http://www.whyy.org/91FM/skytalk.html?rss A weekly discussion of what's new and interesting in astronomy with astronomer Derrick Pitts and WHYY-FM's Dave Heller. http://www.whyy.org/podcast/images/skytalk_pod.jpg http://www.whyy.org/skytalk?rss 300 300 en-us Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:20:00 EST Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:20:00 EST Copyright 2012 WHYY webmaster@whyy.org WHYY Public Radio No http://www.whyy.org/91FM/skytalk.html?rss Winter is coming to an end, at least in astronomical terms. Officially we are halfway to spring, which means you should start to notice a little more daylight as we gain minutes each day. Also, imagine a planet orbiting two stars, also known as a binary star system. There are three such systems identified in our galaxy where a planet is orbiting two stars and treating those two stars as a single gravitational body. A well known binary star is Algol, also known as the Demon star, which can be seen with the naked eye in the right conditions. There are many other binary stars not too far away like Alpha Centauri at four light years away. And don't miss what's in the night sky this week including a full moon. All this and more on this week's Sky Talk. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:20:00 EST 5:09 Winter is coming to an end, at least in astronomical terms. Officially we are halfway to spring, which means you should start to notice a little more daylight as we gain minutes each day. Also, imagine a planet orbiting two stars, also known as a binary star system. There are three such systems identified in our galaxy where a planet is orbiting two stars and treating those two stars as a single gravitational body. A well known binary star is Algol, also known as the Demon star, which can be seen with the naked eye in the right conditions. There are many other binary stars not too far away like Alpha Centauri at four light years away. And don't miss what's in the night sky this week including a full moon. All this and more on this week's Sky Talk. http://www.whyy.org/podcast/news/st20120206.mp3 http://www.whyy.org/91FM/skytalk.html?rss Are Martians invading the Earth? If so, where are they? They are actually all over the planet, but they blend in so easily because they are Martian meteorites. These meteorites are pieces of Mars that end up in orbit in our solar system and then collide with Earth. A group of them fell to Earth in Morocco in July, but astoundingly they were witnessed passing through the atmosphere and then were actually found on the ground. Through these rocks we can analyze Mars without actually going there. Also, we are coming to the peak of the 11 year sun spot cycle in 2013. The major effects of this cycle include the sighting of Northern and Southern lights and also tremendous effects on communication systems. And don't miss what's in the night sky this week. All this and more on this week's Sky Talk. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:20:00 EST 5:09 Are Martians invading the Earth? If so, where are they? They are actually all over the planet, but they blend in so easily because they are Martian meteorites. These meteorites are pieces of Mars that end up in orbit in our solar system and then collide with Earth. A group of them fell to Earth in Morocco in July, but astoundingly they were witnessed passing through the atmosphere and then were actually found on the ground. Through these rocks we can analyze Mars without actually going there. Also, we are coming to the peak of the 11 year sun spot cycle in 2013. The major effects of this cycle include the sighting of Northern and Southern lights and also tremendous effects on communication systems. And don't miss what's in the night sky this week. All this and more on this week's Sky Talk. http://www.whyy.org/podcast/news/st20120130.mp3 http://www.whyy.org/91FM/skytalk.html?rss Astronomers are training their telescopes on the most distant reaches of the universe, but don't forget, out in space distance equals time. So when astronomers look into space they are trying to find out the early history of the universe. Recent findings include the most massive, hottest galactic cluster ever discovered, just seven billion light years from Earth. We can now apply what we are learning about objects at this great distance to learn about dark matter and dark energy. Think about deep sea research. Just like at the bottom of the ocean, astronomers are in a similar environment using instruments to blindly feel around in the darkness to see what's out there. Also, don't miss what's in the night sky this week. All this and more on this week's Sky Talk. Mon, 23 Jan 2012 18:20:00 EST 5:09 Astronomers are training their telescopes on the most distant reaches of the universe, but don't forget, out in space distance equals time. So when astronomers look into space they are trying to find out the early history of the universe. Recent findings include the most massive, hottest galactic cluster ever discovered, just seven billion light years from Earth. We can now apply what we are learning about objects at this great distance to learn about dark matter and dark energy. Think about deep sea research. Just like at the bottom of the ocean, astronomers are in a similar environment using instruments to blindly feel around in the darkness to see what's out there. Also, don't miss what's in the night sky this week. All this and more on this week's Sky Talk. http://www.whyy.org/podcast/news/st20120123.mp3