astro[sound]bites astrosoundbites

Spooky season is here! In this episode, we’re investigating the ghostly disappearances of astrophysical objects. Sabrina does some detective work to solve the mystery of a missing black hole, and Kiersten tries to convince her that Halloween is the best holiday. Meanwhile, Cormac convenes with ghosts of stars to figure out where they have vanished off to. It turns out that gravitational waves are the perfect medium for an astrophysical seance! 
Astrobites:
https://astrobites.org/2022/05/10/missing-black-hole/
https://astrobites.org/2023/08/12/vanishing-stars-massive-island/
 
Space sound:
 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Xo3HajfkrKQ

We went on summer break (or winter break for our astronomer down under) but JWST did not! In our first episode back, we report on two new JWST Astrobites about exoplanet atmosphere. Kiersten tells us about the search for an atmosphere in a famous planetary system, Sabrina explains how poisonous gasses can signal “pre-life,” and Will appreciates null results that aren’t his own. 
 
Astrobites:
https://astrobites.org/2023/08/08/vibe-checking-trappist-1c/
https://astrobites.org/2023/08/19/signs-of-pre-life-jwst/
 
Space sound: 
https://chandra.si.edu/photo/2022/sonify5/animations.html

In this episode, astro[sound]bites gets even more international as we welcome our new co-host, Cormac Larkin, based in Europe! We sit down in three different time zones and continents to learn more about Cormac and discuss what we’re each excited about for the next year of astro[sound]bites. 
Introduction to research with astro[sound]bites:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1ztsQ92NeV0Nzhg0ZaohNB?si=a5a06325cb444076
Introduction to exoplanets with astro[sound]bites:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4YQaowzQUGlSiyQdtdglUy?si=9e1201dbabf34ba8
 

We take a deep breath of exoplanet atmospheres, discussing what JWST is capable of and what it already has accomplished using transmission spectroscopy. In this episode, we learn that Sabrina misses SOFIA, brown dwarfs have sandy clouds, and Will knows a thing or two about Picaso (yes, that’s with one “s”). AND as a tribute to Black Space Week, following up from Episode 76, the papers we presented in this episode were both written by Black astronomers. 
 
Astrobites:
https://astrobites.org/2021/12/22/atmospheres-small-planets-big-telescope/
https://astrobites.org/2022/09/02/jwsts-first-direct-spectrum/
 
Space sound: HARP. You can sign up to be a part of this amazing citizen science research! 
https://listen.spacescience.org/

Only 1% of Physics PhDs awarded to US citizens were to Black students in 2019 (according to the American Institute of Physics). In celebration of Juneteenth, we’ve invited the Black In Astro team to chat about their mission to support and highlight Black people in space science-related fields. We hear about their trajectories in space sciences and astronomy and their perspectives on the future. This episode’s release also marks the beginning of Black Space Week hosted by Black in Astro! They tell us how the celebration will be bigger and better in 2023 to continue celebrating Black scientists worldwide. 
 
Black In Astro: https://www.blackinastro.com/
 
Black Space Week 2023: https://www.blackinastro.com/posters-and-advertisements-for-bsw2023
 
Juneteenth: https://www.nytimes.com/article/juneteenth-day-celebration.html
 
Black Representation in Physics & Astronomy: https://astrobites.org/2020/06/12/blackinastro-black-representation-in-astro-physics-and-the-impact-of-discrimination/
 
American Institute of Physics Report: https://www.aip.org/statistics/reports/trends-physics-phds-171819
 
Articles: 
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41578-021-00361-5
https://hbr.org/2019/11/the-costs-of-codeswitching
https://onezero.medium.com/a-break-up-letter-with-astronomy-from-a-young-black-woman-a30de24fe209
https://www.forbes.com/sites/janicegassam/2022/02/11/does-academia-actually-want-black-professors/?sh=6af2a1b1f4ca
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-diversity-makes-us-smarter/
 

Did you know that talking about astronomy can actually make you hungry? In this episode, Kiersten and Will take us on a culinary adventure through food themed astrobites. Instead of starting with the main course, Will takes us to Mars for dessert where we dine on a meteorite that initially got confused for a huge piece of chocolate. Then, Kiersten takes us to a stellar cooking class where we learn about the ingredients needed to make small exoplanets and its striking similarities to baking a cake. 
 
Sonification & Visualization:
Sounds of Exoplanet Systems: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idlB8JgKGU4
 
Astrobites:
https://astrobites.org/2023/04/29/cacao-meteorite-and-other-fe-ni-meteorites-on-mars/
https://astrobites.org/2022/10/21/the-great-planet-bake-off/