94 episodes

Astrobites for your ears. Three grad students bring you cutting-edge research findings in astronomy and connect the dots between diverse subfields.

astro[sound]bites astrosoundbites

    • Science
    • 5.0 • 16 Ratings

Astrobites for your ears. Three grad students bring you cutting-edge research findings in astronomy and connect the dots between diverse subfields.

    Episode 87.5: The Shamrock Shake-Up

    Episode 87.5: The Shamrock Shake-Up

    In celebration of St. Patrick’s (not Patty’s) Day, we share a super short sneak peek at next week’s episode, featuring fun Irish astronomical facts. We’re calling it the Shamrock Shake-up! In addition to the astronomical facts, Will takes us on a journey to the past with some wild Irish lore of his own! We hope you enjoy what might be our first “Beyond the beyond” episode, and Lá Fhéile Pádraig faoi mhaise daoibh go léir!
     
    Intro music excerpt: “Granny hold the candle while I shave the chicken’s lip” - Bodega
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fz4IxFy27dw

    • 16 min
    Episode 87: Unexpected Gravitational Waves

    Episode 87: Unexpected Gravitational Waves

    We talk about gravitational waves again, but this time, in ways you wouldn’t expect. Cormac tells us how you could use gravitational waves to study the interior of the Sun, if the alignment is just right. Sabrina explores whether gravitational waves could be detected by Earth’s magnetosphere through the Gertsenshtein effect. Simultaneously, we learn that Sabrina knows how to pronounce Russian names properly and Will isn’t the biggest fan of theory. 
     
    Astrobites:
    https://astrobites.org/2023/06/20/using-planetary-magnetospheres-to-detect-gravitational-waves/
    https://astrobites.org/2023/11/11/using-gravitational-waves-to-peer-inside-of-the-sun/
     
    Additional thematic material:
    https://astrobites.org/2023/02/08/detecting-gravitational-waves-with-the-moon/
    https://astrobites.org/2022/12/22/gravitational-wave-parallax/
    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0273117723009171?via%3Dihub
     
    Space sound: https://www.nasa.gov/solar-system/sounds-of-the-sun/
    Ultra-high-frequency gravitational wave conference: https://www.ctc.cam.ac.uk/activities/UHF-GW.php

    • 45 min
    Episode 86: Indigenous Astronomy Part II - Science of the First Astronomers

    Episode 86: Indigenous Astronomy Part II - Science of the First Astronomers

    In the second episode of the astro[sound]bites series focusing on Indigenous astronomy, we interview Duane Hamacher, a physics professor at the University of Melbourne and a world leading researcher in Indigenous astronomy. Duane shares his journey from Missouri to pursuing a PhD in Australia and immersing himself in the study of astronomy within the Torres Strait community, learning from Indigenous knowledge holders. He tells us how Indigenous peoples around the world have seen astronomy more as a way of life that’s embedded in their culture. Through our discussion, we challenge common misconceptions and gain insight into the profound significance that Indigenous astronomy has held for humanity, long preceding the invention of telescopes. However, our interview only scratches the surface of the field of Indigenous astronomy.
     
    Thank you to Prof. Duane Hamacher for taking the time to be interviewed for this episode! (Also sorry for the construction noise in the background of this episode! We hope the exciting interview makes up for it.)
     
    Duanes’ book The First Astronomers: https://www.thefirstastronomers.com/

    • 1 hr 16 min
    Episode 85: Indigenous Astronomy Part I - Living Descendants of the First Astronomers

    Episode 85: Indigenous Astronomy Part I - Living Descendants of the First Astronomers

    Did you know that Indigenous communities around the world have been doing astronomy since ancient times? Indigenous peoples studied the night sky with great precision. In this episode, we talk to five indigenous astronomers from across the world to understand how their identity and communities shaped their journey to science. Their interviews tell us about their cultures from who their Elders are to how they used the constellations to harvest emu eggs. 
     
    Thank you to Kirsten Banks, Krystal de Napoli, Hilding Nielson, Bridget Kimsey, and Corey Gray for taking the time to be interviewed for this episode!
     
    Check out these astrobites:
    https://astrobites.org/2018/10/26/additional-arguments-that-aboriginal-australians-observed-variable-stars/
    https://astrobites.org/2022/11/11/book-review-the-first-astronomers/
    https://astrobites.org/2023/07/01/betelgeuse-betelgeuse-betelgeuse-is-it-supernovatime/
     
    The First Astronomers Book:
    https://www.thefirstastronomers.com/

    • 59 min
    Episode 84.5: Come Podcast With Us!

    Episode 84.5: Come Podcast With Us!

    Did we mention we’re recruiting two new co-hosts? And also our new Mars Office Manager and Chief Astrologer? Lots of exciting things are happening on a[s]b (and on Mars) in 2024 and we want you to be a part of it! Find out more and apply to be a co-host here: https://astrosoundbites.com/recruiting-2024/. We can’t wait to hear from you.

    • 9 min
    Episode 84: Abominable Ice

    Episode 84: Abominable Ice

    It’s all about ice, ice, baby! In this episode, Sabrina takes us on a trek to Antarctica. While we hide from Cthulhu, she tells us how the frigid observatory IceCube is using elusive neutrinos to tell us about the Milky Way. Meanwhile, our meteorologist Will does some investigation of the flavors of ice we can expect to find on some potentially habitable planets. 
     
    Astrobites:
    https://astrobites.org/2023/06/29/
    https://astrobites.org/2022/01/07/
     
    Space sound:
    https://webbtelescope.org/contents/media/videos/2022/040/01GA960MD71VJ5ZE3EDFRT72NE

    • 53 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
16 Ratings

16 Ratings

anna555631 ,

I enjoy and learn from every episode

Fabulous podcast!

Nyncca ,

Geeky and wonderful

Easily digestible bits of knowledge around various astrophysical and cosmological topics. Fun to listen to and perfect length. I also really enjoy the hosts—a group of enthusiastic grad students who bring a lot of (sometimes eye-rolling) humor to their topics. Keep up the great work!

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