Dog Stars Dog Stars

Mr Max and Chris are back out under surprisingly wintery skies. We check in on our old friend Betelgeuse, follow a new friend for a while with #nobarking, and talk about why you need goats in your chariot, why one star is really four, and what to spot with binoculars.

You can read more about Capella here: https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/advice/star-capella

And buy Chris' book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Our-Accidental-Universe-Discovery-Asteroids/dp/1911709186

(It's out in the US in June, so you'll have to be patient if you're there!)

On a cloudy damp evening in Oxford, Chris and Mr Max are braving the weather. Max is keen on a jam jar, while Chris tells us the story of world’s greatest radio astronomer, Grote Reber. Missiles and parrots also feature.

The story is included in Chris’s new book, ‘Our Accidental Universe’, out in March and available from Amazon (https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Our-Accidental-Universe-by-Chris-Lintott/9781911709183) or wherever you buy your books. (Unless you’re in the US, in which case your version, ‘Accidental Astronomy’ will be out in June)

On a clear February night, Mr Max is heading for home after visiting Bread Corner. Meanwhile, Chris picks on his least favourite constellation, Gemini. The twins take a prominent place in the winter sky, but we find out why it disappoints Chris, how it harbours a strange, pulsing mystery, and why it's the place to keep an eye out for planets.

There's a guide to Gemini from Sky at Night magazine here: https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/advice/constellation-gemini

Geminga is visible in all its blobby glory in this image from ESA: https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/ESA_is_hot_on_the_trail_of_Geminga

This episode is dedicated to a winter wonder, the Orion Nebula. Learn about Chris' favourite object as we hear how conditions in this nearby stellar nursery may have given us a clue to the start of life on Earth while Mr Max explores a new set of streets in search of pizza.
Amazing image of the nebula from Hubble here: https://hubblesite.org/contents/media/images/2006/01/1826-Image.html

But I also really love Will Gater's sketch of the nebula: https://www.willgaterastrophotography.com/sketches/e63vefwte0w2z754kbq2mmqo40yrgw

It's Christmas, and the International Space Station will be paying us a festive visit. Mr Max is enjoying festive pavement treats, Chris tells us a Christmas story about the power of doing very little, and the Moon just about peeks through the clouds.

Thanks for joining us on our walks this year! Let's Go!

International Space Station predictions from https://heavens-above.com/ or https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/

The Hubble Deep Field story is here: https://esahubble.org/science/deep_fields/

Chris and Mr Max are out under a beautifully clear winter sky, looking at Jupiter and talking about its enormous (but shrinking) red spot. New results from the Juno spacecraft (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/jupiters-great-red-spot-is-surprisingly-deep/) teach us about this long lived storm, and provide a surprising connection to lego. Mr Max is keen for speed, and is not to be distracted by anything on this pleasingly lovely evening.

Many more images from the Juno mission are available here: https://www.missionjuno.swri.edu/

Amazing views of Jupiter from a small telescope from Damian Peach, the king of planetary imaging here: https://www.damianpeach.com/jup22.htm

Some gorgeous sketches in this article from my old colleague Paul Abel: https://britastro.org/2017/observers-challenge-jupiters-great-red-spot