The Urban Astronomer Podcast

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Podcast #30: Stellar Evolution and Nuclear Fusion

Posted on 21 Jun, 2018 by Allen Versfeld21 Jun, 2018

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

Welcome to episode 30 of the Urban Astronomer Podcast. This week’s episode features the 2nd part of our look at how stellar evolution can lead to a supernova explosion, inspired by listener requests to present more serious science and physics explainers. Last time we looked at the formation of a stellar nursery, so today we look inside that nursery at the birth of a new star. For fans of the interviews with people who have some connection to astronomy in South … Continue reading →

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Podcast #29: Stellar evolution – from gas to star

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

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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Podcast #28: Stella Kafka

Posted on 23 Apr, 2018 by Allen Versfeld23 Apr, 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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Podcast #27: Tides and Flerfers

Posted on 20 Mar, 2018 by Allen Versfeld20 Mar, 2018

Welcome to the 27th episode of the Urban Astronomer Podcast! This is a special episode where I break from tradition and try for something completely new: Unscripted content, delivered solo, with just a few notes to guide me! In the first segment, I explain how tides work, and in the second I muse on what makes Flat Earther’s reject established scientific knowledge. I recently got back from the 2018 Symposium of the South African Astronomical Society, where I plugged this … Continue reading →

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Podcast #26: Neville Young

Posted on 14 Feb, 2018 by Allen Versfeld14 Feb, 2018

This is the 26th episode of the Urban Astronomer Podcast, where we get back to our original focus of interviewing people involved in South African astronomy. Whether they’re professional or amateur, South African, or merely visiting to do astronomy under our clear skies through our world-class observatories, we want to talk to them. In this episode, we chat with Neville Young. Neville Young Neville has been a member of the Pretoria center of the Astronomical Society of South Africa since the … Continue reading →

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Podcast #25: Clyde Foster at ScopeX 2017

Posted on 30 Jan, 2018 by Allen Versfeld30 Jan, 2018

Welcome to the 25th episode of the Urban Astronomer Podcast, which is also the 1st episode of 2018. Happy New Year! Over the past few episodes, I’ve been running a series of public lectures that I recorded at ScopeX 2017. ScopeX is an annual telescope and astronomy expo held every year at the Military History museum in Johannesburg. This is the last lecture in the series, on the topic of the Apollo Program. Clyde Foster was the speaker. News Next … Continue reading →

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