The 365 Days of Astronomy

I’m Rob, your Last Minute Astronomer, bringing astronomy to normies and nerds, with little time to spare. We’ll start by talking about this month’s big events, then highlight the naked eye planets, and finish up with the lunar phases, so you can plan ahead better than me.    5th – ETA AQUARID METEOR SHOWER – Around 10-20 meteors per hour if we’re lucky, the Eta Aquarids are a minor shower that favors those in the southern hemisphere.  The best time this year is after midnight (when the Moon sets) and before dawn. Just remember each meteor is a piece of debris left over from Halley’s comet, and we’re crashing into it at over 100,000 miles per hour, which crushes the atmosphere it hits, heating it up and causing the bright flash. You never know when you’ll see something awesome! Some advice for watching:  Find a dark location and lie down in a reclining chair or something that insulates you from the ground. Check the weather to see if the skies will be clear  Adapt your eyes to the dark by staying away from light sources or using a red light if you need to look at a star chart or not trip over something.     Naked-eye PLANETS Sunset: Jupiter - About 30˚ up the sky in the W after sunset, above Taurus’ head, in between its horns, setting around 11pm.  Later in the month, Jupiter is lower in the sky and sets around sunset.   Mars - Almost straight above us after sunset, but toward the SW, between Gemini and Leo (in Cancer), setting by 2am. Throughout the month, Mars will move away from Cancer and toward Leo, a little lower in the sky, setting around 1am.   Music was produced by Deep Sky Dude and used with permission.    We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.  Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too!  Every bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------ Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness! http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations.  Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!) ------------------------------------ The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at info@365DaysOfAstronomy.org.

From April 24, 2025. This week we look at how the elimination of science programs, projects, datasets, and funding may be shaping into an extinction-level event for US Space-related sciences. Come cry with us.   We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.  Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too!  Every bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------ Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness! http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations.  Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!) ------------------------------------ The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at info@365DaysOfAstronomy.org.

Hosted by Chris Beckett & Shane Ludtke, two amateur astronomers in Saskatchewan. actualastronomy@gmail.com Episode 480: May 2 - Vesta at Opposition May 3 - Mars Moon and Beehive May 4 - First Quarter Moon - Lunar X visible on Moon. May 5 - Lunar Straight Wall Visible & Maginus Ray May 6 - Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower Peak - ZHR 50 but usually 30, though in 2013 it reached over 130! From Comet Halley. May 10/11 - Moon passes within ½ degree of Spica all night May 14/15 - Endymion sunset rays visible on Moon May 15 - Titan Shadow Transit Visible May 27 - New Moon -  Omega Centauri well placed. May 31 - Venus at Greatest Elongation in morning Sky 46-degrees from Sun.   We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.  Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too!  Every bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------ Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness! http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations.  Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!) ------------------------------------ The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at info@365DaysOfAstronomy.org.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bak4yy3OwyY Hosted by Fraser Cain. From  November 30, 2015. What does it take to have the "Right Stuff" to become an Astronaut? Created by: Fraser Cain and Jason Harmer   We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.  Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too!  Every bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------ Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness! http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations.  Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!) ------------------------------------ The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at info@365DaysOfAstronomy.org.

Today we’re continuing our talk with Voyager Deputy Project Scientist Dr. Jamie Rankin and learning about all things interstellar, from not only the twin Voyagers (humanity’s only interstellar spacecraft) but also from spacecraft operating within our star system.   Dr. Rankin, Voyager Deputy Project Scientist, talks with us today about all things Interstellar. She is also an Associate Research Scholar and Lecturer in Space Physics at Princeton University. NASA-JPL continues to communicate with both Voyagers 1 and 2 as they explore interstellar space. Closer to home, IBEX and three soon-to-be-launched new spacecraft study the protective bubble of our star system from the inside, while also investigating our star’s ever-changing effect on Earth.   H’ad astra historia is the official podcast for the Historical Astronomy Division of the American Astronomical Society. We’re here to share stories from and about the people who study the stars, planets, and the cosmos. We’ll be hearing from individuals who not only study the history of astronomy, but also those who lived it, who were “in the room” during pivotal events within the last 50 years or so.     Podcaster:  Loretta Cannon (an AAS affiliate via Rose City Astronomers) is a science-and-word-nerd who really likes the stars. She quite enjoys working as HAD’s podcaster, bringing astronomy stories to you. https://had.aas.org/   We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.  Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too!  Every bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------ Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness! http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations.  Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!) ------------------------------------ The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at info@365DaysOfAstronomy.org.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1wdW0-lNtc Streamed live on Apr 21, 2025. I’m sure you’ve heard that all eyes are on the Moon’s southern pole. This is where various  NASA and Chinese missions are targeting. What makes this region so special and what are the special challenges that explorers will face. From TV shows to real-world missions, it seems like everyone just wants to explore the Moon's South Pole. But why? Learn here!   SUPPORTED BY YOU This Episode is made possible thanks to our Patrons on Patreon. Join at the Galaxy Group level or higher to be listed in our YouTube videos.  Thanks to: BogieNet, Stephen Vei, Jeanette Wink, Siggi Kemmler, Andrew Poelstra, Brian Cagle, David Truog, Ed, David, Gerhard Schwarzer, Sergio Sancevero, Sergey Manouilov, Burry Gowen, David Rossetter, Michael Purcell, Jason Kwong   We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.  Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too!  Every bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------ Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness! http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations.  Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!) ------------------------------------ The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at info@365DaysOfAstronomy.org.

Join Dr. Al Grauer as he explores the incredible distance of Voyager 1, now 163 times farther from the Sun than Earth. Discover how this human-made voyager significantly enriches our understanding of the cosmos. The discussion also highlights the historic designation of Aldo Leopold Wilderness a century ago, emphasizing the need to protect our dark skies. With increasing light pollution, many children may never witness the beauty of the Milky Way or a meteor shower, making stargazing a rarity.

Hosted by Dr. Jacinta Delhaize & Dr. Tshiamiso Makwela. From November 23, 2023. This week Dr. Nathan Deg returns to The Cosmic Savannah to discuss polar ring galaxies and how he models these incredible structures. Nathan is a returning guest on The Cosmic Savannah. During the episode Nathan discusses his recent pivot from galaxy simulations and his work at UCT (University of Cape Town) to his current work on galaxy modelling and observations at Queens University in Canada. Nathan also regales us with tales of his recent paper on polar ring galaxies.   Polar ring galaxies are a type of galaxy with an outer ring of gas and stars that rotates over the poles of the galaxies. They are truly some of the most beautiful sights to see in the Universe but much of their origin is a tangled web of theories and mysteries. During this episode we learn how astronomer like Nathan are using innovative galaxy modelling and observation techniques to untangle this web. During the episode Nathan converses with Jacinta about doughnuts, cigars, jellybeans and some astronomy as well.   We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.  Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too!  Every bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------ Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness! http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations.  Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!) ------------------------------------ The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at info@365DaysOfAstronomy.org.

Veselin Kostov, a research scientist at the SETI Institute specializing in exoplanets, joins the discussion about a radio-loud magnetar that had an identity crisis. They explore how this neutron star switched behaviors between magnetar and pulsar emissions. The conversation also touches on intriguing details about Mars' moon Phobos and Jupiter's moon Ganymede. Kostov highlights a newly discovered sextuple star system, raising questions about stellar formation and the use of machine learning in exoplanet discoveries.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCqg3NIwbHE Hosted by Ralph Wilkins. From Feb 3, 2023. Nuclear powered rockets are about to become a reality opening up space travel for humanity. Ever since the dawn of nuclear weapons and reactors, advanced militaries and space agencies have dreamt of powering rockets with long lasting energy efficient nuclear fuel.   The Soviet Union and United States ran a number of programs to develop nuclear propulsive power for human spaceflight. Deep space robotic spacecraft, lunar and Mars rovers have all been powered by 'nuclear batteries' in the past - as have experiments that the Apollo astronauts took to the moon - but no nuclear rocket engines have been tested, let alone flown, in space. That is about to change with a NASA/DARPA collaboration to do just that in the hope of cutting the time to travel to Mars by more than half.   We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.  Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too!  Every bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------ Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness! http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations.  Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!) ------------------------------------ The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at info@365DaysOfAstronomy.org.