Naked Astronomy, from the Naked Scientists

How do tornadoes form on the Sun? Why does Jupiter enhance our Meteor showers? And how can pulsars be used as a deep space positioning system? This month's Naked Astronomy comes from the Royal Astronomical Society's National Astronomy Meeting, held this year at the University of Manchester. We'll hear how Juno hopes to probe beneath the surface of Jupiter, find out how a cloud of carbon gives us clues about star formation in the early universe, and explore how astronomers have helped archaeologists to understand a standing stone over 4000 years old... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Is an asteroid impact more likely than winning the lottery? What can Moon rock tell us about the Earth? And how did a biology teacher discover a new astronomical object? In this Naked Astronomy AstroFest special, we'll ask if the Kepler observatory is ushering in a new scientific revolution, meet Hanny van Arkel, who discovered Hanny's Voorwerp on citizen science project Galaxy Zoo and find out why one former MP thinks we should be concerned about being hit by an asteroid... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Can a mid-infra red view reveal the universe's secrets? In this month's Naked Astronomy, we meet MIRI, the Mid Infra Red Instrument set to launch on the James Webb Space Telescope. It should give us a glimpse of the very first galaxies and examine the clouds of hydrogen gas spread throughout the universe. We'll also find out how distorted galaxies can shed light on the distribution of dark matter, discover El Gordo - a newly discovered galaxy cluster. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

If you could look down from the International Space Station, what would you look at? This month on Naked Astronomy, we discover UrtheCast - a system that could let you point a camera down from the International Space Station, and integrate your social media world with images from space. And we'll get a glimpse of a star as it explodes, and get the first evidence of its chemical composition. Plus, we have a round up of space science headlines, and we your questions on neutrinos, cosmic expansion and the age of the universe... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Can supernovae account for all of the oxygen in the universe? What happens to massive stars at the end of their lives? This month, we delve into stellar science to look at the ultimate fate of stars, and why the first stars might be smaller than we thought. Plus, a round up of astronomical news, and your space science questions... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What are the mysterious blue straggler stars? In this month's Naked Astronomy we'll find out why some stars stand out from the crowd, as well as investigate the polarity of the universe. Plus, we hear the latest news from the Royal Astronomical Society, and take on your questions on rocket stability, detecting dark matter and our place in the universe. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Are the foundations of Dark Matter crumbling? How can a planet be blacker than black paint? What are the sunsets like on a planet with 2 suns? In this month's Naked Astronomy, we'll discover Kepler-16b; a planet with two suns, we look to recent experimental results to see if the Cold Dark Matter theory still stands, and we explore the least reflective planet ever found... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We look back over the last few months of Astronomy interviews. We'll hear how scientists search for planets in the glare of their parent star, why a simulated mission to Mars will help us to understand how astronauts will cope with isolation, and the challenges of communicating astronomy on television. Plus, what our solar system looks like to a distant observer, and how antique globes tell the story of our understanding. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What happens when a black hole rips a star to shreds? What can a solar science mission tell us about other stars? And is South Africa prepared for the largest radio telescope ever planned? This month on Naked Astronomy, we explore a unique gamma ray burst, discover the useful extra info in data from STEREO, and discuss the South African bid for the Square Kilometre Array. Plus, news of CoGeNT's search for Dark Matter, Enceladus' salty sub-surface sea, and clues on the creation of the solar system gathered from the remains of the Genesis mission. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How are sunspots born? What does a black hole collision look like? How long does it take to make a full-size galaxy? This month on Naked Astronomy, we find out why people searching for pulsars might spot colliding black holes in their data, how galaxies may form quicker than predicted, and where in the sun sunspots first arise. Plus, news from gravity probe B, why there's no more space on the moon for craters, and how as many as half of all hot Jupiters may be spinning the wrong way. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In this special podcast from the National Astronomy Meeting in Llandudno, we hear how twisted sunspots cause solar flares, how 17th century poetry can put a date on a supernova, and why some pulsars are part-timers. We'll find out how CANDELS and LOFAR can probe the early universe, while DEBRIS looks for dusty disks around stars. Plus, we shed light on your solar science questions! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In this special edition of the Naked Astronomy podcast we look at the astronomical events held at the Cambridge Science Festival. We'll hear from Dr Dan Stark about exploring the early Universe, find out what tooth x-rays and telescopes have to do with the man who coined the term "Big Bang" and ask if our Universe is but one of many... Plus, we catch up with Carolin Crawford, Andrew Pontzen and Dominic Ford to find out what they've been doing this month to bring space science to the wider public. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In this month's Naked Astronomy, we explore the unique system of six planets orbiting the star Kepler 11, and find out what to expect from the James Webb Space Telescope. Plus news of the runaway star spotted by WISE - the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, a STEREO view of the whole Sun and how a galaxy spotted at a redshift of 10 can teach us about star formation in the early universe. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This month on Naked Astronomy, we discover the streams of antimatter coming from lightning on Earth, and find out how to study the stars that ended the dark ages and brought light to the universe. We hear about Jupiter's role in Earth asteroid impacts, Cassini's flypast of Saturn's moon Rhea and the first science results from the Planck mission. Plus, your questions on light speed route planning, outrunning sunset and why the solstice doesn't coincide with the earliest dawn! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

This month, we read the history of Martian science in a collection of globes, and find out why it's important to understand ancient and aboriginal astronomy. We find out why some Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) are shrouded in darkness, discuss the recent controversy around arsenic-using bacteria and get the high-speed low-down on the Hubble Space Telescope. Plus, we tackle your questions on gravity, relativity and the edge of the universe. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

The International Space Station celebrated 10 years of habitation this month, pushing the boundaries of our knowledge of life in orbit. We find out more about living in space, as well as discover new gravitational lenses in this month's Naked Astronomy. Also, news of lead ion collisions in the LHC and giant gamma-ray bubbles emitting from our local black hole. Plus, your questions on gravity, neutron stars and dark matter. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

What would an extrasolar observer see of our solar system? We find out in this month's Naked Astronomy as well as explore the events that led to climate change on a cosmic scale. Plus, news of an asteroid flyby, surfing Venus' atmosphere and the end of the WMAP. We take on your space science questions, including the best place to site a space elevator! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How do you make steam inside a star? We explore the science of solar chemistry to find out how water molecules are created inside the envelope of red giants and We get an delegates-eye-view of the European Planetary Science Congress in Rome. In the news we discover a new way to find asteroids, explain the dust clouds surrounding binary stars and find out how the fine structure constant seems to vary over both space and time. Plus, we take on your space science questions on diluted light, Horava Gravity and building black holes! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Is our solar system normal? We compare ourselves to the ever increasing list of exoplanets to find out if we're the weird ones in the universe in this month's Naked Astronomy. Also, we explore the Nili Fossae region of Mars, where the rocks may contain evidence of early life - if only we could get there to find out. Plus, news about the shrinking moon and buckyballs in space and we tackle your space science questions. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

How do you answer the biggest questions in the Universe? In this month's Naked Astronomy, we'll find out how Stuart Clark tackles these issues, why satellites the size of a Rubic's cube can help launch new and innovative technology, and how to measure Earth's magnetic field. Plus, news about the birth of massive stars, the asymmetric death of old stars and extreme weather on exoplanets. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Can we watch whole worlds wandering? We'll explore the mechanisms of - and evidence for - planetary migration in this month's Naked Astronomy, and find out if migration in our own solar system can account for Earth's violent history. Also, we explore the processes that get stars started. Plus, news about strange flashes spotted on Jupiter, the origins of the Oort cloud and the Hayabusa mission bringing asteroid dust home to Earth. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Gamma Ray Bursts are the brightest events in the Universe. They shine like beacons, revealing the existence of galaxies we couldn't previously see, but what are they now showing astronomers? Also, we focus on the engineering challenges of extremely large telescope technology and how devices developed for stargazing could also hold the key to clean electricity here on Earth. Plus, a look back at Herschel's first year in action, how black holes get thrown out of galaxies, planet eating stars, as well as your questions on black holes, dark matter and the shape of the Milky Way. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We find out how to measure a comet by riding in it's wake in this Naked Astronomy, as well as explore the latest exhibit in the Galaxy Zoo - brand new Hubble Space Telescope images. Plus, spotting a lightning strike on Saturn, Venusian volcanoes and cooling neutron stars, as well as your questions on black holes, shrinking comets and how to set your watch on the moon! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Is our galaxy home to aliens? Well, yes, but only if you're talking about clusters of stars. We find out how the Milky Way has stolen globular clusters from other galaxies on this month's Naked Astronomy, as well as explore why our search for ET has been met with an eerie silence. Plus, news of lava channels on Mars, the youngest exoplanet ever found and your questions about gravity, the earlest elements and the evidence for the big bang. Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Blocking the light from a star is the only way to see some extra solar planets, as we find out in this month's Naked Astronomy. We discover how small, precise optics can do this job for us, as well as explore some of the current missions studying the Sun, and find out what the recently launched Solar Dynamics observatory will add. Plus, the seasons on Pluto, a comet-like collision confusion and your space science questions! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

We find out how to identify an exploding star in this edition of Naked Astronomy, with record holder and super supernovae spotter Tom Boles. Plus, how the Faulkes Telescope Project puts schoolchildren in charge of a 5 million pound telescope, the latest science news and we answer your questions on black holes, star shapes and what it's like to live on Venus! Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In this edition of Naked Astronomy, why scientists are making mud in the laboratory to try free a trapped Mars rover, the discs that give birth to new planets, the space equivalent of an ordnance survey map for the stars and how scientists are seeking the origins of life in outer space. Plus, your queries about the cosmos: could Earth capture a new moon, why is the asteroid belt not just a planet and is there a planet beyond Pluto... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

In this launch edition of Naked Astronomy, we report on how the Planck probe is seeing the oldest light in the Universe, the Rosetta mission flyby en-route to a distant comet, how LCROSS executed a deft lunar impact and what it revealed, how the LRO has imaged the Apollo landing sites and how Herschel promises to shed some light on the deep dark depths of space. Plus, your cosmological questions answered including, what's a quasar, why are the rings of Uranus vertical, do astronauts age more rapidly and could we brighten up the full moon with a giant lunar reflector...? Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists