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Category Archives: Questions and Answers

Most people have many questions about astronomy, and aren’t happy with the standard answers. Here are some articles trying to change this. If you have any questions you would like to see answered, ask me in an email to the address below, and I will answer your question in an article on this list

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

Urban Astronomer avatarPosted on 10 Sep, 2020 by Allen Versfeld10 Sep, 2020
optical glass triangular prism

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 →

https://media.blubrry.com/urbanastronomer/s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/constellationonline.net/media/Podcast/UrbanAstronomer/UA_Episode_60_S03E06.mp3

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Posted in Astronomy 101, News and Updates, Questions and Answers, The Urban Astronomer Podcast | Tagged podcast, Science, science explainy bit, spectroscopy | Leave a reply

What’s the deal with Leap Years?

Urban Astronomer avatarPosted 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 →

https://media.blubrry.com/urbanastronomer/s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/constellationonline.net/media/Podcast/UrbanAstronomer/UA_Episode_56_S03E02.mp3

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Posted in Astronomy 101, Questions and Answers, The Urban Astronomer Podcast | Tagged Q&A, science explainy bit | 1 Reply

Star colours and what space is like

Urban Astronomer avatarPosted on 5 Dec, 2019 by Allen Versfeld5 Dec, 2019
Microphone. Image By Jpcuevas (Own work) [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

The Urban Astronomer Podcast’s season 2 finale examines the colours of stars, and ponders what it’s actually like out in space

https://media.blubrry.com/urbanastronomer/s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/constellationonline.net/media/Podcast/UrbanAstronomer/UA_Episode_54_S02E12.mp3

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Posted in Questions and Answers, The Urban Astronomer Podcast | Tagged Physics, podcast, Q&A, Stars | Leave a reply

Why do planets orbit in the same plane?

Urban Astronomer avatarPosted on 10 Sep, 2019 by Allen Versfeld5 Dec, 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 →

https://media.blubrry.com/urbanastronomer/s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/constellationonline.net/media/Podcast/UrbanAstronomer/UA_Episode_48_S02E06.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:22 — 20.5MB) | Embed

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Posted in Questions and Answers, The Solar System, The Urban Astronomer Podcast | Tagged Moon, podcast, Q&A, science explainy bit, Solar System | Leave a reply

Will Mars look as big as the Moon in August?

Urban Astronomer avatarPosted on 21 Aug, 2016 by Allen Versfeld21 Aug, 2016
Will Mars look as big as the Moon?

Dear Urban Astronomer   I recently received this presentation in an email.  Apparently, Mars will look as big as the Moon on 27 August, because it will be closer to us than ever before in recorded history and will look as big as the Moon in the sky.  Is this true? I was tempted to simply dismiss this as a joke.  After all, it’s not like anybody still falls for this, right?  Surely people remember seeing the same hoax this time … Continue reading →

Posted in Astronomy, Questions and Answers | Tagged Hoax, Mars, Moon, Q&A | 1 Reply

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