PODCAST

The Cosmic Savannah

A podcast showcasing world-class astronomy under African skies.

science astronomy

All Episodes

50:24

Episode 29: Zombies of the Cosmos

The Cosmic Savannah ·

2020/11/26

This week we learn all about neutron stars and pulsars, which can be thought of as the "corpses" of dead giant stars. We are firstly joined by Prof Matthew Bailes who tells us all about using the MeerKAT telescope to study pulsars. We then hear from award-winning science journalist Katia Moskvitch about her new book "Neutron stars: The Quest to Understand the Zombies of the Cosmos." The post Episode 29: Zombies of the Cosmos appeared first on The Cosmic Savannah.

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40:26

Episode 28: Under a Shared Sky

The Cosmic Savannah ·

2020/11/12

Join us this week as we explore the 'Intimate Cosmology' of the indigenous people of South Africa, and the importance of preserving these stories for future generations. Check out the full show notes at www.thecosmicsavannah.com for more info, pictures, related links and the full transcript. The post Episode 28: Under a Shared Sky appeared first on The Cosmic Savannah.

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39:35

Episode 27: A Bamboo Planetarium

The Cosmic Savannah ·

2020/10/29

This week's episode sees us celebrate SAAO's 200th anniversary, Dan premiering a full-length planetarium show, and the inspiring work being done by The Travelling Telescope in Kenya. Check out the full show notes at www.thecosmicsavannah.com for more info, pictures, related links and the full transcript. The post Episode 27: A Bamboo Planetarium appeared first on The Cosmic Savannah.

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46:27

Episode 26: Beyond 200 years of astronomy in South...

The Cosmic Savannah ·

2020/10/15

Welcome to Season 3 of The Cosmic Savannah! This week we get up to speed with all the activities over the break, hear from Assoc Prof Vanessa McBride joins about the Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD) and her role as Head of Research at the SAAO, and her own research in the field of compact binary stars. We also discuss the objectives of the OAD, acknowledging South Africa's difficult past, in striving for an equal and inclusive future for all, in astronomy and beyond. Check out the show

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14:10

Mini Episode 8: Capturing the whispers of hydrogen

The Cosmic Savannah ·

2020/10/02

In this mini episode, we chat to Andrew “Andy” Firth, a Masters students at the South African Astronomical Observatory and the University of Cape Town. Andrew tries to detect the faint signals of hydrogen gas in distant galaxies. He is creating an algorithm for stacking data cubes of these galaxies. This clever new technique will be used alongside high-quality MeerKAT radio telescope data. Check out the show notes at www.thecosmicsavannah.com for more info, pictures, links and the transcript of this

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12:17

Mini Episode 7: Beyond the zone of avoidance

The Cosmic Savannah ·

2020/09/24

Today we chat with Sambatriniaina Rajohnson about her work on the Galactic Plane Survey and the Zone of Avoidance. Check out the full show notes at www.thecosmicsavannah for more info, pictures, related links and the full transcript. The post Mini Episode 7: Beyond the zone of avoidance appeared first on The Cosmic Savannah.

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8:31

Mini Episode: The Universe evolves too

The Cosmic Savannah ·

2020/09/17

In this week’s mini-episode, we chat with Liantsoa Finaritra Randrianjanahary who is a PhD candidate at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). Liantsoa works in the field of cosmology which means he is researching the whole universe as one entity rather than focusing on the individual contents of the universe such as stars and galaxies. Check out the full show notes at www.thecosmicsavannah.com for more info, pictures, related links and the full transcript. The post Mini Episode 6: The Universe

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9:11

Mini Episode: "From Hospitality to aspiring Astronomer"

The Cosmic Savannah ·

2020/09/10

In this mini-episode, we talk with Bret Yotti a student and teaching assistant from the University of Cape Town (UCT) as well as a presenter at the Iziko Planetarium in Cape Town. We look at Bret's journey in astronomy and why he chose this path. We also find out about his life as a teaching assistant whilst being a student as well at UCT and the work he is doing for the planetarium. Check out the full show notes at www.thecosmicsavannah.com for more info, pictures, transcript and related links. The

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9:57

Mini Episode: "But How Does Astronomy Benefit...

The Cosmic Savannah ·

2020/09/03

In this mini-episode we talk with PhD candidate Tshiamiso Makwela from the University of Cape Town. She shared with us some interesting results from studies answering pressing questions in the field of Astronomy Education Research. Why do students struggle with Astronomy? How can Astronomy be beneficial to society at large? Check out the full show notes at www.thecosmicsavannah.com for more info, pictures, related links and the full transcript. The post Mini Episode 4: “But How Does Astronomy

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16:28

Mini Episode: The Most Powerful Explosion Ever Recorded

The Cosmic Savannah ·

2020/08/27

In this mini episode we talk with Reikantseone Diretse. Reika is a Master's student from the University of Cape Town. He talks about his involvement with the ThunderKAT project to spot mysterious "transient" objects. Reika also tells us about his work with the most powerful gamma-ray burst that has ever been recorded! Check out the full show notes at www.thecosmicsavannah.com for more info, pictures, related links and the full transcript. The post Mini Episode 3: The Most Powerful Explosion Ever

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14:24

Mini Episode: Seeing Beyond the Satellites

The Cosmic Savannah ·

2020/08/20

In this mini-episode we talk with PhD student Brandon Engelbrecht from the University of Western Cape (UWC). We discuss his current work in removing radio frequency interference (RFI) from MeerKAT and how he came to work with one of the largest radio telescope in the world. Check out the full show notes at www.thecosmicsavannah.com for more info, pictures, transcript and related links. The post Mini Episode 2: Seeing Beyond the Satellites appeared first on The Cosmic Savannah.

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15:14

Mini Episode: Watching the watchers

The Cosmic Savannah ·

2020/08/13

In this special mini episode of the Cosmic Savannah, we are joined by Timothy Roelf who is a Masters student at the University of Cape Town. Tim talks about his project which is going to contribute a lot to improving the performance of astronomical telescopes such as MeerLICHT and BlackGEM. The post Mini Episode 1: Watching the Watchers appeared first on The Cosmic Savannah.

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28:46

Special Episode: Annular Solar Eclipse 21 June 2020

The Cosmic Savannah ·

2020/06/17

In this special bonus episode we discuss the upcoming Annular Solar Eclipse occurring on 21 June 2020 across much of Africa and Asia! The post Special Episode: Annular Solar Eclipse 21 June 2020 appeared first on The Cosmic Savannah.

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41:17

Episode 25: A Year in Review

The Cosmic Savannah ·

2020/04/23

In this the final episode of Season 2 of The Cosmic Savannah podcast, Dan and Jacinta look back on the past year and some of their favourite episodes. They discuss asteroids, aliens, black holes, giant Galactic bubbles and much more. We also look forward to the year ahead and some of the exciting events to to come in 2020/21 including the launch of the James Webb Space Telescopes and a new Mars Rover! The post Episode 25: A Year in Review appeared first on The Cosmic Savannah.

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35:53

Episode 24: HIRAX

The Cosmic Savannah ·

2020/04/10

Episode 24 features Professor Kavilan Moodley who joins us to discuss another exciting project in radio astronomy in South Africa, HIRAX! HIRAX is a radio telescope array that will detect remnant ripples in the distribution of galaxies that originate from primordial sound waves that existed in the early universe. This can be used for charting the expansion history of the universe and for shedding light on the nature of dark energy. The post Episode 24: HIRAX appeared first on The Cosmic

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39:45

Episode 23: ThunderKAT

The Cosmic Savannah ·

2020/03/30

In Episode 23 of The Cosmic Savannah podcast, we are joined by the Head of Astronomy at the University of Cape Town, Professor Patrick Woudt. Patrick talks about the exciting ThunderKAT project which has recently observed a black hole ejecting material at close to the speed of light out to some of the largest angular distances (separations) ever seen! The post Episode 23: ThunderKAT appeared first on The Cosmic Savannah.

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40:08

Episode 22: Milky Way blowing bubbles!

The Cosmic Savannah ·

2020/03/12

This week on The Cosmic Savannah Podcast week we are joined by Dr Fernando Camilo who is the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO) Chief Scientist. We chat with Fernando about MeerKAT and the recent discovery of enormous balloon-like structures that tower hundreds of light-years above and below the centre of the Milky Way galaxy. The post Episode 22: Milky Way blowing bubbles! appeared first on The Cosmic Savannah.

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47:30

Episode 21: X-ray binaries and Astrocomms!

The Cosmic Savannah ·

2020/02/27

This week on The Cosmic Savannah Podcast we are joined by South African Astronomer, Dr Tana Joseph. Tana is currently based at the University of Manchester. She studies X-ray binaries which are a type of star system that emit X-rays because of interactions with a black hole or neutron star! Tana is also paving her own path and has started a company called AstroComms. It is a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) consulting and communications company. The post Episode 21: X-Ray

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40:52

Episode 20: Cosmic Chemistry

The Cosmic Savannah ·

2020/02/13

In our first episode of the 2020s and Episode 20 we are honoured to be joined by Prof Ewine van Dishoeck who is a Dutch astronomer and chemist. We learn how molecules form in space, combine with dust and eventually grow into the massive planets we observe and indeed inhabit. Ewine also tells us what it's like to be the President of the largest organisation of astronomers in the world and what she's been up to during her visit to Cape Town! The post Episode 20: Cosmic Chemistry appeared first on The

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1:07:04

Episode 19: Astro Molo Mhlaba

The Cosmic Savannah ·

2019/12/19

In Episode 19 we learn all about the inspirational Astro Molo Mhlaba programme in Khayelitsha (Cape Town). This project targets the issues of inclusivity and diversity in South African astronomy by engaging the most underrepresented group - black girls from under-served communities. We hear from the project coordinators, the student facilitators and the school girls themselves. The post Episode 19: Astro Molo Mhlaba appeared first on The Cosmic Savannah.

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