The Cosmic Companion - Astronomy, Space, Technology Advancing Humanity

This week, we visit with Alyssa Mills. She is a graduate student at the University of Alabama, and we will talk about her work studying the largest moon in the Solar System – Ganymede.We also talk with Pedro Bernardinelli, the astronomer who recently found the largest comet ever seen – and it is coming our way.We also look in on the Hubble Space Telescope, which is still out of operation, following a computer failure. And, we learn details about Comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein before talking with the astronomer who first found this massive iceberg in space. Finally, we learn about a new study showing which nearby exoplanets are the most-likely places from which to find life on Earth, before we explore Jupiter's massive moon Ganymede with astronomer Alyssa Mills.Listen to this episode as a podcast here, or watch it as a video at: https://youtu.be/AgmPvdXZJtQView our past episodes at: www.thecosmiccompanion.tvSubscribe to this channel today, and never miss an episode!--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-cosmic-companion/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-cosmic-companion/support This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aicreatorhouse.substack.com/subscribe

This week, we welcome Brittany Zimmerman to the show. She is CEO of Yummet, an organization developing technology for living in space, as well as preserving our environment right here on Earth. We also check in on new findings about Betelgeuse, explained by Dr. Stella Kafka of the American Association of Variable Star Observers!But first, we look in on the Hubble Space Telescope, as that famed instrument powers down, following a computer failure. Next, we look at a new study examining the causes of the recent dimming of the star Betelgeuse. Finally, we journey out to a pair of distant galaxies that appear to be missing one critical ingredient – dark matter.Listen to the podcast here or watch the video version of this episode at: https://youtu.be/gLA-860WDME--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-cosmic-companion/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-cosmic-companion/support This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aicreatorhouse.substack.com/subscribe

This week on Astronomy News with The Cosmic Companion, we welcome Dr. Noah Petro, Project Scientist for the NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) to the show. We talk about exploring the lunar surface, the Artemis missions, and the return of humans to the Moon!   But first, we visit the CHIME radio Telescope in Canada, which recorded 535 fast radio bursts coming from around the Cosmos. Then, we will zoom in on Jupiter's system of moons as the Juno spacecraft records the first closeup images in 20 years of the giant moon Ganymede. Next, we will take a look at a new study finding that moons orbiting gas giants could be home to water, even without a parent star.  Listen to the podcast version of this episode here, or watch it as a video at: https://youtu.be/JMMC9mBqj5M--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-cosmic-companion/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-cosmic-companion/support This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aicreatorhouse.substack.com/subscribe

This week on Astronomy News with The Cosmic Companion, we welcome Dr. Bruce Betts to the show. He is Chief Scientist and LightSail Program Manager for The Planetary Society. We will be talking about near-Earth objects, and how we might protect our world from potentially-hazardous asteroids and comets.But first, we journey back almost 75,000  years, to a time when the Toba volcano erupted, wiping out much of the human population at that time. Then, we look up at our planetary companion, the Moon, as it  pays visits in the night sky to four planets of our Solar System throughout the month. And, we're gonna tell you how to see it happen.Plus, we get an inside look at an upcoming book about one of NASA's most-inspiring figures, Katherine Johnson. Finally, before welcoming Dr. Betts to the show, we learn about a solar eclipse taking place this week that's really for the snowbirds!Listen to the podcast here, or watch the video version of this episode at: https://youtu.be/NmFw2oHcgj4--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-cosmic-companion/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-cosmic-companion/support This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aicreatorhouse.substack.com/subscribe

This week on Astronomy News with The Cosmic Companion, we are joined by Dr. Sabine Stanley of Johns Hopkins University. Listen in as we talk about her work using computer modeling to study the atmosphere of Saturn.But first, we go about as far back in time as we can get, examining conditions in the first millionth of a second after the Big Bang. Next, we learn how oxygen affected ancient forms of life on Earth long ago. Then, we examine a new source of X-rays discovered near the heart of the Milky Way galaxy, and hear how long-period comets can still produce meteor showers in our modern day.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-cosmic-companion/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-cosmic-companion/support This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aicreatorhouse.substack.com/subscribe

This week on Astronomy News with The Cosmic Companion, we take a look at a project that could become the first mission far into the void between the stars – the Interstellar Probe. We'll talk with Dr. Elena Provornikova from Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory about this futuristic mission.  But first, we journey far back in time, to an era when the Milky Way may have merged with another, smaller galaxy, and learn how that event changed our galaxy. Next, we travel even further back in time and out in space, as evidence suggests one of the most-important constants in cosmology may not be a constant after all. Finally, we look up in the sky, as a lunar eclipse will be visible early Wednesday morning over most of the United States, before welcoming our special guest.Learn more: The Cosmic Companion » Astronomy News - Exploring the wonders of the Cosmos, one mystery at a time--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-cosmic-companion/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-cosmic-companion/support This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aicreatorhouse.substack.com/subscribe

The Lunar eclipse of May 26th should be a delight for skygazers across the United States - especially those west of the Mississippi!   Here's what's happening, where you can see it, and more!   This is the first episode of a new idea - The Astronomy Minute! One story, told in 60 seconds or less - what do you think? What do you think - should we make more?   For more information, visit: The Cosmic Companion » Astronomy News - Exploring the wonders of the Cosmos, one mystery at a time--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-cosmic-companion/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-cosmic-companion/support This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aicreatorhouse.substack.com/subscribe

This week, we take an up-close look at what will be the most-advanced telescope ever to launch into space, the James Webb Space Telescope. We welcome Scott Lambros, Instrument Systems Manager for this remarkable instrument, back to the show!But first, we look at new evidence for volcanic eruptions on Mars in the surprisingly-recent past. We also head out to the distant void of space as Voyager 1 detects a faint hum which could help us better understand interstellar space. Finally, we turn our sights to the James Webb Space Telescope as it unfurls its massive mirror for the final time on Earth, before talking with our special guest, who just returned from conducting the tests.This episode is dedicated to the memory of Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins. Thanks for exploring the Cosmos, and liking a couple of my posts - that was awesome.Listen to the podcast here, or watch the video version of this episode at: https://youtu.be/_yP_eddfaJQ--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-cosmic-companion/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-cosmic-companion/support This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aicreatorhouse.substack.com/subscribe

This week, we talk with Dr. Jack Hughes, astrophysicist at Rutgers University, telling us of new findings about supernovae, the powerful eruptions that can mark the end of life for massive stars.  But first, we will use computer simulations to peer inside the atmosphere of Saturn. We will look in on an unusual yellow supernova, and find what made this eruption so strange. And, we will look to the future, as researchers plan a massive radio telescope on the far side of the Moon.  The magnetic field of Saturn is surprisingly symmetrical near the poles, a mystery of the ringed planet that might now be explained. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University took data collected during the suicide plunge of the Cassini spacecraft into Saturn, feeding it into computer simulations similar to those used to model weather and climate here on Earth. They found that helium rain falling through the atmosphere of Saturn could explain the oddly-regular nature of this massive magnetic field. Join us on June 1st, when we will talk with Professor Sabine Stanley of Johns Hopkins University about this unique study.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-cosmic-companion/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-cosmic-companion/support This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aicreatorhouse.substack.com/subscribe

This week, we talk with Dr. Stella Kafka, CEO and Executive Director of the American Association of Variable Star Observers. We discuss the human quest for knowledge, amateur astronomy, and, of course, variable stars.  But, first, we're going to take a look at the future of space exploration, as China successfully launches Tianhe, the first module in their upcoming space station. We will also look forward to the Interstellar Probe, a new idea being designed to view our solar system from the outside, far further than any spacecraft has yet reached.  Listen to the podcast here or watch the video at:  https://youtu.be/zEKDTDaSEaQ!--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-cosmic-companion/messageSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-cosmic-companion/support This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aicreatorhouse.substack.com/subscribe