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How do orbits work?

Posted on 13 Aug, 2019 by Allen Versfeld13 Aug, 2019

Photograph of the Moon in orbit around the Earth

Welcome to another Science Explainy Bit episode of the Urban Astronomer Podcast. Today we try to figure out just what an “orbit” actually is. Is it really as simple as they said in primary school? How does gravity, which normally pulls things down, work to keep the Moon in space? Download this episode now, to find the answer, and also learn a little about my upcoming appearance at ScopeX! What is an Orbit? () This turns out to be quite … Continue reading →

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Carnival of Space #623

Posted on 4 Aug, 2019 by Allen Versfeld4 Aug, 2019

Carnival of Space Image Credit: Jason Major

Welcome back to the 623rd Carnival of Space! As happens every week, the Carnival roams from website to blog, pitching its tent anew. And ever week, it brings you fresh articles on space science and astronomy. Articles written by some of the best and most exciting science writers the Internet has to offer! This week is a big one, with fully five different contributors. If you want to cut straight to the chase, then go ahead and skip down towards … Continue reading →

Interview with Dr Daniel Cunnama

Posted on 30 Jul, 2019 by Allen Versfeld12 Aug, 2019

Welcome to the 3rd episode of the Urban Astronomer Podcast, season 2, featuring Dr Daniel Cunnama. We almost didn’t make it this week, thanks to a major technical hitch, but we worked around it and here we are. If you listened to the last episode, then you’re probably expecting this to be an interview episode, featuring Dr Rosalind Skelton of the South African Astronomical Observatory. I spoke to her in June last year and we recorded an interview specifically for … Continue reading →

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Why are planets always round?

Posted on 16 Jul, 2019 by Allen Versfeld15 Jul, 2019

Welcome to the second episode of this second season of the Urban Astronomer Podcast! Two of Two, sounds like it should be special… and it kinda sort of is, because this week we’re presenting the first of our unique patented Science Explainy Bits! Now to be clear, it’s the name that’s new, not the science explaining, because I’ve done explainy stuff for science concepts before on this show, back in our super-extended 42 episode long first season. I got quite … Continue reading →

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Carnival of Space #619

Posted on 8 Jul, 2019 by Allen Versfeld8 Jul, 2019

Good grief, another Carnival of Space just landed! As always, the carnival is a roaming feature, hosted on a different website every week. Our editors gather the best articles on space science and astronomy, and present them here for you. Although in truth, the selection criteria are a little easier than you might think: If you want to be featured, just send a link to susie@wshcrew.space and ask to be included. And if you’d like a chance to be a host … Continue reading →