PODCAST

The Cosmic Savannah

A podcast showcasing world-class astronomy under African skies.

science astronomy

All Episodes

01:07:11

Episode 80: The Mightee MeerKAT’s View of the Universe

The Cosmic Savannah ·

2025/09/25

with Prof Matt Jarvis, Dr Imogen Whittam and Dr Anastasia PonomarevaIn this episode, Jacinta takes us back to Oxford to catch up with researchers leading one of the biggest astronomy projects with South Africa’s MeerKAT radio telescope — the MIGHTEE Survey!We hear from Prof. Matt Jarvis, Dr. Imogen Whittam, and Dr. Anastasia Ponomareva at the University of Oxford, who explain how astronomers use MeerKAT to study how galaxies have changed over the history of the Universe – a process called galaxy

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00:57:47

Episode 79: RADHIANCE research at the University of...

The Cosmic Savannah ·

2025/09/10

In this episode, we hear from three postgraduate astronomy students from the University of Cape Town about their worldly adventures during a research trip to the University of Oxford in the UK!

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01:00:00

Episode 78: Back Under The Stars – A New Dawn!

The Cosmic Savannah ·

2025/08/27

We are back with the second half of season 6!In this episode, we are joined by Kevin Govender, Chair of the National Organising Committee and Director of the Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD). With a background in Nuclear Physics, Kevin first became involved in astronomy in 2006 when he managed the Collateral Benefits Programme at the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO). This work ultimately led to his appointment as the inaugural Director of the OAD in 2011.

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00:33:08

Episode 77: Troublesome ‘Inkathazo’ and the Age of...

The Cosmic Savannah ·

2025/01/20

In this "mid-season special" episode, we introduce you to an extraordinary giant radio galaxy nicknamed "Inkathazo", meaning ‘trouble’ in isiXhosa and isiZulu. We speak with Kathleen Charlton, a Master’s student from the University of Cape Town, about the discovery of Inkathazo and her newly published work on the topic.The post Episode 77: Troublesome ‘Inkathazo’ and the Age of Giants appeared first on The Cosmic Savannah.

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1:00:07

A Heritage Day Special: Pulsars and possibilities – a...

The Cosmic Savannah ·

2024/09/24

This is a rerun of a previous episode (60) titled Pulsars and possibilities with Prof. Jocelyn Bell-Burnell. Firstly, The Cosmic Savannah is very excited to welcome a new host! We […]The post A Heritage Day Special: Pulsars and possibilities – a conversation with Jocelyn Bell-Burnell (rerun) appeared first on The Cosmic Savannah.

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1:04:26

Episode 76: First ever Live Show debut at Astronomy...

The Cosmic Savannah ·

2024/08/29

This week, join us for a special live episode from the IAU General Assembly in Cape Town, South Africa. Featuring black hole simulations expert Dr. Nicole Thomas and winner of the 2011 Nobel Prize for Physics Prof. Brian Schmidt.The post Episode 76: First ever Live Show debut at Astronomy Olympics appeared first on The Cosmic Savannah.

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2:41

Announcement: The Cosmic Savannah Live Show

The Cosmic Savannah ·

2024/08/13

Remember to get your tickets for the first ever Cosmic Savannah Live Show at the CTICC on Wednesday 14 August at 19:00. Tickets are free to the public but must be booked via Quicket. You can also join us live online! See show notes for links.The post Announcement: The Cosmic Savannah Live Show appeared first on The Cosmic Savannah.

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49:08

Episode 75: Exploring the Universe at the SARAO...

The Cosmic Savannah ·

2024/07/31

In this double feature episode, Jacinta interviews two amazing astronomers at the SARAO (South African Radio Astronomical Observatory) conference.The post Episode 75: Exploring the Universe at the SARAO Conference appeared first on The Cosmic Savannah.

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3:00

Special Announcement: The Cosmic Savannah Live Show

The Cosmic Savannah ·

2024/07/29

With Dr Nicole Thomas and Prof Brian Schmidt It is with great excitement that we announce the first ever Cosmic Savannah Live Show on the 14th Of August (19:00) at […] The post Special Announcement: The Cosmic Savannah Live Show appeared first on The Cosmic Savannah.

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1:01:14

Episode 74: Simulating Cosmic Nurseries

The Cosmic Savannah ·

2024/07/17

This episode of Cosmic Savannah features Professor James Chibueze, a distinguished professor at the University of South Africa, discussing his research on star formation using radio astronomy.The post Episode 74: Simulating Cosmic Nurseries appeared first on The Cosmic Savannah.

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35:44

Episode 73: Burping Black Holes

The Cosmic Savannah ·

2024/07/03

In this episode of The Cosmic Savannah, hosts Dr. Tshiamiso Makwela, Dr. Jacinta Delhaize, and Dr. Daniel Cunnama speak with Dr. Eli Kasai from the University of Namibia. Dr. Kasai shares his inspiring journey of establishing the astronomy department at the University of Namibia, and his work on blazars using SALT and the Cherenkov Telescope Array. He also discusses the exciting African Millimetre Telescope project and Namibia's active role in the global astrophysics community, along with efforts to

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45:07

Episode 72: Exploring New Horizons in Astronomy

The Cosmic Savannah ·

2024/06/19

In this episode of The Cosmic Savannah, our hosts chat with Dr. Rojovola Zara-Nomena Randriamanakoto from the South African Astronomical Observatory about her transformative journey from Madagascar to becoming an instrumental figure in astronomy, advocating for women in STEM, and her research on star clusters and colliding galaxies.The post Episode 72: Exploring New Horizons in Astronomy appeared first on The Cosmic Savannah.

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1:09:19

Episode 71: Dark Side of the Universe

The Cosmic Savannah ·

2024/06/05

In this milestone episode of The Cosmic Savannah, hosts Tshiamiso, Jacinta and Dan celebrate the start of Season Six and the podcast's fifth anniversary.The post Episode 71: Dark Side of the Universe appeared first on The Cosmic Savannah.

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29:36

Episode 70: Season 5 in Review

The Cosmic Savannah ·

2024/02/29

The band is back together! In this episode Jacinta, Tshia and Dan sit together in the cupboard once again to catch up and to reflect on Season 5.The post Episode 70: Season 5 in Review appeared first on The Cosmic Savannah.

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13:48

Mini Episode: Big data, big IDIA

The Cosmic Savannah ·

2023/12/22

In this mini episode Jacinta has a quick interview with Professor Russ Taylor, one of the founders of IDIA ( The Inter-University Institute for Data Intensive Astronomy).The post Mini Episode: Big data, big IDIA appeared first on The Cosmic Savannah.

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53:26

Episode 69: Into the Matrix – Visualising Polar Ring...

The Cosmic Savannah ·

2023/12/07

In the second part of the Polar ring galaxy series, Jacinta and Tshia drop in on Dr Lucia Marchetti and Alex Sivitilli in the IDIA (The Inter-university Institute for Data Intensive Astronomy) Visualisation Laboratory at UCT (The University of Cape Town) where they learn how Virtual Reality (VR) can be used to model astronomical data in three dimensions. The post Episode 69: Into the Matrix – Visualising Polar Ring Galaxies appeared first on The Cosmic Savannah.

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52:45

Episode 68: Untangling the Origins of Polar Ring...

The Cosmic Savannah ·

2023/11/23

This week Dr Nathan Deg returns to The Cosmic Savannah to discuss Polar-ring galaxies and how he models these incredible structures. The post Episode 68: Untangling the Origins of Polar Ring Galaxies appeared first on The Cosmic Savannah.

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1:00:25

Episode 67: A Stroll to the Edge of The Universe

The Cosmic Savannah ·

2023/11/07

In this “unplugged” episode, we hear from our own! New host Tshiamiso Makwela tells us about her research and we introduce you to our new podcast manager, Francois Campher. Tshiamiso (Tshia) discusses her work in the field of Astronomy Education Research. She asks us "how big is big" and "how far is far"? Tshia explains why these concepts so difficult, yet so important, to comprehend. The post Episode 67: A Stroll to the Edge of The Universe appeared first on The Cosmic Savannah.

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51:11

Episode 66: Meertime Mysteries – Pulsars and Prizes

The Cosmic Savannah ·

2023/10/19

In this new exciting episode Professor Matthew Bailes returns to discuss his recent work on Pulsars as well as his thoughts and feelings on winning the 2023 Shaw Prize for the discovery of Fast Radio Bursts. The post Episode 66: Meertime Mysteries – Pulsars and Prizes appeared first on The Cosmic Savannah.

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51:24

Episode 65: Zombies of the Cosmos (Re-run)

The Cosmic Savannah ·

2023/10/05

This is a re-run of episode 29 of The Cosmic Savannah in anticipation of an upcoming interview with Prof Matthew Bailes so all our listeners can get up to speed about everything to do with Neutron Stars! The post Episode 65: Zombies of the Cosmos (Re-run) appeared first on The Cosmic Savannah.

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