin. I wasn't an awkward, babbling dork. I didn't have a disappointing body with deep pockmarks from a high-school bout with acne, and crooked teeth from parents too poor to pay for braces. And I didn't become embarrassingly tongue-tied in the presence of hotties, because there were no hotties in textbooks. There wasn't even a me. Lost in the mysteries and majesty of science, I became the universe itself. Immortal. Beautiful. Content.It was a blessed relief from all the stress I'd been under of late. You see, I could understand carbon. I could understand DNA. I could understand calculus, non-Euclidean geometry and superstring theory. But girls? They were a total mystery to me.My roommate Troy had been trying to share his ‘wisdom' about the fairer sex with me, but it wasn't easy for me to take his advice. After all, he was a Neanderthal. Normally, I avoided guys like him. You know, big dumb lunks, with handsome faces, muscular bodies, and cocky attitudes. Troy was willfully ignorant about the natural world. He didn't believe in evolution, because it just didn't make sense to him, but he did believe in Bigfoot because he saw a movie about it once. I mean, he was just an idiot. I never would have chosen a guy like him to be my roommate, but my roomie for the last two years suddenly transferred to Columbia just before school started in September, so Troy, was assigned to me at random.I'll never forget the day I met the big dope. He swaggered into my room as if he owned the place. He was tall and broad, with a thick, strong neck, short tan hair, and an infuriating air of confidence. I hated him instantly. But I resolved to try to get along with him, so I said, “Hi. I'm Hans. Hans Willis.”He replied, “Look dude, here's the deal I'm gonna fuck a lot of girls in this room, so we need to work out some kinda arrangement. If you see a sock hanging on the doorknob, don't come in. Got it? Just assume I'm boning some chick. I don't care if you have to sleep in the lobby, don't come between me and my pussy. But don't worry, same rules apply for both of us. If I see the sock, I'll stay out too. Those are now the house rules. Name's Troy, by the way.” He held his fist out for me to bump, so I bumped it.A Crushing Defeat To The Neanderthal.But the one girl I actually did go on one date with, that September, ended up becoming my roommate's main fuck buddy, Briona. She's maybe the smartest female in the science department, but her primal desires led her to the neanderthal, Troy.  It wasn't even a week after my one feeble date. Briona basically ignored me in class, and I was miserable. I became depressed and stayed in my dorm, sulking myself to sleep.So there I was, lost in my textbook on a cold September evening, when voices in the hallway brought me out of my reverie. They stopped in front of my door and began to talk back and forth in hushed tones. I recognized Troy's voice. He started talking loudly. “No, really, don't worry about my roommate. He's asleep. Sleeps like a fucking log.”A girl's voice whispered, “Really? I don't know about this. Are you sure?”He answered loudly, “Yeah, I toldja, he's on some kinda meds to keep his acne from coming back. Those things knock him out like a light. It's actually kinda bizarre. Hey, why don't you see for yourself?”He was fumbling with his keys, and then he dropped them loudly on the floor. I realized with shock that he was hoping I'd hear him so I could pretend to be asleep. I was gripped with utter terror. He'd never done anything like this before. He usually called me if he wanted to bring a girl over, to give me time to clear out. But he must have met this girl at some late night party, and didn't think I'd agree to leaving the room at 2:15 in the morning. So what was his plan? He wanted me to stay? To, what? Pretend to be asleep while he fucked this girl? It was a crazy idea! Utterly indecent! Utterly wonderful! Two conflicting thoughts raced through my head at the same time. One: I don't have time for this! I have to study! Two: Oh holy shit, oh holy shit, shit,!What a position to put me in! But I felt I had no choice but to play possum! I heard the key clicking into place, so I barely had time to put my books on the floor, flip out my bedside lamp, and yank the covers messily over my head before the door swung open. I didn't see them coming in, but I heard their voices.He said, in a normal voice, “See? What did I tell you? Out like a light.”She whispered, “No, really?”The door closed, and he said, “Here. Let me show you.” He tromped over to me, shook me and shouted, “Wake up, roomie! The building's on fire!” Then he leaned down close enough to whisper, “Please, Hans. Just go with it.” I didn't make a peep, so he said loudly, “What did I tell you? Dead to the world. It's just you and me, sweetheart.'She giggled and whispered, “Damn. Those must be some killer meds. Which one does he take? Xeotrex, or Iso…”She fell silent. From the sound of the wet little smacking sounds I heard, he must have started kissing her to stop her questions. Damn, what a caveman he was. But she didn't complain. Soon she was making hungry little moans and wet slobbering gasps and groans. Oh shit. I couldn't believe they were making out, right there in my room! My cock started to harden. It was a good thing I'd turned to my side, or she might have seen a volcano rising under my sheets.I just lay there in shock for the next five minutes, unable to block out those sexy sounds. I couldn't believe this was actually happening. But it only got more shocking when I heard the unmistakable sound of a belt buckle clinking open. Troy moaned, “Oh yeah, baby. Fuck yeah.”She giggled, saying, “Let's see what you got in here, big boy. Oh, hot damn. It's so big. Damn. My fingers barely fit around it. Fuck. I gotta get a taste of that.” Then she inhaled and made a wet slurping sound.Troy moaned deeply, “Oh, fuck.”Up to that very moment, I'd had no intention of peeking. But once I realized that a girl was giving Troy a blowjob just a few feet away from me, and the only thing that stood between them and my eyes was my blanket, well I just couldn't resist. I had to see. I just had to! So I slowly moved my hand up to my face and began to tug at the blanket to form a shadowy little opening to peep through. The first thing I saw was Troy's rapturous face, illuminated by his bedside light. He looked right at me. I thought he'd be pissed, but he just smiled and put his finger to his lips, then pointed down, grinning like a birthday boy showing off his brand new BB gun.With that encouragement, I pulled the opening a little more open, and laid my eyes on a sight that absolutely shook me to the core.Briona Skorsczi was on her knees sucking my roommate's big fat cock.I couldn't have been more shocked if I'd suddenly seen my family being eaten by a Tyrannosaurus Rex. It was horrifying, yet I couldn't look away. I just couldn't. Briona's big, beautiful nose was bobbing forward and back, her glasses sliding down to the tip as she sucked him into her beautiful mouth. Her delightful bunny teeth were sliding gently over the raw, naked flesh of that frighteningly huge cock of his. It had to be eight or nine inches long. Maybe more.She must have taken off her coat and shirt before getting on her knees, because I saw her enormous tits absolutely straining to escape the confines of her lacy white bra. I'd been right all along. She had been hiding a smoking hot body under all those baggy clothes. Her tits were even bigger than I'd suspected, probably full D cups, and her creamy white cleavage was wiggling like a bowl of Jell-O as she slurped Troy's cock with increasing eagerness.I watched all of this in utter shock. I couldn't believe this was actually happening. The sweet, innocent, genius of my dreams was polishing a Neanderthal's knob. It was wrong on so many levels; I just couldn't wrap my head around it. How the hell had he met her anyway? I hadn't told either of them about each other, but Prairie Tech wasn't a very big college, so this was just one of those random coincidences that happen from time to time. Only this time it was happening to me, goddamn it!It was heartbreaking to watch. But I had to. I had to. Those full, beautiful lips, which I'd been too timid to kiss, were now sliding and slurping over the bulbous head of Troy's throbbing meat. And her delicate pink tongue, which had said so many fascinating things to me over the course of our evening together, was now slipping out, and flicking that sensitive spot on the underside of his glans. All the while she stroked his long shaft with those delicate hands I'd imagined holding in my own. Then she lifted his shaft, leaned forward and slurped his big, hairless balls into her mouth, making him grab his bedside table for support.“Oh fuck. Suck my balls, bitch. Yeah, so fucking good.”I watched her lick every inch of his veiny shaft, her big beautiful nose occasionally bending in contact with his cock, which I found particularly obscene. Then she kissed her way back to the tip of his salami and began gobbling him forward and back in long swooping moves, making her brown hair bob and bounce, taking him deeper and deeper into her throat with each stroke. She began to drool copiously, coating his cock with so much slime that long strands of slobber dripped down onto her creamy white cleavage. God, I just about passed out at the sight of it. She tilted her head lithely side to side as she gulped his phallus, literally swallowing it until I could actually see the end of his massive member distorting her willowy neck! It was astonishing. She was making loud, wet gasping sounds, but unbelievably, she wasn't choking on his cock; not one tiny bit.That's when it dawned on me that she wasn't a sweet little shy virgin after all. She'd obviously sucked a cock or twelve in her time. Hell, for all I knew, she did this sort of thing every single night of the year. I'd completely misjudged her. She hadn't turned me down because she was too busy. She'd turned me down because I was a coward.Looking back, I suddenly realized that she'd been waiting for me to make some kind of move all night during our date. Now with hindsight twenty twenty, I could remember at least half a dozen opportunities for intimacy that I'd passed up. I could have held her hand at the art show. I could have sat next to her at dinner. I could have put my arm over her shoulder on the walk to her place. And that awkward silence before she closed the door? She'd definitely wanted me to kiss her!Idiot! Why Didn't I Fucking Kiss Her? And if I had, then what? Would she have pulled me inside? Would she have dropped to her knees and pulled out my cock and started sucking me, just like she did with Troy? And then what? Would she have fucked me too?! Oh shit. I blew it. I fucking blew it.I closed the gap in my blankets, and closed my eyes, trying to stifle my sobs of crushing regret. Oh god, I was a pathetic excuse for a man. I wasn't a man at all! I was a fucking Boy! Troy may have been a stupid caveman who didn't believe in evolution, but did believe that a magnetic wristband could make you run faster, but nevertheless, he was still twice the man as me. My pitiful erection faded away and I silently wept, feeling lower and more useless than I'd ever felt in my life.Okay. I must admit. I was wallowing a bit. But then I heard Briona say, “I want you to cream on my tits, baby.”I instantly forgot my misery, and opened the flap again, just in time to see her reaching behind her back and unhooking her bra. It popped open and her big pale breasts fell into view. My cock leapt fully erect again. Her nipples were puffy and pink. Oh god, her tits were more magnificent than I could have ever imagined. Troy grabbed her head with both hands and began fucking her face hard and fast. Then he stiffened up, arched his back and let out a long, gut-wrenching, guttural groan. She pulled back and presented her tits to him, while she jerked his long pipe with one hand. I saw his nuts literally jumping, then ropes of glistening white ropes shot out of him, splooging all over her breasts and neck. She jerked it out of him with expert yanks, until her cleavage was dripping with goo. Then she leaned forward and sucked his cock head while squeezing his balls, making him squirt another shot into her mouth. She looked up at him over her glasses and opened her mouth, and let the cum slowly drip out of it onto her tits. Oh fucking christ! It was so fucking Filthy! Then she ran both hands over her breasts, spreading his shiny cum all over until she her tits were glistening.He couldn't stand up any longer, so he plopped down onto his bed, and fell onto his back. Briona stood up, and quickly stripped out of her shoes, jeans and panties, a sight that made my eyes nearly pop out of their sockets. She had an incredible ass and a stunningly narrow waist. What a figure! She was built like a movie star! Her back was to me now, so I reached into my shorts and wrapped my hand around my throbbing hard cock and started jerking off as quietly as I could manage. She leaned forward to yank Troy's pants off, giving me an amazing view of her extremely hairy pussy. It was big, bushy and brown, but fucking hot as hell. I couldn't make out her pussy lips, but I didn't care. I just stared up her ass crack, jacking off like the pathetic little perv I was, my cock lubricated by the copious amounts of precum it was weeping.Once she'd stripped his bottom half bare, she wiped her tits clean of cum with his pants, then climbed on top of him. I thought she was gonna fuck him, but she kept going upward until she was straddling his face. “Suck my fucking pussy, donkey-dick.”I couldn't get over how filthy her mouth was. It was like she was split personality, or something. This wasn't the brainy girl I'd been out on a date with. That girl could wax poetically about superstring theory and the big bang. But this girl was gleefully grinding her pussy against a moron's face, as she moaned, “Oh fuck yeah. Eat my pussy, fuck wad. Eat my fucking pussy. Yeah, that's right. Stick that tongue inside my cunt. Taste my fucking cum.”I couldn't see exactly what he was doing. Her back was to me, and his big fat cock was in the foreground, blocking some of the view. But I saw the underside of his chin, and his tongue going up into her. He was making crazy slurping sounds, and his semi-hard cock slowly stood to attention again, and he started stroking it, at the same time that I was stoking mine. I wondered what it must feel like to have a monster cock like that in your hand. Mine was puny compared to his. A measly seven and a half inches.Briona was like a wild woman, and she couldn't get enough of Troy's tongue. She just kept grinding herself roughly into his face for the longest time, while he jerked himself off. Her aggressiveness was a bit scary, actually. I wondered what I would have done if she'd attacked me like that in her apartment. I was starting to feel like maybe I dodged a bullet there. Sure, she was sexy, smart and sweet, but damn, she was an animal in the sack! She started shouting out filthy commands as she rode his face. “Yeah, suck my pussy, you mother fucker! Suck my hairy snatch. You know you like it, fuck face. Gimme that hand. Use your finger, oh shit yeah. Oh, fuck yeah, right there. Yeah, like that. No don't stop licking my clit. Yeah, oh fuck, No, don't change anything! Just keep doing it like that, mother fucker! Oh Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!”She was screaming so loud, they were in serious danger of having the RA's realize there was a girl in the room, but Troy clamped his free hand over her mouth. For the next ten minutes she moaned and groaned into his hand, and he took her through a series of awe-inspiring orgasms. Then right when it seemed she was at the peak of her excitement, she suddenly jumped backward and straddled his cock, then lowered herself slowly onto it.Wow. She didn't even make him put on a condom! I saw his huge manhood spreading her furry pussy lips wide for a moment before she lowered herself slowly down his shaft, while juices dripped out of her. Based on the guttural moan she emitted, I guess he was stretching her to the limit, and she liked it. The sight of him disappearing into her snatch triggered something in my own cock. I felt a burst of pleasure, and moments later I was filling my underwear with cum. But I didn't get soft for a second, so I just kept jerking, ignoring the sticky gunk on my hand, taking advantage of the fact that her back was turned to me so she couldn't see my blankets jumping as I jerked off like a monkey in a zoo.She rode him like that for a good long time, slowly at first, moaning, “Oh fucking Christ on a sandwich! You're so fucking big! I've never fucked anyone like you before! Oh god. You're splitting me open, you fucking animal!” But once she got used to his girth, she began to fuck him with more speed and gusto. She started getting less careful, so she could no longer keep his cock from popping out of her pussy. But each time she'd reach down, pull it back into place and start galloping him again, slamming herself down on him like she was riding a wild horse. She was insatiable! And he had lasting power. I shot a second wad into my shorts, but he just kept fucking her on and on and on!Eventually, he flipped her over onto her back, and lifted her long, pale legs high in the air on each of his shoulders, and started ramming himself into her like he was trying to destroy her cunt. But she just stared up at him with those big brown eyes and urged him on. “Harder, you fucking wimp. Fuck me harder.” She said it with an animal intensity, which  I'd never imagined her capable of. It was frighteningly sexy! And he seemed to love it, because he attacked her with the fury of a jungle cat. They were two wild animals, groaning and grinding on that squeaky dorm bed, in a crazy battle to the death.They were turned sideways to me now, so I beheld the stunning sight of Briona's big breasts surging up and down her chest as he pounded her. He occasionally leaned forward and sucked them roughly into his mouth, nibbling her puffy nipples hard enough to make her squeal with delight. It looked so painful to me, but Briona seemed to love it.She kept groaning and cursing the whole time he fucked her. “Harder! Fuck me harder! Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Fuck me with that big fat cock! Shit! You feel so fucking huge! Harder! Fuck me harder! Oh my god. Oh my god, you feel so good inside me! Oh fucking god! Oh fucking god! oh.”He slammed his hand over her mouth as she had another crazy loud orgasm. He pounded her with merciless glee, his well-muscled body glistening with sweat. He moaned, “Take it bitch. Fucking take it!”I had to stroke myself slower, now that she could possibly see me, but that didn't stop me from cumming a third time. My underwear was absolutely gross with accumulated cum by now, but my cock didn't get soft, so I kept squeezing and stroking it as I stared at Briona's beautiful tits, her long, lithe legs, and her beautiful big nose. She was looking up at Troy, right into amazed eyes, with a passion so hot that it could have started a forest fire.She suddenly crawled out from under him, moaning, “Oh, shit, Fuck me doggy style, you son of a bitch!” She got up on her hands and knees and he immediately rammed himself into her slit from behind. She arched her neck up ward, her lush mouth opening into a long, breathy groan. “God damn. So fucking good.”My eyes were drawn to her pendulous breasts. They were flopping forward and back as Troy fucked her. Once or twice he leaned forward to fondle them, something I longed to do, but that just threw off his rhythm, so he went back to fucking her. I wanted to get out of bed, and crawl under her, and let those big boobs sweep up and down my face. But I was pretty sure that would have freaked her the fuck out, so I just kept playing possum.He looked toward me a few times, smiling with wicked pride. He even flashed me one of those stupid ‘hang ten' hand signals that dopes like him were fond of. I wanted to hate him for stealing my girl, but I just couldn't be mad at him. It wasn't his fault. It was mine. I'd let her slip out of my hands. And now he was fucking my dream girl. I sure hoped he was enjoying it, because the longer it went on, the more my image of her slipped away. She wasn't my dream girl any longer. Oh, I loved her still, and admired her. I also hoped one day I might be friends with her. But I didn't dream about fucking her any longer. I knew I'd never be able to handle her. For one thing, she seemed to like it rough, which just wasn't in me. And for another thing, she absolutely adored Troy's humungous cock. It was at least an inch or two longer than my pitiful seven inches. It was apparent now why all those girls were so happy after fucking him. How could I ever hope to make her happy in bed after she'd been fucked like this?Troy grinned at me and mouthed, “Watch this”, then he grabbed his pillow, stripped the pillowcase off, flipped the loose end under her midsection and grabbed both ends with his fists and suddenly lifted her up, so her knees left the bed. Now, with her utterly under his control, he started to fuck her harder than ever, and she started to squeal and weep and scream. She looked back at him with a look of pure, worshipful amazement as he pounded her pussy like a pro, tears pouring out of her eyes from the sheer perfection of the moment. She'd been calling the shots all night, but now he was in command, and she was enraptured. Utterly enraptured.And I guess I was enraptured too. They both amazed me. I felt like a pathetic troll compared to these guys. If any two people on earth were made to fuck each other, it was Troy and Briona, goddamn it! He fucked her that way longer than I could ever have done, but he finally began to grunt and stiffen with impending release.Briona moaned, “Oh yeah. Cum inside me. I want to feel you cumming inside me. Oh god, yes, I can feel it!”The astounding sight of my roommate filling that beautiful, busty nerd's pussy with cum made me blast one final load of semen into my sticky underwear. And as impossible as it may seem, I actually fell asleep immediately afterward. I don't know if they kept fucking or not, but I would have slept through an earthquake at that point. It was probably some sort of psychological defense mechanism. My brain had overloaded with a lethal combination of lust and self-loathing. My only escape was sweet oblivion.Frat Party Invite: “You should go,” said Troy.“Yeah, I agree,” said Briona, cuddling next to him in his bed. “What have you got to lose?”I shrugged. “I don't really know these guys. And I wouldn't know anyone else at the party either.”Briona shrugged, “So what?”Troy added, “And it's at a frat, dude! Think of all that fresh young sorority pussy!”Briona slapped his arm, hard enough to make him squeal. “Shut up, you big dumb ape!”Troy pouted adorably, nursing his arm. “Sorry Bree.”“Oh, did I hurt you, baby?” Then she gently, lovingly kissed his arm, as he looked at her enraptured.They'd only been together for two weeks, but the change she'd had on Troy had been amazing. He'd stopped trolling for chicks, even though she hadn't asked him to. And when the two of them weren't over at her apartment fucking like rabbits, she was over at our room studying with me! It worked out for all three of us because our studying together encouraged him to do his own homework, so his grades began to improve as well.Just in case you're wondering, Briona had no idea that I'd been awake the night she fucked him. In fact, when she found out that I was his roommate, she nearly had a heart attack, but I pretended his ‘acne medicine' story was true. There are some acne medicines that cause drowsiness, although I'd been off them for over a year. Still, I kept up the charade, secretly hoping that she might fuck him again while I ‘slept'. But apparently the night she came over her cousin had been visiting, so her apartment wasn't empty. That wasn't true any longer, so I hadn't seen hide nor hair of her pussy since that wonderful night, and I probably never would again.But that was okay. She was fast becoming one of my best friends. The fact that I'd seen her totally naked, riding my roommate's cock while she cursed like a whore, didn't diminish my fondness or admiration for her one tiny bit. It actually opened my eyes up to my own naïve ideas about sexuality. I realized that sex isn't just for sluts and dopes, but for smart people too. People like Briona, and people like me! It finally dawned on me that everybody in the world had sex, and every woman, however shy she may seem, had a secret tiger in her, just waiting to be discovered and unleashed.As for Troy, he was still a bit of an asshole, but he treated Briona like a princess. He was honestly in love. So much so that it frightened him a bit. After I told him that she was a genius, he started to worry that she'd lose interest in him, so he worked extra hard to earn her love. But I'd seen him fucking her. As long as he kept slaying her pussy like that, he had nothing to worry about.Briona asked, “Who are these guys again?”“Roland Rawlings and Joseph, something, I forget his last name. They're in Tau Sigma Omicron, I think. I'm in their Astrophysics study group. I guess that's why they invited me to their Oktoberfest party. I can't think of any other reason. I'm certainly not interested in pledging any frats. I don't have that kind of money anyway.”Briona nodded. “Well, I don't know them, but Tau Sigma has a good reputation. If you were pledging, you could do worse. Though Delta Delta is the one that most of the guys in the science department belong to. They have an excellent academics record.”Troy grinned mischievously, saying, “Yeah, but the real question is, does Tau Sigma have a sister sorority, and do they like to fuck nerds?”Briona roared like a lion and started snapping her teeth at him. “I told you to stop it, you dirty little boy! Don't make me bite you!”He stuck his tongue out at her so she leapt on top of him like a jungle cat. I watched them roughhouse with a smile on my face. Troy was much bigger and stronger than her, but he let her pin him with only minimal resistance. That's one of the ways I knew he was smitten with her. She'd literally tamed him. It was really kind of cute.Still straddling Troy, Briona turned to me and said, “No, really, Hans, you ought to go. You don't have anything better to do tonight, do you?”I shrugged. “No, but I don't have a costume. Everyone's supposed to dress up like Germans.”Troy said, “Well, you're German, aren't you? Just go as yourself.”“My grandpa's from Austria, but I don't think that counts as a costume.”Briona smiled, “Oh hey, there's that costume store over in that strip mall next to the Wendy's. I bet they're open for another hour or two. You should run over there and, here, ” She reached into her pocket and pulled out her wallet, then took out sixty dollars, “Go rent a costume.”I put my hand up, “No, no. I can't take your money.”She hopped off Troy and pressed the money into my hands. “Consider it a loan, Hansie. Pay me back when you can.”I looked at the money, and my heart started to beat hard. I'd never gone to a real party before. Or at least not one at a cool fraternity, which I just knew would be chock full of eligible women getting drunk off their asses. I didn't know what to say, but Briona just pulled me off my bed and pushed me toward the door, saying, “You better hurry up before they close! Scoot!”Troy shouted from his bed. “Yeah, get out of here, loser, so I can fuck my girlfriend!”As she was closing the door behind me, I heard her saying to Troy, “Okay mister. You've officially pissed me off. Now you're gonna get bit!”I stood in that hallway for a few minutes, listening to her jungle-cat roars turn into orgasmic groans as they attacked each other in my room, perhaps even on my very bed. It made my cock stir with lust. Since it was unlikely they'd ever do it while I was ‘sleeping' again, eavesdropping at my dorm room door might be the closest I'd ever get. But as fun it was to listen to Briona's dirty talk, her money was burning a hole in my hand, and I knew she'd expect me to have a story to show for it, so I dragged myself away from her beautiful moans, and sweet obscenities.By the time I'd walked to the costume shop, the sun was already setting, and they were just about to close. But the man let me in and showed me his selection of Bavarian costumes. Most of them were cheap, mass-manufactured Halloween costumes, but one was really quite authentic. I should know. I'd been dragged to my fair share of polkas and Oktoberfest celebrations when I was a kid. My parents were proud of their Austrian ancestry, so I could tell an authentic outfit when I saw one. It wasn't cheap, but Briona's money, added to my own pitiful stash, added up to just barely enough to rent it, along with an oversized plastic stein. That was all the money I had for the rest of the month, but I figured, if I'm going to look like a fool, I might as well do it in style. Besides, if I impress those guys, maybe they'll invite me to another party.As I was trying it on, the shop owner said, “You're lucky you're not a woman. A bunch of girls came in here earlier and rented all the Bavarian dresses in the place. Hey, you know what? I bet they're going to the same party as you.” I shrugged, barely hearing him. I was distracted by my own reflection in the mirror. I looked exactly like my grandfather. There was photo of him hanging on our wall back home which was taken when he was a boy in Austria, wearing a costume that was freakishly similar to this: a pair of dark brown lederhosen with suspenders, high socks embroidered with ducks and edelweiss flowers, a loose white peasant shirt and a blue cap with a long feather sticking out the top. My god, I was the spitting image of my grandfather.Suddenly I flashed on the old man. He was the most rakish, hearty, balls-to-the-wall man I'd ever met. He could have eaten ten Troys for breakfast and still had room for seven Brad Pitts. When Grandpa came into a room, everybody smiled. He flirted with all the ladies, even his own relatives, and made every man his buddy. He was amazing, and lived life to the fullest, right up to the very end. I hooked my thumbs in my suspenders, just as he was doing in that old photograph, and grinned, trying to make my eyes twinkle just like his. Damn. I looked more like him than ever. And then I remembered that he had a pockmarked face too. I'd never thought about it before, but he must have had acne as a teenager, the same as me! But he hadn't let that stop him from being a man, and damn it all, I wasn't gonna let it stop me either!I walked proudly to Fraternity Row, dressed in my costume, ignoring the catcalls from passers-by. No, scratch that. I didn't ignore them. Whenever someone laughed or shouted out some obscenity at me, I raised my fake German stein and shouted, “Oktoberfest!” at the top of my lungs, and their jeers turned instantly into cheers. I felt almost as if I was channeling my grandfather's spirit. But I didn't believe in any sort of afterlife, so I knew that my grandfather's spirit didn't exist. No. If anything, it was my grandfather's DNA coursing through my blood, which gave me the gumption to act as if I was the man I wanted to be. That, and the long feather in my cap.I charged into that party as if I owned the place, and stomped all the way into the middle of the room on my big, loud boots. That's when I noticed that I was the only person in sight wearing a costume of any kind. Then I saw the assholes who'd invited me; laughing their asses off. My heart sank, and my cheeks burned bright red. I'd thought I'd left this kind of crap behind me in high school. But I was wrong. You never get too old for a pair of snotty assholes to make you feel like a fool. I refused to give them the pleasure of seeing my embarrassment, so I just smiled and waved, proud of my Bavarian heritage and culture.I was about to make a humiliating retreat from this frat party when I realized, much to my delight, that I wasn't alone. Six freshmen girls, dressed in sexy little Bavarian dresses, filed through the door, drawing fresh gouts of laughter from the assembly. Now I knew who'd rented all the female costumes from the store! Most of the girls looked utterly embarrassed, but one of the girls was shining with confidence. Her sky-blue eyes caught sight of me and a broad grin spread out on her stunningly beautiful, copper-colored face. I'd seen her around the Science Building, but I didn't know her name. All I knew was that she was a freshman, and insanely hot. I considered her so far out of my league that I didn't even daydream about asking her out.She was simply stunning to behold, her lovely tits were perfectly displayed in the snug bodice. Her figure was looking scrumptious, particularly as she made her way through the crowd toward me, smiling from ear to ear. As she came closer, I realized that her costume was the female match for mine. They had the same brown, green and blue fabrics, the same embroidered socks. But instead of the lederhosen and suspenders my costume had, she was wearing a traditional dirndl, which was comprised of a brown skirt, a big green apron, a puffy white blouse, and a bodice with a low front, which was pushing her ample breasts up into a startling display of feminine pulchritude. I mean, this chick's cleavage was epic, and it was wiggling about wonderfully as she clomped toward me in her polka shoes. Her wavy dark brown hair was braided into two long braids that were framing her tits marvelously.Coincidence was once again rearing its ugly head, but this time it seemed to be working in my favor!She shouted in a fake German accent, “Liebchen! Vere haff you been? I've been vorried schick about you!”Then she gave me a big hug and a quick kiss on the lips. I was stunned. That was literally the first kiss of my life, and even though she meant it as a joke, my heart did a total flip flop in my chest, and tingles shot down my spine! Then she took my hand in hers and pulled me toward the other costumed girls, all of whom were adorable, each in their own way. “Come vit me, liebchen. I vant you to meet my freundins!” The girls laughed when they saw that I was wearing the male match of their friend's dirndl. “Girls, girls, I vant you to meet mein freund, Helmutt von Wiener.”Continued in Part Two,Based on a post by CBSummers, for Literotica

The Power of Dirndls And Lederhosen: Part 1Hans channels his grandfather's German roots, to overcome his inadequacies with women.Based on the post by cb summers, in 2 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.September 22October was almost here. Outside, a cold, gusty wind was blowing the freshly fallen leaves across the campus commons. But I was warm in my room, snuggled under the covers, devouring chapter seven of Advanced Organic Chemistry. I had a test scheduled for the next morning, but studying wasn't a chore for a nerd like me. It was a joy. I was basking in the awesome power of carbon, and the stunning ways it had chemically combined with other compounds over the unimaginable eons of time to form the very basis of life itself.I loved learning. I loved science. I loved textbooks. They allowed me to escape myself. In textbooks I wasn't a loveless, lonely virgin. I wasn't an awkward, babbling dork. I didn't have a disappointing body with deep pockmarks from a high-school bout with acne, and crooked teeth from parents too poor to pay for braces. And I didn't become embarrassingly tongue-tied in the presence of hotties, because there were no hotties in textbooks. There wasn't even a me. Lost in the mysteries and majesty of science, I became the universe itself. Immortal. Beautiful. Content.It was a blessed relief from all the stress I'd been under of late. You see, I could understand carbon. I could understand DNA. I could understand calculus, non-Euclidean geometry and superstring theory. But girls? They were a total mystery to me.My roommate Troy had been trying to share his ‘wisdom' about the fairer sex with me, but it wasn't easy for me to take his advice. After all, he was a Neanderthal. Normally, I avoided guys like him. You know, big dumb lunks, with handsome faces, muscular bodies, and cocky attitudes. Troy was willfully ignorant about the natural world. He didn't believe in evolution, because it just didn't make sense to him, but he did believe in Bigfoot because he saw a movie about it once. I mean, he was just an idiot. I never would have chosen a guy like him to be my roommate, but my roomie for the last two years suddenly transferred to Columbia just before school started in September, so Troy, was assigned to me at random.I'll never forget the day I met the big dope. He swaggered into my room as if he owned the place. He was tall and broad, with a thick, strong neck, short tan hair, and an infuriating air of confidence. I hated him instantly. But I resolved to try to get along with him, so I said, “Hi. I'm Hans. Hans Willis.”He replied, “Look dude, here's the deal I'm gonna fuck a lot of girls in this room, so we need to work out some kinda arrangement. If you see a sock hanging on the doorknob, don't come in. Got it? Just assume I'm boning some chick. I don't care if you have to sleep in the lobby, don't come between me and my pussy. But don't worry, same rules apply for both of us. If I see the sock, I'll stay out too. Those are now the house rules. Name's Troy, by the way.” He held his fist out for me to bump, so I bumped it.A Crushing Defeat To The Neanderthal.But the one girl I actually did go on one date with, that September, ended up becoming my roommate's main fuck buddy, Briona. She's maybe the smartest female in the science department, but her primal desires led her to the neanderthal, Troy.  It wasn't even a week after my one feeble date. Briona basically ignored me in class, and I was miserable. I became depressed and stayed in my dorm, sulking myself to sleep.So there I was, lost in my textbook on a cold September evening, when voices in the hallway brought me out of my reverie. They stopped in front of my door and began to talk back and forth in hushed tones. I recognized Troy's voice. He started talking loudly. “No, really, don't worry about my roommate. He's asleep. Sleeps like a fucking log.”A girl's voice whispered, “Really? I don't know about this. Are you sure?”He answered loudly, “Yeah, I toldja, he's on some kinda meds to keep his acne from coming back. Those things knock him out like a light. It's actually kinda bizarre. Hey, why don't you see for yourself?”He was fumbling with his keys, and then he dropped them loudly on the floor. I realized with shock that he was hoping I'd hear him so I could pretend to be asleep. I was gripped with utter terror. He'd never done anything like this before. He usually called me if he wanted to bring a girl over, to give me time to clear out. But he must have met this girl at some late night party, and didn't think I'd agree to leaving the room at 2:15 in the morning. So what was his plan? He wanted me to stay? To, what? Pretend to be asleep while he fucked this girl? It was a crazy idea! Utterly indecent! Utterly wonderful! Two conflicting thoughts raced through my head at the same time. One: I don't have time for this! I have to study! Two: Oh holy shit, oh holy shit, shit,!What a position to put me in! But I felt I had no choice but to play possum! I heard the key clicking into place, so I barely had time to put my books on the floor, flip out my bedside lamp, and yank the covers messily over my head before the door swung open. I didn't see them coming in, but I heard their voices.He said, in a normal voice, “See? What did I tell you? Out like a light.”She whispered, “No, really?”The door closed, and he said, “Here. Let me show you.” He tromped over to me, shook me and shouted, “Wake up, roomie! The building's on fire!” Then he leaned down close enough to whisper, “Please, Hans. Just go with it.” I didn't make a peep, so he said loudly, “What did I tell you? Dead to the world. It's just you and me, sweetheart.'She giggled and whispered, “Damn. Those must be some killer meds. Which one does he take? Xeotrex, or Iso…”She fell silent. From the sound of the wet little smacking sounds I heard, he must have started kissing her to stop her questions. Damn, what a caveman he was. But she didn't complain. Soon she was making hungry little moans and wet slobbering gasps and groans. Oh shit. I couldn't believe they were making out, right there in my room! My cock started to harden. It was a good thing I'd turned to my side, or she might have seen a volcano rising under my sheets.I just lay there in shock for the next five minutes, unable to block out those sexy sounds. I couldn't believe this was actually happening. But it only got more shocking when I heard the unmistakable sound of a belt buckle clinking open. Troy moaned, “Oh yeah, baby. Fuck yeah.”She giggled, saying, “Let's see what you got in here, big boy. Oh, hot damn. It's so big. Damn. My fingers barely fit around it. Fuck. I gotta get a taste of that.” Then she inhaled and made a wet slurping sound.Troy moaned deeply, “Oh, fuck.”Up to that very moment, I'd had no intention of peeking. But once I realized that a girl was giving Troy a blowjob just a few feet away from me, and the only thing that stood between them and my eyes was my blanket, well I just couldn't resist. I had to see. I just had to! So I slowly moved my hand up to my face and began to tug at the blanket to form a shadowy little opening to peep through. The first thing I saw was Troy's rapturous face, illuminated by his bedside light. He looked right at me. I thought he'd be pissed, but he just smiled and put his finger to his lips, then pointed down, grinning like a birthday boy showing off his brand new BB gun.With that encouragement, I pulled the opening a little more open, and laid my eyes on a sight that absolutely shook me to the core.Briona Skorsczi was on her knees sucking my roommate's big fat cock.I couldn't have been more shocked if I'd suddenly seen my family being eaten by a Tyrannosaurus Rex. It was horrifying, yet I couldn't look away. I just couldn't. Briona's big, beautiful nose was bobbing forward and back, her glasses sliding down to the tip as she sucked him into her beautiful mouth. Her delightful bunny teeth were sliding gently over the raw, naked flesh of that frighteningly huge cock of his. It had to be eight or nine inches long. Maybe more.She must have taken off her coat and shirt before getting on her knees, because I saw her enormous tits absolutely straining to escape the confines of her lacy white bra. I'd been right all along. She had been hiding a smoking hot body under all those baggy clothes. Her tits were even bigger than I'd suspected, probably full D cups, and her creamy white cleavage was wiggling like a bowl of Jell-O as she slurped Troy's cock with increasing eagerness.I watched all of this in utter shock. I couldn't believe this was actually happening. The sweet, innocent, genius of my dreams was polishing a Neanderthal's knob. It was wrong on so many levels; I just couldn't wrap my head around it. How the hell had he met her anyway? I hadn't told either of them about each other, but Prairie Tech wasn't a very big college, so this was just one of those random coincidences that happen from time to time. Only this time it was happening to me, goddamn it!It was heartbreaking to watch. But I had to. I had to. Those full, beautiful lips, which I'd been too timid to kiss, were now sliding and slurping over the bulbous head of Troy's throbbing meat. And her delicate pink tongue, which had said so many fascinating things to me over the course of our evening together, was now slipping out, and flicking that sensitive spot on the underside of his glans. All the while she stroked his long shaft with those delicate hands I'd imagined holding in my own. Then she lifted his shaft, leaned forward and slurped his big, hairless balls into her mouth, making him grab his bedside table for support.“Oh fuck. Suck my balls, bitch. Yeah, so fucking good.”I watched her lick every inch of his veiny shaft, her big beautiful nose occasionally bending in contact with his cock, which I found particularly obscene. Then she kissed her way back to the tip of his salami and began gobbling him forward and back in long swooping moves, making her brown hair bob and bounce, taking him deeper and deeper into her throat with each stroke. She began to drool copiously, coating his cock with so much slime that long strands of slobber dripped down onto her creamy white cleavage. God, I just about passed out at the sight of it. She tilted her head lithely side to side as she gulped his phallus, literally swallowing it until I could actually see the end of his massive member distorting her willowy neck! It was astonishing. She was making loud, wet gasping sounds, but unbelievably, she wasn't choking on his cock; not one tiny bit.That's when it dawned on me that she wasn't a sweet little shy virgin after all. She'd obviously sucked a cock or twelve in her time. Hell, for all I knew, she did this sort of thing every single night of the year. I'd completely misjudged her. She hadn't turned me down because she was too busy. She'd turned me down because I was a coward.Looking back, I suddenly realized that she'd been waiting for me to make some kind of move all night during our date. Now with hindsight twenty twenty, I could remember at least half a dozen opportunities for intimacy that I'd passed up. I could have held her hand at the art show. I could have sat next to her at dinner. I could have put my arm over her shoulder on the walk to her place. And that awkward silence before she closed the door? She'd definitely wanted me to kiss her!Idiot! Why Didn't I Fucking Kiss Her? And if I had, then what? Would she have pulled me inside? Would she have dropped to her knees and pulled out my cock and started sucking me, just like she did with Troy? And then what? Would she have fucked me too?! Oh shit. I blew it. I fucking blew it.I closed the gap in my blankets, and closed my eyes, trying to stifle my sobs of crushing regret. Oh god, I was a pathetic excuse for a man. I wasn't a man at all! I was a fucking Boy! Troy may have been a stupid caveman who didn't believe in evolution, but did believe that a magnetic wristband could make you run faster, but nevertheless, he was still twice the man as me. My pitiful erection faded away and I silently wept, feeling lower and more useless than I'd ever felt in my life.Okay. I must admit. I was wallowing a bit. But then I heard Briona say, “I want you to cream on my tits, baby.”I instantly forgot my misery, and opened the flap again, just in time to see her reaching behind her back and unhooking her bra. It popped open and her big pale breasts fell into view. My cock leapt fully erect again. Her nipples were puffy and pink. Oh god, her tits were more magnificent than I could have ever imagined. Troy grabbed her head with both hands and began fucking her face hard and fast. Then he stiffened up, arched his back and let out a long, gut-wrenching, guttural groan. She pulled back and presented her tits to him, while she jerked his long pipe with one hand. I saw his nuts literally jumping, then ropes of glistening white ropes shot out of him, splooging all over her breasts and neck. She jerked it out of him with expert yanks, until her cleavage was dripping with goo. Then she leaned forward and sucked his cock head while squeezing his balls, making him squirt another shot into her mouth. She looked up at him over her glasses and opened her mouth, and let the cum slowly drip out of it onto her tits. Oh fucking christ! It was so fucking Filthy! Then she ran both hands over her breasts, spreading his shiny cum all over until she her tits were glistening.He couldn't stand up any longer, so he plopped down onto his bed, and fell onto his back. Briona stood up, and quickly stripped out of her shoes, jeans and panties, a sight that made my eyes nearly pop out of their sockets. She had an incredible ass and a stunningly narrow waist. What a figure! She was built like a movie star! Her back was to me now, so I reached into my shorts and wrapped my hand around my throbbing hard cock and started jerking off as quietly as I could manage. She leaned forward to yank Troy's pants off, giving me an amazing view of her extremely hairy pussy. It was big, bushy and brown, but fucking hot as hell. I couldn't make out her pussy lips, but I didn't care. I just stared up her ass crack, jacking off like the pathetic little perv I was, my cock lubricated by the copious amounts of precum it was weeping.Once she'd stripped his bottom half bare, she wiped her tits clean of cum with his pants, then climbed on top of him. I thought she was gonna fuck him, but she kept going upward until she was straddling his face. “Suck my fucking pussy, donkey-dick.”I couldn't get over how filthy her mouth was. It was like she was split personality, or something. This wasn't the brainy girl I'd been out on a date with. That girl could wax poetically about superstring theory and the big bang. But this girl was gleefully grinding her pussy against a moron's face, as she moaned, “Oh fuck yeah. Eat my pussy, fuck wad. Eat my fucking pussy. Yeah, that's right. Stick that tongue inside my cunt. Taste my fucking cum.”I couldn't see exactly what he was doing. Her back was to me, and his big fat cock was in the foreground, blocking some of the view. But I saw the underside of his chin, and his tongue going up into her. He was making crazy slurping sounds, and his semi-hard cock slowly stood to attention again, and he started stroking it, at the same time that I was stoking mine. I wondered what it must feel like to have a monster cock like that in your hand. Mine was puny compared to his. A measly seven and a half inches.Briona was like a wild woman, and she couldn't get enough of Troy's tongue. She just kept grinding herself roughly into his face for the longest time, while he jerked himself off. Her aggressiveness was a bit scary, actually. I wondered what I would have done if she'd attacked me like that in her apartment. I was starting to feel like maybe I dodged a bullet there. Sure, she was sexy, smart and sweet, but damn, she was an animal in the sack! She started shouting out filthy commands as she rode his face. “Yeah, suck my pussy, you mother fucker! Suck my hairy snatch. You know you like it, fuck face. Gimme that hand. Use your finger, oh shit yeah. Oh, fuck yeah, right there. Yeah, like that. No don't stop licking my clit. Yeah, oh fuck, No, don't change anything! Just keep doing it like that, mother fucker! Oh Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!”She was screaming so loud, they were in serious danger of having the RA's realize there was a girl in the room, but Troy clamped his free hand over her mouth. For the next ten minutes she moaned and groaned into his hand, and he took her through a series of awe-inspiring orgasms. Then right when it seemed she was at the peak of her excitement, she suddenly jumped backward and straddled his cock, then lowered herself slowly onto it.Wow. She didn't even make him put on a condom! I saw his huge manhood spreading her furry pussy lips wide for a moment before she lowered herself slowly down his shaft, while juices dripped out of her. Based on the guttural moan she emitted, I guess he was stretching her to the limit, and she liked it. The sight of him disappearing into her snatch triggered something in my own cock. I felt a burst of pleasure, and moments later I was filling my underwear with cum. But I didn't get soft for a second, so I just kept jerking, ignoring the sticky gunk on my hand, taking advantage of the fact that her back was turned to me so she couldn't see my blankets jumping as I jerked off like a monkey in a zoo.She rode him like that for a good long time, slowly at first, moaning, “Oh fucking Christ on a sandwich! You're so fucking big! I've never fucked anyone like you before! Oh god. You're splitting me open, you fucking animal!” But once she got used to his girth, she began to fuck him with more speed and gusto. She started getting less careful, so she could no longer keep his cock from popping out of her pussy. But each time she'd reach down, pull it back into place and start galloping him again, slamming herself down on him like she was riding a wild horse. She was insatiable! And he had lasting power. I shot a second wad into my shorts, but he just kept fucking her on and on and on!Eventually, he flipped her over onto her back, and lifted her long, pale legs high in the air on each of his shoulders, and started ramming himself into her like he was trying to destroy her cunt. But she just stared up at him with those big brown eyes and urged him on. “Harder, you fucking wimp. Fuck me harder.” She said it with an animal intensity, which  I'd never imagined her capable of. It was frighteningly sexy! And he seemed to love it, because he attacked her with the fury of a jungle cat. They were two wild animals, groaning and grinding on that squeaky dorm bed, in a crazy battle to the death.They were turned sideways to me now, so I beheld the stunning sight of Briona's big breasts surging up and down her chest as he pounded her. He occasionally leaned forward and sucked them roughly into his mouth, nibbling her puffy nipples hard enough to make her squeal with delight. It looked so painful to me, but Briona seemed to love it.She kept groaning and cursing the whole time he fucked her. “Harder! Fuck me harder! Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Fuck me with that big fat cock! Shit! You feel so fucking huge! Harder! Fuck me harder! Oh my god. Oh my god, you feel so good inside me! Oh fucking god! Oh fucking god! oh.”He slammed his hand over her mouth as she had another crazy loud orgasm. He pounded her with merciless glee, his well-muscled body glistening with sweat. He moaned, “Take it bitch. Fucking take it!”I had to stroke myself slower, now that she could possibly see me, but that didn't stop me from cumming a third time. My underwear was absolutely gross with accumulated cum by now, but my cock didn't get soft, so I kept squeezing and stroking it as I stared at Briona's beautiful tits, her long, lithe legs, and her beautiful big nose. She was looking up at Troy, right into amazed eyes, with a passion so hot that it could have started a forest fire.She suddenly crawled out from under him, moaning, “Oh, shit, Fuck me doggy style, you son of a bitch!” She got up on her hands and knees and he immediately rammed himself into her slit from behind. She arched her neck up ward, her lush mouth opening into a long, breathy groan. “God damn. So fucking good.”My eyes were drawn to her pendulous breasts. They were flopping forward and back as Troy fucked her. Once or twice he leaned forward to fondle them, something I longed to do, but that just threw off his rhythm, so he went back to fucking her. I wanted to get out of bed, and crawl under her, and let those big boobs sweep up and down my face. But I was pretty sure that would have freaked her the fuck out, so I just kept playing possum.He looked toward me a few times, smiling with wicked pride. He even flashed me one of those stupid ‘hang ten' hand signals that dopes like him were fond of. I wanted to hate him for stealing my girl, but I just couldn't be mad at him. It wasn't his fault. It was mine. I'd let her slip out of my hands. And now he was fucking my dream girl. I sure hoped he was enjoying it, because the longer it went on, the more my image of her slipped away. She wasn't my dream girl any longer. Oh, I loved her still, and admired her. I also hoped one day I might be friends with her. But I didn't dream about fucking her any longer. I knew I'd never be able to handle her. For one thing, she seemed to like it rough, which just wasn't in me. And for another thing, she absolutely adored Troy's humungous cock. It was at least an inch or two longer than my pitiful seven inches. It was apparent now why all those girls were so happy after fucking him. How could I ever hope to make her happy in bed after she'd been fucked like this?Troy grinned at me and mouthed, “Watch this”, then he grabbed his pillow, stripped the pillowcase off, flipped the loose end under her midsection and grabbed both ends with his fists and suddenly lifted her up, so her knees left the bed. Now, with her utterly under his control, he started to fuck her harder than ever, and she started to squeal and weep and scream. She looked back at him with a look of pure, worshipful amazement as he pounded her pussy like a pro, tears pouring out of her eyes from the sheer perfection of the moment. She'd been calling the shots all night, but now he was in command, and she was enraptured. Utterly enraptured.And I guess I was enraptured too. They both amazed me. I felt like a pathetic troll compared to these guys. If any two people on earth were made to fuck each other, it was Troy and Briona, goddamn it! He fucked her that way longer than I could ever have done, but he finally began to grunt and stiffen with impending release.Briona moaned, “Oh yeah. Cum inside me. I want to feel you cumming inside me. Oh god, yes, I can feel it!”The astounding sight of my roommate filling that beautiful, busty nerd's pussy with cum made me blast one final load of semen into my sticky underwear. And as impossible as it may seem, I actually fell asleep immediately afterward. I don't know if they kept fucking or not, but I would have slept through an earthquake at that point. It was probably some sort of psychological defense mechanism. My brain had overloaded with a lethal combination of lust and self-loathing. My only escape was sweet oblivion.Frat Party Invite: “You should go,” said Troy.“Yeah, I agree,” said Briona, cuddling next to him in his bed. “What have you got to lose?”I shrugged. “I don't really know these guys. And I wouldn't know anyone else at the party either.”Briona shrugged, “So what?”Troy added, “And it's at a frat, dude! Think of all that fresh young sorority pussy!”Briona slapped his arm, hard enough to make him squeal. “Shut up, you big dumb ape!”Troy pouted adorably, nursing his arm. “Sorry Bree.”“Oh, did I hurt you, baby?” Then she gently, lovingly kissed his arm, as he looked at her enraptured.They'd only been together for two weeks, but the change she'd had on Troy had been amazing. He'd stopped trolling for chicks, even though she hadn't asked him to. And when the two of them weren't over at her apartment fucking like rabbits, she was over at our room studying with me! It worked out for all three of us because our studying together encouraged him to do his own homework, so his grades began to improve as well.Just in case you're wondering, Briona had no idea that I'd been awake the night she fucked him. In fact, when she found out that I was his roommate, she nearly had a heart attack, but I pretended his ‘acne medicine' story was true. There are some acne medicines that cause drowsiness, although I'd been off them for over a year. Still, I kept up the charade, secretly hoping that she might fuck him again while I ‘slept'. But apparently the night she came over her cousin had been visiting, so her apartment wasn't empty. That wasn't true any longer, so I hadn't seen hide nor hair of her pussy since that wonderful night, and I probably never would again.But that was okay. She was fast becoming one of my best friends. The fact that I'd seen her totally naked, riding my roommate's cock while she cursed like a whore, didn't diminish my fondness or admiration for her one tiny bit. It actually opened my eyes up to my own naïve ideas about sexuality. I realized that sex isn't just for sluts and dopes, but for smart people too. People like Briona, and people like me! It finally dawned on me that everybody in the world had sex, and every woman, however shy she may seem, had a secret tiger in her, just waiting to be discovered and unleashed.As for Troy, he was still a bit of an asshole, but he treated Briona like a princess. He was honestly in love. So much so that it frightened him a bit. After I told him that she was a genius, he started to worry that she'd lose interest in him, so he worked extra hard to earn her love. But I'd seen him fucking her. As long as he kept slaying her pussy like that, he had nothing to worry about.Briona asked, “Who are these guys again?”“Roland Rawlings and Joseph, something, I forget his last name. They're in Tau Sigma Omicron, I think. I'm in their Astrophysics study group. I guess that's why they invited me to their Oktoberfest party. I can't think of any other reason. I'm certainly not interested in pledging any frats. I don't have that kind of money anyway.”Briona nodded. “Well, I don't know them, but Tau Sigma has a good reputation. If you were pledging, you could do worse. Though Delta Delta is the one that most of the guys in the science department belong to. They have an excellent academics record.”Troy grinned mischievously, saying, “Yeah, but the real question is, does Tau Sigma have a sister sorority, and do they like to fuck nerds?”Briona roared like a lion and started snapping her teeth at him. “I told you to stop it, you dirty little boy! Don't make me bite you!”He stuck his tongue out at her so she leapt on top of him like a jungle cat. I watched them roughhouse with a smile on my face. Troy was much bigger and stronger than her, but he let her pin him with only minimal resistance. That's one of the ways I knew he was smitten with her. She'd literally tamed him. It was really kind of cute.Still straddling Troy, Briona turned to me and said, “No, really, Hans, you ought to go. You don't have anything better to do tonight, do you?”I shrugged. “No, but I don't have a costume. Everyone's supposed to dress up like Germans.”Troy said, “Well, you're German, aren't you? Just go as yourself.”“My grandpa's from Austria, but I don't think that counts as a costume.”Briona smiled, “Oh hey, there's that costume store over in that strip mall next to the Wendy's. I bet they're open for another hour or two. You should run over there and, here, ” She reached into her pocket and pulled out her wallet, then took out sixty dollars, “Go rent a costume.”I put my hand up, “No, no. I can't take your money.”She hopped off Troy and pressed the money into my hands. “Consider it a loan, Hansie. Pay me back when you can.”I looked at the money, and my heart started to beat hard. I'd never gone to a real party before. Or at least not one at a cool fraternity, which I just knew would be chock full of eligible women getting drunk off their asses. I didn't know what to say, but Briona just pulled me off my bed and pushed me toward the door, saying, “You better hurry up before they close! Scoot!”Troy shouted from his bed. “Yeah, get out of here, loser, so I can fuck my girlfriend!”As she was closing the door behind me, I heard her saying to Troy, “Okay mister. You've officially pissed me off. Now you're gonna get bit!”I stood in that hallway for a few minutes, listening to her jungle-cat roars turn into orgasmic groans as they attacked each other in my room, perhaps even on my very bed. It made my cock stir with lust. Since it was unlikely they'd ever do it while I was ‘sleeping' again, eavesdropping at my dorm room door might be the closest I'd ever get. But as fun it was to listen to Briona's dirty talk, her money was burning a hole in my hand, and I knew she'd expect me to have a story to show for it, so I dragged myself away from her beautiful moans, and sweet obscenities.By the time I'd walked to the costume shop, the sun was already setting, and they were just about to close. But the man let me in and showed me his selection of Bavarian costumes. Most of them were cheap, mass-manufactured Halloween costumes, but one was really quite authentic. I should know. I'd been dragged to my fair share of polkas and Oktoberfest celebrations when I was a kid. My parents were proud of their Austrian ancestry, so I could tell an authentic outfit when I saw one. It wasn't cheap, but Briona's money, added to my own pitiful stash, added up to just barely enough to rent it, along with an oversized plastic stein. That was all the money I had for the rest of the month, but I figured, if I'm going to look like a fool, I might as well do it in style. Besides, if I impress those guys, maybe they'll invite me to another party.As I was trying it on, the shop owner said, “You're lucky you're not a woman. A bunch of girls came in here earlier and rented all the Bavarian dresses in the place. Hey, you know what? I bet they're going to the same party as you.” I shrugged, barely hearing him. I was distracted by my own reflection in the mirror. I looked exactly like my grandfather. There was photo of him hanging on our wall back home which was taken when he was a boy in Austria, wearing a costume that was freakishly similar to this: a pair of dark brown lederhosen with suspenders, high socks embroidered with ducks and edelweiss flowers, a loose white peasant shirt and a blue cap with a long feather sticking out the top. My god, I was the spitting image of my grandfather.Suddenly I flashed on the old man. He was the most rakish, hearty, balls-to-the-wall man I'd ever met. He could have eaten ten Troys for breakfast and still had room for seven Brad Pitts. When Grandpa came into a room, everybody smiled. He flirted with all the ladies, even his own relatives, and made every man his buddy. He was amazing, and lived life to the fullest, right up to the very end. I hooked my thumbs in my suspenders, just as he was doing in that old photograph, and grinned, trying to make my eyes twinkle just like his. Damn. I looked more like him than ever. And then I remembered that he had a pockmarked face too. I'd never thought about it before, but he must have had acne as a teenager, the same as me! But he hadn't let that stop him from being a man, and damn it all, I wasn't gonna let it stop me either!I walked proudly to Fraternity Row, dressed in my costume, ignoring the catcalls from passers-by. No, scratch that. I didn't ignore them. Whenever someone laughed or shouted out some obscenity at me, I raised my fake German stein and shouted, “Oktoberfest!” at the top of my lungs, and their jeers turned instantly into cheers. I felt almost as if I was channeling my grandfather's spirit. But I didn't believe in any sort of afterlife, so I knew that my grandfather's spirit didn't exist. No. If anything, it was my grandfather's DNA coursing through my blood, which gave me the gumption to act as if I was the man I wanted to be. That, and the long feather in my cap.I charged into that party as if I owned the place, and stomped all the way into the middle of the room on my big, loud boots. That's when I noticed that I was the only person in sight wearing a costume of any kind. Then I saw the assholes who'd invited me; laughing their asses off. My heart sank, and my cheeks burned bright red. I'd thought I'd left this kind of crap behind me in high school. But I was wrong. You never get too old for a pair of snotty assholes to make you feel like a fool. I refused to give them the pleasure of seeing my embarrassment, so I just smiled and waved, proud of my Bavarian heritage and culture.I was about to make a humiliating retreat from this frat party when I realized, much to my delight, that I wasn't alone. Six freshmen girls, dressed in sexy little Bavarian dresses, filed through the door, drawing fresh gouts of laughter from the assembly. Now I knew who'd rented all the female costumes from the store! Most of the girls looked utterly embarrassed, but one of the girls was shining with confidence. Her sky-blue eyes caught sight of me and a broad grin spread out on her stunningly beautiful, copper-colored face. I'd seen her around the Science Building, but I didn't know her name. All I knew was that she was a freshman, and insanely hot. I considered her so far out of my league that I didn't even daydream about asking her out.She was simply stunning to behold, her lovely tits were perfectly displayed in the snug bodice. Her figure was looking scrumptious, particularly as she made her way through the crowd toward me, smiling from ear to ear. As she came closer, I realized that her costume was the female match for mine. They had the same brown, green and blue fabrics, the same embroidered socks. But instead of the lederhosen and suspenders my costume had, she was wearing a traditional dirndl, which was comprised of a brown skirt, a big green apron, a puffy white blouse, and a bodice with a low front, which was pushing her ample breasts up into a startling display of feminine pulchritude. I mean, this chick's cleavage was epic, and it was wiggling about wonderfully as she clomped toward me in her polka shoes. Her wavy dark brown hair was braided into two long braids that were framing her tits marvelously.Coincidence was once again rearing its ugly head, but this time it seemed to be working in my favor!She shouted in a fake German accent, “Liebchen! Vere haff you been? I've been vorried schick about you!”Then she gave me a big hug and a quick kiss on the lips. I was stunned. That was literally the first kiss of my life, and even though she meant it as a joke, my heart did a total flip flop in my chest, and tingles shot down my spine! Then she took my hand in hers and pulled me toward the other costumed girls, all of whom were adorable, each in their own way. “Come vit me, liebchen. I vant you to meet my freundins!” The girls laughed when they saw that I was wearing the male match of their friend's dirndl. “Girls, girls, I vant you to meet mein freund, Helmutt von Wiener.”Continued in Part Two,Based on a post by CBSummers, for Literotica

Asteroids, often called “fossils of the solar system,” are remnants from its formation that offer clues about planetary origins and the potential beginnings of life. Dr. Neil Farber, Solar System Ambassador for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, explains that some, known as near-Earth objects, pose impact risks—though large, dangerous collisions are rare—and NASA's Near-Earth Object Surveyor mission aims to detect and track them to inform planetary defense strategies. Asteroids may also hold resources, such as metals or water, that could one day support space exploration, though current technology limits mining feasibility. Recent missions like OSIRIS-REx, Lucy, and Psyche are expanding our understanding of asteroid composition, history, and diversity, with findings including evidence of past water, amino acids, and nucleotide bases—key building blocks of life—raising intriguing questions about whether asteroids helped seed life on Earth. Series: "Osher UC San Diego Distinguished Lecture Series" [Science] [Show ID: 40964]

Asteroids, often called “fossils of the solar system,” are remnants from its formation that offer clues about planetary origins and the potential beginnings of life. Dr. Neil Farber, Solar System Ambassador for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, explains that some, known as near-Earth objects, pose impact risks—though large, dangerous collisions are rare—and NASA's Near-Earth Object Surveyor mission aims to detect and track them to inform planetary defense strategies. Asteroids may also hold resources, such as metals or water, that could one day support space exploration, though current technology limits mining feasibility. Recent missions like OSIRIS-REx, Lucy, and Psyche are expanding our understanding of asteroid composition, history, and diversity, with findings including evidence of past water, amino acids, and nucleotide bases—key building blocks of life—raising intriguing questions about whether asteroids helped seed life on Earth. Series: "Osher UC San Diego Distinguished Lecture Series" [Science] [Show ID: 40964]

Asteroids, often called “fossils of the solar system,” are remnants from its formation that offer clues about planetary origins and the potential beginnings of life. Dr. Neil Farber, Solar System Ambassador for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, explains that some, known as near-Earth objects, pose impact risks—though large, dangerous collisions are rare—and NASA's Near-Earth Object Surveyor mission aims to detect and track them to inform planetary defense strategies. Asteroids may also hold resources, such as metals or water, that could one day support space exploration, though current technology limits mining feasibility. Recent missions like OSIRIS-REx, Lucy, and Psyche are expanding our understanding of asteroid composition, history, and diversity, with findings including evidence of past water, amino acids, and nucleotide bases—key building blocks of life—raising intriguing questions about whether asteroids helped seed life on Earth. Series: "Osher UC San Diego Distinguished Lecture Series" [Science] [Show ID: 40964]

Asteroids, often called “fossils of the solar system,” are remnants from its formation that offer clues about planetary origins and the potential beginnings of life. Dr. Neil Farber, Solar System Ambassador for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, explains that some, known as near-Earth objects, pose impact risks—though large, dangerous collisions are rare—and NASA's Near-Earth Object Surveyor mission aims to detect and track them to inform planetary defense strategies. Asteroids may also hold resources, such as metals or water, that could one day support space exploration, though current technology limits mining feasibility. Recent missions like OSIRIS-REx, Lucy, and Psyche are expanding our understanding of asteroid composition, history, and diversity, with findings including evidence of past water, amino acids, and nucleotide bases—key building blocks of life—raising intriguing questions about whether asteroids helped seed life on Earth. Series: "Osher UC San Diego Distinguished Lecture Series" [Science] [Show ID: 40964]

Asteroids, often called “fossils of the solar system,” are remnants from its formation that offer clues about planetary origins and the potential beginnings of life. Dr. Neil Farber, Solar System Ambassador for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, explains that some, known as near-Earth objects, pose impact risks—though large, dangerous collisions are rare—and NASA's Near-Earth Object Surveyor mission aims to detect and track them to inform planetary defense strategies. Asteroids may also hold resources, such as metals or water, that could one day support space exploration, though current technology limits mining feasibility. Recent missions like OSIRIS-REx, Lucy, and Psyche are expanding our understanding of asteroid composition, history, and diversity, with findings including evidence of past water, amino acids, and nucleotide bases—key building blocks of life—raising intriguing questions about whether asteroids helped seed life on Earth. Series: "Osher UC San Diego Distinguished Lecture Series" [Science] [Show ID: 40964]

Asteroids, often called “fossils of the solar system,” are remnants from its formation that offer clues about planetary origins and the potential beginnings of life. Dr. Neil Farber, Solar System Ambassador for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, explains that some, known as near-Earth objects, pose impact risks—though large, dangerous collisions are rare—and NASA's Near-Earth Object Surveyor mission aims to detect and track them to inform planetary defense strategies. Asteroids may also hold resources, such as metals or water, that could one day support space exploration, though current technology limits mining feasibility. Recent missions like OSIRIS-REx, Lucy, and Psyche are expanding our understanding of asteroid composition, history, and diversity, with findings including evidence of past water, amino acids, and nucleotide bases—key building blocks of life—raising intriguing questions about whether asteroids helped seed life on Earth. Series: "Osher UC San Diego Distinguished Lecture Series" [Science] [Show ID: 40964]

In this episode Jason flies a little too close to the sun when discussing the impact of a company's structure on its ability to harness the power of employee engagement. The discussion covered how employee engagement impacts business success, with comparisons to different types of civilizations and their energy usage, including the idea of harnessing this energy effectively. Overall, this is episode provides recommendations for improving employee engagement levels within companies, emphasizing the importance of collective effort and the role of successful businesses in supporting local economies. 

In this week's episode, we take a look at the impact SpaceX launches from the Space Coast will have on their competitors and those living, working, and going to school near Kennedy and Cape Canaveral. We also look at a bunch of new science discoveries, including the origins of Ryugu & Bennu, the solar system shocked itself, a new supernova that blew off an unusual number of layers before exploding, and quick updates on Psyche, Juno, JUICE, and the number of moons orbiting Uranus.

Join us on The Good Trouble Show as Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb reveals groundbreaking insights on the UFO phenomenon, discussing the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS and its implications for national security and science. In this exclusive interview, Loeb challenges Neil deGrasse Tyson's views on UAPs, advocating for the urgent passage of the UAP Disclosure Act.Discover why the strange trajectory of 3I/ATLAS calls for serious scientific investigation and how it could potentially reshape our understanding of extraterrestrial intelligence. Loeb also introduces the new 'Loeb Scale' to classify interstellar objects and argues for immediate governmental action on UAP transparency.With a focus on current events and the importance of curiosity in science, Loeb emphasizes the need for accountability in UAP research, all while shedding light on the mission of the Galileo Project. Tune in for this vital discussion about aliens, science, and the future of our planet.The UAP Disclosure Act is bipartisan legislation that would require the government to release records on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs), establish transparency and oversight, and ensure Congress—not secret programs—has authority over how information is handled. Supporters argue it is essential for accountability and for the public's right to know.

Climate change. Astronomy.  A canine astronaut. They intersect in our guest, astronomer and author Dr. Jeff Bennett. Among other things, we focus on climate change and policy – present and future. Dr. Bennett got his Ph.D. in Astrophysics from the University of Colorado, and he served two years as a Visiting Senior Scientist at NASA … Continue reading "Climate Change, Astronomy, Canine Astronauts"

This episode of Space Nuts is brought to you with the support of Insta360 and their brand new UltraGo camera.. Access our special deal by visiting www.store.insta360.com and use the promo code SPACENUTS at checkout.Cosmic Queries: Tides, Meteor Showers, and the Goldilocks ZoneIn this enlightening Q&A episode of Space Nuts, hosts Heidi Campo and Professor Fred Watson dive into a series of thought-provoking questions submitted by listeners. From the gravitational effects of the moon to the dynamics of meteor showers and the concept of the Goldilocks Zone, this episode is a treasure trove of astronomical insights.Episode Highlights:- Moon's Gravitational Pull: Listener Ash asks why the moon's gravity affects ocean tides so drastically but not humans. Fred explains the difference in gravitational pull across the Earth, emphasizing that while we do experience slight shifts, our size prevents us from feeling the same tidal effects as the oceans.- Scheduled Observations in Astronomy: Ben's audio question prompts a discussion on whether certain astronomical observations are immune to interruptions. Fred shares insights on time-sensitive observations like occultations, which are crucial for understanding celestial bodies.- Meteor Showers Explained: David and Brian ponder why we experience annual meteor showers and how the Earth interacts with comet debris. Fred clarifies that comets leave trails of dust, and as the Earth passes through these trails, we witness spectacular meteor showers without depleting the debris.- The Goldilocks Zone: Lou wonders if the Goldilocks Zone applies to all life in the universe. Fred discusses its significance for Earth-like life and explores the possibility of life forms existing in extreme conditions, such as those found on Titan, Saturn's moon.For more Space Nuts, including our continuously updating newsfeed and to listen to all our episodes, visit our website. Follow us on social media at SpaceNutsPod on Facebook, X, YouTube Music Music, Tumblr, Instagram, and TikTok. We love engaging with our community, so be sure to drop us a message or comment on your favorite platform.If you'd like to help support Space Nuts and join our growing family of insiders for commercial-free episodes and more, visit spacenutspodcast.com/aboutStay curious, keep looking up, and join us next time for more stellar insights and cosmic wonders. Until then, clear skies and happy stargazing.Got a question for our Q&A episode? https://spacenutspodcast.com/amaBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/space-nuts-astronomy-insights-cosmic-discoveries--2631155/support.

You might think of a star as a mass of incandescent gas, a gigantic nuclear furnace where hydrogen is turned into helium at a temperature of millions of degrees. But researchers recently reported that they'd observed some of what lies beneath all that hydrogen and helium, at least inside one unusual supernova. The star, named supernova 2021yfj, had its outer layers stripped away, leaving behind a silicon- and sulfur-rich inner shell.Astrophysicist Steve Schulze joins Host Flora Lichtman to describe what the team spotted in the heart of a dying star.Guest: Dr. Steve Schulze is a research associate at Northwestern University's Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics.Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Plus, to stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.

This episode of Space Nuts is brought to you with the support of Insta360. Capture your adventures with their latest game-changer, the GOUltra. For a special Space Nuts offer, visit store.insta360.com and use the promo code SPACENUTS at checkout.Cosmic Queries: Black Holes, Superfluids, and the Importance of Space ExplorationIn this engaging Q&A episode of Space Nuts, hosts Heidi Campo and Professor Fred Watson tackle intriguing listener questions that delve into the mysteries of black holes, the nature of space-time, and the significance of exploring beyond our planet. With a blend of scientific insight and thoughtful discussion, this episode promises to enlighten and inspire.Episode Highlights:- Stages of Matter in Black Holes: Mark from the audience poses a fascinating question about the potential stages of matter reduction leading to a singularity in black holes. Fred explains the current understanding of fundamental particles and the collapse of stars into black holes, highlighting the limits of our knowledge in particle physics.- Exploring Interstellar Objects: Buddy from Oregon asks about the feasibility of launching satellites to catch up with fast-moving interstellar objects. Fred discusses the challenges of tracking and rendezvousing with such objects and mentions a proposal to utilize the Juno spacecraft to study Comet 3I Atlas as it passes by Jupiter.- Visualizing Space-Time: Lawrence from London presents a thought-provoking idea about space-time as a superfluid and the limitations of traditional diagrams. Fred elaborates on the concept of superfluidity in the context of space-time and the implications for our understanding of gravity and the universe.- The Importance of Space Exploration: Dan from the Gold Coast raises a philosophical question about why humanity invests in space exploration when Earth still holds many mysteries. Fred articulates the interconnectedness of understanding our planet and the universe, emphasizing the curiosity that drives scientific discovery and the benefits that arise from space research.For more Space Nuts, including our continuously updating newsfeed and to listen to all our episodes, visit our website. Follow us on social media at SpaceNutsPod on Facebook, X, YouTube Music Music, Tumblr, Instagram, and TikTok. We love engaging with our community, so be sure to drop us a message or comment on your favorite platform.If you'd like to help support Space Nuts and join our growing family of insiders for commercial-free episodes and more, visit spacenutspodcast.com/aboutStay curious, keep looking up, and join us next time for more stellar insights and cosmic wonders. Until then, clear skies and happy stargazing.Got a question for our Q&A episode? https://spacenutspodcast.com/amaBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/space-nuts-astronomy-insights-cosmic-discoveries--2631155/support.

What if Flight MH370 wasn't just lost, but simply became hidden from view? In this episode with controversial youtuber Ashton Forbes, we take the mystery seriously: not as magic, but as a challenge to what we think we know about plasma, quantum mechanics, and fusion. The question isn't about belief, but about possibility: if teleportation happened, what physical mechanisms could explain it? We're at the edge of reason for this one, where mystery bashes up again rationality.PATREON https://www.patreon.com/c/demystifysciPARADIGM DRIFThttps://demystifysci.com/paradigm-drift-showOUR HOMEBREWED MUSICCheck out our band's new album:https://secretaryofnature.bandcamp.com/album/everything-is-so-good-hereVinyl pre-orders available now: https://buy.stripe.com/14A5kC3Od5d21Ms7zPdEs09Ashton's YT Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@UCHmFQzkpaJBSDD1PPFhPPSg 00:00 Go! Introduction to Mysteries and Theories 00:06:09 Shadowy Experiences with NASA and LENR 00:10:53 Exploring Alternative Models for Energy Production 00:15:12 Secrecy and the Potential of Fusion Technologies 00:19:04 Enthusiasm and Skepticism in Energy Research 00:19:33 Fusion Funding and Accountability 00:23:02 Hypothetical Fusion and UFOs 00:29:07 Teleportation Theories and Their Implications 00:34:00 Espionage and Disappearance of Flight MH370 00:37:41 MH370 Emergency Communication and Eyewitness Accounts 00:40:00 Analysis of the Standard Narrative and Government Response 00:44:00 Military Tracking and Discrepancies in Reports 00:48:00 Satellite Evidence and Pinging Issues 00:52:00 Theories of Time Manipulation and Disappearance 00:54:00 Controversy Over Diego Garcia and Missing Evidence 00:56:00 Examination of Internet Misinformation 01:01:00 Impact of War and Accountability 01:05:00 Perception of Reality and The Nature of Truth 01:09:00 Gatekeeping Technological Advances 01:17:00 Aspirations in Technology and Public Perception 01:20:00 Public Distrust and Technology Disclosure 01:24:00 Alien Technology and Interstellar Travel 01:27:00 Theoretical Physics and Mediums of Travel 01:30:00 Teleportation and Energy Conversion Theories 01:32:07 Medium of Travel and Ether Concept 01:34:51 The Nature of Invisibility and Coupling 01:39:12 Theoretical Concepts of Wormholes and Energy Requirements 01:41:28 Material vs. Abstract in Physics 01:46:05 Validity of Advanced Technologies and Science 01:48:45 Understanding Electricity's Nature 01:50:51 Energy and Motion in Physics 01:52:41 Magic vs. Physics 01:54:58 Perception and Quantum Reality 01:58:01 Connectivity and Spacetime 02:01:30 The Role of Medium and Interpretation 02:05:54 Future of Rational Inquiry 02:09:15 Understanding Substructure in Physics 02:12:31 The Search for Ether 02:14:49 Advancements in Fusion Technology 02:18:18 Free Energy Challenges and Insights 02:20:38 Government and Scientific Disinformation 02:25:01 The Intersection of Physics and Secrecy 02:27:06 Disclosure and New Technologies 02:30:06 Innovations in Free Energy Technologies 02:35:01 Merging Physics and Spirituality 02:40:06 Open Dialogue and Friendship #quantumphysics, #quantummechanics , #Astrophysics, #TheoreticalPhysics, #PlasmaPhysics, #Teleportation, #AviationMystery, #FlightMH370, #PhysicsExplained, #NewPhysics, #fusion , #PhysicsCommunity, #BigQuestions #philosophypodcast , #sciencepodcast, #longformpodcast

SEQUENCES PODCAST no276 02.09 John Scott Shepard & Jamie Zarfas 'Tents In Space' (album Distant Moon) https://cyclicaldreams.bandcamp.com/album/distant-moon-cyd-0134 09.27 John Scott Shepard & Jamie Zarfas 'Sky Dreams' 14.27 Die Wilde Jagd ‘Atem' (album Atem) *** https://diewildejagd.bandcamp.com/album/atem 26.22 Hari Maia 'Universalis I Pt. IV' (album Universalis) https://cyclicaldreams.bandcamp.com/album/universalis-cyd-0135 31.57 Don Slepian ‘Sea Of Bliss' (album Sea Of Bliss) *** https://800line.bandcamp.com/album/sea-of-bliss 41.27 Stephen Halpern ‘Time Being II// (album Music For Microdosing) StevenHalpernMusic.com 46.11 Stephen Halpern ‘Timeless Truth II' 50.53 Stephen Halpern ‘At Peace in the Present Moment' 53.15 Henrik Meierkord 'Springflowers' (album Space of Longing) www.projekt.com 57.05 Henrik Meierkord ‘Animation' 01.02.49 Joost Egelie ‘The Dru-Wyde enters Oxmurvandu' (album Oxmurvandu) https://jegelie.bandcamp.com/album/oxmurvandu-3 01.11.50 Sam Rosenthal ‘Islands Pt1 /Pt 4/Pt 8' (album Islands) https://blacktapeforabluegirl.bandcamp.com/album/islands-2025-stereo-mix 01.28.18 Planet Of The Arp's ‘ Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics' (Planet Of The Arp's 2) https://planetofthearps.bandcamp.com/album/planet-of-the-arps-2 01.37.53 Synquentium ‘Immersion in Total Emptiness' (album Immersion in Total Emptiness) *** https://synquentium.bandcamp.com/album/immersion-in-total-emptiness 01.49.57 Keith Richie ‘Candles' (single Candles: Aural Realms Version) *** https://keithrichie.bandcamp.com/album/candles-aural-realms-version 01.56.42 Jaffe ‘Dark Skies' (album Depth) https://wayfarermusicgroup.bandcamp.com 02.03.00 Federico Mosconi Feat: Barbara Dominicis ‘Frammenti IV. Addio Sognatori' (Frammenti) https://dronarivm.bandcamp.com/album/frammenti 02.11.36 Andrew Staniland ‘Dancer Portraits Dancer' (album The Laws Of Nature) https://andrewstaniland.bandcamp.com/album/the-laws-of-nature 02.15.09 Andrew Staniland ‘The Laws Of Nature, The Web' 02.18.36 Xu ‘Luminious Dust Trails' (album Murmurs Of The Machine) https://le-mont-analogue.bandcamp.com/album/murmurs-of-the-machine 02.21.42 Steve Roach & Roger King ‘Lost And Forgotten/Bigger Picture' (album Dust To Dust) ***www.projekt.com 02.31.57 Laura Misch ‘Live At Union Chapel 2024' *** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-YTkv87FQ4&t=3820s 02.38.11 Blue Is Nine ‘Forest Grove' (album Tall Pines) https://blueisnine.bandcamp.com/album/tall-pines 02.40.29 Blue Is Nine ‘King's Beach' 02.44.06 Asura ‘Galaxies Part 1' (album Life 2) https://ultimae.com/product/asura-life²-ultimae-download-24bit/ 02.53.06 Masako ‘One By One' (single) https://www.youtube.com/user/MasakoMusic 02.57.00 John Oreschnick ‘Centered' (EP Serenity and Life) heartdancerecords.bandcamp.com 03.00.13 Brannan Lane, John Gregorius & Sean O'Bryan Smith ‘LA Dawn' (album Lost Desert Highway) https://wayfarermusicgroup.bandcamp.com 03.04.23 Brannan Lane, John Gregorius & Sean O'Bryan Smith ‘Along The Peninsula' 03.10.04 Brannan Lane, John Gregorius The Brook' 03.13.08 Sferix ‘Moments' (single) http://www.sine-music.com 03.16.14 Tony Sieber ‘Talk About It' (album Because We Are) http://www.sine-music.com 03.19.38 Tony Sieber ‘Me Siento Libre (Atacama)' 03.23.48 Sean O'Bryan Smith, Cheryl Pyle & Brannan Lane ‘Depth' (album The Search) https://wayfarermusicgroup.bandcamp.com 03.34.04 Sean O'Bryan Smith, Cheryl Pyle & Brannan Lane ‘Within' 03.38.27 Aurasound ‘Delicacy Of Raindrops' (EP Out Of Time) https://ambient-soundscapes.bandcamp.com 03.42.16 Eglerion ‘i stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at me' (EP The Abyss Stares Back) https://eglerion.bandcamp.com/album/the-abyss-stares-back 03.46.03 Quiescente ‘Placid' (EP Sleep Cycles) https://quiescente.bandcamp.com/album/sleep-cycles 03.49.24 Broken Peak ‘Not Without You' (EP Evig) https://brokenpeak.bandcamp.com/album/evig 03.51.45 Tim Six ‘Alphine Valley (Night)' (EP Alpine Valley) *** https://dronarivm.bandcamp.com/album/alpine-valley Edit ***

Our podcast guest is a Kavli Prize in Astrophysics laureate

From black holes to star clusters, scientists are turning space data into sound with a process called sonification. Dr. Kimberly Arcand, visual scientist with the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, joins us to explore how data sonification lets more people experience the cosmos and give researchers a new way to interpret science one note at a time.

This episode of Space Nuts is brought to you with the support of Incogni. Protecting your online privacy and data To check out our special listener offer, visit www.incogni.com/spacenuts and help support the show.Cosmic Queries: Time, Light, and the UniverseIn this engaging episode of Space Nuts, hosts Heidi Campo and Professor Fred Watson dive into a captivating Q&A session, tackling listener questions that span the intricacies of time dilation, the speed of light, and the structure of the universe. With a mix of scientific insight and relatable explanations, this episode promises to enlighten and entertain.Episode Highlights:- 3D Mapping the Universe: A listener named Sam poses a thought-provoking question about the complexities of 3D mapping galaxies based on light emitted millions of years ago. Fred explains how astronomers interpret these vast distances and the challenges involved in visualizing the universe's structure over time.- The Speed of Light in Different Mediums: Mark from Quebec asks about the behavior of light traveling through various materials, like diamonds. Fred clarifies how light slows down in denser media and seamlessly resumes its speed in a vacuum, drawing parallels to wave motion for a clearer understanding.- Understanding the Heliopause: Regular contributor Rennie Traub inquires about the heliosphere's dimensions and whether all solar systems possess one. Fred discusses the heliosphere's size and its significance in relation to solar and stellar magnetism.- Time Dilation and the Kelly Twins: Dean from Queensland dives deep into the concept of time dilation, examining the age difference between the Kelly twins and the effects of gravity and speed on time perception. Fred navigates through the complexities of relativity, shedding light on how these factors interplay in the universe.For more Space Nuts, including our continuously updating newsfeed and to listen to all our episodes, visit our website. Follow us on social media at SpaceNutsPod on Facebook, X, YouTube Music Music, Tumblr, Instagram, and TikTok. We love engaging with our community, so be sure to drop us a message or comment on your favorite platform.If you'd like to help support Space Nuts and join our growing family of insiders for commercial-free episodes and more, visit spacenutspodcast.com/aboutStay curious, keep looking up, and join us next time for more stellar insights and cosmic wonders. Until then, clear skies and happy stargazing.Got a question for our Q&A episode? https://spacenutspodcast.com/amaBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/space-nuts-astronomy-insights-cosmic-discoveries--2631155/support.

How does philosophy inform modern physics? And how do physicists incorporate philosophy into their research? On this episode, we dive into those questions with philosopher Dr. Timothy McGrew and astrophysicist Dr. Luke Barnes in order to help you fine tune your thinking about the fine tuning of the universe. Critics of the fine-tuning argument will often invoke probabilities in order to get around the argument's deeper implication of the existence of God. Tim and Luke will explore some of the issues in probability theory as it informs the physics of the fine-tuning argument. Dr. Timothy McGrewTimothy McGrew is Professor of Philosophy at Western Michigan University, where he has taught for the past 25 years. His research interests include formal epistemology, the history and philosophy of science, and the history and philosophy of religion. When he is not doing philosophy, he enjoys playing chess online, coaching at his local chess club, running trails, and making high quality paper airplanes. He lives in SW Michigan with his wife, Lydia McGrew, and their daughters.Dr. Luke BarnesDr Luke A. Barnes is a Senior Lecturer in Physics at Western Sydney University. With a PhD in astronomy from the University of Cambridge, he has published papers in the field of galaxy formation and on the fine-tuning of the Universe for life. He is the coauthor with Prof. Geraint Lewis of A Fortunate Universe: Life in a Finely-Tuned Cosmos and The Cosmic Revolutionary's Handbook: (Or: How to Beat the Big Bang), published by Cambridge University Press. Free Articles from Watchman Fellowship Profile on Naturalism: https://www.watchman.org/Naturalism/ProfileNaturalism.pdf Profile on Scientism: https://www.watchman.org/scientism/ProfileScientism.pdf Profile on Atheism: https://www.watchman.org/profiles/pdf/atheismprofile.pdf Additional ResourcesFREE: We are also offering a subscription to our 4-page bimonthly Profiles here: www.watchman.org/FreePROFILE NOTEBOOK: Order the complete collection of Watchman Fellowship Profiles (around 700 pages -- from Astrology to Zen Buddhism) in either printed or PDF formats here: www.watchman.org/NotebookSUPPORT: Help us create more content like this. Make a tax-deductible donation here: www.watchman.org/GiveApologetics Profile is a podcast ministry of Watchman Fellowship For more information, visit www.watchman.org © 2025 Watchman Fellowship, Inc.

Dr. Val Baker is a Scientific Research Associate at the Resonance Science Foundation. She earned an MSci in Astrophysics from University College London and a PhD in Astrophysics from Open University under Dr. Andrew Norton. Her research spans binaries, neutron stars, black holes, gamma-ray bursts, AGN and exoplanets. Forward Time Travel via Relativity Einstein's special theory of relativity tells us that the faster you move, the more slowly you experience time relative to someone at rest. Precision experiments—like synchronizing atomic clocks on jets versus on the ground—confirm that high-speed travel causes measurable time dilation. Did The Avengers Get Time Travel Right in Endgame? The MCU's Quantum Approach In Endgame, the Avengers use Pym Particles to shrink into the Quantum Realm and slip through time. This nods to real ideas about spacetime shortcuts—akin to wormholes—but the film glosses over the astronomical energy and stability challenges such a method would entail in actual physics.   Start Your Free One Year Trial For Sci-Fi Talk Plus, Today.

Seismic Secrets of the Moon: Explore new research revealing that our lunar neighbour is more seismically active than previously thought. This study highlights the potential risks posed by moonquakes to future lunar bases, emphasising the need for careful planning and site selection for long-term habitats on the Moon.- Dramatic Stellar Demise: Witness the extraordinary tale of a massive star's explosive end as it interacts with a black hole companion. This unprecedented event, captured in real time by an AI system, provides groundbreaking insights into the dynamics of stellar explosions and the role of binary interactions.- Unraveling the Mystery of Missing Sulphur: Delve into the cosmic enigma of sulphur's scarcity in the universe. Recent findings suggest that this essential element is not missing but rather locked away in solid forms within icy grains of interstellar dust, reshaping our understanding of its distribution and significance in planetary formation.- Rethinking Vesta: Discover how a reanalysis of data from NASA's Dawn spacecraft is challenging our perceptions of Vesta, one of the largest objects in the asteroid belt. This research proposes that Vesta may not be a failed protoplanet but rather a remnant of a larger differentiated planet destroyed in the early solar system, offering new insights into planetary evolution.For more cosmic updates, visit our website at astronomydaily.io. Join our community on social media by searching for #AstroDailyPod on Facebook, X, YouTube Music, TikTok, and our new Instagram account! Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.Thank you for tuning in. This is Anna and Avery signing off. Until next time, keep looking up and stay curious about the wonders of our universe.✍️ Episode ReferencesLunar Seismic Activity Study[Smithsonian Institution](https://www.si.edu/)Supernova SN2023ZKD Analysis[Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics](https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/)Sulphur Research Findings[Nature Communications](https://www.nature.com/ncomms/)Vesta Reanalysis[NASA TV Propulsion Laboratory](https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/)Astronomy Daily[Astronomy Daily](http://www.astronomydaily.io/)Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-space-news-updates--5648921/support.Sponsor Details:Ensure your online privacy by using NordVPN. To get our special listener deal and save a lot of money, visit www.bitesz.com/nordvpn. You'll be glad you did!Become a supporter of Astronomy Daily by joining our Supporters Club. Commercial free episodes daily are only a click way... Click Here

US Health Secretary RFK Jr's call to retract a study on childhood vaccines is resisted by the journal. Also antibiotics get designed by AI, and a new way for stars to die. A study focussing on Danish childhood vaccination data has attracted the US Secretary for Health's anger, as RFK jr calls for the journal in which it was published, the Annals of Internal Medicine, to retract it. The Editor, Christine Laine, talk to Science in Action about the strengths and challenges of observational studies. The cuts to prestigious US federal science funded research continue, as last week it was announced that $500 million funding for future mRNA vaccines would be withdrawn. Barney Graham, one of the pioneers in the field and prominent during the Covid vaccines, argues that the research will still happen, though maybe not in the US, as mRNA has become a fundamental area of global research. Meanwhile, strides are being made in the field of synthetic biology as Jim Collins and colleagues at MIT and Harvard have used AI to design potentially viable antibiotics for two important drug-resistant superbugs. Previously, AI has been used to comb through libraries of known antibiotics. This study has gone a step further, and used generative AI to design new ones, that can then be synthesised using real chemicals. Though a long way from being prescribable drugs, the team think this could herald a new golden age of antibiotic development – something which has been lacking in recent decades. Finally, it seems astronomers may have discovered a new way for a star to die, sort of. Supernova 2023zkd was seen to explode back in 2023, found by a team looking for odd events. It didn't seem quite like normal supernovae, in that it took a bit longer to die down. Then the team looked back, and noticed that it had also been getting slowly brighter for almost a year. At 730 million light years away, in a galaxy far, far away, it also seemed to have been stripped of all its hydrogen and even stranger yet, appeared to have exploded twice. As Ashley Villar of the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics explains, the almost unique observation fits with a model of the huge star getting closer to a black hole, the gravity of which may have disrupted the star enough to cause it to explode. Presenter: Roland Pease Producer: Ella Hubber with Alex Mansfield Production Coordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth (Image: Child getting a vaccine. Credit: Luis Alvarez via Getty Images)

After three UK heatwaves, we turn to science for solutions that could keep us safer, and cooler, in our homes. Professor of Zero Carbon Design at the University of Bath, David Coley, explains how our houses could be better designed to handle climate change.This week the UK Space Conference has come to Manchester. Victoria Gill is joined by Tim O'Brien, Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Manchester, for the latest space science news.We also hear from technology journalist Gareth Mitchell on a curious headache for the tech companies rolling out driverless taxis, in the form of plastic bags. And we speak to a group of high school students who have been spending their lunch breaks extracting and analysing daffodil DNA.Presenter: Victoria Gill Producers: Dan Welsh, Jonathan Blackwell, Clare Salisbury Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

This episode is brought to u with the support of NordVPN...it's the one we use and rely on. Especially in ths over survelled world we live in. To ensure your privacy and access with our special deal, visit www.nordvpn.com/spacenuts or use the promo code SPACENUTS at checkout.Cosmic Curiosities: A Q&A Journey Through Light, Gravity, and the UniverseIn this enlightening episode of Space Nuts, hosts Heidi Campo and Professor Fred Watson dive into a series of intriguing listener questions that explore the fundamental forces of the universe. From the speed of light to the mysteries of dark energy, this episode is packed with insights that will expand your cosmic understanding.Episode Highlights:- The Speed of Light Explained: The episode kicks off with a profound question from Rennie Trab regarding the speed of light. Fred discusses its significance, how it shapes our understanding of the universe, and the implications of varying its speed, referencing the works of physicist George Gamow and his fictional character Mr. Tompkins.- Gravity and Dark Energy: Next, Heidi and Fred tackle Buddy's audio question about the potential similarities between gravity, dark energy, and the strong and weak nuclear forces. Fred elaborates on the nature of these forces and explores the intriguing idea of them acting on larger scales.- ASKAP J1832 0911 Mystery: Casey from Colorado asks about the enigmatic object ASKAP J1832 0911, which emits radio waves and X-rays in a peculiar pattern. Fred explains its origins in a supernova remnant and discusses the possibility of it being a magnetar, shedding light on this cosmic puzzle.- Understanding the Cosmic Microwave Background: Dean from Queensland poses an insightful question about the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and its representation in two-dimensional maps. Fred clarifies how the CMB is mapped and the inherent distortions of such projections, while also discussing its significance as a remnant of the Big Bang.For more Space Nuts, including our continuously updating newsfeed and to listen to all our episodes, visit our website. Follow us on social media at SpaceNutsPod on Facebook, X, YouTube Music Music, Tumblr, Instagram, and TikTok. We love engaging with our community, so be sure to drop us a message or comment on your favorite platform.If you'd like to help support Space Nuts and join our growing family of insiders for commercial-free episodes and more, visit spacenutspodcast.com/aboutStay curious, keep looking up, and join us next time for more stellar insights and cosmic wonders. Until then, clear skies and happy stargazing.Got a question for our Q&A episode? https://spacenutspodcast.com/amaBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/space-nuts-astronomy-insights-cosmic-discoveries--2631155/support.

Ben Davidson is back after over 10 years and much has happened since. He has stood the test of time and is now referenced by many in the Solar/Cataclysmic space.   We have a great chat about Observer ranch, his latest book, anonymous insiders, the magnetic pole shift and the 6 thousand year process of this great reset. Electro magnetic field protection, climate change and volcanic uptick, his discovery of Adam and Eve, Hapgood, psychology effected by storms, the tsunami sweeping over continents, plasma cosmology, Thunderbolts, Einstein and Velikovsky and species extinction are all discussed.   What is the process? Core mantle decoupling, crustal displacement, actual pole shift, magnetic pole shift, cometary impact, solar micro nova???   In the second half we get into population reduction, Bezos and the Black Pearly super yacht, nova level isotopes, seed vaults, galactic reversals, the suns firecracker kickback, water and electricity, Greenland, courses for prepping, and the protection of gold.... The Captains of Cataclysm are on the same team!   Where do you want to be? Did the parasitic class and the US Gov get the spot correct? What are floatables? Astrophysics, Geophysics, and Space Weather. Textbook. Weather man guide to the sun. https://x.com/SunWeatherMan https://observerranch.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@SpaceWeatherNewsS0s Past shows: https://grimerica.ca/2015/01/14/davidson/  Jan 2015 https://grimerica.ca/2019/06/08/ep355/   To gain access to the second half of show and our Plus feed for audio and podcast please clink the link http://www.grimericaoutlawed.ca/support.   For second half of video (when applicable and audio) go to our Substack and Subscribe. https://grimericaoutlawed.substack.com/ or to our Locals  https://grimericaoutlawed.locals.com/ or Rokfin www.Rokfin.com/Grimerica Patreon https://www.patreon.com/grimericaoutlawed   Support the show directly: https://grimericacbd.com/ CBD / THC Tinctures and Gummies https://grimerica.ca/support-2/ Eh-List Podcast and site: https://eh-list.ca/ Eh-List YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheEh-List Our Adultbrain Audiobook Podcast and Website: www.adultbrain.ca Our Audiobook Youtube Channel:  https://www.youtube.com/@adultbrainaudiobookpublishing/videos Darren's book www.acanadianshame.ca Check out our next trip/conference/meetup - Contact at the Cabin www.contactatthecabin.com Other affiliated shows: www.grimerica.ca The OG Grimerica Show www.Rokfin.com/Grimerica Our channel on free speech Rokfin Join the chat / hangout with a bunch of fellow Grimericans  Https://t.me.grimerica https://www.guilded.gg/chat/b7af7266-771d-427f-978c-872a7962a6c2?messageId=c1e1c7cd-c6e9-4eaf-abc9-e6ec0be89ff3   Leave a review on iTunes and/or Stitcher: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/grimerica-outlawed http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/grimerica-outlawed Sign up for our newsletter http://www.grimerica.ca/news SPAM Graham = and send him your synchronicities, feedback, strange experiences and psychedelic trip reports!! graham@grimerica.com InstaGRAM https://www.instagram.com/the_grimerica_show_podcast/  Purchase swag, with partial proceeds donated to the show www.grimerica.ca/swag Send us a postcard or letter http://www.grimerica.ca/contact/ ART - Napolean Duheme's site http://www.lostbreadcomic.com/  MUSIC Tru Northperception, Felix's Site sirfelix.bandcamp.com 

At "Beyond the Big Bang" 2025, Dr. Patrick Vanraes, a plasma scientist at the University of Antwerp, delivers two quiet revolts against the reigning cosmological order. In the first talk, he develops Dr. Pierre Marie Robitaille's vision of the Sun not as a chaotic gas ball, but as a layered, liquid structure—dense enough to host fusion through lattice confinement, where matter itself conspires in silence. Patrick takes Dr. Robitaille's model one step further, examining the possibility that diverse types of fusion may be occurring throughout different regions of the liquid plasma. In the second talk, Patrick takes aim at the cosmic origin of the microwave background, suggesting that what's been repeatedly called the echo of creation may instead be a local artifact—unmeasured where it matters most. Patrick doesn't reject mainstream physics—he asks physicists to look again, more carefully, and perhaps more honestly. The Q&A shows this is not the simple request it seems.PATREON https://www.patreon.com/c/demystifysciPARADIGM DRIFThttps://demystifysci.com/paradigm-drift-showMUSICCheck out our band's new album:https://secretaryofnature.bandcamp.com/album/everything-is-so-good-hereVinyl pre-orders available now: https://buy.stripe.com/14A5kC3Od5d21Ms7zPdEs0900:00 Go! Introduction to Liquid Plasmas 00:01:16 Liquid Model of the Sun 00:03:04 Fusion Mechanisms Comparison 00:07:05 Exploring Fusion Reaction Products 00:10:42 Quantum Tunneling and Fusion 00:12:44 Quantum Dynamics in Fusion 00:17:53 Multi-plasma Model Dynamics 00:21:27 Falsifying the Standard Cosmological Model 00:25:53 Central Cosmic Microwave Background Debate 00:26:34 Certainty of the CMB 00:30:16 Measurement Mechanisms and Instrumentation 00:39:11 Evidence and Peer Critique of Standard Cosmology00:42:32 Q&A00:44:40 Diverging Views on Solar Structure 00:52:30 Discussion on the Microwave Background 00:56:55 Debate on Research Validity and Peer Review 00:59:09 Exploring Fusion and Experimental Methods #PlasmaPhysics, #ColdFusion, #Astrophysics, #CosmicMicrowaveBackground, #SpaceScience, #FusionEnergy, #UniverseOrigins, #cosmology, #astrophysics, #spacefacts , #quantumphysics, #spaceexploration , #spacetime, #astronomy, #relativity , #philosophypodcast , #sciencepodcast, #longformpodcast ABOUS US: Anastasia completed her PhD studying bioelectricity at Columbia University. When not talking to brilliant people or making movies, she spends her time painting, reading, and guiding backcountry excursions. Shilo also did his PhD at Columbia studying the elastic properties of molecular water. When he's not in the film studio, he's exploring sound in music. They are both freelance professors at various universities. PATREON: get episodes early + join our weekly Patron Chat https://bit.ly/3lcAasBMERCH: Rock some DemystifySci gear : https://demystifysci.myspreadshop.com/allAMAZON: Do your shopping through this link: https://amzn.to/3YyoT98DONATE: https://bit.ly/3wkPqaDSUBSTACK: https://substack.com/@UCqV4_7i9h1_V7hY48eZZSLw@demystifysciBLOG: http://DemystifySci.com/blog RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/2be66934/podcast/rssMAILING LIST: https://bit.ly/3v3kz2S SOCIAL: - Discord: https://discord.gg/MJzKT8CQub- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DemystifySci- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DemystifySci/- Twitter: https://twitter.com/DemystifySciMUSIC: -Shilo Delay: https://g.co/kgs/oty671

How do you detect a particle that emits no light - in other words, something invisible? This is the intriguing challenge faced by scientists hunting for 'dark matter'. In our series finale, we talk to Elizabeth Bloomfield from Oxford's Department of Physics about dark matter, how we know it exists, and why her research is taking her deep beneath a mountain in Italy in the quest to find it.

In this episode of SpaceTime, we delve into significant developments in space exploration, from Australia's latest rocket launch attempt to groundbreaking theories about the origins of life.Australia's ERIS 1 Rocket Launch: A Learning ExperienceIn a dramatic turn of events, Gilmour Space's ERIS 1 rocket experienced a failure just seconds after liftoff, marking Australia's first orbital rocket launch in years. Despite the setback, CEO Adam Gilmour emphasizes the lessons learned from the test flight, which will inform the design and operation of future launches. The rocket's ascent was initially promising, but engine failures led to a crash shortly after clearing the launch tower. Fortunately, no injuries or environmental damage occurred, and the mission provided valuable data that will enhance the next attempt.Life's Origins: A Cosmic PerspectiveA new study suggests that the building blocks of life may have originated in outer space rather than on Earth. Using the ALMA radio telescope, astronomers detected complex organic molecules in the protoplanetary disk of the protostar UH V883 Orionis. These findings indicate that essential compounds, such as ethylene glycol and glycolonitrile, are not only present in various cosmic environments but may also be the precursors to amino acids and other vital biological components. This research supports the notion that the seeds of life are widespread throughout the universe.Boeing's Starliner Delays ContinueBoeing's Starliner spacecraft faces further delays, now pushed back to at least 2026 before it can carry humans into space. Ongoing technical issues have plagued the project, including helium leaks and thruster control problems. NASA is working closely with Boeing to address these challenges, but the timeline for crewed missions remains uncertain as SpaceX continues to lead in transporting astronauts to the International Space Station.www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com✍️ Episode ReferencesAstrophysical Journal Lettershttps://iopscience.iop.org/journal/1538-4357NASA's Commercial Crew Programhttps://www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercial/crew/index.htmlGilmour Spacehttps://gilmourspace.com/Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/spacetime-space-astronomy--2458531/support.00:00 A new study says the evolution of life may well have origins in outer space00:47 Gilmour Space's Ares 1 orbital rocket crashed two seconds after launch10:37 A new study says the evolution of life may have origins in outer space11:28 Astronomers find 17 complex organic molecules in distant planet forming disk19:35 New study finds images can shape public opinion regardless of true facts22:06 World Meteorological Organization says megaflash stretched 829km in 2017

Dive into the unknown with Fantom Facts Society, the podcast for curious minds! In this eye-opening episode, we hit TikTok Live to interview 12 random people on one burning question: Do you believe in aliens? The responses from the older folks were predictable, but the younger generation's answers? Absolutely shocking – from wild conspiracy theories to mind-bending personal encounters that'll leave you questioning reality!Whether you're a skeptic or a true believer, this raw, unfiltered street-style chat uncovers what Gen Z and millennials REALLY think about extraterrestrial life. Is the truth out there... or right here on Earth? Hit play now and join the conversation!Don't forget to like, comment your own alien beliefs below, and subscribe to Fantom Facts Society for more mind-expanding facts, interviews, and mysteries. New episodes drop weekly – stay curious! #Aliens #TikTokInterviews #FantomFacts #Extraterrestrial #PodcastForCuriousMinds

In this week's episode we take a look at all the news our outer solar system has to offer. From newly discovered outer solar system objects to intersteller comet I3/Atlas to the Peried Meteor shower, we have icy objects and absolutely no aliens (It's never aliens #IYKYK).

Sponsor Details:This episode of Space Nuts is brought to you with the support of NordVPN...our official VPN partner. We love and trust them and you will too. To check out our special listener deal, visit www.nordvpn.com/spacenuts - there's nothing to lose with Nord's famous 30 day money back guarantee!Cosmic Curiosities: Q&A on White Holes and Dark Matter MysteriesIn this engaging Q&A episode of Space Nuts, temporary host Heidi Campo and Professor Fred Watson dive into a series of thought-provoking listener questions that explore the enigmatic realms of astrophysics and cosmology. From the theoretical nature of white holes to the perplexities of dark matter, this episode is packed with insights that challenge our understanding of the universe.Episode Highlights:- Understanding White Holes: The episode kicks off with a question from Casey in Colorado about the theoretical existence of white holes. Fred explains the concept, discussing their potential properties and what might lie within them, while highlighting the lack of evidence for their existence in our universe.- Time Dilation and the Twins Paradox: Martin from an earlier episode prompts a discussion on time dilation and the implications of acceleration in the twins paradox scenario. Fred elaborates on the differences between special and general relativity and how acceleration plays a crucial role in understanding the phenomenon.- Cosmic Microwave Background and Black Holes: Ash from Brisbane asks about the connection between the observable universe and black holes, referencing Roger Penrose's theories. Fred shares insights from recent discussions at a conference, exploring the intriguing idea of whether the cosmic microwave background could represent the inside of an event horizon.- The Mystery of Dark Matter: Rennie from California poses a profound question about the nature of dark matter and its lack of interaction with light. Fred delves into the ongoing mysteries surrounding dark matter, discussing theories and the implications of its gravitational effects on the universe.For more Space Nuts, including our continuously updating newsfeed and to listen to all our episodes, visit our website. Follow us on social media at SpaceNutsPod on Facebook, X, YouTube Music Music Music, Tumblr, Instagram, and TikTok. We love engaging with our community, so be sure to drop us a message or comment on your favorite platform.If you'd like to help support Space Nuts and join our growing family of insiders for commercial-free episodes and more, visit spacenutspodcast.com/aboutStay curious, keep looking up, and join us next time for more stellar insights and cosmic wonders. Until then, clear skies and happy stargazing.Got a question for our Q&A episode? https://spacenutspodcast.com/amaBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/space-nuts-astronomy-insights-cosmic-discoveries--2631155/support.

Have we found Betelgeuse's ‘Betelbuddy?' An astronomical mystery seems to be solved as the long-predicted stellar companion to the bright star Betelgeuse has been detected by a team of researchers led by Steve Howell of the NASA Ames Research Center using the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii. Steve discusses this breakthrough alongside astronomer Andrea Dupree of the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, who has discussed the predictions of this star on previous Science in Action programmes. Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease caused by the parasite plasmodium that kills more than half a million people each year. George Dimopoulos of the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute is using gene editing and gene drive technology to target the parasites as they develop in the guts of mosquito. Can this new method disrupt the malaria parasite life cycle safely and sustainably? Our gut microbiomes are linked to our brains, but how can the bacteria in our colon communicate with our nervous system? M. Maya Kaelberer of the University of Arizona explains this neurobiotic sense, suggesting that the microbes in our large intestine communicate with specialised sensory cells in the gut. These cells send signals up to our brain and regulate our appetite. So, who really decides when you're hungry? Is it you, or is it your microbiome? Presenter: Roland Pease Producer: Imaan Moin with Alex Mansfield Production Coordinator: Jana Bennet-Holesworth (Image: Betelgeuse and Its Stellar Companion in Orion. Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA Image Processing: M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab))

In Chile, a powerful new telescope has just given a taster of what we can expect from it later this year, when it will be used to survey the cosmos over a ten-year period. In one image it revealed vast colourful gas and dust clouds swirling in a star-forming region 9,000 light years from the Earth. Housed in the Vera C Rubin Observatory, which sits on a mountain in the Chilean Andes, the telescope is designed to get giant images of the sky about one hundred times larger and quicker than any other existing telescope can achieve. It contains the world's most largest digital camera, the size of a large car. When the Legacy Survey of Space and Time begins towards the end of 2025, the camera will film the entire Southern hemisphere night sky for the next decade, every three days, repeating the process over and over. And it will focus on four areas: mapping changes in the skies or transient objects, the formation of the Milky Way, mapping the Solar System and understanding dark matter or how the universe formed. So, on this week's Inquiry, we're asking, ‘What will Chile's latest telescope tell us about the Universe?'Contributors: Catherine Heymans, Professor of Astrophysics, University of Edinburgh, Astronomer Royal for Scotland, UK Željko Ivezić, Director of Rubin Construction, Professor of Astronomy, University of Washington, USA Dr. Megan Schwamb, Planetary Astronomer, Reader, School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen's University, Belfast, Northern Ireland Dr. Burçin Mutlu-Pakdil, Observational Astronomer, Assistant Professor, Physics and Astronomy, Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, USAPresenter: Charmaine Cozier Producers: Louise Clarke and Jill Collins Researcher: Maeve Schaffer Editor: Tara McDermott Technical Producer: Craig Boardman Production Management Assistant: Liam Morrey Image Credit: Anadolu via Getty Images

This episode of Space Nuts is brought to you by Saily. If you love to travel, Saily could be your new best friend. Check out details and our special offer by visiting www.saily.com/spacenuts and use the coupon code SPACENUTS at checkout. Surf the web with Saily, wherever you go.Space Shuttle Return and Interstellar Discoveries: A Cosmic UpdateIn this exciting episode of Space Nuts, hosts Heidi Campo and Professor Fred Watson explore the latest developments in space exploration and cosmic phenomena. From the return of the iconic Space Shuttle Discovery to Houston (Heidi's home town) to the discovery of a new interstellar object, this episode is packed with fascinating insights that will captivate any space enthusiast.Episode Highlights:- Space Shuttle Discovery's Homecoming: The episode kicks off with an announcement about the plan to relocate the Space Shuttle Discovery from the Smithsonian Institution to Houston, Texas. Heidi shares her excitement about this development, given her close proximity to the Space Center, and discusses the importance of such institutions in fostering public interest in space exploration.- Third Confirmed Interstellar Object: The hosts dive into the intriguing details of the newly discovered interstellar object, 3I ATLAS. Fred explains its unique characteristics, including its high velocity and open orbit, distinguishing it from other solar system bodies. The discussion highlights the significance of studying this object as a potential sample from another solar system, stirring curiosity about its origins and composition.- New Horizons' Stellar Navigation Breakthrough: The conversation shifts to the New Horizons spacecraft, which has successfully conducted a deep space stellar navigation test. Fred describes how the spacecraft is using astrometry to measure star positions from billions of kilometers away, showcasing the advancements in technology that enable such remarkable discoveries.- The Big Crunch: Is It Back on the Menu? The episode concludes with a thought-provoking discussion about dark energy and the possibility of the Big Crunch scenario resurfacing in scientific discourse. Fred explains how recent findings suggest that the universe's expansion may be slowing down, leading to speculation about a future collapse, and the implications this could have for the fate of the universe.For more Space Nuts, including our continuously updating newsfeed and to listen to all our episodes, visit our website. Follow us on social media at SpaceNutsPod on Facebook, X, YouTube Music Music, Tumblr, Instagram, and TikTok. We love engaging with our community, so be sure to drop us a message or comment on your favorite platform.If you'd like to help support Space Nuts and join our growing family of insiders for commercial-free episodes and more, visit spacenutspodcast.com/aboutStay curious, keep looking up, and join us next time for more stellar insights and cosmic wonders. Until then, clear skies and happy stargazing.Got a question for our Q&A episode? https://spacenutspodcast.com/amaBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/space-nuts-astronomy-insights-cosmic-discoveries--2631155/support.

In this thought-provoking Q&A episode of Space Nuts, hosts Heidi Campo and Professor Fred Watson tackle a variety of intriguing listener questions that delve into the realms of astrophysics and the possibilities of life beyond Earth. From the complexities of time dilation to the potential for extraterrestrial communication, this episode is a treasure trove of cosmic knowledge.Episode Highlights:- Time Dilation and Space Travel: The episode kicks off with a fascinating question from listener Peter about the implications of time dilation as depicted in Queen's song "39." Fred explains the calculations needed to understand how a journey at 99.995% the speed of light could allow travelers to experience just one year while 100 years pass on Earth, revealing the mind-bending effects of Einstein's theory of relativity.- Observing Gravitational Waves: Trent from North Georgia poses a compelling question about how observatories can detect light from events that have already emitted gravitational waves. Fred clarifies the relationship between different types of radiation and their detection, using gamma-ray bursts as a prime example of how various signals can provide insight into cosmic events.- Limits of Biological Detection: Listener Chris wonders why organisms on Earth can only sense a limited part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Fred discusses the potential for extraterrestrial life to communicate using different frequencies, exploring the limits of biology and the intriguing possibilities of non-verbal communication in the cosmos.- Earth-Sized Moons Around Gas Giants: Martin raises an interesting question about the possibility of Earth-sized moons orbiting gas giants in other solar systems. Fred elaborates on the feasibility of such moons and their potential to harbor life, while also considering the dynamic challenges posed by their environments.For more Space Nuts, including our continuously updating newsfeed and to listen to all our episodes, visit our website. Follow us on social media at SpaceNutsPod on Facebook, X, YouTube Music Music, Tumblr, Instagram, and TikTok. We love engaging with our community, so be sure to drop us a message or comment on your favorite platform.If you'd like to help support Space Nuts and join our growing family of insiders for commercial-free episodes and more, visit spacenutspodcast.com/aboutStay curious, keep looking up, and join us next time for more stellar insights and cosmic wonders. Until then, clear skies and happy stargazing.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/space-nuts-astronomy-insights-cosmic-discoveries--2631155/support.

In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by astrophysicist, University of Arizona Associate Professor, and Director of the Arizona Space Institute, Erika Hamden. We discuss her new book, “Weird Universe: Everything We Don't Know About Space (and Why It's Important).” Follow Erika: @erika.hamden