The Astronomy Show 12.09.18

The Astronomy Show 12.09.18

Is Pluto a planet? A new paper recently published has opened the decade long debate. I know that some people want Pluto to be re established as a planet while many want it left as a dwarf planet. On the Astronomy Show today I will be looking at this argument that has been rumbling on for the last 12 years.

There will be the usual look at the night sky including Mars which is still visible low in the south west sky and on the 16th September will be at Perihelion or closest point to the Sun in its annual orbit. There are also some close encounters between the planets Jupiter and Saturn with the Moon just after sunset.

Other regular features include the astronomical scrapbook looking at anniversaries that happened this week in history including on the 17th September 1764 the birth of John Goodricke the deaf astronomer based in York who was one of the 'Fathers of Variable Star Astronomy'. This plus the A-Z of constellations in which we look at Scorpius the Scorpion with the Messier Marathon has reached M75 in Sagittarius. This plus  a round up of all the latest astronomy news from the past few days. There will also be a round up of what is happening in the astronomical societies in the north.

The Astronomy Show only on Drystone Radio 103.5 FM, every Wednesday afternoon  between 3.00 pm and 5.00 pm. You can hear the show live via the internet at www.drystoneradio.com or listen later on the Drystone Radio podcast.

There will be no Astronomy shows on the following Wednesdays, September 19th, September 26th and October 3rd. The next Astronomy Show will be on Wednesday  October 10th. This is due to me working in schools with my Stardome Planetarium when I will be teaching children all about the wonderful world of astronomy.

The Astronomy Show 05.09.18

The Astronomy Show 05.09.18

The Astronomy Show is back today, I have returned from my visit to Norway presenting a series of astronomy talks on one of the many cruise ships that visit that wonderful part of the world.

On the show today I will be looking at NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope which is 15 years old and still going strong. Launched back in 2003 Spitzer had a projected life time of 2.5 years, I will be looking at the many of the fantastic discoveries Spitzer has made including a new ring around Saturn and the detection of the 7 Earth like planets orbiting the star TRAPPIST 1.

In the night sky this week we have to start getting used to a lack of bright planets that can be seen  only Mars is still easily visible early in the evening sky although even the red planet  is now to be found low in the south west. As a compensation over the next few days for people up before sunrise it is possible to see Mercury about 45 minutes before the Sun rises in the east, Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun. There is also the possibility of one of the minor meteor showers of the year the September Perseids producing a major outburst on September 9th I will investigate what is happening.

The other regular features include the latest astronomy news from the past few days including the New Horizon space craft which flew past Pluto in 2015 has now spotted its next target which has been nicknamed Ultima Thule. Did a micrometeorite poke a hole in the International Space Station? Everyone on board is safe and the hole has been repaired, and there could more water on Jupiter than that is found on Earth.

The A-Z of constellations is at Sagittarius the Archer while the Messier Marathon has reached M 74 in Pisces. The astronomical scrapbook looks at anniversaries this week including the 100th birthday of Katherine Johnson one of the women 'computers' who worked at NASA in the 1960s and helped put Americans into space, and she was black and led a team of black women 'computers'. Their incredible story is told in the film 'Hidden Figures'.  On September 2nd 1859 the Earth was hit by the Carrington solar flare the largest recorded flare to hit the Earth, it wiped out the world's communication system which at the time was the telegraph system. All this plus the latest news from the astronomical societies in the north.

The Astronomy Show only on Drystone Radio 103.5 FM every Wednesday afternoon between 3.00 pm and 5.00 pm, you can hear the show live on line at www.drystoneradio.com or listen to the show later via the Drystone Radio  podcast.

 

The Astronomy Show 29.08.18

The Astronomy Show 29.08.18

There will be no Astronomy Show on Wednesday 29th August, I will be presenting a series of astronomy talks on a cruise ship off Norway. I know it sounds tough but someone has to do it! The Astronomy Show will however be back on Wednesday 5th September with all the regular features.

The Astronomy Show only on Drystone Radio 103.5FM  live on line at www.drystoneradio.com or hear previous shows on the Drystone Podcast.

The Astronomy Show 22.08.18

The Astronomy Show 22.08.18

On the Astronomy Show today I will be looking at some of the oldest galaxies which have been discovered by astronomers and incredibly they are orbiting our galaxy. These tiny galaxies were only revealed by astronomers using the latest equipment.

I will take a look at the night sky for the next few days with the night sky rapidly emptying of planets that have been with us all summer, soon only Mars will be visible. The end of August and the beginning of September is a transition period when the summer constellations are still high in the sky and with the autumn constellations just beginning to appear in the East.

The other regular features include the A-Z of constellations which is now at Sagitta the Arrow, which although a small group is one of the original Greek patterns. The Messier marathon has reached M73 which is not a cluster or galaxy but just a group of stars, I will explain on the show. The astronomical scrapbook which looks at anniversaries for this week includes The launch and safe return of the first animals in space, the Russian dogs Belka and Strelka in 1960, the discovery of the rings around Neptune in 1989 and the demotion of Pluto to a dwarf planet in 2006. All this plus the latest news from the astronomical societies in the north.

The Astronomy Show every Wednesday afternoon between 3.00 pm and 5.00 pm only on Drystone Radio 103.5 FM. You can hear the show live on line at www.drystoneradio.com or listen to  the programme later on the Drystone Podcast.

The Astronomy Show 15.08.18

The Astronomy Show 15.08.18

On the Astronomy Show today I will be looking at the Parker Solar Probe which is now on its way to the Sun and will hopefully be able to supply answers to questions that astronomers have regarding our local star. However don't be surprised if the Parker mission throws up more questions than answers. That's the fun part of astronomy, there is always another question to answer.

I will be taking my weekly look at the night sky and yes you guessed it I missed the Perseid's because of the cloudy weather, but other people have seen wonderful displays of the Perseid meteors. Mars is still very bright but we are beginning to loose the other planets. There will be the round up of astronomy news from the past few days including news that the variable star R CrB has awakened and Pluto will be occulting or passing in front of a distant star and NASA scientists are trying to wake up the Opportunity Rover on Mars.

The other regular features include the Messier Marathon which today has reached M 72 the faintest globular cluster on the Messier list . The A-Z of constellations has now reached another small and faint southern hemisphere constellation Reticulum the Net. I will take a look into the astronomical scrapbook to see what anniversaries occurred this week including the discovery of the variable star Mira by David Fabricius in 1596 and the launch of Venera 7 in 1970 the first probe to land on Venus. This plus the regular round up of news from astronomical societies in the north of England.

The Astronomy Show every Wednesday afternoon between 3.00 pm - 5.00 pm only on Drystone Radio 103.5 FM. You can hear the show live at drystoneradio.com or catch the programme later on the Drystone Radio Podcast.

The Astronomy Show 08.08.18

The Astronomy Show 08.08.18

With a fireball exploding over an United States air base in Greenland on July 25 and the event only just being reported, the Astronomy Show will be looking at how astronomers discover and then try to track asteroids that approach the Earth.

It's August and this means that the Earth will have its annual meeting with a stream of comet dust  on the night of August 12/13 when people can see probably the most famous of all the annual meteor showers the Perseids. Today I will be looking at just what  meteors or shooting stars actually are and why we see meteor showers and the fascinating history behind the Perseids. This plus the round up of what can be seen in the night sky including the summer triangle stars, the bright planets, and the green comet which has been dubbed the incredible hulk comet.

The other regular features include the A-Z of constellations which is now at Pyxis the Compass while the Messier Marathon has reached M71 in Sagita the arrow. The latest astronomy news includes how astronomers watched 2 meteorites hit the Moon and a bizarre rogue planet with incredible auroras. The astronomical scrapbook looks at anniversaries that have occurred this week including the launch of Explorer 6 which sent back the first photo of the Earth and the launch of the Echo 1 communications balloon. This plus the round up of the latest news from the astronomical societies in the north of England.

The Astronomy Show every Wednesday afternoon between 3.00 pm and 5.00 pm only on Drystone Radio 103.5 FM, the show can be heard live on line at www.drystoneradio.com and you can catch the show later on the Drystone Radio podcast.

 

The Astronomy Show 01.08.18

The Astronomy Show 01.08.18


On the Astronomy Show today I will be looking at the red planet which is now at its closest to the Earth since 2003 and is visible as a very bright red 'star' low in the sky at around midnight, but Mars  is also in the news because of the discovery of a lake of water just below the surface at the south pole of Mars. What could this mean for future exploration of the red planet?

The night sky this summer has been fantastic for looking at the bright planets but things are now changing, Venus is very low in the sky in the west just visible after sunset with Jupiter also dropping very quickly in the south west as well. While Mars and Saturn can be seen in the south, unfortunately they are  both are very low in the sky and can be seen around midnight. The summer triangle stars Altair, Deneb and Vega are all at their highest and with the Milky Way overhead there are lots to see in the night sky this week.

Other regular features include looking at some of the astronomy news stories this week including trying to discover which is the largest star and how  the edge of space just got closer according to astronomers. The A-Z of constellations is now at Puppis the Stern while the Messier marathon is at M70, we are still in globular cluster alley in Sagittarius. The astronomical scrapbook looking back at anniversaries this week includes Ranger 7 hitting the Moon, Caroline Herschel discovered her first comet and the definition of time bill passed in the house of Lords. There will be the usual round up of activity in the astronomical societies in the north of England.

The Astronomy Show only on Drystone Radio 103.5 FM every Wednesday afternoon  between 3.00 pm and 5.00 pm. You can also hear the show live on line at www.drystoneradio.com or catch the show later on the Drystone Radio podcast.