Naked Astronomy, from the Naked Scientists

What can farmers learn from physicists? This month in Naked Astronomy we'll find out how satellite imaging can help to understand and control crop diseases, as well as how precisely timed pulsars point to gravitational waves. Plus, a roundup of space science news and the answers to your astronomy and cosmology questions. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This week at Naked Astronomy, we're launching something very special. We've teamed up with the Space Boffins podcast to bring you even more space science. Each month, Richard Hollingham and Sue Nelson will be exploring the science and technology that gets us into space, bringing us the inside track on missions past, present and future. In the latest Space Boffins Podcast, Sue Nelson and Richard Hollingham are joined by space scientist Andrew Coates and science writer Michael Hanlon, to talk SpaceX, Juice and Solar Orbiter. Richard also gets annoyed about space attire and Sue gets to grips... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

When did Dark Energy become the dominant force in the universe? In this month's Naked Astronomy, we look back at the history of our expanding universe to find out when gravity lost its grip. We also examine the global trade in meteorites to explore the tension between scientists and collectors. Plus, we answer a bumper crop of your questions. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How do tornadoes form on the Sun? Why does Jupiter enhance our Meteor showers? And how can pulsars be used as a deep space positioning system? This month's Naked Astronomy comes from the Royal Astronomical Society's National Astronomy Meeting, held this year at the University of Manchester. We'll hear how Juno hopes to probe beneath the surface of Jupiter, find out how a cloud of carbon gives us clues about star formation in the early universe, and explore how astronomers have helped archaeologists to understand a standing stone over 4000 years old... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Is an asteroid impact more likely than winning the lottery? What can Moon rock tell us about the Earth? And how did a biology teacher discover a new astronomical object? In this Naked Astronomy AstroFest special, we'll ask if the Kepler observatory is ushering in a new scientific revolution, meet Hanny van Arkel, who discovered Hanny's Voorwerp on citizen science project Galaxy Zoo and find out why one former MP thinks we should be concerned about being hit by an asteroid... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Can a mid-infra red view reveal the universe's secrets? In this month's Naked Astronomy, we meet MIRI, the Mid Infra Red Instrument set to launch on the James Webb Space Telescope. It should give us a glimpse of the very first galaxies and examine the clouds of hydrogen gas spread throughout the universe. We'll also find out how distorted galaxies can shed light on the distribution of dark matter, discover El Gordo - a newly discovered galaxy cluster. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

If you could look down from the International Space Station, what would you look at? This month on Naked Astronomy, we discover UrtheCast - a system that could let you point a camera down from the International Space Station, and integrate your social media world with images from space. And we'll get a glimpse of a star as it explodes, and get the first evidence of its chemical composition. Plus, we have a round up of space science headlines, and we your questions on neutrinos, cosmic expansion and the age of the universe... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Can supernovae account for all of the oxygen in the universe? What happens to massive stars at the end of their lives? This month, we delve into stellar science to look at the ultimate fate of stars, and why the first stars might be smaller than we thought. Plus, a round up of astronomical news, and your space science questions... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What are the mysterious blue straggler stars? In this month's Naked Astronomy we'll find out why some stars stand out from the crowd, as well as investigate the polarity of the universe. Plus, we hear the latest news from the Royal Astronomical Society, and take on your questions on rocket stability, detecting dark matter and our place in the universe. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Are the foundations of Dark Matter crumbling? How can a planet be blacker than black paint? What are the sunsets like on a planet with 2 suns? In this month's Naked Astronomy, we'll discover Kepler-16b; a planet with two suns, we look to recent experimental results to see if the Cold Dark Matter theory still stands, and we explore the least reflective planet ever found... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists