PODCAST

SkyCaramba

Podcast about astronomy and the joys of watching the skies at night--and sometimes during the day

science astronomy

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00:05:00

Berenice's Hair and Earth at Aphelion

SkyCaramba ·

2021/06/13

An ancient world story tells us that when some priests were in a "hairy" situation, an astronomer saved their lives by pointing out a faint yet majestic patch of stars. It may be getting warmer where you live, but Earth is almost as far away from the sun as it gets. Astronomical sights for the week of June 13 to 19, 2021

00:05:00

Annular solar eclipse of June 10--and more

SkyCaramba ·

2021/06/06

Lucky people along a certain path from part of Russia, across the North Pole, to North America get to see an annular solar eclipse this week. Some people may be able to detect the eclipse, even though the sun won't be up, by its effect on the dawn's light. Also, watch Venus and Mars making their way into the evening sky. And next week, the moon will pass near the asteroid Vesta.

00:05:00

June 2021 astronomical events

SkyCaramba ·

2021/05/30

Mercury retreats from the evening sky. Venus pursues Mars through a beehive. Saturn and Jupiter share a morning reign. And Mercury reappears before dawn. Meanwhile, there's a solar eclipse and a daytime meteor shower.

00:05:00

The Second Most Important Star in the Sky and...

SkyCaramba ·

2021/05/23

The second most important star in the sky is up all night this time of year. And perhaps you've heard of the day length that's about four minutes short of 24 hours.

00:05:00

Total Lunar Eclipse, Ten Year Astronomy Survey, and...

SkyCaramba ·

2021/05/16

We have a total lunar eclipse this month. Find out if you have a chance to see it. The results of an astronomy survey done every ten year are being compiled. Some new space telescopes could be built because of astronomers' answers. And Wasat? Seriously, there's a star called Wasat.

00:05:00

Measuring Distances to the Stars, Gemini

SkyCaramba ·

2021/05/09

Most of the stars we see in our night sky are within a few hundred light years of us. There's one in Cassiopeia right at the edge of naked eye visibility that's more than 16,000 light years away. And you don't see the individual stars in the Andromeda Galaxy, but it's more than two million light years away. Just how do astronomers know how far away any stars are when we can't travel to them, let alone unroll a tape measure? Also learn about Gemini, the twins Castor and Pollux.

00:05:00

May's morning zoo and Messier objects

SkyCaramba ·

2021/05/02

Two horses (one with wings), a dolphin, a pair of fish, an eagle, a wolf, and a swan are part of the celestial May morning menagerie. And find out where the M comes from in object names like M44.

00:05:00

May 2021 astronomical events

SkyCaramba ·

2021/04/25

In May 2021: Mercury and Venus are evening objects, Mars visits the twins, Saturn and Jupiter shine in the morning, and there's a total lunar eclipse.

00:05:00

The April astronomical shower and seeing over the...

SkyCaramba ·

2021/04/18

A comet discovered about 150 years ago has left traces of its existence for us to see for thousands of years. Get ready for the April Lyrid meteor shower. And when you see the sun or moon rise or set, you're seeing it over the horizon.

00:05:00

Blinded by the Sight

SkyCaramba ·

2021/04/11

The beliefs we cling to most are the ones we convince ourselves of. Percival Lowell's conclusions about canals on Mars and Venus are examples. What did he really see?

00:05:00

Dark Skies and Venutian Phases

SkyCaramba ·

2021/04/04

Many people, even some who like astronomy, do something that's harmful to it. Our modern lifestyles require lighting at night. But do we really need so many lights on in so many places casting so much light where it's not useful? Light pollution keeps us from enjoying the night sky--a most wondrous natural resource above us. And we don't talk about a full Venus or a first quarter Venus. But somewhat like the moon, the planet has phases.

00:05:00

April 2021 astronomical events

SkyCaramba ·

2021/03/28

Venus is an evening object again, and Mercury will join it. But both are horizon huggers. Mars is easier to see as it moves from Taurus to the feet of Gemini. Saturn and Jupiter are getting easier to see in the morning. If you're in the right place on April 2nd, you can see Jupiter pass right in front of a star. The April Lyrids meteor shower peaks this month. There's a so-called supermoon. And Uranus goes into conjunction with the sun. Also, a little extra information about the word asteroid. Maybe

00:05:00

The Real Planet Vulcan

SkyCaramba ·

2021/03/21

If someone mentions the planet Vulcan now, you probably think of the fictional world that's home to Mr. Spock on Star Trek. But there was a time when some astronomers believed there was a real planet they called Vulcan orbiting our sun.

00:05:00

Leo Minor, The Egg and the Equinox, and No Green Stars

SkyCaramba ·

2021/03/14

You never hear much about the constellation Leo Minor. A legend claims you can balance an egg on its end only on the equinox. And have you noticed there are no green stars?

00:05:00

Meteors and Near-Earth Asteroids

SkyCaramba ·

2021/03/07

Every once in a while, you hear about something from space that might crash into the earth. It happens just often enough to make some of us worry about it.

00:05:00

March 2021 astronomical events

SkyCaramba ·

2021/02/28

This month, a cluster of planets rises shortly before the sun, the southern hemisphere gets a good view of Mercury, Mars passes by the Pleiades, Venus is atypically invisible, the asteroid Vesta is at opposition, and Earth goes through an equinox.

00:05:00

Project Corona

SkyCaramba ·

2021/02/21

At the end of February 1959, the U.S. government told the world it had launched a satellite that made some measurements, transmitted some measurement data, and then shut down as planned. Documents declassified in 1995 reveal the satellite malfunctioned shortly after launch and apparently crashed. Other formerly secret materials, including a CIA film, reveal that the engineers stayed busy solving problem after problem just learning how to get a satellite up and then use it to replace spy planes.

00:05:00

Radio Astronomy's Beginning

SkyCaramba ·

2021/02/14

One of the accidental discoveries that spawned the field of radio astronomy stayed secret for a few years. There was a war going on. And the enemy could have used the newfound astronomical knowledge for a military advantage.

00:05:00

Clyde Tombaugh

SkyCaramba ·

2021/02/07

It seems unlikely that a farm boy who can't afford his own telescope, let alone a college education, could go to work for an astronomical observatory and make one of the most famous discoveries. But that's what Clyde Tombaugh did. Learn about the man who discovered Pluto.

00:05:00

February 2021 astronomical events

SkyCaramba ·

2021/01/31

Mercury starts the month as an evening object, but you'll find it in the morning near Jupiter and Saturn by the end of the month. Venus stays low close to the horizon before sunrise. Meanwhile, Mars continues a trek toward the Pleiades. Expect news about a couple space probes arriving at the red planet this month. And on another subject, why do you suppose some ancient writers described Sirius as a red star when it's bluish-white?

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SkyCaramba

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