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How do we know what things in space are made from?

Posted on 10 Sep, 2020 by Allen Versfeld10 Sep, 2020

This is episode 60 of the Urban Astronomer podcast! Is that a milestone? Sure, but we’ll save the party hats for episode 75. Today we’ll just get on with the job at hand, and bring you a science explainy bit. Today’s question: How can astronomers be so certain about what things in space are made from? On Earth it’s relatively easy to send geologists out to different places with their hammers, and have them collect samples from interesting rock formations … Continue reading →

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Interview with Imogen Whittam

Posted on 8 Aug, 2020 by Allen Versfeld8 Aug, 2020

This episode of the Urban Astronomer Podcast features an interview with Dr Imogen Whittam, an astrophysicist at Oxford University

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Southern skies and Northern skies

Posted on 10 Jul, 2020 by Allen Versfeld10 Jul, 2020

It’s another Science Explainy Bit episode, and today we answer a question asked by another podcaster while interviewing us for their show. The host wanted to know how the view of southern skies compares to that of the northern hemisphere. I gave a quick answer before we moved on to another topic, but I would have liked to give a more detailed and complete answer. Which brings us to this episode, in which I describe how there really isn’t a … Continue reading →

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Interview with Carol Botha

Posted on 24 Jun, 2020 by Allen Versfeld24 Jun, 2020

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

The Urban Astronomer interviews noted South African amateur astronomer Carol Botha about her science outreach work. Carol has become quite well known on Slooh, the robotic telescope and astronomy service which I know quite well because I’ve provided a few video streams of eclipses and the like for them over the years.

Be warned though, this is a long episode so make some popcorn and find a comfortable seat before you start!

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What’s the deal with Leap Years?

Posted on 9 Jun, 2020 by Allen Versfeld9 Jun, 2020

Leap Day, by Sanu N / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

Today’s episode is the first Science Explainy Bit of the season, and it’s another basic, classic topic: Leap Years. As a reminder, I love looking at the questions that seem simple because we think of them as the sorts of things that children ask their parents, but the thing about these questions is that they never are simple. These are things that took humanity centuries or longer to figure out, and that most of us still don’t really understand because … Continue reading →

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