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PODCAST

Western Slope Skies

A bi-weekly short feature on astronomy, produced by members of the Black Canyon Astronomical Society.Link for podcast apps:https://www.kvnf.org/podcast/western-slope-skies/rss.xml

science astronomy

All Episodes

4:36

Western Slope Skies - Light Pollution and Urban...

Western Slope Skies ·

2025/12/05

An article in the international journal Nature Cities by Lvlv Wang and co-authors document the effect of light pollution on the growing season in 428 Northern Hemisphere cities between 2014 and 2022. They note that the typical growing season is controlled by heat and light. While cities are getting warmer due to climate change, they are also getting brighter due to excessive lighting. After controlling for the warming effect, they found that the excessive light was extending the growing season.

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4:05

Western Slope Skies - Rolling Under the Rockies: Dung...

Western Slope Skies ·

2025/11/21

The unappreciated dung, or scarab beetle, an insect that evolved about 130 million years ago, must accomplish its nocturnal task under increasingly difficult conditions; chief among them, light pollution.

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4:44

Western Slope Skies - The Cosmic Connection: Awe and...

Western Slope Skies ·

2025/11/14

Awe, as researchers Maria Monroy and Dacher Keltner explain, is a transformative emotion. It soothes your nervous system, quiets self-doubt, fosters kindness, builds connection, and gives life meaning. Under a starry sky, awe feels like the universe reaching out, reminding you that you’re part of something greater, never truly isolated.

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4:07

Western Slope Skies - The Insect Apocalypse: How...

Western Slope Skies ·

2025/10/24

Have you noticed fewer insects around your porch light or fewer splattered bugs on your windshield? You're not alone. Scientists are calling this a new crisis—the "insect apocalypse"—and artificial light at night is a major cause.

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4:33

Western Slope Skies - Song Birds Migrate at Night

Western Slope Skies ·

2025/09/26

We know that waterfowl like geese migrate at night, but did you know that songbirds do too? Beneath Western Colorado’s vast, star-strewn skies, migratory birds like Warbler’s, and Swainson’s Thrush embark on a breathtaking odyssey, their wings slicing through the night during peak migrations in May and September, from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.

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4:03

Western Slope Skies - AstroFest 2025

Western Slope Skies ·

2025/09/12

The Black Canyon of the Gunnison earned its name from the limited light that reaches its deepest corners during the day. At night, little artificial light, too, intrudes upon its skies, making the canyon a prime location for viewing the celestial wonders above. The annual astronomy festival AstroFest returns again this month to celebrate such sights as well as the Western Slope's precious access to these natural skies.

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3:07

Western Slope Skies - A Coronal Hole isn’t Really a Hole

Western Slope Skies ·

2025/08/29

When is a hole not really a hole…when it is a solar coronal hole!

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3:23

Western Slope Skies - Ocean Tides

Western Slope Skies ·

2025/08/01

The sun is shining, the sand feels warm beneath your toes, and you're watching the waves crash over one another. They rise to where you are standing, rushing over your feet and then fall back down. A few hours later, you come back to the same spot- and this time, the waves fall short of reaching you. You pause and start to wonder why... and then, you look up at the sky and spot the moon. There's your answer.

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3:31

Western Slope Skies - The Legacy of Vera Rubin

Western Slope Skies ·

2025/07/04

You may have seen the recently released ‘first images’ from the Vera Rubin Observatory in Chile. The images are stunning and portend a new level of scientific data expanding our knowledge of the Universe. However, what do you know about Vera Rubin?

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4:09

Western Slope Skies - Real Exoplanets of Star Wars

Western Slope Skies ·

2025/06/20

For those who have seen Star Wars, even those who may not be huge fans, there are some planets that stick out in the films. Tatooine, the sand planet, home to Anakin and Luke Skywalker, Hoth, the ice planet from The Empire Strikes Back, and Naboo, Queen Amidala’s home planet. Though these planets are in a galaxy far, far away, there are some real planets that resemble those featured in Star Wars, in our own Milky Way galaxy!

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3:54

Western Slope Skies - Archeoastronomy

Western Slope Skies ·

2025/06/06

Archeoastronomy is the study of how ancient civilizations understood celestial phenomena. They integrated this understanding into cultural and religious frameworks. Some famous archeoastronomy sites are in the Egyptian pyramids and on Easter island. Mythological texts, ritual calendars, and religious ceremonies synchronized with planetary movements. Some examples are the Sun Temple in Mesa Verde, and the complexes at Chaco Canyon near Aztec, New Mexico.

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3:11

Western Slope Skies - Aurora

Western Slope Skies ·

2025/05/23

Have you ever looked up and witnessed spectacular displays of green, white, pink and yellow lights? If you have ever visited the polar regions, or the auroral oval on Earth; then your response most likely should be a yes. The official names for these extraordinary lights are called aurora borealis, for the Northern hemisphere; and aurora australis, for the southern hemisphere.

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3:22

Western Slope Skies - Double and Multiple Stars

Western Slope Skies ·

2025/05/09

The Sun is the star at the center of our Solar System. The Sun governs our daily lives, and energy from the Sun has been essential for nearly all life on Earth for more than 3 billion years. But what if there were two, three, four, five, or even six Suns in our sky? That question might seem ridiculous, but it turns out that more than half of the stars in our galaxy are either in double star or multiple star systems that are held together by gravity.

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3:15

Western Slope Skies - Circadian Rhythms in Nature:...

Western Slope Skies ·

2025/04/25

Nature operates on an intricate and precise schedule, guided by circadian rhythms—internal biological clocks that regulate sleep, activity, feeding, and reproduction. These rhythms are not only essential for human health but are also fundamental to the behavior of migratory birds, pollinators, and even the crops we cultivate. Understanding these natural cycles is crucial, particularly in rural communities where agriculture and wildlife conservation are deeply interconnected.

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3:26

Western Slope Skies - Circadian Rhythms and Health:...

Western Slope Skies ·

2025/03/28

We live in a world that rarely slows down—late-night work, glowing screens, and irregular schedules have become the norm. But what if I told you that constantly ignoring your body’s natural rhythms could put you at risk for serious diseases, including heart disease and breast cancer? The key to understanding this lies in our circadian rhythm—our body’s internal 24-hour clock that regulates sleep, metabolism, and cellular repair among other bodily processes.

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3:30

Western Slope Skies - Total Lunar Eclipse-March 13-14

Western Slope Skies ·

2025/02/28

On the night of March 13 to 14, the Moon will move through Earth’s shadow, creating a total lunar eclipse that is visible from Colorado.

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3:01

Western Slope Skies - Planetary Alignment

Western Slope Skies ·

2025/02/19

Planetary alignment is a phenomenon where other planets in our solar system align from Earth’s perspective. It is a rare event with some alignments occurring once in 100 years.

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3:41

Western Slope Skies - Dark Sky Presence on Western...

Western Slope Skies ·

2025/01/17

For those of us living away from our larger cities and towns, the West Slopearea from Grand Junction south to Cortez is one of the darkest places onEarth where people live. We know that by experience but that darkness hasbeen measured by satellites.

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3:15

Western Slope Skies - “Drake Equation”

Western Slope Skies ·

2025/01/03

My whole life I’ve been asked the daunting question that seemed to put my whole belief system on trial. Aliens, were they real or not? If I had said yes, I was crazy, a conspiracy theorist who didn’t know the difference between fictional video game characters and real life. But if I had said no, I’d be shutting down the entire possibility of there being something more to life than just what my little planet has to offer.

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3:46

Western Slope Skies - Astronomy Highlights for 2025

Western Slope Skies ·

2024/12/20

2025’s almost here, and in astronomy, a lot will be happening.

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