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Podcast #29: Stellar evolution – from gas to star

Posted on 23 May, 2018 by Allen Versfeld23 May, 2018

Microphone. Image By Jpcuevas (Own work) [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Welcome to episode 29 of the Urban Astronomer podcast. As you know by now, we mainly feature interviews with people connected to South African astronomy. But since we had no guests lined up for this episode, we decided it was time to keep a promise we’d made a month ago to listener Andrew Botteril, from KwaZulu-Natal province in South Africa. Andrew is a fan of the show and had asked that we feature a little more basic science, explaining some … Continue reading →

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Must See stargazing events 2018

Posted on 7 May, 2018 by Allen Versfeld7 May, 2018

Every now and then, on special request, we feature some guest content. Recently, I was contacted by the nice people at Telescopic Watch. They have a guide to interesting events for 2018 to watch out for. I feel a little bad for posting it so late in the year, but what the heck – there are still seven months to go! Hopefully, if you don’t already have a copy of the Sky Guide Africa South, published by Struik and produced … Continue reading →

Carnival of Space #560

Posted on 7 May, 2018 by Allen Versfeld7 May, 2018

Carnival of Space Image Credit: Jason Major

Hi everybody, thanks for visiting! This is the 560th Carnival of Space, where we collect the best and most interesting news on space science and astronomy for your reading pleasure. It’s a good harvest this week, with contributions from many different publishers, so dig in and learn something new! Universe Today Astronomers See a Pileup of 14 Separate Galaxies in the Early Universe Jeff Bezos Says The New Shepard Will Soar Next on Sunday. Here’s How to Watch It Live. … Continue reading →

Podcast #28: Stella Kafka

Posted on 23 April, 2018 by Allen Versfeld23 April, 2018

Welcome to Episode 28 of the Urban Astronomer Podcast. This episode features an interview with Dr Stella Kafka, current director of the AAVSO (American Association of Variable Star Observers). I met Dr Kafka at the 2018 Symposium of the Astronomical Society of South Africa, where she delivered several excellent talks on the AAVSO and citizen science. I was so impressed by what she had to say that I just had to invite her onto the show. Amazingly, she beat me … Continue reading →

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Carnival of Space #554

Posted on 26 March, 2018 by Allen Versfeld26 March, 2018

Welcome to the 554th Carnival of Space! The carnival is a roaming weekly news roundup that brings together the best online writing on space science and astronomy. Every week, it finds a new host who curates the articles and publishes them on their own website or blog. This week, it’s my turn again! Before you scroll down to the meat below, a quick promotion for the Urban Astronomer Podcast: The most recent episode went live a few days ago, and … Continue reading →