Urban Astronomer - Making sense of the universe one page at a time

Saturn’s Rings older than we thought

Posted on 18 Sep, 2019 by Allen Versfeld18 Sep, 2019

One of the oldest mysteries in modern astronomy is the age of Saturn’s Rings. The Cassini mission seemed to have settled the question once and for all, but now a team of researchers have just claimed that things might not be so clear-cut. Cassini showed that the rings were mostly made up of clean ice particles. There wasn’t much of the dust and organic gunk you’d expect to accumulate over time. This meant that the rings couldn’t have been around … Continue reading →

Why do planets orbit in the same plane?

Posted on 10 Sep, 2019 by Allen Versfeld9 Sep, 2019

Outer solar system, by Riffsyphon1024 at en.wikipedia [Public domain]

In episode 48 of the Urban Astronomer Podcast, we’re doing another Science Explainy bit! These segments are where you get to hear my droning voice explain some fundamentals and answer listener questions. Today we get asked why it always is that planets orbit in the same plane, and why the Moon can be seen during daylight. If you like what you hear, don’t forget to tell a friend about the show, and make a small donation on our Patreon account. … Continue reading →

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Carnival of Space #627

Posted on 4 Sep, 2019 by Allen Versfeld9 Sep, 2019

Carnival of Space Image Credit: Jason Major

Welcome to the 627th Carnival of Space! The carnival is a celebration of all things related to astronomy and space science. It roams cyberspace, pitching its tents at a different website each week. “Come one, come all!” the carnival barkers cry, inviting you inside to read the latest new about our universe. And today, the carnival sets up here, at the home of the Urban Astronomer Podcast. So buy your overpriced snacks, take your seat on our splintery benches, settle … Continue reading →

Interview with Dr Rosalind Skelton

Posted on 26 Aug, 2019 by Allen Versfeld27 Aug, 2019

This is episode five of this season of the Urban Astronomer Podcast. As usual, this being the 4th show of the month, we have an Interview episode today, and this is the one that gets us back to our scheduled order of things. You’ll remember two episodes ago, we were supposed to interview Dr Rosalind Skelton of the South African Astronomical Observatory. Unfortunately, I messed up somewhere and the recordings we’d made well in advance of the show were lost. … Continue reading →

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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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