Episodes

  • Astrophiz209~MarchSkyGuide

    Astrophiz209~MarchSkyGuide
    Feb 26 2025
    March Moon Phases: Moon at Perigee March 2 First Quarter: March 7 Full Moon: March 14 Moon at Apogee March18 <> Last Quarter March 22 New Moon: March 29 Moon at Perigee again on March 30 Evening Skies: Mercury is very low in the evening twilight in the West. (binocs recommended but only after sunset) and Mercury will return to morning skies in April and will be quite nice then. Venus in the early evening twilight is very low in the West (and as a fine crescent in telescopes) … and will disappear from us by the end of the first week of March, and then will re-appear in the East as the ‘Morning Star’ in April. Jupiter is in the north west all night and best viewed around midnight. Nice new storms can be picked out in telescopes in the equatorial belt. Mars can still be seen in the West Uranus at mag 5.8 is still visible Saturn returns to evening skies in late March Highlights: 1 March: Saturn and Mercury near to thin crescent Moon (2° apart for Mercury) very low in evening twilight, will require binoculars. 2 March: Crescent Moon near crescent Venus very low in evening twilight (5°) 6 March: Waxing Moon near Jupiter in evening twilight (6°) 9 March: Waxing Moon near Mars in evening sky (5°), Moon close to Pollux 14 March: Occultation of bright star Beta Virginis around midnight 20 March: Earth at Equinox 21 March: Occultation of bright star Antares just after midnight behind moon Astrophotography Challenge: The T Coronae Borealis Nova. The challenge is to capture a Nova before and after it blows! This Nova is ‘overdue’ so all eyes are on it! Ian’s Tip: use 1sec stacks T Coronae Borealis last brightened in 1946, and astronomers initially predicted it would brighten again by September 2024. It's a variable star in Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown, a backward-C-shaped constellation east of Boötes. T Coronae Borealis, dubbed the “Blaze Star” and known to astronomers simply as “T CrB,” is a binary system nestled in the Northern Crown constellation some 3,000 light-years from Earth. The system is comprised of a dense white dwarf – an Earth-sized remnant of a dead star with a mass comparable to that of our Sun – and an ancient red giant slowly being stripped of hydrogen by the relentless gravitational pull of its hungry neighbour. Ian’s Tangent: Sky literacy, or lack thereof, as exemplified by ‘drone sightings’ in the US and amplified by the Governor of Maryland. We also discuss easy pathways to develop better sky literacy.
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    25 mins
  • Astrophiz 208-Unusual galaxies in the Early Universe

    Astrophiz 208-Unusual galaxies in the Early Universe
    Feb 14 2025
    Meet Dr Alex Cameron from Oxford University who is making fantastic discoveries about the earliest and most distant galaxies in our universe using the James Webb Space Telescope …
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    45 mins
  • Astrophiz207 - February SkyGuide

    Astrophiz207 - February SkyGuide
    Jan 31 2025
    Dr Ian Musgrave brings us his February SkyGuide … telling us when, where and what to look for in the evening and morning skies this month, with some great astrophotography tips. Listen: Summary: February is again a wonderful month for celestial observers with a great lineup of planets in your evening skies/ February Moon Phases: Feb 2 Moon at perigee Feb 5 First quarter moon.
 Feb 13 Full Moon
 Feb 18 Moon at apogee
 Feb 21 Last quarter moon Feb 28 New moon
 February’s Observing Highlights: All the action in Morning Skies has now moved to the Evening Skies where we have a fabulous line-up of planetary action all month. Saturn, Venus, Jupiter and Mars are putting on a marvellous visual display for us and blue Uranus is also relatively easy to find. Venus, even though it is in crescent phase, is at its brightest this month, As usual Ian gives us ‘Ian’s Tangent’ … and this month it’s all about present and future ‘Planet Parades’ and in two weeks we're zooming over to Oxford University to speak with Dr Alex Cameron, an amazing astrophysicist who has used the JWST to discover a new and most unusual class of galaxies in the very early universe, just after the big bang Keep looking Up!
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    28 mins
  • YorkUniverseInterview

    YorkUniverseInterview
    Jan 14 2025
    Today we’re zooming over 16 time zones from rural Australia to Toronto Canada where we are a guest on The York Universe Podcast with Dr Elaina Hyde and Julie Tomé where we are talking about What’s Up in the Skies Down Under.
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    53 mins
  • Astrophiz205~Holiday SkyGuide

    Astrophiz205~Holiday SkyGuide
    Nov 30 2024
    Dr Ian Musgrave gives us his fabulous Holiday SkyGuide where he tell us all the fabulous sights that are in store for us over December and January. Most of the planetary action is at family-friendly times in the evening skies. We have Venus Jupiter and Saturn all at their best these holidays, a meteor shower still worth a look despite the full moon mid-December, an occultation of Saturn by the moon, and a re-appearance of the 'Lunar X' phenomenon. In Ian's Tangent he reveals the latest advances in the science of tracing the origins of meteors. It's beautiful Science! For those celebrating festive occasions with friends and family in December and January, have a happy and safe festive season.
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    32 mins
  • Astrophiz204: Dr Elaina Hyde- The York Universe Podcast

    Astrophiz204: Dr Elaina Hyde- The York Universe Podcast
    Nov 13 2024
    In this our two hundred and fourth episode of Astrophiz, we’re going to listen in to another fabulous Astro podcast that you should subscribe to. Regular listeners will remember back to Episode 57 in 2018 where we interviewed a wonderful data scientist and astrophysicist, Dr Elaina Hyde. Elaina speaks four languages, has four undergraduate degrees in astronomy, physics, optical engineering and planetary sciences; two masters degrees in engineering and astronomy and astrophysics; and a Ph.D. in astronomy and physics. Now back then, Doctor Hyde was an post-doc research fellow at Western Sydney University and data science consultant …. and right now she is at York University in Toronto Canada where she is the director pf the Allan I Carswell Observatory and is an associate professor who has also developed wonderful outreach programs One aspect of Elaina’s outreach repertoire is where Doc Hyde and her York University colleagues regularly produce a fabulous podcast! In this episode we are re-broadcasting today they take us on a deep dive into science and science fiction with space launches from the past. We travel through the 70s (and a bit of the 50s) with space launches from Mariner, Voyager, Pioneer, to mention a few …. Join Elaina and her co-hosts, as well as Professor Mary-Helen Armour for this literal blast into space! Here we go !!
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • NovemberSkyGuide2024

    NovemberSkyGuide2024
    Oct 31 2024
    Astronomy- The Astrophiz podcast with Dr Ian ‘Astroblog’ Musgrave Moon Phases for November: 1 November - New Moon - ideal for stargazing 9 November - 1st Quarter Moon 14 November - Moon at perigee (closest) 16 November - Full Moon 23 November - Last Quarter Moon, also ideal for stargazing 26 November - Moon at apogee (furthest) Most of the planetary action is in the evening skies and late evening skies. Evening Skies: Venus is very high in early evening skies in the west Mercury is at its best in the evening twilight this month, near thin crescent moon on 3 November. Saturn is still quite good in the west this month. Jupiter is visible rising in the east in the late evening skies Mars enters evening skies later in the month, but still at its best in the mornings. In mid-month, Mercury, Venus and Saturn will be seen close to each other an hour after sunset. Uranus is in opposition at Mag5.7 so is actually an unaided eye object under dark sky conditions. Easy to find about 2 degrees above the Pleiades Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) is climbing higher and fading, but for the start of the month is still a nice binocular object in evening western skies before fading from most binoculars. The Leonid meteor shower is a waste of time this year due to a blazing moon. Morning Skies Mars is higher in the twilight in the East Jupiter is best in the mornings right now, as it slowly moves back to Aldabaran. Astrophotography Venus is in the heart of the galaxy, but you’ll need dark skies to have the long exposures needed to bring out the Milky Way’s heart. Comet C/2024 S1 is a possible (but not probable) ‘Lovejoy-type object’ to keep an eye out for.
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    24 mins
  • Dr Genevieve Schroeder - Radio Eyes on Gamma-ray Burst Skies

    Dr Genevieve Schroeder - Radio Eyes on Gamma-ray Burst Skies
    Oct 14 2024
    Astronomy ~ Astrophiz 202: Dr Genevieve Schroeder ~ Radio Eyes on Gamma-ray Burst Skies Meet Dr Genevieve Schroeder a fabulous astrophysicist who does exciting research into GRBs … Gamma Ray Bursts. A Gamma Ray Burst is the undisputed brightest-ever radiation coming from the most extreme events in the universe … Specifically, Genevieve hunts down and understands how Gamma-ray Bursts are generated by the most cataclysmic events in our universe
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    51 mins