AWESOME ASTRONOMY

A pantomime look back at the biggest and most exciting news and events from 2019; a look forward to the best astronomy and space exploration events of 2020; the science of Santa's deliveries and the traditional outtakes.

The News: Sharing our news picks from the space exploration and astronomy world this month we have: A late risk of Exomars being cancelled Boeing's Starliner spacecraft abort test and cost controversies Sierra Nevada's Dreamchaser shuttle gets a trailer Main news story: Far from being unlikely, Tatooine worlds turn out to be very common The Interview: This month Jeni has a sit down chat about the discovery of the collapsed neutron star from supernova 1987a with Dr Phil Cigan of Cardiff University.

The Discussion: A look at the BBC's new Martian invasion documentary, The War of the Worlds; the recent transit of Mercury; Celestron's new phone adapter; Jen's upcoming talks in Wales, an update on Jen's research paper, a new research project and a debate over the start and end of a decade. Then we take a look at a couple of listeners' emails. The News: Rounding up the astronomy news this month we have: Water vapour geysers on Europa Ultima Thule loses its Nazi moniker Locating the stellar remnant from the closest supernova to Earth Are Axions dark matter particles? (no) And a round up of spaceflight news from NASA, ESA, India, New Zealand & UK The Sky Guide: Covering the solar system and deep sky objects on offer to amateur astronomers in December: Jen: A round up of the planets available to northern hemisphere observers in December, and a look at the Pleiades in Taurus. Paul: The best meteor shower of the year and naked eye visible open cluster Messier 35. The Debate: A look back at the debates and votes over the past year with your result for The Best Space Mission of All Time.

The Discussion: Ralph's been in Washington – which, of course, means a visit to the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, we say goodbye to Russian cosmonaut, Alexi Leonov, and take a look at listeners' emails. The News: Rounding up the space exploration news this month we have: James Webb Space Telescope inches ever closer The USAF's autonomous space plane sets a new record SpaceX are back on the right path with its crew capsule NASA are sending a viper to the moon and an orbiter to Pluto Plans are revealed about Scotland's new spaceport. Project Artemis technologies being funded by NASA The findings and recommendations of NASA's Planetary Protection Review Main news story: NASA's new moonsuit is revealed. The Debate: Now that we've whittled down the contenders for the greatest space mission of all time (the last fifty years anyway), it's your time to crown the winner!.

The Discussion: Before we start the show proper, we discuss Jeni's encounter with Nobel Laureate Kip Thorne, her new research paper undergoing a painfully slow peer review and we take a look at Chris Lintott's book, The Crowd and the Cosmos: Adventures in the Zooniverse. Then it's over to the listeners for a few emails suggesting cooler names for the phenomenon of the Pair Instability Supernova. The News: Rounding up the astronomy news this month we have: An enigmatic radio burst opens up a new method of probing the universe Hubble takes a look at interstellar comet Hygiea becomes the latest candidate to be recategorized as a dwarf planet Spiral galaxies give more clues to discredit the MOND theory of dark matter Venus going pop and perhaps a 2 billion window of habitability More confusion over the age of Saturn's rings The big news story: perhaps heavier elements in the Universe are not only forged in supernovae, but also from neutron star mergers. The Sky Guide: Covering the solar system and deep sky objects on offer to amateur astronomers in November: Paul: A round up of the planets available to northern hemisphere observers in November, a tour of the comets currently in our skies and Vest at opposition. In the deep sky, Paul recommends a few overlooked objects in Cetus and Sculptor. Jen: The upcoming Transit of Mercury on 11/12th November. Ralph: 3 lunar/planetary conjunctions and a couple of meteor showers. Then further afield, the Orion Nebula Main Object: The innermost planet, Mercury Q&A: What actually is the solar wind? From our good friend Andrew Osborne.

The Discussion: As a reward for good behavior, we've dispensed with wittering on about us and gone straight into the news. The News: Rounding up the space exploration news this month we have: The last of the Delta IV mediums India's Vikram lunar lander failure ESA move a satellite to avoid crashing with a SpaceX satellite NASA award funding for a Lunar Gateway pathfinding cubesat Australia & Japan commit to supporting NASA's moonshot, Project Artemis NASA place orders for the first of possibly 12 Orion moon capsules. Main news stories: A roundup of Elon Musk's Herculean benevolent/malevolent efforts to get giant phalluses on Mars. The Debate: Court is in session for the fifth and final round of advocacy to get a winner from your top ten historic space missions. This month Judge Damien presides over arguments between the International Space Station and the Pioneer missions. Q&A: With the news of a near collision between a SpaceX and an ESA satellite, does that mean more satellite collisions in the future? From our good friend Noah Kraus in Bremen Germany.

The Discussion: A look back at our 50th anniversary of the moon landings-themed dark sky star party, AstroCamp, and some wonderful suggestions as an alternative name for a 'pair instability supernova'. The News: Rounding up the astronomy news this month we have: Discovery of an exoplanet stripped of its atmosphere Understanding more about the features you can observe in Jupiter's storms Gaia tells us more about the evolution of open clusters Chandra probes black hole clusters Planet 9 (groan…) could be a tiny black hole (it couldn't) Amateur astronomer discovery of an interstellar comet Understanding the evolution of globular clusters NASA's Insight lander suggests weird magnetic chirping at midnight on Mars The main news story discussion: Water vapour in the atmosphere of an exoplanet in its habitable zone - leading to discussions on the importance of science journalism and the search for Earth 2.0 The Sky Guide: Covering the solar system and deep sky objects on offer to amateur astronomers in October: Paul: A round up of the planets available to northern hemisphere observers in October and a tour of the comets currently in our skies. In the deep sky, we recommend a look at globular cluster Messier 2 and the NGC7009 planetary nebula in Aquarius. Ralph: 3 lunar/planetary conjunctions and a glut of meteor showers. Then further afield, the Andromeda and Triangulum galaxies. Main Object: Messier 44, The Beehive Cluster Q&A: Advice on upgrading telescopes for our good friend Jeremy Hanson in Wisconsin, USA. Also this month, a close friend of Jen's, Chris Duffield, got ill and died in China aged 27. The foreign office have told his family that the ballpark figure for getting him home will be between £15,000-£20,000. If you'd like to help repatriate the friend's body, please do consider giving a donation to the gofundme account at tiny.cc/lpvgdz. Thank you.

The Discussion: Nuking hurricanes and the lessons of Chernobyl. The News: Rounding up the space exploration news this month we have: A new adaptor on the ISS making two emergency exits Russia sends a gunslinging robot into space (no, really!) ESA's ExoMars mission is in hot water again NASA's Europa Clipper on track to meet its mid-2020s launch window The companies being funded to develop tech for NASA's moonshot Ramping up of commercial assistance to Project Artemis Main news stories: A NASA astronaut accused of a crime in space, issues of jurisdiction and what happens to sock dust in space. The Debate: Court is in session for the fourth round of advocacy to get winner from your top ten historic space missions. This month we pit Mars against the Outer Limits as Spirit & Opportunity take on the Voyagers.

The Discussion: A good old British whinge about the weather and looking forward to our biannual dark sky star party, AstoCamp. The News: Rounding up the astronomy news this month we have: An experiment in an underground lab in London to understand dark energy Eight new repeating fast radio burst source Help us come up with a cooler name than a pair-instability supernova The late accretion phase of the formation of the solar system The discovery of interstellar radioactive iron in the Antarctica Spitzer reveals surprising exoplanetary details. A new exoplanet discovery of three rocky worlds in the same system Using oceanography to suggest greater exoplanet biodiversity The main news story discussion: The latest big Juno discovery at Jupiter. The Sky Guide: Covering the solar system and deep sky objects on offer to amateur astronomers in September: Jen: A tour of the planets on offer and the zodiacal light Ralph: Jupiter Saturn and two meteor showers in September. Then further afield, a double star, an open cluster and a dark Nebula in Cepheus. Main Object: Messier 27, The Dumbbell Nebula Q&A: How can Titan have such a thick atmosphere with such a low gravity? From Alastair Frith in the UK

The Discussion: Following on from last month's 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, we take a look at the recent movies and documentaries & social media: High Life, 8 Days to the Moon and Back, Apollo 50th, ApolloinRealTime.org. The ongoing inspiration of Apollo, the build-up of Project Artemis, saying farewell to Flight Director Chris Kraft and Mandla Maseko, and an email from our good friend Lee Stevens. The News: Rounding up the space exploration news this month we have: Japan's Hyabusa 2 mission to return asteroid samples to Earth Toyota and JAXA prototype a pressurized lunar rover for launch in 2029 India launch Chandrayaan 2 to the lunar south pole ESA propose a comet interceptor for 2028 A formation of satellites to study the heliosphere NASA's Orion capsule completes its abort tests Main news stories: NASA select 12 new lunar technology investigations. The Debate: Court is in session for the third round of advocacy to get winner from your top ten historic space missions. This month we have an epic battle of space telescopes as Kepler goes toe to toe with Hubble. Q&A: Why did NASA choose to send a drone to Titan rather than a submarine to Enceladus? Suki Woods in Norway

The Discussion: Space education at science fairs, sweating in space suits, the public attitude towards space exploration while there are so many relevant shows on TV. A correction from a listener and a lesson in Dutch. The News: Rounding up the astronomy news this month we have: A young stellar system showing us moons being formed around exoplanets Pinpointing a Fast Radio Burst to understand what it actually is An update on the Hubble Constant Neptune-like exoplanets How do stars merge in a stable manner? A planetary nebula formed from a star in that missing 3-8 solar masses. The main news story discussion: Protest in Hawaii over the Thirty Metre Telescope. The Sky Guide: Covering the solar system and deep sky objects on offer to amateur astronomers in August: Paul: A tour of the planets on offer, the Perseid meteor show, peculiar galaxy NGC7727 and globular cluster NGC6760, both in Aquila. Jen: How to find Neptune and what to look for. The further afield, the Albireo, Epsilon Lyrae and Izar double stars. Main Object: Caldwell 4, The Iris Nebula Q&A: Could multiple space telescopes use optical interferometry to cheaply outperform the vast expensive ground-based telescopes?

In this podcast extra episode we talk to Karen Masters, Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Haverford College, Pennsylvania about The Hubble Tuning Fork and Galaxy classification. But it's not only about that canonised galaxy classification system; it's also about how citizen science, astronomy done by absolutely anybody from their homes, can and do change the accepted wisdom and advance science.

The Discussion: An Apollo-fact filled episode to commemorate the 50th anniversary of humanity venturing onto the surface of another body. Paul works on an Oscar performance; we congratulate Jess Wade on receiving a BEM award and we take a look at the latest movie to lionise the efforts of Apollo 11. The News: Rounding up the space exploration news this month we have: NASA plan to open up the International Space Station to commercial uses & ownership NASA fund two concepts to explore moon craters and asteroids ESA's Trace Gas Orbiter kills the excitement over methane on Mars. NASA's Dragonfly mission to Titan A solar sail gets tested in space A look at the return to the moon blueprint Main news stories: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11 with Krispy Kreme, Apolloinrealtime.org, @Pilliarscreatio, the best of the Apollo history books, movies and a few fun facts. The Debate: Court is in session for the second round of advocacy to get winner from your top ten historic space missions. On the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing, what else would be doing battle, other than Apollo missions? So it's the heavyweights: Apollo 8 vs Apollo 11. Only one will survive! Moon Hoaxes: This is a particularly active time for moon hoax conspiracy theorists so we thought we'd give you some ammunition for the next time someone tells you the flag was waving in the wind or the shadows should all be parallel…

The Discussion: Paul pulls a drowning child out of a river and we discuss the BBC's current astronomy-themed TV programme, The Planets. A drunken and sarcastic Jen is a good Jen and a rather pleasant surprise from listener Lee Stevens The News: Rounding up the astronomy news this month we have: Taking Spitzer out "like a dog on the moor with a shotgun" The International Astronomical Union launches a competition to name an exoplanet in each of the countries it operates, at nameexoworlds.iau.org The chances of exoplanet habitability may be lower than thought. Two exoplanet discoveries with very good habitability potential NASA announces two more heliospheric missions, PUNCH & TRACERS The Mars Curiosity Rover says, 'No, there are methane spikes on Mars'. The Sky Guide: Covering the solar system and deep sky objects on offer to amateur astronomers in July: Paul: The King of Planets, Jupiter, on offer all month and a partial lunar eclipse on the night of 16th July. For the deep sky, M10 & M12 globular clusters in Ophiuchus. Ralph: Asteroid 18 Melpomene at opposition on 3rd July. On the 9th of July we have the Ring World, Saturn, at opposition and the Southern Delta Aquariids peak on 28/29th July. For the deep sky, beautiful binary targets Epsilon Lyrae and Albireo. Main Object: The Earth's Moon.

Download Episode! The Discussion: The privations of a PhD student, listeners' comments sparking a couple of corrections from the last episode, another bout of potaytoes/potartoes and we hear that new revelations about space mirrors cult sci-fi. The News: Rounding up the space exploration news this month we have: Damage to cartilage from microgravity The big debate in space exploration appears to be 'is Daniella Westbrook the ideal astronaut experiment'? ESA's Trace Gas Orbiter kills the excitement over methane on Mars. NASA asks for an additional $1.6Bn for getting astronauts to Mars by 2024 NASA will be sending a woman to the moon in the Project Artemis crew A look at the return to the moon blueprint Main news story: The Lunar Gateway, an orbiting platform around the moon. The Debate: Court is in session for the first round of advocacy for to find the winner in your top ten historic space missions. Which will make it through and which will consigned to the dustbin of history – Cassini Huygens or New Horizons? Q&A: At 6 million kelvin, is the plasma around the M87 supermassive black hole still a plasma? Andy Burns from the UK

The Discussion: Pint of Science in Cardiff targets canines, Ralph makes a schoolboy error while in Florida and we all eagerly await the publication of a research paper by Jen. The News: Rounding up the astronomy news this month we have: More disturbing news about the climate on Earth-analogue, Venus TESS discovers a planetary system around a visual binary star in Fornax. The Andromeda & Triangulum galaxies are hiding quasars New research shows the mechanism by how Pluto could harbour oceans A better understanding of past ice ages on Mars More ridiculous ways to not find dark matter The race to analyse meteorites at Arizona State University. Main news story: Mr Musk's Splendiferous Starlink. The Sky Guide: Covering the solar system and deep sky objects on offer to amateur astronomers in June: Jen: Mars and Mercury as the stand-out objects in the lighter summer skies of June and a good opportunity to look out for noctilucent clouds at dawn and dusk. Ralph: A round up of the other bright planets on offer in June and a certain satellite constellation now observable… Main Object: the Eagle Nebula in the constellation Serpens.

The Discussion: Your last chance to get tickets to join Jen's at Pint of Science on 20-22nd May in Cardiff, a couple of corrections for the last episode, listeners' comments about our Moon 2024 musings and a listener's email takes us into classic 50s sci-fi territory. The News: Rounding up the space exploration news this month we have: NASA's new robot assistants and 'Astrobees' on the International Space Station Portugal launches its national space agency in the Azores and plans an environmentally friendly rocket Arianespace are to launch 42 satellites on a single rocket NASA Administrator misses his April deadline to provide financial figures for a retirn to the moon in 2024 :-( Space Force will likely cost $1.5Bn more each year than originally thought India's Chandrayaan-2 mission will launch to the moon in September this year Main news stories: Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin has been developing a giant lunar landing in secret, while Elon Musk's SpaceX have a setback to their human spaceflight plans The Debate: A reminder that you can influence the Best Space Mission Ever debate season, starting next month. What do you think is the best current or historical space mission and why? We'll shortlist the ten most popular and begin advocating to reach a winner. Q&A: Could a device, with a magnetic field, be placed at the L1 Lagrange Point between the Sun and Mars to help to thicken the atmosphere? And could a device be placed at Earth's L1 Lagrange point counteract the effect of global warming?

U: Recording from the Mars/Earth-analogue biome cottage at the AstroCamp starparty in the Welsh Brecon Beacons, we start off by discussing stargazing during a hurricane(!) and get ready for Jeni's Pint of Science events this month. The News: Rounding up the astronomy news this month we have: The rate of the universe's expansion is 9% greater than we thought? Greater understanding about the lakes of methane on Saturn's moon Titan. LIGO gets its jiggy on; giving us gravitational wave detections EVERY week! The value of occultations to modern astronomy A possible discovery of an exocomet! And a round up of some of the best astronomy April Fool's gags from last month, including how winter would come on a Game of Thrones type world. Main news story: 1) The first ever image of a black hole The Sky Guide: Covering the solar system and deep sky objects on offer to amateur astronomers in May: An unwelcome dearth of solar system objects with Jupiter, Mars and Saturn low on the horizon, but dwarf planet Ceres is at opposition and we also have a few nice conjunctions to enjoy in May. Messier 5 and Palomar 5 globular clusters in Serpens and Messier 57, and the Ring Nebula, and the Double Double in Lyra. Main Object: the much-overlooked Northern Star, Polaris.

The Discussion: Hear Jen's talk at Pint of Science on 20-22nd May in Cardiff, less than salubrious travel arrangements for science talks, a listener's email from the Australian Tourist Board and keep sending us your suggestion for the best historic space mission. The News: Rounding up the space exploration news this month we have: India creates a new constellation in the sky A new NASA asteroid mission in the planning Plumes of material ejecting from asteroid Bennu ESA's next exoplanet space telescope is 'go'. Awaiting Beresheet's impact on the moon A permanent monument to humanity long after we've gone as a species Main news story: NASA accelerate their human moon landing plans. The Debate: Will commercial providers be the future of space flight endeavours or will the real leaps still continue to be made by huge government institutions like NASA, ESA, JAXA etc. Ralph & Paul do battle. Jen will be the judge!

The Discussion: A bumper episode beginning with the April stargazing extravaganza run by the Awesome Astronomy team on 27th - 30th April, a reminder to email us with your best space missions of the last 62 years, a stroll down Rocketry Lane, come along to hear Jeni talk at A Pint of Science on 20-22nd May at Beelzebub's in Cardiff, and listeners' emails (including how you amateurs can participate in occultation observation science). The News: Rounding up the astronomy news this month we have: Did Jupiter's orbit move 2½ billion miles closer to Earth in the early solar system? An Ice Age and extinction event 12,800 years ago was likely caused by a meteor impact. A vast meteor over the Bering Sea LIGO gets an upgrade for better gravitational wave discoveries Looking for carbon monoxide in the atmospheres of exoplanets Using globular clusters to measure the size & mass of the Milky Way Main news story: 1) The 1st direct observation of exoplanets using optical interferometry The Sky Guide: Covering the solar system and deep sky objects on offer to amateur astronomers in April: A galactic conjunction on 8th/9th and the Lyrid meteor shower peaking on 22nd April. Must observe galaxies in Leo and the jewels of Ursa Major and Canes Venatici. Main Deep Sky Object: Messier 13, The Great Globular Cluster in Hercules. The Interview: Jeni talks to Dr Sarah Ragan, a lecturer at Cardiff University's School of Physics and Astronomy about how to become a professional astronomer, do stars care what conditions they form in and the upcoming Pint of Science talks.

The Discussion: Professor Michelle Dougherty talking Enceladus at the annual Schrodinger lecture, the proficiency (or otherwise) of making science accessible to the layman and emails about inspiring anyone to do the job they want. The News: Rounding up the space exploration news this month we have: Have SpaceX paved the way for the US to return to human spaceflight? The Japanese Hyabusa spacecraft begins exploring asteroid Ryugu The first Israeli lunar lander makes its way to the moon Virgin Galactic take a long awaited return to commercial spaceflight tests NASA's science experiments for the moon on their commercial landers Ultima Thule actually resembles a bag of Revels. Main news story: New Horizons at Ultima Thule The Debate: We want you to influence the next few debates. We want you to email us with what you think is the greatest space mission of all time (crewed or robotic). We'll compile a Top Ten and advocate for your choices, court-style, on the coming shows. Q&A: Listeners' questions via email, Facebook & Twitter take us on a journey into the astronomy issues that have always plagued our understanding or stretched our credulity. This month we take a look at something we discussed in a recent show, commercialization of space: Isn't commercial branding at NASA already here and wouldn't increased spacecraft branding diminish the science?? Andy Burns, UK.

The Discussion: A worthless victory for the Welsh, Earthling slave John on the BBC's Sky at Night, Jen's preparations for A Pint of Science, imaging the sun with a beer can and emails about timestamping & sibilance. The News: Rounding up the astronomy news this month we have: Modelling of the meteor strikes on the moon during the eclipse Does the moon get bombarded by a meteor shower every 19 years? The brightest gravitationally lensed object ever seen Conditions closer to habitable seen around a white dwarf star Did the Apollo astronauts even leave the Earth's atmosphere Main news story: 1) Due to modern data processing techniques Hubble discovers a new moon around Neptune. The Sky Guide: Covering the solar system and deep sky objects on offer to amateur astronomers in March. Ralph: The Galilean Moons, magnitude 8 asteroid Pallas and Messier 67 in Cancer Jeni: a quadruple planetary Conjunction, Mars and the vernal equinox. Paul: Mercury visible at the beginning of the month at sunset and the galaxies in Ursa Major. Main Deep Sky Object: Messier 44, The Beehive Cluster. Q&A: Listeners' questions via email, Facebook & Twitter take us on a journey into the astronomy issues that have always plagued our understanding or stretched our credulity. This month we take a look at the bewildering array of theories for one of the greatest spectacles in the night sky: Will we get any advance warning of Betelgeuse going supernova? Peter Coates, UK.

The Discussion: The film Moon, boring lectures & seminars, the age before mobile telephony, AweAst live shows & drinks with listeners, and listeners' suggestions for NASA spacecraft branding. The News: Rounding up the space exploration news this month we have: Growing plants on another world SpaceX launch satellites on reusable rockets How to paint a Mars rover A less than rose-tinted look at SpaceX' current predicament Scotland's spaceport's fight with nature The beginning of the next space arms race Main news story: New Horizons at Ultima Thule The Debate: Ralph poses his own question for Jen & Paul to do battle: what spacecraft would you like to see commissioned if money were no object? Q&A: Listeners' questions via email, Facebook & Twitter take us on a journey into the astronomy issues that have always plagued our understanding or stretched our credulity. This month we take a look at SpaceX' next big push: What's going on at SpaceX's Boca Chica facility in Texas?? Gavin Price, UK.

The Discussion: Jeni's off to La Palma to gather data on dust & gas in the Crab Nebula, did a meteor or two strike the moon during the January eclipse? And what do Europeans think (or know) about the European Space Agency? The News: Rounding up the space and astronomy news this month we have: More research suggesting there are no seasonal water flows on Mars Modelling the stellar wind at Barnard's Star Can interstellar objects survive the journey? The unusual planetary system EPIC24924646 Lunar craters show Earth had a brief impact lull 650-300 million years ago The youthful nature of Saturn's rings More research suggesting there may be no Planet 9 The Russian company planning to put billboards in space Main news story: CERN's plans for the monster successor to the Large Hadron Collider and what the hell that has to do with astronomy The Sky Guide: Covering the solar system and deep sky objects on offer to amateur astronomers in February. Paul: Mercury at greatest eastern elongation, a conjunction of Uranus and Mars. Ralph: Asteroid 532 Herculina at opposition and a brand new(ly discovered) comet to view in telescopes Jen: Venus and Jupiter on show in the early morning and a conjunction of Saturn and Venus Main Deep Sky Object: Messier 1, the Crab Nebula Q&A: Listeners' questions via email, Facebook & Twitter take us on a journey into the astronomy issues that have always plagued our understanding or stretched our credulity. This month we take a look at the bewildering array of theories for one of the greatest spectacles in the night sky: How did Saturn's rings form? Scott Jorgensen, Michigan.

The Discussion: As 2019 marches forth we discuss a wasted year of practical astronomy due to bad weather, a comet in our skies to enjoy and Jeni begins her first paper on gas masses in redshift galaxies. The News: Rounding up the space exploration news this month we have: An update on the mysterious hole in the space station SpaceX edges closer to ferrying humans to space Virgin Galactic test pilot gains his astronaut wings Voyager 2 joins Voyager 1 outside the solar system New Horizons exploring the outer solar system An update on NASA's plans for human space exploration. Main news story: Chinese exploration of the far side of the moon. Q&A: Listeners' questions via email, Facebook & Twitter take us on a journey into the astronomy issues that have always plagued our understanding or stretched our credulity. This month we take a look at how to get a 450 ton space ship out of orbit: How will the International Space Station be decommissioned? Andy Burns, UK. The Debate: Lt Col Dave from Florida suggests a debate on which option is better for astronomy: space or Earth based telescopes? Paul & Ralph do battle.

The Discussion: Festive cheer, academic hiatuses, magnificent cheeses, a surfeit of meat, space themed presents and listeners' emails. The News: Rounding up the space and astronomy news this month we have: The Milky Way gives birth to around 7 stars per year Watching a star being born from a nearby massive star A new way to map the dark matter in our universe Where's the methane on Mars? Saturn's rings are more short lived than we thought The discovery of another outer solar system object Main news story: 1) The ALMA telescope helps to understand how solar systems form and why newly forming planets don't spiral into their host star. 2) The International Astronomical Union has its 100th anniversary in 2019 and there will be a series of events (probably near you) to celebrate a century of astronomy. The Sky Guide: Covering the solar system and deep sky objects on offer to amateur astronomers in the first month of the New Year. Ralph: The Quadrantids peak on 3rd/4th January, a total lunar eclipse on 21st January, and Comet 46P Wirtanen still in our skies. Jeni: Mars and Uranus in Pisces, a glimpse of Neptune in Aquarius, Venus blazing away before dawn, and Jupiter in Ophiuchus. Paul: The Christmas Tree Cluster, Snowflake Cluster, Cone Nebula and the Fox Fur Nebula in Monoceros. Main Deep Sky Object: M45, the Pleiades Cluster. Q&A: Listeners' questions via email, Facebook & Twitter take us on a journey into the astronomy issues that have always plagued our understanding or stretched our credulity. This month we take a look USAF's rocket funding decision: Could you explain light year, parsec, universal galactic unit and warp one, and how they relate to one another? Steve Parry, Wales.

The Discussion: Arthur Eddington, the Caldwell catalogue and a round-up of emails to the show. The News: Rounding up the space and astronomy news this month we have: Waiting for a Gamma Ray Burst Watching the Milky Way's supermassive black hole feeding Finding a massive meteorite under 1km of ice in Greenland The discovery that the Milky Way has another satellite galaxy The Hyades is bigger than we thought – much bigger! Silica dust from supernovae discovered Main news story: The discovery of an exoplanet around Barnard's Star just 6 light year away. The Sky Guide: Covering the solar system and deep sky objects on offer to amateur astronomers in December: Ralph: Mars & Neptune conjunction, The Geminds meteor shower & Comet 46P Wirtanen at perihelion Paul: Venus, Uranus, Mercury & Jupiter Jeni: The Hyades in Taurus Q&A: Listeners' questions via email, Facebook & Twitter take us on a journey into the astronomy issues that have always plagued our understanding or stretched our credulity. This month we take a look USAF's rocket funding decision: What makes a galaxy? When is it a galaxy rather than just a cluster of stars? Wullie Mitchell, Scotland.

The Discussion: Jeni talking exoplanets and aliens at Cardiff Museum and we take a no spoiler look at the Neil Armstrong biopic, First Man. The News: Rounding up the space and astronomy news this month we have: Commercial spaceflight update New Zealand's Rocket Lab build a new launch site in the US The winners & losers in USAF's launcher funding competition China's Long March 5 rocket failure induces delays The death of the Kepler space telescope Russian Soyuz failures risk human access to space Hubble dead? Don't believe the hype OSIRIS-Rex begins its final manoeuvres to land on an asteroid Main news story: Europe and Japan's Bepicolumbo mission to Mercury. The Interview: Jeni interviews Bethan James, astronomer & astrophysicist currently working as an ESA/AURA Astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) on the Hubble instrument team. Q&A: Listeners' questions via email, Facebook & Twitter take us on a journey into the astronomy issues that have always plagued our understanding or stretched our credulity. This month we take a look USAF's rocket funding decision: Why wasn't SpaceX funded in the latest US military space funding round while Blue Origin was? Mark De Vrij, UK.

In this podcast extra episode we're talking to Libby Jackson, physicist and engineer, who's the Manager of Human Spaceflight and Microgravity at the UK Space Agency and was a European ISS flight controller and the spokesperson for Tim Peake's spaceflight. Being weightless The value of space research to everyday life Following your dreams Her new book: A Galaxy of Her Own Forgotten heroines of the world's space programmes

The Discussion: Jeni's tells us about her gig at the Cardiff Book Talk and an upcoming talk at Usk Astronomical Society, Paul had a hairy moment giving a talk on the Herschels only to find their descendants in the room and we run through listeners' emails The News: Rounding up the space and astronomy news this month we have: Low metallicity stars seem to harbour the rocky exoplanets A possible satellite galaxy to Mirach's Ghost may have been discovered by amateur kit Aliens may not be green but purple A plume-like cloud of water ice over Mars A review of the Galileo data shows no signs of cryovolcanic plumes on Europa The slowest rotating pulsar found Magnetism around Cygnus A supermassive black hole gives us some clues Has the first exomoon been discovered? Sky Guide: Taking a look at the astronomical objects above our heads this month that you can enjoy with a small telescope or binoculars. Paul: Saturn, Mars, Uranus, Neptune & a risky greatest elongation of Mercury on 6th November. And Comets 46P Wirtanen and 38P Stephan-Oterma may well provide some distractions too. Ralph: Northern Taurids meteor shower peaks on 12th November and the Leonids peak on the 17th. Jen: Mirach's Ghost in Andromeda and two galactic members of the Local Group NGC147 & NGC185. And we finish off with a spotlight on Venus which will be its brightest all year at the end of the month. Q&A: Listeners' questions via email, Facebook & Twitter take us on a journey into the astronomy issues that have always plagued our understanding or stretched our credulity. This month we take a look at accepted wisdom vs the evidence: Did a collision with the Earth create the moon? Is it fact or still a hypothesis? Andrew Osborn in London.

The Discussion: It's almost Halloween and Jeni's getting the knives out. Paul's been recording astronomy voiceovers for the Discovery Channel, Jeni's got the Cardiff BookTalk coming up and Ralph's excited by the return of Doctor Who. The News: Rounding up the space exploration news this month we have: ESA tell us that radiation is too dangerous for a Mars voyage The new Nobel Prizes are announced It might be all over for both Kepler and Hubble The Case of the ISS Leak detective story Israel's SpaceIL has an upcoming moonshot NASA are about to announce their plans for human space exploration Japan's Hayabusa 2 impresses us all Black History Month: To honour Black History Month, the crew take a look at the non white, middle-aged males that have pioneered and excelled in making our world what it is today in the fields of astronomy and space science. Q&A: Listeners' questions via email, Facebook & Twitter take us on a journey into the astronomy issues that have always plagued our understanding or stretched our credulity. This month we take a look at the fate of our sun: When the sun explodes into a supernovae how far will the ejected material go as a planetary nebulae? Also will any of the planets make it or will they all be shattered into oblivion? Tyler W in the US via email.

Download Episode! The Discussion: Paul has snubbed the show to do astronomy on TV so we're keeping our spirits up with tales of AstroCamp and the inspirational Libby Jackson from the UK Space Agency. Jeni updates us with the progress of her PhD and invites you all along to her Q&A session at Cardiff Book Talk on 22nd October, before Ralph runs through listeners' emails The News: With 3 minutes to round up the astronomy news stories you might have missed, we overshoot the time constraints by about 70%: Jeni: JAXA and NASA are exploring asteroids Jupiter's magnetic field gives us yet more surprises Saturn's hexagonal Jetstream appears to be hovering More 'research' trying to get Pluto reclassified… again. Ralph: Hubble & BUFFALO image of gravitationally lensing galaxy cluster An unusual ring of black holes (or neutron stars) in a distant galaxy The galactic wind in the early universe The 3rd Magellanic Cloud. The big news story: TESS finds its first exoplanet, amidst a little astro-controversy. The Sky Guide: Jeni and Ralph take you through their picks of the night sky in October: Ralph covers our solar system: October 8th gives us the peak of the Draconids meteor shower October 21st gives us the peak of the Orionids meteor shower. Jeni takes a look into the deep sky: Messier 33, the Triangulum Galaxy Messier 34, open cluster in Perseus Imaging target, the Heart Nebula in Cassiopeia. The main event: Uranus reaches opposition on 23rd October and we run through some Uranus factoids and tell you what to expect from the ice giant. Q&A: Listeners' questions via email, Facebook & Twitter take us on a journey into the astronomy issues that have always plagued our understanding or stretched our credulity. This month we look at distance metrics: Which point in other galaxies do astronomers measure galactic distances to, the galactic core or the edge? From Steve Brown in Yorkshire

Download Episode! The Discussion: Lt Col Dave from Florida gives us his more informed take on Space Force. The News: In the new revamped show format we have 3 minutes to round up the astronomy news stories you might have missed: Jeni: An incredible Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter image of Aristarchus Crater New life in the Kepler spacecraft Ralph: ESA's Aeolus weather data spacecraft launches NASA's OSIRIS-Rex spacecraft enters its science phase China's Chang'e 4 lander headed for the far side of the moon The big news story: The Parker Solar Probe on its way to 'touch the sun' The Debate: In this section the team debate a pressing question or issue in astronomy or space flight and in this inaugural debate, Ralph takes on Jeni to make arguments for what should be the next big human spaceflight destination: Moon or Mars? Q&A: Listeners' questions via email, Facebook & Twitter take us on a journey into the astronomy issues that have always plagued our understanding or stretched our credulity. This month we take a look at powering rovers on Mars: Will ExoMars be able to survive dust storms? From Mike in Florida

In this podcast extra episode, we go a step further than just talking about astronomy and look forward to a long weekend of practical astronomy. This episode discusses the value of star parties and whets your apetite for Awesome Astronomy's AstroCamp event in the Welsh Brecon Beacons International Dark Sky Reserve. Come share the eyepiece with us, enjoy a talk from the UK Space Agency's Libby Jackson and win some astronomy prizes!

Download Episode! The Discussion: Jeni returns after getting the flu, Paul's science shows were a wash out at Camp Bestival and Ralph gets a great email about a telescope library service. The News: In the new revamped show format we have 3 minutes to round up the astronomy news stories you might have missed: Jeni: New Gaia data shows us the distance and shape of familiar objects like never before India's Chandrayaan-1 finds water ice in the moon's north and south pole craters The Andromeda Galaxy's dwarf companion was canibalised by a galactic collision Ralph: An ultra-hot 4,000ºC exoplanet An ultra compact dwarf galaxy with a huge supermassive black hole Astronomy favourite Albireo isn't a binary star after all The big news story: New Horizons spacecraft confirms Voyager data on the Heliosphere The Skyguide: Jeni runs through some top facts about the planet Neptune Paul tells you where to find it and what you can expect to see Ralph runs through the autumn equinox, the constellations Cygnus & Lyra and visiting comet 21P Giacobini Zinner Paul finished with this month's moon phases Q&A: Listeners' questions via email, Facebook & Twitter take us on a journey into the astronomy issues that have always plagued our understanding or stretched our credulity. This month we take a look at astronomical time travel: I'm still trying to get my head around if bigger telescopes looking at the same thing as my 6 inch reflector are seeing it at a different time or in just more detail. Take the Whirlpool Galaxy for example, can it be seen at different stages in its existence? From Peter Coates in the UK. Episode 75 Part 2 on space exploration comes out in the middle of the month.

In this podcast extra episode, Jeni teams up with our good friend Dr Chris North from the Pythagoras Trousers podcast to speak to Caltech's Linde Professor of Physics and Nobel Laureate Barry Barish. In this interview we discuss: The early days of experimental particle physics Building the advances in technologies for today's experiments and detectors The fear of failure creating resistance to building LIGO Wanting to collect direct detections of signals from the Big Bang The first detection of gravitational waves The pomp, circumstance & minutiae of a Nobel Prize award Post Nobel science influence Advice for people wanting a career in STEM

The Discussion: Jeni cares so little for our listeners that she didn't even bother to show up this month (except for the interview section) and with no discipline Paul's defacing valuable space artefacts and the emails to the show take a plunge south. The News: The news section gets a revamp with a quick round up of the space exploration and astronomy news, covering: The United Kingdom's new spaceports Japan's Hayabusa 2 mission to return asteroid samples New optics on ESO's Very Large Telescope 10 more moons discovered on Jupiter and volcanoes on Io The latest data from ESA's Planck mission A rare extra solar neutrino discovery The Interview: Jeni talks to Josh Borrow from Durham University's Institute of Computational Cosmology about their simulations of the universe using supercomputers - and how you can make and control your own universe (yes, for reals!) at galaxymakers.org The Q&A: Listeners' questions via email, Facebook & Twitter take us on a journey into the astronomy issues that have always plagued our understanding or stretched our credulity. This month we take a look at the eventual fate of the dying star Betelgeuse: When Betelgeuse goes kabloom, what's the best estimate of what will be left, neutron star, pulsar, magnetar or black hole? From Martin Bradshaw in Accrington UK,

What to look out, and up, for in August. With no Jeni this month, Ralph & Paul pick their highlights for this month's skies; starting with the solar system objects on offer to observers and imagers: Mars just past opposition as impressive as last month A round up of the other planets on view The Perseid Meteor Shower peaking on 12/13th August Next up, we take a deep sky pick from our list of favourites for this time of year: Open clusters Messier 11 & Messier 26 in Scutum Globular cluster NGC6712 & planetary nebula IC1295 in Scutum Peculiar galaxy NGC7727 in Aquarius And we finish this sky guide with August's moon phases.

In this podcast extra episode, there was only one thing playing on all our minds - Space Force. What is it? Why is it? What will it look like? Just like us, I'm sure you'll be none the wiser after this in-depth look into: President Trump's plan to create the US Space Force The lesser known Welsh Force The International Space Treaty A few diversions into the future of aircraft technology

The Discussion: Jeni tells us about her more recent astronomy conferences in Eastbourne and Copenhagen. Paul gives us a round up of his astronomy outreach with interesting facts from and a rooftop star party. And Awesome Astronomy gets in deeper than intended with the Alan Bennet/Thora Hird gag that far outstayed its welcome. The News: Rounding up the space and astronomy news this month we have: AMI in the Sky with Diamonds! Farewell Apollo 12 moonwalker, Alan Bean An old mystery about our moon is solved Has the Mars Opportunity rover bitten the dust? The Interview: This month Jeni speaks to Dr Tana Joseph about the MeerKAT telescope and how outreach is impacting science in South Africa. Q&A: Listeners' questions via email, Facebook & Twitter take us on a journey into the astronomy issues that have always plagued our understanding or stretched our credulity. This month we take a look at solar physics: Will the Parker Solar Probe really touch the surface of the sun and what science will it do? Mark De Vriij in Poland

What to look out, and up, for in July. With no Jen this month (she's off sciencing), it's just Paul & Ralph's highlights for this month's skies; starting with the solar system objects on offer to observers and imagers: Mars at its most favourable opposition since 2003 Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Pluto A super-long lunar eclipse Next up, we take a deep sky pick from our list of favourites for this time of year. Ralph – Messier 16, The Eagle Nebula Paul - NGC 6822, Barnard's Irregular And we finish this sky guide with July's moon phases.

In this podcast extra episode, released during Pride month, we return to this April's European Week of Astronomy and Space Science where we spoke to Dr Ashley Spindler to find out more about: Galaxy evolution, the evolution of galaxy structures and star formation from the MaNGA project using Sloan Digital Sky Survey data South East Physics Network placement opportunities for post graduate students The challenges and obstacles that still exist for the LGBT community in the workplace and education efforts to make science environments more open and welcoming to all people. Ashley can also be found at @Ashley_Nova_ on Twitter.

The Discussion: Jeni's talking science conferences while Paul's doing impressions from his Who's Who of Yorkshire legends. Ralph runs through this month's pick of listeners tweets & emails with a focus on exoplanets and a big congrats to listener Dustin Ruoff The News: Rounding up the space and astronomy news this month we have: The earliest stars formed earlier than we thought! NASA's latest wow-piece is a helicopter on Mars The first interstellar immigrant settles in our solar system The Interview: This month we have two short interviews - something for the adults, something for the kids: Astronomy on Tap and International Astronomical Youth Camp. Q&A: Listeners' questions via email, Facebook & Twitter take us on a journey into the astronomy issues that have always plagued our understanding or stretched our credulity. This month we take a look climate change (don't groan!): What do you think the general (or astronomy/space) science community's approach to the problem of climate change should be? Are you optimistic? Alan Travelbea in Vancouver, Canada.

What to look out, and up, for in June. Ralph, Paul & Jen pick their highlights for this month's skies; starting with the solar system objects on offer to observers and imagers: Asteroid Vesta at opposition Saturn An overview of Venus, Jupiter and Mars Comet 21P - Giacobini–Zinner in Cygnus Next up, we take a deep sky pick from our list of favourites for this time of year. Ralph - The Double Double, Epsilon Lyrae, in Lyra Paul - Globular Clusters available to view in Ophiuchus Jen – Colourful binary star Albireo in Cygnus And we finish this sky guide with June's moon phases.

This podcast extra is a re-release of our full length interview with the 4th man to walk on the moon aboard the Apollo 12 mission in 1969. Alan Bean was not only a fighter pilot, Navy test pilot, astronaut, moonwalker, space station commander and artist, but he was also a very considerate, genuine and self-effacing gentleman. We are hugely saddened by the loss of such a lovely man but heartened that he passed away peacefully surrounded by his family. In this interview, recorded in October 2015 we discussed: journeying to the moon on a Saturn V rocket your rocket getting struck by lightening the mission's colourful commander (Pete Conrad) what the moon looked and felt like underfoot the science conducted on the surface of the moon the future of human spaceflight and the Martian Olympics Farewell Alan Bean. You leave us with only four humans that have memories of walking on the moon but a rich legacy of technological and scientific accomplishments.

In this podcast extra episode, we take a look back at the extraordinary life and work of Stephen Hawking who died on 14th March 2018, leaving a legacy rich with cosmology insights, humour, altruism, science education and a changed landscape in astronomy.

The Discussion: Jeni, Paul & Ralph survived the wilds of the Brecon Beacon's AstroCamp festival of astronomy, Jeni gathers a whole heap of astronomy interviews from the European Week of Astronomy and Space Science, and we read out a couple of emails requesting advice on amateur astronomy mounts, berating us for our April Fools' Twitter gag and asking for more content relevant to the southern hemisphere. The News: Rounding up the space and astronomy news this month we have: A galaxy containing no dark matter NASA launches its new exoplanet hunting satellite An exoplanet spotted using amateur astronomy equipment The Interview: This month Jeni caught up with Dr Jane Greaves & Dr Phil Cigan from Cardiff University to talk about their work finding phosphorus in the Crab Nebula – and why phosphorus is so important to life. Q&A: Listeners' questions via email, Facebook & Twitter take us on a journey into the astronomy issues that have always plagued our understanding or stretched our credulity. This month we take a look at atmospheres & the habitability of exoplanets: I thought red-dwarf stars were typically much more volatile than our g-type star and, as a result, planets in a red-dwarf system would typically be bombarded by solar storms and radiation stripping away their atmospheres and making them unlikely spots for life as we know it to be found. So how is it possible to have atmospheres around rocky planets in the Trappist 1 system? Dave Schlaudt in Michigan, USA

What to look out, and up, for in May. Ralph, Paul & Jen pick their highlights for this month's skies; starting with the solar system objects on offer to observers and imagers: The ever-brightening Mars Jupiter at opposition on 9th May Venus in the evening sky The Lyrid meteor shower Next up, we take a deep sky pick from our list of favourites for this time of year. Ralph – The plethora of summer objects in Sagittarius Paul – Globular Cluster, Messier 5, in Serpens Jen - M57, The Ring Nebula, in Lyra And we finish this sky guide with May's moon phases.

Welcome to AstroCamp! In this podcast extra episode, we welcome you to the practical astronomy arm of the Awesome Astronomy empire, as we take a run through what people can expect at our AstroCamp star party in the Brecon Beacons International Dark Sky Reserve on the extended weekend of 14-17th April 2018. We also take a look at the social and educational aspects of star parties and round everything off with some of our favourite solar system and deep sky objects visible this spring to observe for yourself. If you haven't booked a place yet and would like to come, head over to www.astrocamp.org.uk We're taking bookings all the way up to the 13th April 2018. See you under the stars!

The Discussion: The Beast from the East makes practical astronomy difficult and we take a look at listeners' emails that accuse us of imperialism, suggest we throw away some solar filters, provide an alternative look at solar system creation and reveal their own astronomy outreach experiences. The News: Rounding up the space and astronomy news this month we have: China's space station is about to fall out the sky Genetic sequencing looks at an alien find Did a year in space alter Mark Kelly's DNA? More delays to the James Webb Space Telescope A new European Space Agency telescope gets the green light Famous Astronomer: This month we give you a primer on an upcoming podcast extra on the life of recently departed Stephen Hawking. Q&A: Listeners' questions via email, Facebook & Twitter take us on a journey into the astronomy issues that have always plagued our understanding or stretched our credulity. This month we take a look answering difficult questions: I live in a part of the World with very strong religious beliefs and often get asked sensitive questions relating to faith and astronomy. I'd be interested to hear your take on this and what "polite" stock replies you give. Stefan Zietara, undisclosed location in the Middle East.