The Jodcast

In space nobody can hear you scream but that doesn't mean that it is totally quiet. In this show, Tim O'Brien helps our ears to explore the sounds of the cosmos [08:12-46:53] and Elaine Barrett tells us about her very special tour of NASA's Space Centre in Houston [48:03-1:10:13].

On 1st August 2008 parts of the world experienced a total solar eclipse. In the UK we saw a partial solar eclipse and the Jodcast was at Jodrell Bank Observatory with our eclipse special. We talk to Dr Phillipa Browning about eclipses and the state of our knowledge about the solar atmosphere [15:15 - 21:09] and to Professor Mark Edmonds about the evidence that prehistoric people had an interest in the Sun, Moon and stars. As usual we also get the latest news from Megan [02:35 - 10:59] and find out what you can see in the night sky from Ian [31:50 - 43:10].

With 95% of the content of the universe being dark, we ask Jochen Weller about dark energy and models that describe the expansion of the universe [16:28 - 31:17]. As usual we also get the latest news from Megan [02:09 - 10:28] and find out what you can see in the night sky from Ian [33:24 - 43:36].

In the show this time we find out how astronomers and particle physicists are detecting cosmic rays hitting our atmosphere with the Pierre Auger Observatory in Argentina [13:43 - 40:41]. Nick also gives us an update on some recent extrasolar planet discoveries which have found a planet only 3.3 times the mass of the Earth orbiting a star thought to be a brown dwarf [2:13 - 8:40].

In this show we talk about Mars Phoenix Lander touching down on Mars and sending back its first results. In our interview Ben Maughan tells us how he has been weighing clusters of galaxies. Tim O'Brien tells us about events at Jodrell Bank Observatory over the next month including the Longest Day Garden Party. We also get the latest news from Megan and find out what you can see in the night sky from Ian.

This issue we talk to Dr Anthony Challinor from the University of Cambridge about the Cosmic Microwave Background. We also get your astronomical questions answered by Dr Tim O'Brien.

In this show we find out about a mysterious blue blob found in the Galaxy Zoo and we find out what the Genesis mission can tell us about oxygen in the solar wind. We also get the latest news from Megan and find out what you can see in the night sky from Ian.

Welcome to the Jodcast National Astronomy Meeting special edition. On the final day of the meeting we were lucky to be joined by old friends of the Jodcast - Chris Lintott and David Boyce - to share our favourite parts of the conference with you. In this bumper show we bring you interviews covering cosmic downsizing, newly discovered planets, dark energy, proto-planets, the virtual observatory, new telescopes, James Bond and even the football results.

It's the April show. This time we talk to Richard Davis and Bob Watson about an instrument that has observed the Cosmic Microwave Background. We find out about Megan's new job, talk about the UK National Astronomy Meeting in Belfast and read some of your feedback. As always we have the latest news and tell you what you can see in the night sky during April.

This issue we talk to Dr Maria-Rosa Cioni from the University of Hertfordshire about the concept of metallicity and how we can use it to learn about galaxy evolution. We also learn about the current funding crisis facing astronomy in the UK from Dr Tim O'Brien, how it may affect Jodrell Bank Observatory, and what you can do to help.