https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-star-spot--6627353enAstronomyCopyright wise gerryhttps://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/d2ea872d44881178be114075af463b98.jpghttps://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-star-spot--6627353Thu, 02 Oct 2025 07:43:36 +0000wise gerrywise gerryfeeds@spreaker.comThe astronomy and space exploration podcastfalseepisodichttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-185-did-a-supernova-cause-a-mass-extinction-with-brian-fields--66130935cc4c789c-0ba2-41c5-85bb-a15ec32e8fdcMon, 28 Sep 2020 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Brian Fields By now we are all familiar with the theory that an asteroid brought to an end the age of the dinosaurs, a period of domination that had lasted 167 million years. But asteroids are not the only harbingers of doom that lurk...2511aliens,astronaut,astronomy,cosmology,exoplanets,extraterrestrial,galaxy,hubble,mars,moon,planets,quasars,rover,sciencestars,space,supernova,telescopes,terraforming,universefalse185fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-184-the-milky-way-s-first-fast-radio-burst-with-sandro-mereghetti--661309368fad2a58-b388-4682-9318-a27d6f749a7eMon, 14 Sep 2020 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Sandro Mereghetti Fast radio bursts are a new mystery in astronomy. These highly energetic events of unknown origin were first discovered in 2007 out in deep space. Now a team is reporting the first fast radio burst to emanate from our...2466aliens,astronaut,astronomy,cosmology,exoplanets,extraterrestrial,galaxy,hubble,mars,moon,planets,quasars,rover,sciencestars,space,supernova,telescopes,terraforming,universefalse184fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-183-covid-19-meets-the-nasa-space-apps-challenge-with-james-slifierz--6613096787ce8bda-9fda-47d1-8570-70e00bb98159Mon, 25 May 2020 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: James Slifierz The NASA Space Apps Challenge is a feverish annual hackathon engaging teams of coders, scientists and storytellers around the world. Each year thousands of participants in over 75 countries compete to solve real-world...2313aliens,astronaut,astronomy,cosmology,exoplanets,extraterrestrial,galaxy,hubble,mars,moon,planets,quasars,rover,sciencestars,space,supernova,telescopes,terraforming,universefalse183fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-182-planet-nine-or-black-hole-one-with-jakub-scholtz--66130937e3bcb113-c433-4184-9370-2da092a00276Mon, 11 May 2020 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Jakub Scholtz We’ve long believed that membership in the solar system’s planetary family was limited to those eight planets we learned about in grade school. But then astronomers began to raise the possibility of a new super-Earth-sized...2421aliens,astronaut,astronomy,cosmology,exoplanets,extraterrestrial,galaxy,hubble,mars,moon,planets,quasars,rover,sciencestars,space,supernova,telescopes,terraforming,universefalse182fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-181-reports-of-betelgeuse-s-death-are-greatly-exaggerated-with-emily-levesque--66130938c1a40eef-5f5d-415a-a916-3a5e9c93371eMon, 27 Apr 2020 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Emily Levesque In December 2019, amateur and professional astronomers held their breath as the red supergiant Betelgeuse started dimming beyond anything on record, a sign the behemoth might be preparing to go supernova. But over the...2490aliens,astronaut,astronomy,cosmology,exoplanets,extraterrestrial,galaxy,hubble,mars,moon,planets,quasars,rover,sciencestars,space,supernova,telescopes,terraforming,universefalse181fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-180-wormholes-through-space-and-time-with-john-cramer--66130939542256ef-af8f-4f14-867e-6e15818dfa8cMon, 06 Apr 2020 03:06:11 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: John G. Cramer They are the stuff of science fiction, but wormholes are also the subject of intense scientific debate. Can wormholes provide a mechanism for faster than light travel through space and, even more intriguing, do they open...3078aliens,astronaut,astronomy,cosmology,exoplanets,extraterrestrial,galaxy,hubble,mars,moon,planets,quasars,rover,sciencestars,space,supernova,telescopes,terraforming,universefalse180fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-179-dreams-of-floating-cities-with-geoffrey-landis--66130972fde5a8f8-c4d8-478f-a0ac-4bf232a842aaMon, 02 Mar 2020 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Geoffrey A. Landis When we think of terraforming, we probably envision turning the Red Planet blue. But Mars isn’t the only world in our solar system that ambitious scientists have considered transforming. Imagine a network of floating...1685accelerating,aliens,arecibo,asteroid,astrobiology,astrology,astronaut,astronomy,brian,bursts,canada,comets,constant,cosmology,cosmos,dark,eclipse,enceladus,et,europafalse179fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-178-sibling-rivalry-at-the-centre-of-the-galaxy-with-smadar-naoz--661309407f9b0927-64d7-4bd2-92a8-6468a73ae5e9Mon, 03 Feb 2020 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Smadar Naoz We’ve long known that most galaxies contain at their core a supermassive black hole that can be millions of times the mass of the sun. But now researchers are discovering galaxies with more than one supermassive black hole...2564accelerating,aliens,arecibo,asteroid,astrobiology,astrology,astronaut,astronomy,brian,bursts,canada,comets,constant,cosmology,cosmos,dark,eclipse,enceladus,et,europafalse178fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-177-the-case-of-the-missing-dark-matter-with-guo-chi--66130976329d17e0-19c0-4dca-8e99-63b866adab57Mon, 20 Jan 2020 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Guo Qi Dark matter vastly overshadows ordinary matter in our universe. Wherever astronomers turn their telescopes they find galaxies dominated by dark matter. But all that changed recently with the first discoveries of dwarf galaxies...2036accelerating,aliens,arecibo,asteroid,astrobiology,astrology,astronaut,astronomy,brian,bursts,canada,comets,constant,cosmology,cosmos,dark,eclipse,enceladus,et,europafalse177fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-176-second-genesis-with-jay-melosh--66130944f748b0a7-a81f-4624-84b1-2d9f342a7ed8Mon, 06 Jan 2020 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Jay Melosh If we should find creatures crawling around Titan or swimming under the ice sheets of Europa or Enceladus, they will almost certainly turn out to be the result of a second genesis, those creatures truly alien in the most...2634aliens,astronaut,astronomy,brian,canada,dark,eclipse,exploration,fuzzy,galaxy,jay,mars,planets,radio,sciences,scifi,space,stars,ufo,universefalse176fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-175-the-truth-is-out-there-at-the-university-of-manitoba--661309513bd711d7-32cc-4213-a231-fb3f094c1f58Mon, 23 Dec 2019 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Shelley Sweeney The University of Manitoba has just acquired the largest collection of UFO related material. Prominent Canadian ufologist Christ Rutkowski has made a donation of over 30,000 documents, photos, artifacts and government...2506aliens,astronaut,astronomy,brian,canada,dark,eclipse,exploration,fuzzy,galaxy,mars,planets,radio,sciences,scifi,space,stars,sweeney,ufo,universefalse175fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-174-fuzzy-dark-matter-with-lachlan-lancaster--66130943927db9b2-c357-45f7-ac91-d4009524372aMon, 25 Nov 2019 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Lachlan Lancaster Quantum mechanics is strange. Until recently we could comfort ourselves with the belief that its odd properties were safely confined to the world of the microscopic. But what if quantum mechanical effects were suddenly...2001aliens,astronaut,astronomy,brian,canada,dark,eclipse,exploration,fuzzy,galaxy,mars,moon,planets,radio,sciences,scifi,space,stars,ufo,universefalse174fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-173-discovering-an-ancient-oasis-with-william-rapin--661309500f7299b7493347e9b376b2b55c631e1cMon, 11 Nov 2019 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: William Rapin Welcome to Sutton Island, here in the middle of a beautiful and rugged landscape consisting of shallow lakes filled with salts and minerals. It’s a common vista on this world, and while the world in question is not our...2624aliens,astronaut,astronomy,brian,canada,eclipse,exploration,fast,galaxy,mars,moon,planets,quantum,radio,sciences,scifi,space,stars,ufo,universefalse173fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-172-the-hubble-not-so-constant--661309455db11503173e4ce19f8bb8a8cee08a02Mon, 16 Sep 2019 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Sherry Suyu The Hubble constant, which measures the expansion rate of the cosmos, may not be a constant after all, and if that’s true it means we’re missing something big in our understanding of the universe. Today we’re joined here at...2043aliens,astronaut,astronomy,brian,canada,eclipse,exploration,fast,galaxy,mars,moon,planets,quantum,radio,sciences,scifi,space,stars,ufo,universefalse172fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-171-ploonets-when-moons-go-rogue-with-jorge-zuluaga--66130953546907ca35bf41b89ef4e8e26362b5b2Mon, 02 Sep 2019 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Jorge Zuluaga Astronomers have yet to confirm a single detection of an exomoon, that is a moon orbiting a planet outside our solar system. Now it turns out at least part of the explanation is that we may have been looking in the wrong...2509aliens,astronaut,astronomy,brian,canada,eclipse,exploration,fast,galaxy,mars,moon,planets,quantum,radio,sciences,scifi,space,stars,ufo,universefalse171fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-170-the-mystery-of-fast-radio-bursts-with-vikram-ravi--66130942f283db0368e84e4fa577a377b6f8bb09Mon, 19 Aug 2019 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Vikram Ravi They come to us from deep space. They last a tiny fraction of a second. They contain as much energy as the sun’s total output in 80 years. Yet we still haven’t figured out what causes these so-called Fast Radio Bursts or...2544aliens,astronaut,astronomy,brian,canada,eclipse,exploration,fast,galaxy,mars,moon,planets,quantum,radio,sciences,scifi,space,stars,ufo,universefalse170fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-169-science-at-the-limits-part-2--661309714af7ed1d16b84092ae761b37d84b86f5Mon, 05 Aug 2019 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Dan Falk Scientists are finding themselves increasingly squeezed between academics sounding the limits of science and a public increasingly taken in by pseudoscience and conspiracy theories. Today we conclude our review of science under...2813aliens,asteroid,astronaut,astronomy,brian,canada,eclipse,exploration,galaxy,mars,moon,planets,quantum,sciences,scifi,space,stars,supernova,ufo,universefalse169fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-168-celebrating-apollo-science-at-the-limits-part-1--66130956
About Our Guest Dan Falk is an award winning science journalist and broadcaster. He has been published very broadly, including Smithsonian, The Walrus, Cosmos magazine, Scientific American, NBCnews.com, Slate and New Scientist. Dan Falk is also the author of three books, including In Search of Time: Journeys Along a Curious Dimension, Universe on a T-Shirt: The Quest for the Theory of Everything, and The Science of Shakespeare: A New Look at the Playwright’s Universe. He co-hosts the BookLab podcast. In spring 2019 he was the Science Communicator in Residence at York University in Toronto.]]>c4610f91e73346d998f6b01780da478dMon, 22 Jul 2019 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Dan Falk Today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by science writer Dan Falk. We’ll start today’s interview with a commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the landing of humans on the moon and the internationalism of that critical...
About Our Guest Dan Falk is an award winning science journalist and broadcaster. He has been published very broadly, including Smithsonian, The Walrus, Cosmos magazine, Scientific American, NBCnews.com, Slate and New Scientist. Dan Falk is also the author of three books, including In Search of Time: Journeys Along a Curious Dimension, Universe on a T-Shirt: The Quest for the Theory of Everything, and The Science of Shakespeare: A New Look at the Playwright’s Universe. He co-hosts the BookLab podcast. In spring 2019 he was the Science Communicator in Residence at York University in Toronto.]]>2302aliens,asteroid,astronaut,astronomy,brian,canada,eclipse,exploration,galaxy,mars,moon,planets,quantum,sciences,scifi,space,stars,supernova,ufo,universefalse168fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-167-current-in-space-the-best-of-the-star-spot-nobel-laureate-brian-schmidt--66130947155ec410bb5244ce87f49ad2d1f0f888Mon, 08 Jul 2019 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Brian Schmidt Today we offer a best of from our vault here at The Star Spot. We dug back to a fan favourite, our December 2014 interview with Nobel laureate Brian Schmidt, who won the biggest prize in science for discovering the...1890aliens,asteroid,astronaut,astronomy,brian,canada,eclipse,exploration,galaxy,mars,moon,planets,quantum,sciences,scifi,space,stars,supernova,ufo,universefalse167fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-166-nanodiamonds-are-forever-with-jane-greaves--66130949904e4975f28242918434a20e4debc623Mon, 10 Jun 2019 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Jane Greaves Remember that nursery rhyme, “Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky?” Well they were on to something, because it turns out diamonds - albeit nanodiamonds - are ubiquitous across the Milky Way galaxy....1687aliens,asteroid,astronaut,astronomy,canada,eclipse,exploration,extraterrestrial,galaxy,mars,moon,planets,quantum,sciences,scifi,space,stars,supernova,ufo,universefalse166fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-165-landing-on-europa-with-cynthia-phillips--661309812a68ccfde7214e2aa8747a4a5bad6c81Mon, 27 May 2019 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Cynthia Phillips In the 1970s, the Viking landers performed historic experiments aimed at detecting life in the Martian soil. The results were disappointing although to this day still not entirely conclusive. Now over 40 years later a...3153aliens,asteroid,astronaut,astronomy,canada,eclipse,exploration,extraterrestrial,galaxy,mars,moon,planets,quantum,sciences,scifi,space,stars,supernova,ufo,universefalse165fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-164-jupiter-s-ancient-odyssey-with-simona-pirani--661309559d2951277a2648a996940029e3d4be6dMon, 29 Apr 2019 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Simona Pirani The planet Jupiter occupies a position today that is far from its home 4.5 billion years ago, a destination resulting from a primeval migration that started way out around the current location of Uranus. Like the god for...2010aliens,asteroid,astronaut,astronomy,canada,eclipse,exploration,extraterrestrial,galaxy,mars,moon,planets,quantum,sciences,scifi,space,stars,supernova,ufo,universefalse164fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-163-the-ring-worlds-of-saturn-with-bonnie-buratti--66130954a1b3809902e24c21afb698dcc4c5b020Mon, 15 Apr 2019 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Bonnie Buratti The spacecraft Cassini went out in spectacular fashion, travelling through Saturn’s rings for a final death dive into the gas giant. Even in its final heroic moments, Cassini was relaying back data shedding light on the...2452aliens,asteroid,astronaut,astronomy,canada,eclipse,exploration,extraterrestrial,galaxy,mars,moon,planets,quantum,sciences,scifi,space,stars,supernova,ufo,universefalse163fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-162-the-end-is-nowhere-near-nigh-with-fred-adams--66130941 If you thought the far distant future of our universe was going to be bleak, dreary and dark, well, you’d be right. But remember, the universe is still just a baby and it has many new experiences ahead of it. Over the many trillions of years of its unimaginably long life, new processes will take over, new forms of galactic structure will emerge and types of stars that have never existed will come to populate the galaxy. Today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by Fred Adams, not to mourn the death of the universe, but to celebrate its remarkable potential. The Astronomy and Space Exploration Society, a student group based at the University of Toronto, hosted its annual signature symposium event on Friday, February 15th, 2019. This year’s theme was “Boom to Bust,”with three keynote speakers covering, in turn, the birth, life and death of the cosmos. Once again The Star Spot was privileged to be on location to cover the event. And now we bring you the the conclusion of our special three episode series, featuring each fascinating speaker taking us from before the beginning into the unimaginably distant future of our universe.


Current in Space
Simon generates excitement following the recent historic unmanned test flight of SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule, which shall pave the way for astronauts to once again launch into space from American soil. And it turns out we still have a lot to learn about white dwarf stars, as Amelia and Samantha bring you a tantalizing discovery: A white dwarf with an orbiting dust ring! Then we move out to the disk of the galaxy. Astronomers have had trouble measuring the mass of our galaxy, but as Tony explains, we may have finally figured it out thanks to a clever technique.  
About Our Guest
Dr. Fred Adams is the Ta-You Wu Collegiate Professor of Physics at the University of Michigan. His recent work includes star formation in clusters, the development of a theory for the initial mass function for forming stars, and studies of extra-solar planetary systems.]]>bbbebe20afa448968ad989d4fa894a8fMon, 18 Mar 2019 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Fred Adams If you thought the far distant future of our universe was going to be bleak, dreary and dark, well, you’d be right. But remember, the universe is still just a baby and it has many new experiences ahead of it. Over the many... If you thought the far distant future of our universe was going to be bleak, dreary and dark, well, you’d be right. But remember, the universe is still just a baby and it has many new experiences ahead of it. Over the many trillions of years of its unimaginably long life, new processes will take over, new forms of galactic structure will emerge and types of stars that have never existed will come to populate the galaxy. Today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by Fred Adams, not to mourn the death of the universe, but to celebrate its remarkable potential. The Astronomy and Space Exploration Society, a student group based at the University of Toronto, hosted its annual signature symposium event on Friday, February 15th, 2019. This year’s theme was “Boom to Bust,”with three keynote speakers covering, in turn, the birth, life and death of the cosmos. Once again The Star Spot was privileged to be on location to cover the event. And now we bring you the the conclusion of our special three episode series, featuring each fascinating speaker taking us from before the beginning into the unimaginably distant future of our universe.


Current in Space
Simon generates excitement following the recent historic unmanned test flight of SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule, which shall pave the way for astronauts to once again launch into space from American soil. And it turns out we still have a lot to learn about white dwarf stars, as Amelia and Samantha bring you a tantalizing discovery: A white dwarf with an orbiting dust ring! Then we move out to the disk of the galaxy. Astronomers have had trouble measuring the mass of our galaxy, but as Tony explains, we may have finally figured it out thanks to a clever technique.  
About Our Guest
Dr. Fred Adams is the Ta-You Wu Collegiate Professor of Physics at the University of Michigan. His recent work includes star formation in clusters, the development of a theory for the initial mass function for forming stars, and studies of extra-solar planetary systems.]]>2202false162fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-161-the-boom-time-of-the-universe-with-rosemary-wyse--66130959 The universe is past its prime, by about 8 to 10 billion years. Sorry if you missed it. From the rate of star formation to the frequency of galactic mergers, the cosmos just isn’t what it used to be. Yet remarkably all is not lost, for there’s an astronomical archeology available to us. It turns out stars retain a memory of their ancient origins and galaxies hold clues to their own violent histories. Today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by Professor Rosemary Wise for the second in our three part series. Our coverage of the Symposium Boom to Bust: The Story of the Universe, continues with a Boom. The Astronomy and Space Exploration Society, a student group based at the University of Toronto, hosted its annual signature symposium event on Friday, February 15th, 2019. This year’s theme was “Boom to Bust,”with three keynote speakers covering, in turn, the birth, life and death of the cosmos. Once again The Star Spot was privileged to be on location to cover the event. And now in a special three episode series, we’re joined by each fascinating speaker as we take you from before the beginning into the unimaginably distant future of our universe.

Current in Space
Dave reports on a new moon discovered around Neptune known as Hippocamp, and it may have a chaotic history. Then Simon tells us about the finding of the fastest-orbiting asteroid ever discovered! Finally Amelia and Tony revisit Supernova 1987A because this classic supernova event has another story to tell.
About Our Guest
Dr. Rosemary Wyse is the Alumni Centennial Professor at Johns Hopkins University's Department of Physics & Astronomy. Her research focus is in the field of galaxy formation and evolution, with emphases on resolved stellar populations and the nature of dark matter. She is the recipient of the Annie Jump Cannon Award and the Brouwer Award from the American Astronomical Society.]]>b82e509517d74864a890fafa9f64d9ebMon, 04 Mar 2019 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Rosemary Wyse The universe is past its prime, by about 8 to 10 billion years. Sorry if you missed it. From the rate of star formation to the frequency of galactic mergers, the cosmos just isn’t what it used to be. Yet remarkably all is... The universe is past its prime, by about 8 to 10 billion years. Sorry if you missed it. From the rate of star formation to the frequency of galactic mergers, the cosmos just isn’t what it used to be. Yet remarkably all is not lost, for there’s an astronomical archeology available to us. It turns out stars retain a memory of their ancient origins and galaxies hold clues to their own violent histories. Today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by Professor Rosemary Wise for the second in our three part series. Our coverage of the Symposium Boom to Bust: The Story of the Universe, continues with a Boom. The Astronomy and Space Exploration Society, a student group based at the University of Toronto, hosted its annual signature symposium event on Friday, February 15th, 2019. This year’s theme was “Boom to Bust,”with three keynote speakers covering, in turn, the birth, life and death of the cosmos. Once again The Star Spot was privileged to be on location to cover the event. And now in a special three episode series, we’re joined by each fascinating speaker as we take you from before the beginning into the unimaginably distant future of our universe.

Current in Space
Dave reports on a new moon discovered around Neptune known as Hippocamp, and it may have a chaotic history. Then Simon tells us about the finding of the fastest-orbiting asteroid ever discovered! Finally Amelia and Tony revisit Supernova 1987A because this classic supernova event has another story to tell.
About Our Guest
Dr. Rosemary Wyse is the Alumni Centennial Professor at Johns Hopkins University's Department of Physics & Astronomy. Her research focus is in the field of galaxy formation and evolution, with emphases on resolved stellar populations and the nature of dark matter. She is the recipient of the Annie Jump Cannon Award and the Brouwer Award from the American Astronomical Society.]]>1944art,big,black,dan,eclipse,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jason,john,light,medium,of,paul,radio,science,scifi,water,williamfalse161fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-160-boom-to-bust-part-1-before-the-beginning-with-katrin-heitmann--66130961 The Astronomy and Space Exploration Society, a student group based at the University of Toronto, hosted its annual signature symposium event on Friday, February 15th, 2019. This year’s theme was “Boom to Bust,”with three keynote speakers covering, in turn, the birth, life and death of the cosmos. Once again The Star Spot was privileged to be on location to cover the event. And now in a special three episode series, we’re joined by each fascinating speaker as we take you from before the beginning into the unimaginably distant future of our universe. First up, on today’s episode Professor Katrin Heitmann tells how scientists are using the most powerful supercomputers on Earth to model the very origin of space and time, and to predict how events at the birth of the universe continue to shape its destiny. 

Current in Space
Tony reports on the discovery of the brightest quasar ever seen in the early Universe, although its perceived brightness may be a trick of a certain phenomenon. Then Simon shocks with new research suggesting that the volatile elements essential for life on Earth were deposited during the apocalyptic planetary collision that formed the Moon. Finally, Amelia surprises with the finding of a circumbinary disk that orbits a binary star system not at the equator as expected, but at the poles!

About Our Guest
Dr. Katrin Heitmann is a physicist at the United States' Argonne National Lab and a Senior Member of the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics at the University of Chicago. Her research focuses on cosmology and in particular on extreme-scale simulations of the evolution of the universe.  ]]>a5989760852a45c5a5158c83409577fbMon, 18 Feb 2019 02:14:36 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Katrin Heitmann The Astronomy and Space Exploration Society, a student group based at the University of Toronto, hosted its annual signature symposium event on Friday, February 15th, 2019. This year’s theme was “Boom to Bust,”with... The Astronomy and Space Exploration Society, a student group based at the University of Toronto, hosted its annual signature symposium event on Friday, February 15th, 2019. This year’s theme was “Boom to Bust,”with three keynote speakers covering, in turn, the birth, life and death of the cosmos. Once again The Star Spot was privileged to be on location to cover the event. And now in a special three episode series, we’re joined by each fascinating speaker as we take you from before the beginning into the unimaginably distant future of our universe. First up, on today’s episode Professor Katrin Heitmann tells how scientists are using the most powerful supercomputers on Earth to model the very origin of space and time, and to predict how events at the birth of the universe continue to shape its destiny. 

Current in Space
Tony reports on the discovery of the brightest quasar ever seen in the early Universe, although its perceived brightness may be a trick of a certain phenomenon. Then Simon shocks with new research suggesting that the volatile elements essential for life on Earth were deposited during the apocalyptic planetary collision that formed the Moon. Finally, Amelia surprises with the finding of a circumbinary disk that orbits a binary star system not at the equator as expected, but at the poles!

About Our Guest
Dr. Katrin Heitmann is a physicist at the United States' Argonne National Lab and a Senior Member of the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics at the University of Chicago. Her research focuses on cosmology and in particular on extreme-scale simulations of the evolution of the universe.  ]]>1942art,big,black,dan,eclipse,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jason,john,light,medium,of,paul,radio,science,scifi,water,williamfalse160fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-159-living-on-the-edge-are-we-on-the-boundary-of-an-expanding-universe-with-ulf-danielsson--66130992abcd67f2060e4bba985a2ffd63e89449Mon, 21 Jan 2019 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Ulf Danielsson Our universe is big. But what if all of this was just one of an unimaginably large number of bubble universes. That’s the proposal by a group of scientists who recently introduced a new model for the universe which for...2424art,big,black,dan,eclipse,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jason,john,light,medium,of,paul,radio,science,scifi,water,williamfalse159fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-158-telling-space-stories-with-rayna-slobodian--66130957
As we dream of space, we must remain anchored to humanity. Space exploration is a human story, and music may be the perfect medium to capture the emotive drama of discovery, risk and the mystery of the unknown. Today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by singer-songwriter, space ethicist, homelessness researcher and all around geek, Rayna Slobodian, for a far-ranging discussion that, while focused on space music, is ultimately about bringing space exploration down to Earth.
About Our Guest Rayna Slobodian is a singer-songwriter whose music combines her love of space exploration with her passion for ethics, justice and human imagination. Her album Space Stories is available on iTunes and YouTube. She is a psychology and anthropology masters student at York University, focusing on research into the reporting of homelessness in Canada.]]>d52d45bcea0c48998435b1dbee6ef8a7Mon, 07 Jan 2019 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Rayna Slobodian As we dream of space, we must remain anchored to humanity. Space exploration is a human story, and music may be the perfect medium to capture the emotive drama of discovery, risk and the mystery of the unknown. Today...
As we dream of space, we must remain anchored to humanity. Space exploration is a human story, and music may be the perfect medium to capture the emotive drama of discovery, risk and the mystery of the unknown. Today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by singer-songwriter, space ethicist, homelessness researcher and all around geek, Rayna Slobodian, for a far-ranging discussion that, while focused on space music, is ultimately about bringing space exploration down to Earth.
About Our Guest Rayna Slobodian is a singer-songwriter whose music combines her love of space exploration with her passion for ethics, justice and human imagination. Her album Space Stories is available on iTunes and YouTube. She is a psychology and anthropology masters student at York University, focusing on research into the reporting of homelessness in Canada.]]>1621art,big,black,dan,eclipse,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jason,john,light,medium,of,paul,radio,science,scifi,water,williamfalse158fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-157-how-we-discovered-blazars-cause-mysterious-cosmic-rays--66130948d2d22854ab144fc6a2c5c89275be6b8cMon, 24 Dec 2018 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Darren Grant A one hundred year old astronomical mystery may finally have been solved. Scientists have long wondered just what caused high energy particles called cosmic rays, which arrive on Earth from the far unknown reaches of the...3000art,big,black,dan,eclipse,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jason,john,light,medium,of,paul,radio,science,scifi,water,williamfalse157fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-156-the-do-it-yourself-spacesuit-with-cameron-smith--661309667122081cfcd34c96a3dc549a22842a82Fri, 30 Nov 2018 03:15:06 +0000wise gerryFeatured Guest: Cameron Smith One of the challenges in building a future where humans are able to explore other worlds are the massive, clumsy and expensive spacesuits currently in use. Now enter into the picture Pacific Spaceflight. They’re a...2974art,big,black,dan,eclipse,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jason,john,light,medium,of,paul,radio,science,scifi,water,williamfalse156fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-155-artificial-photosynthesis-taking-the-sun-on-the-road-with-katharina-brinkert--66130994
]]>e10075ad3b204206bab4c109deb66aafMon, 12 Nov 2018 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeatured Guest: Katharina Brinkert On Earth, we can thank the sun for making life possible. Now what if we could harness the power of the sun to make life possible on long duration space missions. Introducing the concept of artificial photosynthesis....
]]>2270art,big,black,dan,eclipse,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jason,john,light,medium,of,paul,radio,science,scifi,water,williamfalse155fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-154-the-vatican-observatory-astronomy-and-faith-in-the-modern-world-with-cosette-gilmour--6613095815d8ea37828d4730a06d0742230b66ecMon, 29 Oct 2018 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeatured Guest: Cosette Gilmour The proper relationship between science and faith is a core question for the modern age. At the centre of this debate has often been the Vatican observatory. The fascinating history of the Vatican Observatory stretches...1272art,big,black,dan,eclipse,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jason,john,light,medium,of,paul,radio,science,scifi,water,williamfalse154fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-153-a-reality-check-on-terraforming-mars-with-bruce-jakosky--66130970236689888a464e20bd1101108b35f1a8Mon, 15 Oct 2018 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeatured Guest: Bruce Jakosky Don’t shoot the messenger. The terraforming of Mars has been the dream for many of us who long for a future where humanity has colonized the Red Planet. But is it time to rethink those plans? Today we’re joined here at...1999art,big,black,dan,eclipse,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jason,john,light,medium,of,paul,radio,science,scifi,water,williamfalse153fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-152-alien-viruses-with-ken-stedman--66130960bc61251c0f8f462a88b9e6d6a8636499Mon, 01 Oct 2018 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeatured Guest: Ken Stedman They aren’t pleasant, but viruses are the most common form life on our planet. So why aren’t the world’s space agencies taking viruses seriously in their search for alien life. Today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by...2066art,big,black,dan,eclipse,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jason,john,light,medium,of,paul,radio,science,scifi,water,williamfalse152fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-151-new-moons-of-jupiter-with-scott-sheppard--66130975
Current in Space Is the universe just a simulation? Simon says maybe. Then Tony settles the question of the habitability of potential water worlds. And speaking of water, Dave ponders the origin of our own planet’s H20. About Our Guest Scott Sheppard is faculty member in the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism at the Carnegie Institution for Science. He received his PhD from the University of Hawaii. A Hubble Fellow, Sheppard is credited with the discovery of many small moons of the gas giant planets. He has also been part of teams that have discovered comets, asteroids and Kuiper belt objects.  ]]>15a6b14ed2c34c7cb01cdb167ebd4939Mon, 17 Sep 2018 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeatured Guest: Scott Sheppard On the hunt for the solar system’s elusive Planet X, a team of astronomers accidentally stumbled upon the discovery of 12 new moons of Jupiter. Oops. But it gets even better, because one of these things is not like the...
Current in Space Is the universe just a simulation? Simon says maybe. Then Tony settles the question of the habitability of potential water worlds. And speaking of water, Dave ponders the origin of our own planet’s H20. About Our Guest Scott Sheppard is faculty member in the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism at the Carnegie Institution for Science. He received his PhD from the University of Hawaii. A Hubble Fellow, Sheppard is credited with the discovery of many small moons of the gas giant planets. He has also been part of teams that have discovered comets, asteroids and Kuiper belt objects.  ]]>1961art,big,black,dan,eclipse,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jason,john,light,medium,of,paul,radio,science,scifi,water,williamfalse151fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-150-at-the-birth-of-our-first-newborn-planet-with-andre-muller--66130963
André Müller is a postdoctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany. He has also conducted research at the European Southern Observatory in Chile. His interests revolve around young stellar objects and extrasolar planets.]]>5c2a4e5e2d7d442db000102e3c0f1fa4Mon, 03 Sep 2018 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeatured Guest: André Müller Astronomers have taken their first image of an infant planet still developing around a newly formed star. Today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by André Müller, whose team is busy studying this baby world and has...
André Müller is a postdoctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany. He has also conducted research at the European Southern Observatory in Chile. His interests revolve around young stellar objects and extrasolar planets.]]>2148art,big,black,dan,eclipse,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jason,john,light,ller,medium,of,paul,radio,science,scifi,williamfalse150fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-149-the-question-of-life-on-mars-with-david-hamilton--66130974 solarsystemsocial.com for details. Current in Space Our solar system has been playing host to a foreign tourist and now something is scaring it off. Then great ball of fire! Simon prepares us for a revolutionary new spacecraft that will shine new light on everyone’s favourite star. About Our Guest David Hamilton is a professor at Conestoga College in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. His research background is in the detection of life signs on Mars. He is also the leading force behind Social System Social, a series of public events aimed at connecting the dots between science, entertainment and storytelling.]]>5fc4ba672f9b4435b2c0a3e44700d0f3Mon, 20 Aug 2018 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeatured Guest: David Hamilton The recent discovery of a lake of liquid water beneath the Martian south pole culminates a series of stunning discoveries that are forcing us to rethink the question of habitability on the Red Planet. Now two space... solarsystemsocial.com for details. Current in Space Our solar system has been playing host to a foreign tourist and now something is scaring it off. Then great ball of fire! Simon prepares us for a revolutionary new spacecraft that will shine new light on everyone’s favourite star. About Our Guest David Hamilton is a professor at Conestoga College in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. His research background is in the detection of life signs on Mars. He is also the leading force behind Social System Social, a series of public events aimed at connecting the dots between science, entertainment and storytelling.]]>2683art,big,black,dan,eclipse,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jason,john,light,medium,of,paul,radio,science,scifi,water,williamfalse149fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-148-does-canada-have-a-vision-for-space-exploration-with-chuck-black--66130988 About Our Guest Chuck Black is a journalist, technology advocate, public speaker and activist. He edits and contributes articles to the Commercial Space Blog, the Canadian Aerospace News, and the Space Conference News. He organizes events focused on the commercialization of space-derived technologies which bring together industry experts for detailed in-person discussion, collaboration and networking.]]>7eb49ec0830a497897fc116ea5a54ca8Mon, 06 Aug 2018 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeatured Guest: Chuck Black The Canadian Space Advisory Board was tasked with developing a plan to rejuvenate Canada’s declining world standing in space exploration. In 2017 the Board made a bold proposal that Canada designate space a national... About Our Guest Chuck Black is a journalist, technology advocate, public speaker and activist. He edits and contributes articles to the Commercial Space Blog, the Canadian Aerospace News, and the Space Conference News. He organizes events focused on the commercialization of space-derived technologies which bring together industry experts for detailed in-person discussion, collaboration and networking.]]>2421art,big,black,dan,eclipse,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jason,john,light,medium,of,paul,radio,science,scifi,water,williamfalse148fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-147-postcards-from-home--6613097751eb3d1422634573bfee056ca8df6174Mon, 23 Jul 2018 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryToday we turn our telescopes back around to study ourself. Our own solar system is undergoing a conceptual revolution. From its chaotic birth to its fiery end, our solar system is no longer seen as static and isolated. It is now understood to change...739art,big,black,dan,eclipse,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jason,john,light,medium,of,paul,radio,science,scifi,water,williamfalse147fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-146-supernovae-and-the-evolution-of-life-on-earth-with-brian-thomas--661309964bd89a0ea7a6479bb7ac3ad52c0c9381Mon, 28 May 2018 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Brian Thomas We have this impression of our planet as isolated from the rest of the universe, our lives cut off from the drama unfolding elsewhere in our galaxy. But what if the course of life’s evolution on Earth was intimately...1690art,big,black,dan,eclipse,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jason,john,light,medium,of,paul,radio,science,scifi,water,williamfalse146fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-145-can-sibling-rivalry-explain-this-supernova-with-stuart-ryder--66130962137e5fa6844f435db25d3ea89d0a7735Wed, 16 May 2018 23:06:25 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Stuart Ryder When a massive star explodes in a supernova, it tends to gobble up all the attention. But what happens when that star has a binary companion with its own story to tell? That’s exactly what happened last month when the...2141art,big,black,dan,eclipse,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jason,john,light,medium,of,paul,radio,science,scifi,water,williamfalse145fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-144-a-rough-upbringing-the-discovery-of-stars-in-the-galaxy-s-core-with-farhad-yusef-zadeh--66130964
The gravity, radiation and tidal forces at the very core of the Milky Way is kind of intense. That’s why astronomers have long doubted the possibility of star formation in such a hostile environment. And then everything changed with the discovery last fall of 11 sun-like stars living closer to the supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy then the distance between our sun and its closest neighbour. What does this breakthrough mean for our understanding of star formation and the possibility of life in what we once imagined were impossibly extreme environments? Today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by the discovery team’s leader Farhad Yusef-zadeh. Current in Space On behalf of The Star Spot, Tony says "Thank you, Stephen." About Our Guest Farhad Yusef-Zadeh received his undergraduate degree from the State University of New York at STony Brook then performed his PhD work at Columbia University. He worked as a National Research Council postdoctoral fellow at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center before joining the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Northwestern University. He enjoys performing public lectures on the history of astronomy, science and pseudoscience and how science affects our lives.]]>ab5d8d254be61340320f6400d60b0dcaMon, 02 Apr 2018 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Farhad Yusef-Zadeh The gravity, radiation and tidal forces at the very core of the Milky Way is kind of intense. That’s why astronomers have long doubted the possibility of star formation in such a hostile environment. And then...
The gravity, radiation and tidal forces at the very core of the Milky Way is kind of intense. That’s why astronomers have long doubted the possibility of star formation in such a hostile environment. And then everything changed with the discovery last fall of 11 sun-like stars living closer to the supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy then the distance between our sun and its closest neighbour. What does this breakthrough mean for our understanding of star formation and the possibility of life in what we once imagined were impossibly extreme environments? Today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by the discovery team’s leader Farhad Yusef-zadeh. Current in Space On behalf of The Star Spot, Tony says "Thank you, Stephen." About Our Guest Farhad Yusef-Zadeh received his undergraduate degree from the State University of New York at STony Brook then performed his PhD work at Columbia University. He worked as a National Research Council postdoctoral fellow at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center before joining the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Northwestern University. He enjoys performing public lectures on the history of astronomy, science and pseudoscience and how science affects our lives.]]>2112art,big,black,dan,eclipse,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jason,john,light,medium,of,paul,radio,science,scifi,water,williamfalse144fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-143-planet-hunting-goes-extragalactic-with-xinyu-dai--66130965b1fb7092ebc20df445750b6667d9eb4eMon, 19 Mar 2018 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Xinyu Dai Last month astronomers announced the first ever discovery of extrasolar planets… in another galaxy! We’ve already confirmed almost 4000 planets beyond our solar system, but these have all been in a single galaxy, the Milky...2081art,big,black,dan,eclipse,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jason,john,light,medium,of,paul,radio,science,scifi,water,williamfalse143fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-142-jupiter-transformed-with-scott-bolton--66130968c8920c41feda9a74d5df69d22bae5d13Mon, 19 Feb 2018 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Scott Bolton It’s our cosmic backyard, and yet our own solar system is still full of surprises. Now it turns out we were “totally wrong” when it comes to just about everything we thought we knew about Jupiter. That’s not me speaking,...2356art,big,black,dan,eclipse,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jason,john,light,medium,of,paul,radio,science,scifi,water,williamfalse142fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-141-the-mysterious-origin-of-superpowerful-radio-blasts-with-jason-hessels--6613096975057c02e16ba75ce163b493ec83204cMon, 05 Feb 2018 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Jason Hessels The one thing we thought we knew about fast radio blasts was that these mysterious one-off phenomena must be associated with some of the most cataclysmic events in the universe. Then everything changed with last month’s...1986art,big,black,dan,eclipse,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jason,john,light,medium,of,paul,radio,science,scifi,water,williamfalse141fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-140-how-humans-are-healing-the-ozone-hole-and-might-just-solve-other-environmental-problems-with-susan-strahan--66130978e6e7c33ee667302086268b6910577898Mon, 22 Jan 2018 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Susan Strahan While human activity is what created the ozone hole, scientists just announced direct evidence that human activity is now responsible for healing that damage. That makes the Montreal Protocol, which banned the emission of...1986art,big,black,dan,eclipse,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jason,jim,john,light,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,water,williamfalse140fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-139-can-alien-life-hitch-a-ride-on-space-dust-with-arjun-berera--66130980f3a381dd9d7bf8152f9112c47f60ba61Mon, 08 Jan 2018 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Arjun Berera Many of you are familiar with the idea of panspermia, the theory that life spreads itself throughout the galaxy by travelling from one world to another. We often think of big objects like asteroids, comets or spacecraft....1774art,big,black,dan,eclipse,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jason,jim,john,light,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,water,williamfalse139fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-138-making-contact-with-jill-tarter--6613098361206ee602dfc6326b64de675671b116Mon, 11 Dec 2017 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Jill Tarter Alien hunting pioneer Jill Tarter often says the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) is a way for us to hold a mirror to ourselves. Now in a recently released biography, that statement takes on personal...3232art,big,black,dan,eclipse,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jason,jim,john,light,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,water,williamfalse138fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-137-an-alien-asteroid-in-our-solar-system-with-alan-stern--661309851f06b02001d38b450384ba31fe767e9eMon, 27 Nov 2017 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Alan Stern There’s an intruder in our solar system. This fall we were invaded by the first interstellar space traveller, an elongated, cigar shaped alien asteroid. The mysterious object was ejected from its distant and unknown home,...1619art,big,black,dan,eclipse,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jason,jim,john,light,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,water,williamfalse137fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-136-so-you-want-to-become-an-astronaut-with-cordell-grant--66130982a69ff271276517f8c5c5dc280cd0ec75Sun, 12 Nov 2017 19:42:01 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Cordell Grant On June 17, 2016, the Canadian Space Agency launched the nation’s fourth astronaut recruitment campaign. 3,772 applications were received. One year later only two were chosen. Candidates have described the grueling...2686art,big,black,dan,eclipse,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jason,jim,john,light,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,water,williamfalse136fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-135-studying-cosmic-alchemy-with-gravitational-waves-with-michael-landry--66131004 The original of high energy cosmic rays is still a mystery, but now Tony reports that the answer may be more far out - literally - than we imagined. Then Maya  has an important lesson for us: don’t judge a book by its cover, or a planetary interior by its surface. And as we gaze up at the moon in our sky, Dave wonders if the moon once had skies of its own. About Our Guest Dr. Michael Landry is Detection Lead Scientist at the LIGO, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, in Hanford, Washington. The LIGO observatories have been responsible for the first ever discoveries of gravitational waves, for which the Nobel prize in physics was recently awarded. Landy is also a physicist at the California Institute of Technology. He earned his PhD at the University of Manitoba in strange quark physics and performed graduate work at TRIUMF, Canada’s national laboratory for particle and nuclear physics, as well as Brookhaven National Laboratory in the United States.]]>fbd87936e0a421e7493df1d63eaef8a6Mon, 30 Oct 2017 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Michael Landry The alchemists never did succeed in turning elements into gold and silver, and now we know why. It takes the merger of two neutron stars to produce these and other precious metals. That was the headline just two weeks ago... The original of high energy cosmic rays is still a mystery, but now Tony reports that the answer may be more far out - literally - than we imagined. Then Maya  has an important lesson for us: don’t judge a book by its cover, or a planetary interior by its surface. And as we gaze up at the moon in our sky, Dave wonders if the moon once had skies of its own. About Our Guest Dr. Michael Landry is Detection Lead Scientist at the LIGO, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, in Hanford, Washington. The LIGO observatories have been responsible for the first ever discoveries of gravitational waves, for which the Nobel prize in physics was recently awarded. Landy is also a physicist at the California Institute of Technology. He earned his PhD at the University of Manitoba in strange quark physics and performed graduate work at TRIUMF, Canada’s national laboratory for particle and nuclear physics, as well as Brookhaven National Laboratory in the United States.]]>2610art,big,black,dan,eclipse,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jason,jim,john,light,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,water,williamfalse135fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-134-searching-for-aliens-all-sky-all-the-time-with-bill-diamond--66130990
About Our Guest Bill Diamond is President and CEO of the SETI Institute. Prior to joining SETI, he was a technology executive and Silicon Valley veteran, with over 20 years of experience in the photonics and optical communications industry, and a decade in X-ray and semiconductor processing technologies.  He holds a B.A. in physics from Holy Cross College and a masters in business administration from Georgetown University.  ]]>5c72572bb6cd6c34581a7f5288081723Mon, 02 Oct 2017 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Bill Diamond The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, or SETI, is undergoing a revolution. There was once a time when the search for alien signals involved an exhausting and painstaking point by point search of each and every...
About Our Guest Bill Diamond is President and CEO of the SETI Institute. Prior to joining SETI, he was a technology executive and Silicon Valley veteran, with over 20 years of experience in the photonics and optical communications industry, and a decade in X-ray and semiconductor processing technologies.  He holds a B.A. in physics from Holy Cross College and a masters in business administration from Georgetown University.  ]]>2957art,big,black,dan,eclipse,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jason,jim,john,light,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,water,williamfalse134fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-133-discovering-an-asteroid-family-unchanged-since-the-birth-of-the-solar-system-with-marco-delbo--66130991e567f8bcb35910ac1a0481fb5b0f9d7dMon, 18 Sep 2017 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Marco Delbo The main belt asteroids are among the most ancient of all bodies in the solar system. This summer astronomers announced the discovery of what’s being called a primordial asteroid family. These asteroids are so old that their...2705art,big,black,dan,eclipse,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jason,jim,john,light,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,water,williamfalse133fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-132-does-titan-harbour-the-building-blocks-of-life-with-ravi-desai--66130999a340ed6b3446bd42c31fd6a45ff85ad2Sun, 03 Sep 2017 16:47:11 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Ravi Desai It was recently reported that Saturn’s moon Titan harbours complex chemistry the likes of which we’ve never before seen in our solar system. On today’s episode of The Star Spot, the leader of the discovery Ravi Desai explains...2076art,big,black,dan,eclipse,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jason,jim,john,light,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,water,williamfalse132fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-131-heavy-metal-explosion-the-rockstars-of-the-supernova-world-with-matt-nicholl--66131016https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/. And remember never look directly at the sun except during the moment of totality. Tell us about your experience by emailing info@thestarspot.ca. About Our Guest Matt Nicholl is an astronomer and postdoctoral research fellow at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. He received his PhD from Queen’s University Belfast.  His interest in the dynamic sky are particularly focused on supernovae. He can be found on instagram and twitter @mattnicholl56]]>89d9427156eec4aee136822906811cbaMon, 21 Aug 2017 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Matt Nicholl If you thought a supernova was powerful, time to meet its bigger brother, the superluminous supernova. They’ve been described as the rockstars of the supernova world and if one were to go off in our galaxy it would outshine...https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/. And remember never look directly at the sun except during the moment of totality. Tell us about your experience by emailing info@thestarspot.ca. About Our Guest Matt Nicholl is an astronomer and postdoctoral research fellow at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. He received his PhD from Queen’s University Belfast.  His interest in the dynamic sky are particularly focused on supernovae. He can be found on instagram and twitter @mattnicholl56]]>1841art,big,black,dan,eclipse,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jason,jim,john,light,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,water,williamfalse131fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-130-there-are-how-many-more-comets-with-james-bauer--661309732ffb522a1223f2485c9605f1194accc9Mon, 07 Aug 2017 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: James Bauer A team of astronomers studying long-period comets has just reached a startling conclusion. The solar system is home to seven times more of these large icy bodies than we previously thought. This according to team lead James...1930art,big,black,dan,eclipse,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jason,jim,john,light,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,water,williamfalse130fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-129-building-on-gravitational-wave-astronomy-with-danny-steeghs--661310170755cebd3b96818e3ace67ae39f27507Mon, 24 Jul 2017 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Danny Steeghs  Gravitational wave astronomy was born less than 2 years ago when scientists made the first ever detection of gravitational waves coming from the merger of two distant massive black holes. To build on the emergence of this...2169art,big,black,dan,eclipse,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jason,jim,john,light,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,water,williamfalse129fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-128-a-shocking-theory-about-the-multiverse-with-dan-falk--66131002a4bbb0cd81c6ee937a291383a7023b68Mon, 10 Jul 2017 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Dan Falk What if everything we see in our universe is not all that there is. The concept of the multiverse has captured the imagination of both physicists and cosmologists, but for very different reasons. According to the many worlds...2811art,big,black,dan,eclipse,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jason,jim,john,light,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,water,williamfalse128fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-127-when-day-becomes-night-with-dan-falk--66131009b84a4e2ff0be11fef033d447cb558f23Mon, 26 Jun 2017 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Dan Falk  They once portended the collapse of civilization. Well the solar eclipse visiting North America this summer probably won’t spell the end of days. But as our guest Dan Falk will explain astronomers and lay people alike are in...2711art,big,black,dan,eclipse,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jason,jim,john,light,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,water,williamfalse127fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-126-spacex-a-new-paradigm-for-space-exploration-with-chris-prophet--66131018bfdaeb7613b57d4d603a14fe1b2b48dfMon, 12 Jun 2017 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Chris Prophet SpaceX has blasted into the aerospace world, seemingly overnight, bringing with it a new low cost model for accessing space. But this paradigm shifting company has set its sights much higher, with a promise to send humans...2520art,big,black,dan,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jason,jim,john,kevin,light,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,water,williamfalse126fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-124-the-best-candidate-for-life-with-jason-dittmann--66131023
About Our Guest Jason Dittmann is Postdoctoral Fellow at MIT where he is working with a team led by world famous planetary scientist Sara Seager. Dittmann holds one of the four inaugural 51 Pegasi b Postdoctoral Fellowships, which are provided to scientists studying theoretical, observational, and experimental research in planetary astronomy. Dittmann received his PhD from Harvard University and his research interests are in exoplanets and low-mass stars]]>7a1797211f935c3dde186c8777345c34Mon, 15 May 2017 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Jason Dittmann Just last month, April 2017, astronomers announced the discovery of an extrasolar planet that has the best shot at harbouring life outside our solar system. To find out what makes LHS 1140b so special and what steps are...
About Our Guest Jason Dittmann is Postdoctoral Fellow at MIT where he is working with a team led by world famous planetary scientist Sara Seager. Dittmann holds one of the four inaugural 51 Pegasi b Postdoctoral Fellowships, which are provided to scientists studying theoretical, observational, and experimental research in planetary astronomy. Dittmann received his PhD from Harvard University and his research interests are in exoplanets and low-mass stars]]>1757art,big,black,dan,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jason,jim,john,kevin,light,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,water,williamfalse124fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-123-dark-matter-bridging-the-galaxies-with-michael-hudson--66130984ff67a431209f8a67571bb8224778eb0bMon, 01 May 2017 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Michael Hudson If you’re like most people you probably think of galaxies as islands of stars, separate and isolated cities of our universe. But it turns out these cities are connected through a vast web of highways known as dark matter...1870art,big,black,dan,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jim,john,kevin,light,mark,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,water,williamfalse123fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-122-what-if-the-sun-had-a-sibling-with-quinn-konopacky--66131007
How would things be different if our sun wasn’t an only child? This isn’t a simple exercise in academic speculation for the majority of stars like our sun actually do come with at least one other companion orbiting them. In this third and final segment of our “what if?” series, we’re joined here at The Star Spot by Quinn Konopacky to find out just what would have happened if we gave our sun the sibling it never had, and by implication, what the prospects are for life among the majority of sun-like stars in our galaxy. Current in Space The Star Spot is expressing its appreciation to Anuj Rastogi for his invaluable contributions to our show. After producing news for the last three years, Anuj is leaving our team to pursue other opportunities. In his final broadcast he offers us three important news updates. Are fast radio bursts signs of alien intelligence in far off galaxies? What are the implications of electric sand on Titan? And has Mars enjoyed a longer period of volcanic activity than even our own Earth? Finally in other news, Dave announces the first detection of an atmosphere around a lower mass extrasolar planet.   About Our Guest Dr. Quinn Konopacky is Assistant Professor at the Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences at the University of California, San Diego. She received her PhD from UCLA and performed postdoctoral research at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics. Her work focuses on the formation and evolution of stars and planetary systems.]]>98d392c99b5a68c6e50e67b2ca64d24cMon, 17 Apr 2017 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Quinn Konopacky The 14th annual Expanding Canada’s Frontiers symposium was hosted on January 27th, 2017 by the Astronomy and Space Exploration Society, a student group based at the University of Toronto. This year’s unique theme was...
How would things be different if our sun wasn’t an only child? This isn’t a simple exercise in academic speculation for the majority of stars like our sun actually do come with at least one other companion orbiting them. In this third and final segment of our “what if?” series, we’re joined here at The Star Spot by Quinn Konopacky to find out just what would have happened if we gave our sun the sibling it never had, and by implication, what the prospects are for life among the majority of sun-like stars in our galaxy. Current in Space The Star Spot is expressing its appreciation to Anuj Rastogi for his invaluable contributions to our show. After producing news for the last three years, Anuj is leaving our team to pursue other opportunities. In his final broadcast he offers us three important news updates. Are fast radio bursts signs of alien intelligence in far off galaxies? What are the implications of electric sand on Titan? And has Mars enjoyed a longer period of volcanic activity than even our own Earth? Finally in other news, Dave announces the first detection of an atmosphere around a lower mass extrasolar planet.   About Our Guest Dr. Quinn Konopacky is Assistant Professor at the Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences at the University of California, San Diego. She received her PhD from UCLA and performed postdoctoral research at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics. Her work focuses on the formation and evolution of stars and planetary systems.]]>1853art,big,black,dan,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jim,john,kevin,light,mark,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,water,williamfalse122fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-121-scary-resolutions-to-the-fermi-paradox-with-david-kipping--661310247576b4a7739072edbc963bfca1282fe4Mon, 20 Mar 2017 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: David Kipping The 14th annual Expanding Canada’s Frontiers symposium was hosted on January 27th, 2017 by the Astronomy and Space Exploration Society, a student group based at the University of Toronto. This year’s unique theme was “What...1487art,big,black,dan,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jim,john,kevin,light,mark,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,water,williamfalse121fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-120-when-galaxies-collide-with-gurtina-besla--66131000a362dcc55a8f7449cbbd38cf39f4b09eMon, 06 Mar 2017 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Gurtina Besla The 14th annual Expanding Canada’s Frontiers symposium was hosted on January 27th, 2017 by the Astronomy and Space Exploration Society, a student group based at the University of Toronto. This year’s unique theme was “What...1749art,big,black,dan,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jim,john,kevin,light,mark,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,water,williamfalse120fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-119-from-knots-to-donuts-exotic-possibilities-for-the-shape-of-our-universe-with-paul-sutter--66131008e510482bfa5ca6cdff5e5c12f22d4d81Mon, 20 Feb 2017 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Paul Sutter Imagine travelling a very long way in space only to return just where you started, but upside down.  Or consider living in an exotic donut-shaped universe, or one with far more than our usual three dimensions. The amazing...2682art,big,black,dan,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jim,john,kevin,light,mark,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,water,williamfalse119fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-118-the-sun-our-local-mystery-with-terry-kucera--66130987aff1c2530ae55c0a8f8462ff1eb0e83aMon, 06 Feb 2017 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Terry Kucera We see it there in the sky every day of our lives. And yet our own local star, the sun, is still in many ways a mystery. What causes the solar cycle? How does the sun’s outer atmosphere, the corona, reach a staggering...1980art,big,black,dan,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jim,john,kevin,light,mark,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,water,williamfalse118fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-117-the-universe-is-going-green-with-matt-malkan--66131005
Was the early universe green? That’s the startling discovery by a team of UCLA astronomers studying the youngest galaxies in our universe. Why green? That’s what I’ll try to find out when Professor Matt Malkan joins us here at The Star Spot. Current in Space

As 2017 gets underway, Anuj teases us with a trailer for space missions we can look forward to this year. In case that puts us in too ecstatic a mood, Dave quickly reminds us that nothing lives forever, and that includes exocomets which were recently detected dying in a fiery plunge into a far off star. And Tony closes with a mixed message. We’re moving forward with a Europa lander - but the challenges are significant! About Our Guest

Matt Malkan is Professor of Astronomy at the University of California at Los Angeles. He’s interested in power, cosmological power. Malkan studies the primary sources of energy in the universe and galaxy formation in the early universe.]]>ca83806ca2307f4e71be9ed3106a037cMon, 23 Jan 2017 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Matt Malkan Was the early universe green? That’s the startling discovery by a team of UCLA astronomers studying the youngest galaxies in our universe. Why green? That’s what I’ll try to find out when Professor Matt Malkan joins us...
Was the early universe green? That’s the startling discovery by a team of UCLA astronomers studying the youngest galaxies in our universe. Why green? That’s what I’ll try to find out when Professor Matt Malkan joins us here at The Star Spot. Current in Space

As 2017 gets underway, Anuj teases us with a trailer for space missions we can look forward to this year. In case that puts us in too ecstatic a mood, Dave quickly reminds us that nothing lives forever, and that includes exocomets which were recently detected dying in a fiery plunge into a far off star. And Tony closes with a mixed message. We’re moving forward with a Europa lander - but the challenges are significant! About Our Guest

Matt Malkan is Professor of Astronomy at the University of California at Los Angeles. He’s interested in power, cosmological power. Malkan studies the primary sources of energy in the universe and galaxy formation in the early universe.]]>2217art,big,black,dan,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jim,john,kevin,light,mark,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,water,williamfalse117fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-116-the-transit-of-mercury-with-suzanna-nagy--6613101320e9344613bf2da4d5aca2bbc74b47d9Mon, 09 Jan 2017 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Suzanna Nagy Suzanna Nagy is President of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada’s Vancouver Centre. In May 2016 she took advantage of a rare and unusual aerial phenomena - a clear sky in downtown Vancouver - to share the wonders of...1029art,big,black,dan,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jim,john,kevin,light,mark,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,water,williamfalse116fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-115-searching-for-aliens-with-the-world-s-biggest-telescopes-with-dan-werthimer--66131011b084b59582308fed12ad303ef67a22eaMon, 26 Dec 2016 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Dan Werthimer Physicist Enrico Fermi once asked, if aliens exist in the galaxy, then just where is everybody. And for nearly 40 years the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, or SETI, has sought to answer that very question. Now...2634art,big,black,dan,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jim,john,kevin,light,mark,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,water,williamfalse115fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-114-the-milky-way-s-dark-matter-twin-with-roberto-abraham--661309797095cbbdf5cfdd1dcf96f801a6c60877Mon, 12 Dec 2016 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Roberto Abraham Imagine a galaxy that has a similar mass and volume to our own but where somebody turned off most of the stars. Meet Dragonfly 44, the most famous member of a new category of galaxies known as ultra-diffuse. Are they...2528art,big,black,dan,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jim,john,kevin,light,mark,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,water,williamfalse114fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-113-astronomical-observatories-of-ancient-britain-with-gail-higginbottom--66131028
The British gave us the world’s first parliament. And now it turns out the ancient British may have been among the world’s first astronomers. Today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by archaeoastronomer Gail Higginbottom. Thanks to her and her team we now have proof that megalithic structures build hundreds of years before Stonehenge were in fact ancient astronomical observatories whose purpose is still shrouded in mystery.

Current in Space

About Our Guest

Dr. Gail Higginbottom is an interdisciplinary archaeo-astronomer at home in a variety of fields. She is Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Adelaide and Professor in the School of Archaeology and Anthropology at the Australian National University.]]>7adbee837f8251fb861c67e471cd8881Mon, 14 Nov 2016 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Gail Higginbottom The British gave us the world’s first parliament. And now it turns out the ancient British may have been among the world’s first astronomers. Today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by archaeoastronomer Gail...
The British gave us the world’s first parliament. And now it turns out the ancient British may have been among the world’s first astronomers. Today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by archaeoastronomer Gail Higginbottom. Thanks to her and her team we now have proof that megalithic structures build hundreds of years before Stonehenge were in fact ancient astronomical observatories whose purpose is still shrouded in mystery.

Current in Space

About Our Guest

Dr. Gail Higginbottom is an interdisciplinary archaeo-astronomer at home in a variety of fields. She is Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Adelaide and Professor in the School of Archaeology and Anthropology at the Australian National University.]]>2670art,big,black,dan,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jim,john,kevin,light,mark,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,water,williamfalse113fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-112-geysers-on-europa-with-william-sparks--66131031e088ea67f01d206118c1feab9cd5448bMon, 31 Oct 2016 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: William Sparks Extraterrestrial life might be erupting into space from the surface of Europa. And a NASA mission to the icy world could fly right through it. Today I’m joined here at The Star Spot by William Sparks, whose team...2308art,big,black,dan,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jim,john,kevin,light,mark,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,water,williamfalse112fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-111-can-supernovae-cause-extinctions-with-shawn-bishop--66131034050e9b4c9e89ff36db510cabb9bf7712Mon, 17 Oct 2016 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Shawn Bishop We’ve long known we’re made of star stuff, but now it turns out that life on Earth might be even more intimately connected to events in deep space than we imagined. Scientists recently reported the first ever discovery of...3216art,big,black,dan,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jim,john,kevin,lewis,light,mark,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,waterfalse111fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-110-peering-into-the-void-with-nico-hamaus--661310321f30a1f86e09248d5dc2e2c52c197d60Mon, 03 Oct 2016 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Nico Hamaus Astronomers are no longer avoiding the void. Between the overdense zones of our universe, where most galaxies live, there exist vast regions of near emptiness that can stretch for hundreds of millions of light years. But...1721art,big,black,dan,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jim,john,kevin,lewis,light,mark,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,waterfalse110fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-109-rethinking-ancient-mayan-astronomy-with-gerardo-aldana--66131010
Gerardo Aldana is a Professor at the University of California Santa Barbara with a joint appointment to the Department of Anthropology and the Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies. He holds degrees in both engineering and the history of science. His research interests include Mayan hieroglyphs, culture theory and experimental archaeology.  ]]>cc4c9a498f3b333e1b5225289cf2875cMon, 19 Sep 2016 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Gerardo Aldana No the ancient Maya did not predict the end of the world. But they were among the world’s most advanced astronomers. Now some anthropologists believe they’ve found evidence that the Maya achieved a remarkable innovation...
Gerardo Aldana is a Professor at the University of California Santa Barbara with a joint appointment to the Department of Anthropology and the Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies. He holds degrees in both engineering and the history of science. His research interests include Mayan hieroglyphs, culture theory and experimental archaeology.  ]]>2576art,big,black,dan,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jim,john,kevin,lewis,light,mark,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,waterfalse109fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-108-the-closest-exoplanet-could-be-habitable-with-guillem-anglada-escude--661310145d934f35ae520ad7323fa1b5a4911537Mon, 05 Sep 2016 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Guillem Anglada-Escudé Recently headlines buzzed with news of the discovery of the nearest exoplanet that we will ever find. And it looks like it could very well be habitable. Proxima b, at just over 4 light years from Earth, is quickly...2384art,big,black,dan,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jim,john,kevin,lewis,light,mark,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,waterfalse108fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-107-surveying-the-cosmos-with-ludovic-van-waerbeke--66131012f23cb5116ed7627c536719b441343bcfMon, 22 Aug 2016 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Ludovic Van Waerbeke Large scale surveys of the universe are quickly becoming key to making new discoveries at the cutting edge of astronomy. Case in point is the Cosmic Evolution Survey (or COSMOS), which incorporates data from 446,000...1493art,big,black,dan,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jim,john,kevin,lewis,light,mark,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,waterfalse107fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-106-is-our-solar-system-unique-the-complex-process-of-planetary-formation-with-aaron-boley--66131015
Is our solar system unique? That's becoming a major question for researchers. It turns out solar system formation is a far more complex process than anyone imagined. Gas giants migrate in and out. Planets swap places with each other. And bodies of all shapes and sizes appear at every conceivable distance from their star. To make sense of what might literally be a chaotic system today I’m joined at The Star Spot by Aaron Boley, Canada Research Chair in Planetary Astronomy.

Current in Space

About Our Guest

Aaron Boley is Assistant Professor and Canada Research Chair in Planetary Astronomy at the University of British Columbia. He studied at the Institute for Theoretical Physics in Switzerland before holding a Sagan Postdoctoral Fellowship from the University of Florida. Boley is a frequent guest at public science events, having presented to Café Scientifique, Vancouver’s VanCityBuzz and the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.  ]]>14b8d2f89a68dc7ebfcf26d66940b194Mon, 08 Aug 2016 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Aaron Boley Is our solar system unique? That's becoming a major question for researchers. It turns out solar system formation is a far more complex process than anyone imagined. Gas giants migrate in and out. Planets swap places with...
Is our solar system unique? That's becoming a major question for researchers. It turns out solar system formation is a far more complex process than anyone imagined. Gas giants migrate in and out. Planets swap places with each other. And bodies of all shapes and sizes appear at every conceivable distance from their star. To make sense of what might literally be a chaotic system today I’m joined at The Star Spot by Aaron Boley, Canada Research Chair in Planetary Astronomy.

Current in Space

About Our Guest

Aaron Boley is Assistant Professor and Canada Research Chair in Planetary Astronomy at the University of British Columbia. He studied at the Institute for Theoretical Physics in Switzerland before holding a Sagan Postdoctoral Fellowship from the University of Florida. Boley is a frequent guest at public science events, having presented to Café Scientifique, Vancouver’s VanCityBuzz and the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.  ]]>2200art,big,black,dan,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jim,john,kevin,lewis,light,mark,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,waterfalse106fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-star-spot-episode-105-ad-astra-with-zachary-fejes--66130989ccf39e85a9d717d4f049fd7301080095Mon, 25 Jul 2016 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Zachary Fejes Imagine a starship that could take us out into the galaxy. Meet Icarus Interstellar, a nonprofit foundation working to achieve interstellar travel by the year 2100. Is this science fiction? That’s what I’ll ask Zachary...2213art,big,black,dan,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jim,john,kevin,lewis,light,mark,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,waterfalse105fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-star-spot-episode-104-the-great-terraforming-mars-debate-the-dream-with-chuck-black--66130995Commercial Space blog, the Canadian Aerospace News, and the Space Conference News. He also organizes and produces events focused on the commercialization of space- derived technologies which bring together industry experts for detailed in-person discussions, collaboration and networking on a wide variety of topics for various groups.]]>02c8725f46538fbea0b66631bb968ebeMon, 11 Jul 2016 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Chuck Black Ever consider moving to Mars? The Star Spot did. Along with the University of Toronto Astronomy and Space Exploration Society, we co-hosted a panel event exploring one of the most fascinating questions in which science meets...Commercial Space blog, the Canadian Aerospace News, and the Space Conference News. He also organizes and produces events focused on the commercialization of space- derived technologies which bring together industry experts for detailed in-person discussions, collaboration and networking on a wide variety of topics for various groups.]]>2375art,big,black,dan,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jim,john,kevin,lewis,light,mark,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,waterfalse104fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-star-spot-episode-103-the-great-terraforming-mars-debate-the-ethics-with-john-rummel--66131022
Ever consider moving to Mars? The Star Spot did. Along with the University of Toronto Astronomy and Space Exploration Society, we co-hosted a panel event exploring one of the most fascinating questions in which science meets science fiction. The great terraforming Mars debate.

We were joined by a 5 member panel of experts, representing a wide range of backgrounds. We approached the issue from all angles: physics, astronomy, philosophy, ethics, commerce and politics. Now over the course of 4 episodes I’m being joined at The Star Spot by each of our guests from that event. We covered the science of Mars with planetary scientist Paul Delaney. We then turned questions of Martian and Earthling biology with Dr. Olathe MacIntyre.

Now it’s time to switch gears. Even if we could make Mars habitable, we must confront the equally profound question, should we do it? If Mars already habours life, even just microbes, does that make terraforming off limits? If Mars has dormant life, should we reawaken it? And do humans have an imperative to spread life to the barren worlds of our solar system and beyond? To tackle these biggest of questions today we’re joined at The Star Spot by Professor John Rummel of NASA’s Planetary Protection Subcommittee. Current in Space What’s the best way to study the largest volcano in the solar system? Anuj explains. And while every major galaxy has a supermassive black hole at its centre, have you ever wondered just where do they come from? Tony sheds some light. About Our Guest

John Rummel is a Senior Scientist with the SETI Institute and a Visiting Scholar at McGill University’s Institute of Air and Space Law. A retired Professor of Biology at East Carolina University, he has been a member of the NASA Advisory Council’s Planetary Protection Subcommittee. He previously worked at NASA Headquarters, as Senior Scientist for Astrobiology and Exobiology Program Manager. Rummel is Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has received the Life Sciences Award from the International Academy of Astronautics. He received his PhD in community ecology and evolution from Stanford University.  ]]>2a612d33b90a2ce901d9db905e1db641Mon, 27 Jun 2016 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: John Rummel Ever consider moving to Mars? The Star Spot did. Along with the University of Toronto Astronomy and Space Exploration Society, we co-hosted a panel event exploring one of the most fascinating questions in which science...
Ever consider moving to Mars? The Star Spot did. Along with the University of Toronto Astronomy and Space Exploration Society, we co-hosted a panel event exploring one of the most fascinating questions in which science meets science fiction. The great terraforming Mars debate.

We were joined by a 5 member panel of experts, representing a wide range of backgrounds. We approached the issue from all angles: physics, astronomy, philosophy, ethics, commerce and politics. Now over the course of 4 episodes I’m being joined at The Star Spot by each of our guests from that event. We covered the science of Mars with planetary scientist Paul Delaney. We then turned questions of Martian and Earthling biology with Dr. Olathe MacIntyre.

Now it’s time to switch gears. Even if we could make Mars habitable, we must confront the equally profound question, should we do it? If Mars already habours life, even just microbes, does that make terraforming off limits? If Mars has dormant life, should we reawaken it? And do humans have an imperative to spread life to the barren worlds of our solar system and beyond? To tackle these biggest of questions today we’re joined at The Star Spot by Professor John Rummel of NASA’s Planetary Protection Subcommittee. Current in Space What’s the best way to study the largest volcano in the solar system? Anuj explains. And while every major galaxy has a supermassive black hole at its centre, have you ever wondered just where do they come from? Tony sheds some light. About Our Guest

John Rummel is a Senior Scientist with the SETI Institute and a Visiting Scholar at McGill University’s Institute of Air and Space Law. A retired Professor of Biology at East Carolina University, he has been a member of the NASA Advisory Council’s Planetary Protection Subcommittee. He previously worked at NASA Headquarters, as Senior Scientist for Astrobiology and Exobiology Program Manager. Rummel is Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has received the Life Sciences Award from the International Academy of Astronautics. He received his PhD in community ecology and evolution from Stanford University.  ]]>2235art,big,black,dan,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jim,john,kevin,lewis,light,mark,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,waterfalse103fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-102-the-great-terraforming-mars-debate-part-2-the-biology-with-olathe-macintyre--66130998f16b23ddf76fe5070d015142b825a9fbMon, 30 May 2016 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Olathe MacIntyre Ever consider moving to Mars? The Star Spot recently did. Along with the University of Toronto Astronomy and Space Exploration Society, we recently co-hosted a panel event exploring one of the most fascinating questions...2153art,big,black,dan,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jim,kevin,lewis,light,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,waterfalse102fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-101-the-great-terraforming-mars-debate-part-1-the-science-with-paul-delaney--66131003
Ever consider moving to Mars? The Star Spot recently did. Along with the University of Toronto Astronomy and Space Exploration Society, we recently co-hosted a panel event exploring one of the most fascinating questions in which science meets science fiction. Can we terraform Mars to make it habitable? And if we can, should we?

We were joined by a 5 member panel of experts, representing a wide range of backgrounds in order to approach the issue from all angles: physics, astronomy, philosophy, ethics, commerce and politics.

Now, over the next 4 episodes I’ll be joined at The Star Spot by each of our guests from that event.

We start with the science. For the debate over terraforming Mars depends in large part on the attributes of the red planet, on whether it harbours life, and on what technologies are possible to make the planet suitable for a human settlement and even civilization. To set the scene and to share his position in this great debate today we're joined at The Star Spot by planetary science Professor Paul Delaney.

The Star Spot is Now on the Radio!

The The Star Spot podcast is now The Star Spot podcast and radio show. That’s right. Your favourite astronomy program is now travelling through space, specifically the 1280AM frequency. Our broadcaster, CJRU The Scope at Ryerson, is now available on the radio dial, which means you can join us at The Star Spot at 1280AM every Sunday 8PM and Tuesday 6PM Eastern Time.

Current in Space

Scientists are getting closer to discovering what dark matter is made of... by ruling out one more possible candidate, explains Anuj. Then Dave announces Kepler has suddenly doubled the number of confirmed exoplanets in our galaxy. And with new research into the overview effect, Tony wonders if the life changing experience enjoyed by astronauts can be brought down to Earth.

About Our Guest

Paul Delaney is Professor of Physics and Astronomy at York University. He received his undergraduate degree from the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia, and his graduate degree in astronomy from the University of Victoria in Canada. Professor Delaney oversees the York University campus observatory and its public outreach programs, and he appears regularly on York Universe, one of The Star Spot’s affiliated podcasts.]]>1c8a302085cc3d91ce328f637df246b5Mon, 16 May 2016 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Paul Delaney Ever consider moving to Mars? The Star Spot recently did. Along with the University of Toronto Astronomy and Space Exploration Society, we recently co-hosted a panel event exploring one of the most fascinating questions...
Ever consider moving to Mars? The Star Spot recently did. Along with the University of Toronto Astronomy and Space Exploration Society, we recently co-hosted a panel event exploring one of the most fascinating questions in which science meets science fiction. Can we terraform Mars to make it habitable? And if we can, should we?

We were joined by a 5 member panel of experts, representing a wide range of backgrounds in order to approach the issue from all angles: physics, astronomy, philosophy, ethics, commerce and politics.

Now, over the next 4 episodes I’ll be joined at The Star Spot by each of our guests from that event.

We start with the science. For the debate over terraforming Mars depends in large part on the attributes of the red planet, on whether it harbours life, and on what technologies are possible to make the planet suitable for a human settlement and even civilization. To set the scene and to share his position in this great debate today we're joined at The Star Spot by planetary science Professor Paul Delaney.

The Star Spot is Now on the Radio!

The The Star Spot podcast is now The Star Spot podcast and radio show. That’s right. Your favourite astronomy program is now travelling through space, specifically the 1280AM frequency. Our broadcaster, CJRU The Scope at Ryerson, is now available on the radio dial, which means you can join us at The Star Spot at 1280AM every Sunday 8PM and Tuesday 6PM Eastern Time.

Current in Space

Scientists are getting closer to discovering what dark matter is made of... by ruling out one more possible candidate, explains Anuj. Then Dave announces Kepler has suddenly doubled the number of confirmed exoplanets in our galaxy. And with new research into the overview effect, Tony wonders if the life changing experience enjoyed by astronauts can be brought down to Earth.

About Our Guest

Paul Delaney is Professor of Physics and Astronomy at York University. He received his undergraduate degree from the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia, and his graduate degree in astronomy from the University of Victoria in Canada. Professor Delaney oversees the York University campus observatory and its public outreach programs, and he appears regularly on York Universe, one of The Star Spot’s affiliated podcasts.]]>2376art,big,black,dan,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jim,kevin,lewis,light,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,waterfalse101fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-100-the-monster-at-the-centre-of-our-galaxy-with-feryal-ozel--66131026 Science fiction fans are familiar with a cloaking device that hides alien ships from an enemy. Now Tony explains how a real life cloaking device could help us hide our entire civilization from prying eyes. And Anuj wonders if Saturn's moons may be younger than we thought - and what that means for our exploration of the solar system. 
About Our Guest Feryal Özel is Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Arizona. She received her Masters from the Niels Borh Institute and her PhD from Harvard University, before working as a NASA Hubble Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton. Her research focuses on neutron stars and black holes, and the relationship of black holes and galaxies in the early universe. Professor Özel is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and a member of the Science Academy of Turkey.    ]]>049d38e1dff9a1325ed38b53c0997f44Mon, 02 May 2016 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryCelebrating 100 Episodes with you at The Star Spot! Thank you for joining here at The Star Spot for our special 100th episode. I want to take a moment to thank the 100 absolutely stellar guests that have joined us on the show over the last 4 years.... Science fiction fans are familiar with a cloaking device that hides alien ships from an enemy. Now Tony explains how a real life cloaking device could help us hide our entire civilization from prying eyes. And Anuj wonders if Saturn's moons may be younger than we thought - and what that means for our exploration of the solar system. 
About Our Guest Feryal Özel is Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Arizona. She received her Masters from the Niels Borh Institute and her PhD from Harvard University, before working as a NASA Hubble Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton. Her research focuses on neutron stars and black holes, and the relationship of black holes and galaxies in the early universe. Professor Özel is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and a member of the Science Academy of Turkey.    ]]>2222art,big,black,dan,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jim,kevin,lewis,light,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,waterfalse100fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-99-pulsars-and-the-detection-of-gravitational-waves-with-ingrid-stairs--66131029
Here to tell us how pulsars, the lighthouses of the galaxy, can be used to study gravitational waves and help us understand the forces of our universe, today we’re joined at The Star Spot by pulsar authority Ingrid Stairs The Star Spot is Now on the Radio! The The Star Spot podcast is now The Star Spot podcast and radio show. That’s right. Your favourite astronomy program is now travelling through space, specifically the 1280AM frequency. Our broadcaster, CJRU The Scope at Ryerson, is now available on the radio dial, which means you can join us at The Star Spot at 1280AM every Sunday 8PM and Tuesday 6PM Eastern Time.

Current in Space We know the late heavy bombardment period was critical to the eventual emergence of life on Earth. But since Earth wasn't the only planet that went through such an ordeal, Anuj explains what that implies for life in the solar system. And Dave shares new evidence of the effect of ancient supernova explosions on our planet.

About Our Guest

Ingrid Stairs is Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of British Columbia. She received her doctoral degree from Princeton university before undertaking her postdoctral fellowship at the Jodrell Bank Observatory in the UK. Professor Stairs received the NSERC University FAculty Award as well as Princeton’s Joseph Henry Award. She is a world authority on pulsars, the energetic remnants of massive dead stars.]]>438ee7600eb229be5336ec4815003a9fMon, 18 Apr 2016 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Ingrid Stairs In February scientists announced the first ever discovery of gravitational waves, tiny distortions in the fabric of space-time predicted by Einstein exactly 100 years ago. The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave...
Here to tell us how pulsars, the lighthouses of the galaxy, can be used to study gravitational waves and help us understand the forces of our universe, today we’re joined at The Star Spot by pulsar authority Ingrid Stairs The Star Spot is Now on the Radio! The The Star Spot podcast is now The Star Spot podcast and radio show. That’s right. Your favourite astronomy program is now travelling through space, specifically the 1280AM frequency. Our broadcaster, CJRU The Scope at Ryerson, is now available on the radio dial, which means you can join us at The Star Spot at 1280AM every Sunday 8PM and Tuesday 6PM Eastern Time.

Current in Space We know the late heavy bombardment period was critical to the eventual emergence of life on Earth. But since Earth wasn't the only planet that went through such an ordeal, Anuj explains what that implies for life in the solar system. And Dave shares new evidence of the effect of ancient supernova explosions on our planet.

About Our Guest

Ingrid Stairs is Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of British Columbia. She received her doctoral degree from Princeton university before undertaking her postdoctral fellowship at the Jodrell Bank Observatory in the UK. Professor Stairs received the NSERC University FAculty Award as well as Princeton’s Joseph Henry Award. She is a world authority on pulsars, the energetic remnants of massive dead stars.]]>2199art,big,black,dan,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jim,kevin,lewis,light,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,waterfalse99fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-98-what-our-beliefs-about-aliens-say-about-us-with-brian-trent--66131030
Here’s the ultimate challenge for science fiction. How do you describe the appearance and behaviour of an intelligent alien species when we have no example to go on but us? How can we ever know our portrayal is truly alien and not a projection of our own expectations, hopes and fears? Or has the job of science fiction all along been to hold up a mirror to ourselves? Today we're joined at The Star Spot by Brian Trent, an award-winning science fiction author who manages to blend shockingly unfamiliar alien beings within stories of profound humanity.

Today’s episode of The Star Spot is the third in a three part series featuring interviews with the keynote speakers at the 13th annual Expanding Canada’s Frontier’s symposium, this year on the topic Astronomyths: Science or Fiction?, looking at cosmology and alien life, hosted at the University of Toronto this past January.

The Star Spot is Now on the Radio!

The The Star Spot podcast is now The Star Spot podcast and radio show. That’s right. Your favourite astronomy program is now travelling through space, specifically the 1280AM frequency. Our broadcaster, CJRU The Scope at Ryerson, is now available on the radio dial, which means you can join us at The Star Spot at 1280AM every Sunday 8PM and Tuesday 6PM Eastern Time.

Current in Space Did the Large Hadron Collider just discover a new heavy particle beyond the Standard Model of particular physics? Anuj reports. Then Dave explains how astronomers captured for the first time the very beginning of a supernova explosion. And Tony reveals how space rocks arriving on Earth from before the formation of the solar system show chemicals produced in long dead stars.    About Our Guest

Brian Trent is a journalist and science-fiction writer. His work appears regularly in major publications like AE - The Canadian Science Fiction Review, ANALOG, Fantasy & Science Fiction, COSMOS, Nature, Galaxy’s Edge and Daily Science Fiction.  In 2013 his story “War Hero” was a winner in the Writers of the Future Contest. His most recently published Novel, Rahotep, came out in December.

Brian Trent describes himself as “a futurist with an interest in the past.” He studies how technology has affected our world in order to speculate on where we are headed. His  writings on artificial intelligence, longevity research and the search for life in the universe, among other topics, lead him towards a picture of what the future looks like for our society and our species. His ideas have appeared in UTNE, The Humanist, Strange Horizons, Clarkesworld and other publications. ]]>393218bc9550c50d702bed9b9bd011c0Mon, 04 Apr 2016 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Brian Trent Here’s the ultimate challenge for science fiction. How do you describe the appearance and behaviour of an intelligent alien species when we have no example to go on but us? How can we ever know our portrayal is truly alien...
Here’s the ultimate challenge for science fiction. How do you describe the appearance and behaviour of an intelligent alien species when we have no example to go on but us? How can we ever know our portrayal is truly alien and not a projection of our own expectations, hopes and fears? Or has the job of science fiction all along been to hold up a mirror to ourselves? Today we're joined at The Star Spot by Brian Trent, an award-winning science fiction author who manages to blend shockingly unfamiliar alien beings within stories of profound humanity.

Today’s episode of The Star Spot is the third in a three part series featuring interviews with the keynote speakers at the 13th annual Expanding Canada’s Frontier’s symposium, this year on the topic Astronomyths: Science or Fiction?, looking at cosmology and alien life, hosted at the University of Toronto this past January.

The Star Spot is Now on the Radio!

The The Star Spot podcast is now The Star Spot podcast and radio show. That’s right. Your favourite astronomy program is now travelling through space, specifically the 1280AM frequency. Our broadcaster, CJRU The Scope at Ryerson, is now available on the radio dial, which means you can join us at The Star Spot at 1280AM every Sunday 8PM and Tuesday 6PM Eastern Time.

Current in Space Did the Large Hadron Collider just discover a new heavy particle beyond the Standard Model of particular physics? Anuj reports. Then Dave explains how astronomers captured for the first time the very beginning of a supernova explosion. And Tony reveals how space rocks arriving on Earth from before the formation of the solar system show chemicals produced in long dead stars.    About Our Guest

Brian Trent is a journalist and science-fiction writer. His work appears regularly in major publications like AE - The Canadian Science Fiction Review, ANALOG, Fantasy & Science Fiction, COSMOS, Nature, Galaxy’s Edge and Daily Science Fiction.  In 2013 his story “War Hero” was a winner in the Writers of the Future Contest. His most recently published Novel, Rahotep, came out in December.

Brian Trent describes himself as “a futurist with an interest in the past.” He studies how technology has affected our world in order to speculate on where we are headed. His  writings on artificial intelligence, longevity research and the search for life in the universe, among other topics, lead him towards a picture of what the future looks like for our society and our species. His ideas have appeared in UTNE, The Humanist, Strange Horizons, Clarkesworld and other publications. ]]>2974art,big,black,dan,fiction,hilton,ice,james,jim,kevin,lewis,light,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,scifi,waterfalse98fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-97-making-life-in-the-lab-and-its-implications-for-alien-hunting-with-lynn-rothschild--66131033
Today’s episode of The Star Spot is the second in a three part series featuring interviews with the keynote speakers at the 13th annual Expanding Canada’s Frontier’s symposium, this year on the topic Astronomyths: Science or Fiction?, looking at cosmology and alien life, hosted at the University of Toronto this past January. In our next episode we will speak with Brian Trent, award-winning science fiction author and futurist. The Star Spot Hits the Airwaves! Coming soon, your favourite astronomy program will be travelling through space… well through the airwaves at least. The Star Spot, broadcast on CJRU, The Scope at Ryerson, will be on the air at 1280AM on the radio dial starting in April. You’ll be able to catch the latest episode every Sunday at 8PM and Tuesday at 6PM Eastern Time. Visithttp://www.thescopeatryerson.ca/ to learn more about our partner radio station. Current in Space

Anuj asks how today's stromatolites can tell us about the habitability of the ancient Earth. And Tony bring news of cutting edge technology that promises advances in the imaging of planets beyond our solar system.  About Our Guest Professor Lynn J. Rothschild is senior scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center and Adjunct Professor at Brown University and the University of California Santa Cruz.

Professor Rothschild is a world authority in the field of astrobiology. She founded and ran the first three Astrobiology Science Conferences, was the founding co-editor of the International Journal of Astrobiology, and is the former director of the Astrobiology Strategic Analysis and Support Office for NASA.

A well-rounded astrobiologist, Dr. Rothschild works on various models for the origin of life, studies the interaction of environment on biology, explores life in extreme environments and looks for signs of life on other worlds.

Recently she has been pioneering the new field of synthetic biology. Her award-winning iGem team is investigating the use of synthetic biology to accomplish space exploration missions, including the future human settlement of Mars.

Professor Rothschild has received the Isaac Asimov Award from the American Humanist Association and the Horace Mann Award from Brown University. She is a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London, The California Academy of Sciences and the Explorer’s Club.]]>0edc364ed1e2ca979c364783bf5e7e28Mon, 21 Mar 2016 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Lynn Rothschild Are we alone in the universe? Think about it. Whatever the answer, it is one of the most profound and enduring questions humans have ever asked. The fact that we are on the cusp of being able to answer it is incredible....
Today’s episode of The Star Spot is the second in a three part series featuring interviews with the keynote speakers at the 13th annual Expanding Canada’s Frontier’s symposium, this year on the topic Astronomyths: Science or Fiction?, looking at cosmology and alien life, hosted at the University of Toronto this past January. In our next episode we will speak with Brian Trent, award-winning science fiction author and futurist. The Star Spot Hits the Airwaves! Coming soon, your favourite astronomy program will be travelling through space… well through the airwaves at least. The Star Spot, broadcast on CJRU, The Scope at Ryerson, will be on the air at 1280AM on the radio dial starting in April. You’ll be able to catch the latest episode every Sunday at 8PM and Tuesday at 6PM Eastern Time. Visithttp://www.thescopeatryerson.ca/ to learn more about our partner radio station. Current in Space

Anuj asks how today's stromatolites can tell us about the habitability of the ancient Earth. And Tony bring news of cutting edge technology that promises advances in the imaging of planets beyond our solar system.  About Our Guest Professor Lynn J. Rothschild is senior scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center and Adjunct Professor at Brown University and the University of California Santa Cruz.

Professor Rothschild is a world authority in the field of astrobiology. She founded and ran the first three Astrobiology Science Conferences, was the founding co-editor of the International Journal of Astrobiology, and is the former director of the Astrobiology Strategic Analysis and Support Office for NASA.

A well-rounded astrobiologist, Dr. Rothschild works on various models for the origin of life, studies the interaction of environment on biology, explores life in extreme environments and looks for signs of life on other worlds.

Recently she has been pioneering the new field of synthetic biology. Her award-winning iGem team is investigating the use of synthetic biology to accomplish space exploration missions, including the future human settlement of Mars.

Professor Rothschild has received the Isaac Asimov Award from the American Humanist Association and the Horace Mann Award from Brown University. She is a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London, The California Academy of Sciences and the Explorer’s Club.]]>2257art,big,black,dan,energy,hilton,ice,james,jim,kevin,lewis,light,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,randy,science,waterfalse97fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-96-did-universe-s-first-moments-set-the-stage-for-life-with-fred-adams--66131019
Could the very first moments of our universe hold the secret to the eventual emergence of life billions of years later? And can life exist in the unimaginably far future, or does the life of the universe effectively die? From the deep past to the infinite future, today we're joined at The Star Spot by Professor Fred Adams to discuss the intersection of cosmology and life. The Star Spot Hits the Airwaves!

Coming soon, your favourite astronomy program will be travelling through space… well through the airwaves at least. The Star Spot, broadcast on CJRU, The Scope at Ryerson, will be on the air at 1280AM on the radio dial starting in April. You’ll be able to catch the latest episode every Sunday at 8PM and Tuesday at 6PM Eastern Time. Visit http://www.thescopeatryerson.ca/ to learn more about our partner radio station.

Thinking of moving to Mars?

Then you better attend the upcoming panel discussion, March 16th at the University of Toronto. The event will feature six amazing panelists from the fields of physics, astronomy, philosophy, commerce, environmental science, planetary protection and political science, all brought together to explore the possibilities and implications of Martian settlement. Come join me as I moderate this exciting and unique debate, and meet up with members of The Star Spot and the U of T Astronomy and Space Exploration Society

About Our Guest

Today’s episode of The Star Spot is the first in a three part series featuring interviews with the keynote speakers at the 13th annual Expanding Canada’s Frontier’s symposium, this year on the topic Astronomyths: Science or Fiction?, looking at cosmology and alien life, hosted at the University of Toronto this past January. In our subsequent two episodes we will speak with Professor Lynn Rothschild, senior scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center, and then Brian Trent, award-winning science fiction author and futurist. Today I’m excited to be joined by Professor Fred Adams. Professor Adams served as a postdoctoral research fellow at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics before joining the Physics Department at the University of Michigan, where he is now Full Professor. Professor Adams has won many awards, including the the Helen B. Warner Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the Young Investigator Award from the National Science Foundation, and the Excellence in Education Award from the University of Michigan. In 2014, we was elected a fellow of the American Physical Society. Professor Adams has an interest in how things form, whether we’re talking the formation of stars, of planetary systems or of the universe itself. Recently he has turned his focus to how things end, with cosmological work that is considering the long term evolution and fate of our universe.   Professor Adams is an author of several astronomy books for the public, including The Five Ages of the Universe: Inside the Physics of Eternity and Origins of Existence: How Life Emerged in the Universe.]]>8ec809ba38b13105fa8108acca8859b9Mon, 07 Mar 2016 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Fred Adams Could the very first moments of our universe hold the secret to the eventual emergence of life billions of years later? And can life exist in the unimaginably far future, or does the life of the universe effectively die?...
Could the very first moments of our universe hold the secret to the eventual emergence of life billions of years later? And can life exist in the unimaginably far future, or does the life of the universe effectively die? From the deep past to the infinite future, today we're joined at The Star Spot by Professor Fred Adams to discuss the intersection of cosmology and life. The Star Spot Hits the Airwaves!

Coming soon, your favourite astronomy program will be travelling through space… well through the airwaves at least. The Star Spot, broadcast on CJRU, The Scope at Ryerson, will be on the air at 1280AM on the radio dial starting in April. You’ll be able to catch the latest episode every Sunday at 8PM and Tuesday at 6PM Eastern Time. Visit http://www.thescopeatryerson.ca/ to learn more about our partner radio station.

Thinking of moving to Mars?

Then you better attend the upcoming panel discussion, March 16th at the University of Toronto. The event will feature six amazing panelists from the fields of physics, astronomy, philosophy, commerce, environmental science, planetary protection and political science, all brought together to explore the possibilities and implications of Martian settlement. Come join me as I moderate this exciting and unique debate, and meet up with members of The Star Spot and the U of T Astronomy and Space Exploration Society

About Our Guest

Today’s episode of The Star Spot is the first in a three part series featuring interviews with the keynote speakers at the 13th annual Expanding Canada’s Frontier’s symposium, this year on the topic Astronomyths: Science or Fiction?, looking at cosmology and alien life, hosted at the University of Toronto this past January. In our subsequent two episodes we will speak with Professor Lynn Rothschild, senior scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center, and then Brian Trent, award-winning science fiction author and futurist. Today I’m excited to be joined by Professor Fred Adams. Professor Adams served as a postdoctoral research fellow at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics before joining the Physics Department at the University of Michigan, where he is now Full Professor. Professor Adams has won many awards, including the the Helen B. Warner Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the Young Investigator Award from the National Science Foundation, and the Excellence in Education Award from the University of Michigan. In 2014, we was elected a fellow of the American Physical Society. Professor Adams has an interest in how things form, whether we’re talking the formation of stars, of planetary systems or of the universe itself. Recently he has turned his focus to how things end, with cosmological work that is considering the long term evolution and fate of our universe.   Professor Adams is an author of several astronomy books for the public, including The Five Ages of the Universe: Inside the Physics of Eternity and Origins of Existence: How Life Emerged in the Universe.]]>1936art,big,black,dan,energy,hilton,ice,james,jim,kevin,lewis,light,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,randy,science,waterfalse96fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-95-galaxy-clusters-the-largest-structures-in-the-universe-with-gil-holder--66131036
Have you heard of the Great Attractor or the Great Wall? The universe evolved from a hot dense not quite perfectly uniform state to now contain galaxies in sheet-like structures separated by huge voids. These clusters and superclusters of galaxies make up the largest scale structure in the observable universe. How exactly did they emerge, what role does dark matter and dark energy play in the evolution of structure and just where is our universe headed? To help us answer those questions today we’re joined at The Star Spot by cosmologist Gil Holder. Current in Space

With the building of the James Webb Space Telescope coming along quickly, Anuj explains how the successor to Hubble will open a new window on the universe? And following the recent 40th anniversary of the Apollo 1 disaster, Tony reflect on three major tragedies in the history of space exploration and reflects on why it’s still worth the risk. Finally Dave reports on the groundbreaking discovery of gravitational waves via one of the most powerful phenomena in the universe: binary black hole mergers.  About Our Guest

Gil Holder is Canada Research Chair in Cosmological Astrophysics at McGill University and a Scholar at the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research. Dr. Holder received his PhD from the University of Chicago and was a Keck Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study from 2001 to 2004. His research focuses on unique methods of studying structure formation in the universe.]]>957be36ea734b8f9ca0c73e0843d8d7eMon, 22 Feb 2016 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Gil Holder Have you heard of the Great Attractor or the Great Wall? The universe evolved from a hot dense not quite perfectly uniform state to now contain galaxies in sheet-like structures separated by huge voids. These clusters and...
Have you heard of the Great Attractor or the Great Wall? The universe evolved from a hot dense not quite perfectly uniform state to now contain galaxies in sheet-like structures separated by huge voids. These clusters and superclusters of galaxies make up the largest scale structure in the observable universe. How exactly did they emerge, what role does dark matter and dark energy play in the evolution of structure and just where is our universe headed? To help us answer those questions today we’re joined at The Star Spot by cosmologist Gil Holder. Current in Space

With the building of the James Webb Space Telescope coming along quickly, Anuj explains how the successor to Hubble will open a new window on the universe? And following the recent 40th anniversary of the Apollo 1 disaster, Tony reflect on three major tragedies in the history of space exploration and reflects on why it’s still worth the risk. Finally Dave reports on the groundbreaking discovery of gravitational waves via one of the most powerful phenomena in the universe: binary black hole mergers.  About Our Guest

Gil Holder is Canada Research Chair in Cosmological Astrophysics at McGill University and a Scholar at the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research. Dr. Holder received his PhD from the University of Chicago and was a Keck Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study from 2001 to 2004. His research focuses on unique methods of studying structure formation in the universe.]]>2984art,big,black,dan,energy,hilton,ice,james,jim,kevin,lewis,light,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,randy,science,waterfalse95fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-94-what-alien-intelligence-means-for-humanity-with-don-lincoln--66131027
Current in Space Star Trek-like alien interactions might be possible after all... if you live at the centre of a globular cluster. Then, we look at a conspiracy theory that's no longer so out there, because Planet X is back, with a vengeance. And gardening arrives at the ISS, meaning astronauts may eventually enjoy the fruits of their labour. Extremophiles are also heading to the space station, as we test their habitability in Mars-like conditions. About Our Guest Don Lincoln is a senior physicist at Fermilab, America’s flagship particle physics laboratory, and adjunct Professor of Physics at the University of Notre Dame. He is co-discover of the top quark and was part of the team that discovered the Higgs boson in 2012. Professor Lincoln is the author of several public science books, including Understanding the Universe: From Quarks to the Cosmos, The Large Hadron Collider: The Extraordinary Story of the Higgs Boson and Other Things That Will Blow Your Mind and Alien Universe: Extraterrestrials in our Minds and in the Cosmos.    ]]>1ad86e23ad8c187ed85fb6f534250912Mon, 08 Feb 2016 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Don Lincoln Humanoid... grey in colour… almond shaped eyes. You all know exactly what I’m describing, but have you ever wondered just how the public’s perception of aliens came to be? Today we’re joined at The Star Spot by Professor Don...
Current in Space Star Trek-like alien interactions might be possible after all... if you live at the centre of a globular cluster. Then, we look at a conspiracy theory that's no longer so out there, because Planet X is back, with a vengeance. And gardening arrives at the ISS, meaning astronauts may eventually enjoy the fruits of their labour. Extremophiles are also heading to the space station, as we test their habitability in Mars-like conditions. About Our Guest Don Lincoln is a senior physicist at Fermilab, America’s flagship particle physics laboratory, and adjunct Professor of Physics at the University of Notre Dame. He is co-discover of the top quark and was part of the team that discovered the Higgs boson in 2012. Professor Lincoln is the author of several public science books, including Understanding the Universe: From Quarks to the Cosmos, The Large Hadron Collider: The Extraordinary Story of the Higgs Boson and Other Things That Will Blow Your Mind and Alien Universe: Extraterrestrials in our Minds and in the Cosmos.    ]]>3198art,big,black,dan,energy,hilton,ice,james,jim,kevin,lewis,light,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,randy,science,waterfalse94fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-93-will-the-electric-sail-get-us-to-deep-space-with-les-johnson--66131035
In our last conversation, Pekka Janhunen, inventor of the electric solar sail, joined Denise at The Star Spot to explain the science and engineering behind this advanced spacecraft propulsion technology. Now as we dive into Part 2, it’s time to ask, just how far into deep space will the electric sail take us and will it truly open up a path to the stars? To answer those questions, today we’re joined at The Star Spot by Les Johnson, Deputy Manager for NASA’s Advanced Concepts Office. Current in Space Death from above. If an object from outer space is going to kill you, Tony tells you which one it's likely to be. And did you know some stars are in a big hurry? Anuj explains the newly discovered phenomenon of runaway stars. 

About Our Guest Les Johnson is Deputy Manager for NASA’s Advanced Concepts Office at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. He is co-investigator of NASA’s Heliopause Electrostatic Rapid Transit System (HERTS), an electric-solar-sail study and development project. Johnson is also a science fiction author whose latest novel, Rescue Mode, describes the first human mission to Mars.]]>8af29127234bb4f9a335549bc475881bMon, 25 Jan 2016 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Les Johnson In our last conversation, Pekka Janhunen, inventor of the electric solar sail, joined Denise at The Star Spot to explain the science and engineering behind this advanced spacecraft propulsion technology. Now as we dive into...
In our last conversation, Pekka Janhunen, inventor of the electric solar sail, joined Denise at The Star Spot to explain the science and engineering behind this advanced spacecraft propulsion technology. Now as we dive into Part 2, it’s time to ask, just how far into deep space will the electric sail take us and will it truly open up a path to the stars? To answer those questions, today we’re joined at The Star Spot by Les Johnson, Deputy Manager for NASA’s Advanced Concepts Office. Current in Space Death from above. If an object from outer space is going to kill you, Tony tells you which one it's likely to be. And did you know some stars are in a big hurry? Anuj explains the newly discovered phenomenon of runaway stars. 

About Our Guest Les Johnson is Deputy Manager for NASA’s Advanced Concepts Office at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. He is co-investigator of NASA’s Heliopause Electrostatic Rapid Transit System (HERTS), an electric-solar-sail study and development project. Johnson is also a science fiction author whose latest novel, Rescue Mode, describes the first human mission to Mars.]]>2022art,big,black,dan,energy,hilton,ice,james,jim,kevin,lewis,light,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,randy,science,waterfalse93fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-92-inventing-the-electric-solar-sail-with-pekka-janhunen--66131037b9d402812217a2c0d52cd2fa1ced2a04Mon, 11 Jan 2016 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Pekka Janhunen The electric solar wind sail, or electric sail for short, is an advanced spacecraft propulsion technology that just might revolutionize space travel, making deep-space exploration at high speeds a reality. Or not. To help...1472art,big,black,dan,energy,hilton,ice,james,jim,kevin,lewis,light,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,randy,science,waterfalse92fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-91-monster-galaxies-of-the-early-universe-with-henry-joy-mccracken--66131006
Last month scientists announced the shocking discovery of 574 monster galaxies from the ancient universe. There are surprisingly many such giant galaxies, and they seem to appear more suddenly and earlier than astronomers predicted. How might this finding upend our understanding of galaxy and structure formation in the universe? To help us answer that question we’re joined by the discovery’s co-investigator Henry Joy McCracken. This episode is dedicated to my wife Denise Fong, on our 6 month anniversary. Denise and I met at the 10th episode celebration of The Star Spot over 3 years ago. It has been a great pleasure to work with you Denise to grow our show and to further public education for astronomy, our common passion. - Justin

Current in Space

Galaxies are alive! Tony explains what makes a galaxy’s heart throb. And Anuj explains how stars can go rogue.

About Our Guest

Henry Joy McCracken has worked as a researcher at the Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris in France since 2003. He received his masters from the University of Victoria and his PhD from the University of Durham. His interests include galaxy formation and evolution and the evolving relationship between dark matter and normal matter.]]>9394592fb5a480c32e685a72eaa9f781Mon, 14 Dec 2015 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Henry Joy McCracken Last month scientists announced the shocking discovery of 574 monster galaxies from the ancient universe. There are surprisingly many such giant galaxies, and they seem to appear more suddenly and earlier than...
Last month scientists announced the shocking discovery of 574 monster galaxies from the ancient universe. There are surprisingly many such giant galaxies, and they seem to appear more suddenly and earlier than astronomers predicted. How might this finding upend our understanding of galaxy and structure formation in the universe? To help us answer that question we’re joined by the discovery’s co-investigator Henry Joy McCracken. This episode is dedicated to my wife Denise Fong, on our 6 month anniversary. Denise and I met at the 10th episode celebration of The Star Spot over 3 years ago. It has been a great pleasure to work with you Denise to grow our show and to further public education for astronomy, our common passion. - Justin

Current in Space

Galaxies are alive! Tony explains what makes a galaxy’s heart throb. And Anuj explains how stars can go rogue.

About Our Guest

Henry Joy McCracken has worked as a researcher at the Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris in France since 2003. He received his masters from the University of Victoria and his PhD from the University of Durham. His interests include galaxy formation and evolution and the evolving relationship between dark matter and normal matter.]]>2283art,big,black,dan,energy,hilton,ice,james,jim,kevin,lewis,light,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,randy,science,waterfalse91fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-90-discovering-the-furthest-object-in-the-solar-system-with-scott-sheppard--66131020
Recently astronomers discovered an object further than anything we’ve ever found in our solar system. This dwarf planet lies all the way out in the mysterious inner oort cloud. Today the object’s co-discoverer Scott Sheppard joins guest host Denise Fong here at The Star Spot, to reveal cutting edge findings from the unmapped edges of our solar system.

Current in Space

Anuj introduces us to the CLASS telescope. Never heard of it? You will. And with everyone seemingly fascinated by Jupiter's moon Europa, Tony asks what it would take to actually explore this intriguing world. 

About Our Guest

Scott Sheppard is faculty member in the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism at the Carnegie Institution for Science. He received his PhD from the University of Hawaii. A Hubble Fellow, Sheppard is credited with the discovery of many small moons of the gas giant planets. He has also been part of teams that have discovered comets, asteroids and Kuiper belt objects.]]>3b41e2a9545ebfef06ab6e397face399Mon, 30 Nov 2015 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Scott Sheppard Recently astronomers discovered an object further than anything we’ve ever found in our solar system. This dwarf planet lies all the way out in the mysterious inner oort cloud. Today the object’s co-discoverer Scott...
Recently astronomers discovered an object further than anything we’ve ever found in our solar system. This dwarf planet lies all the way out in the mysterious inner oort cloud. Today the object’s co-discoverer Scott Sheppard joins guest host Denise Fong here at The Star Spot, to reveal cutting edge findings from the unmapped edges of our solar system.

Current in Space

Anuj introduces us to the CLASS telescope. Never heard of it? You will. And with everyone seemingly fascinated by Jupiter's moon Europa, Tony asks what it would take to actually explore this intriguing world. 

About Our Guest

Scott Sheppard is faculty member in the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism at the Carnegie Institution for Science. He received his PhD from the University of Hawaii. A Hubble Fellow, Sheppard is credited with the discovery of many small moons of the gas giant planets. He has also been part of teams that have discovered comets, asteroids and Kuiper belt objects.]]>1965art,big,black,dan,energy,hilton,ice,james,jim,kevin,lewis,light,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,randy,science,waterfalse90fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-89-the-surprising-ubiquity-of-ice-in-the-solar-system-and-the-staggering-implications-for-life-with-david-paige--66131038David Paige is Professor of Planetary Sciences at UCLA. He is Principal Investigator of the Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment, an instrument aboard NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission that is currently orbiting the Moon. He made headlines in 2012 for the discovery of water ice deposits and organic material on Mercury using data collected by the MESSENGER spacecraft. Paige is a world authority on water, ices and volatiles in the solar system.  ]]>71f87502687d4e5b8ff7ce9260965a5aMon, 16 Nov 2015 01:23:45 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: David Paige There was once a time when scientists believed that beyond the Earth there lied a largely dry, barren and inhospitable solar system. But now we think there is likely to be liquid water below the surface of Jupiter’s moons...David Paige is Professor of Planetary Sciences at UCLA. He is Principal Investigator of the Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment, an instrument aboard NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission that is currently orbiting the Moon. He made headlines in 2012 for the discovery of water ice deposits and organic material on Mercury using data collected by the MESSENGER spacecraft. Paige is a world authority on water, ices and volatiles in the solar system.  ]]>2142art,big,black,dan,energy,hilton,ice,james,jim,kevin,lewis,light,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,randy,science,waterfalse89fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-88-two-s-company-from-binary-stars-to-binary-supermassive-black-holes-with-pawel-artymowicz--66131001
]]>91b808dd524644e3cf6674b93cfaadfbMon, 02 Nov 2015 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Pawel Artymowicz Star Wars fans will be familiar with the planet Tatooine and its two suns. But as it turns out the majority of stars in the Milky Way galaxy live with a companion. And that’s led scientists to study how multiple star...
]]>3229art,big,black,dan,doug,energy,hilton,james,jim,keith,kevin,lewis,light,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,randy,sciencefalse88fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-87-147-years-of-astronomy-outreach-with-randy-attwood--661310256508fcad9265091089c7459517e991f8Mon, 05 Oct 2015 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Randy Attwood Nearly a quarter of Americans confuse astronomy with astrology. And barely half know it takes the Earth a year to go around the Sun. Yes, you read that right. Clearly, we have a lot of work to do. Today we're joined at The...3215art,big,black,dan,doug,energy,hilton,james,jim,keith,kevin,lewis,light,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,randy,sciencefalse87fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-86-when-the-universe-began-with-wendy-freedman--66131021




]]>74328624d0b74000f299e6e6962cc064Mon, 21 Sep 2015 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Wendy Freedman A long long time ago in every place at once, all of this began. But when exactly did the universe begin? And how quickly did it expand into the structure we see around us? Those numbers are more difficult to nail down...




]]>2406art,big,black,dan,doug,energy,hilton,james,jim,keith,kevin,lewis,light,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,systemfalse86fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-85-the-cosmology-machine-probing-the-farthest-objects-via-the-keck-observatory-with-hilton-lewis--67982354
The twin Keck Telescopes of Hawaii are the world’s largest optical and infrared telescopes. For twenty five years they have turned their eyes on the farthest and faintest objects in the cosmos, stacking up a dizzying array of accomplishments: from evidence for the supermassive black hole at the centre of our own galaxy to a recent discovery of the most distant galaxy in the observable universe. 
Today Keck Observatory Director Hilton Lewis joins Justin Trottier at The Star Spot to discuss the life of the most impactful telescope astronomers possess, and to speculate on the future of the Keck in the emerging intensely competitive era of giant telescope astronomy. Current in Space

Humans have the inate ability to self repair. Now Anuj tell us that the advent of self healing spacecraft may be close at hand. Comets are the ultimate fear factor. But while comets do have the ability to take life, Tony tells us they may also have the power to give it. And Dave reports on the closest known quasar, the product of the battle of two cosmological giants.

About Our Guest

The career of Hilton Lewis has grown alongside that of the Keck observatory. Lewis has been a member of the Keck team since the project’s launch in 1986. From his original job designing and developing the software that controls the Keck he would be promoted to many senior positions, then appointed Deputy Director in 2002 and Director in 2014. Lewis earned a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Cape Town and an MBA from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa.]]>2850fcea731c5bfaee1d80c26848cec6Mon, 07 Sep 2015 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Hilton Lewis The twin Keck Telescopes of Hawaii are the world’s largest optical and infrared telescopes. For twenty five years they have turned their eyes on the farthest and faintest objects in the cosmos, stacking up a dizzying array...
The twin Keck Telescopes of Hawaii are the world’s largest optical and infrared telescopes. For twenty five years they have turned their eyes on the farthest and faintest objects in the cosmos, stacking up a dizzying array of accomplishments: from evidence for the supermassive black hole at the centre of our own galaxy to a recent discovery of the most distant galaxy in the observable universe. 
Today Keck Observatory Director Hilton Lewis joins Justin Trottier at The Star Spot to discuss the life of the most impactful telescope astronomers possess, and to speculate on the future of the Keck in the emerging intensely competitive era of giant telescope astronomy. Current in Space

Humans have the inate ability to self repair. Now Anuj tell us that the advent of self healing spacecraft may be close at hand. Comets are the ultimate fear factor. But while comets do have the ability to take life, Tony tells us they may also have the power to give it. And Dave reports on the closest known quasar, the product of the battle of two cosmological giants.

About Our Guest

The career of Hilton Lewis has grown alongside that of the Keck observatory. Lewis has been a member of the Keck team since the project’s launch in 1986. From his original job designing and developing the software that controls the Keck he would be promoted to many senior positions, then appointed Deputy Director in 2002 and Director in 2014. Lewis earned a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Cape Town and an MBA from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa.]]>2091art,big,black,dan,doug,energy,hilton,james,jim,keith,kevin,lewis,light,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,systemfalse85fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-84-canada-s-first-astronaut-with-marc-garneau--67982355He is the first Canadian to travel into space. But with momentous changes rocketing the space programs of many nations, how many more firsts will there be? Today Dr. Marc Garneau, a real hero of science and exploration, joins Justin Trottier at The Star Spot, to discuss the past, present and future of human space flight. Current in Space
When it comes to farming in space just how far along are we? Anuj provides a progress report and more importantly, the results of a taste test. Planetary nebulae have nothing to do with planets, but Tony explains why they're still really important. Then Dave and Anuj tell us how the dwarf planet Sedna could turn out to be an alien object.  About Our Guest
Marc Garneau was selected as one of the original six Canadian astronauts in 1983 following a career as an engineer in the Canadian Navy. Dr. Garneau travelled into space on 3 expeditions aboard the Space Shuttle. He then served as President of the Canadian Space Agency from 2001 to 2005. He has been a member of Canada’s federal Parliament representing the riding of Westmount-Ville-Marie since 2008. Dr. Garneau was appointed to the Order of Canada in 1984 and then promoted to Companion of the Order of Canada in 2003. He is the 9th Chancellor of Carleton University.    ]]>a0525887093896d0acbc97db0052c924Mon, 24 Aug 2015 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Marc Garneau He is the first Canadian to travel into space. But with momentous changes rocketing the space programs of many nations, how many more firsts will there be? Today Dr. Marc Garneau, a real hero of science and exploration,...He is the first Canadian to travel into space. But with momentous changes rocketing the space programs of many nations, how many more firsts will there be? Today Dr. Marc Garneau, a real hero of science and exploration, joins Justin Trottier at The Star Spot, to discuss the past, present and future of human space flight. Current in Space
When it comes to farming in space just how far along are we? Anuj provides a progress report and more importantly, the results of a taste test. Planetary nebulae have nothing to do with planets, but Tony explains why they're still really important. Then Dave and Anuj tell us how the dwarf planet Sedna could turn out to be an alien object.  About Our Guest
Marc Garneau was selected as one of the original six Canadian astronauts in 1983 following a career as an engineer in the Canadian Navy. Dr. Garneau travelled into space on 3 expeditions aboard the Space Shuttle. He then served as President of the Canadian Space Agency from 2001 to 2005. He has been a member of Canada’s federal Parliament representing the riding of Westmount-Ville-Marie since 2008. Dr. Garneau was appointed to the Order of Canada in 1984 and then promoted to Companion of the Order of Canada in 2003. He is the 9th Chancellor of Carleton University.    ]]>1978art,big,black,dan,doug,energy,james,jim,keith,kevin,light,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,super,systemfalse84fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-83-the-hubble-telescope-and-other-space-history-milestones-with-chris-gainor--6798235873dc669ff1d666ce404829ecb9ee3a7bMon, 10 Aug 2015 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Chris Gainor   This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope, which has forever changed the way we look at the cosmos. To help us understand how Hubble proved to be transformational, and for a brief history of the...2802art,big,black,dan,doug,energy,james,jim,keith,kevin,light,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,super,systemfalse83fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-82-the-first-female-private-space-explorer-with-anousheh-ansari--67982359
Her name is synonymous with private space travel. Anousheh Ansari’s $10 million donation enabled the Ansari X-Prize to catalyze the private space industry. And in 2006 Ansari herself became the first female private space explorer when she visited the ISS. Today Anousheh Ansari joins us here at The Star Spot to discuss her amazing life and how the Space Ambassador aims to use her unique experiences to improve life on Earth. This will be the last episode featuring an interview conducted at the International Space Development Conference, hosted this past May 2015 in Toronto.   Current in Space

From a few pixels to bizarre and tantalizing surface features. Today's news features a special Pluto theme in honour of the arrival of the New Horizons space probe at the tiny world of rock and ice. First Dave offers an homage to the discoveries we have already made both regarding Pluto and its many neighbours, as data is only beginning to be analyzed. Then Anuj focuses on Pluto's biggest moon, Charon, a world unto itself. About our Guest

Anousheh Ansari is an Iranian-American engineer who served as co-founder and CEO of Telecom Technologies. Her family were title sponsors of the Ansari X Prize, which was awarded to the first non-government company to launch a reusable manned spacecraft into space twice within two weeks. Ansari became the first female space traveller when she visited the ISS in 2006. She is the author of the memoir My Dream of Stars and co-founder and chairwoman of Prodea Systems]]>5d41da4cdc1ad81d2a22113bc93cab35Mon, 27 Jul 2015 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Anousheh Ansari Her name is synonymous with private space travel. Anousheh Ansari’s $10 million donation enabled the Ansari X-Prize to catalyze the private space industry. And in 2006 Ansari herself became the first female private...
Her name is synonymous with private space travel. Anousheh Ansari’s $10 million donation enabled the Ansari X-Prize to catalyze the private space industry. And in 2006 Ansari herself became the first female private space explorer when she visited the ISS. Today Anousheh Ansari joins us here at The Star Spot to discuss her amazing life and how the Space Ambassador aims to use her unique experiences to improve life on Earth. This will be the last episode featuring an interview conducted at the International Space Development Conference, hosted this past May 2015 in Toronto.   Current in Space

From a few pixels to bizarre and tantalizing surface features. Today's news features a special Pluto theme in honour of the arrival of the New Horizons space probe at the tiny world of rock and ice. First Dave offers an homage to the discoveries we have already made both regarding Pluto and its many neighbours, as data is only beginning to be analyzed. Then Anuj focuses on Pluto's biggest moon, Charon, a world unto itself. About our Guest

Anousheh Ansari is an Iranian-American engineer who served as co-founder and CEO of Telecom Technologies. Her family were title sponsors of the Ansari X Prize, which was awarded to the first non-government company to launch a reusable manned spacecraft into space twice within two weeks. Ansari became the first female space traveller when she visited the ISS in 2006. She is the author of the memoir My Dream of Stars and co-founder and chairwoman of Prodea Systems]]>1512art,big,black,dan,doug,energy,james,jim,keith,kevin,light,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,super,systemfalse82fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-81-transcending-limits-virtual-reality-meets-space-exploration-with-isaac-desouza--67982353f6a799c186c1bce67d89965a58ea2208Mon, 13 Jul 2015 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guests: Isaac DeSouza The distances and challenges we face in space exploration are daunting, but what if we could transcend our technological and even our human limitations? Meet the next generation virtual reality. Want to travel to far off...1428art,big,black,dan,doug,energy,james,jim,keith,kevin,light,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,super,systemfalse81fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-80-arecibo-telescope-icon-of-astronomy-with-robert-kerr-and-jose-molina--67982363
Nestled in the mountains of northern Puerto Rico lies an icon of astronomy: the Arecibo Observatory, the largest radio telescope on Earth. It has been featured in the X-Files, James Bond’s Golden Eye and of course Carl Sagan’s Contact. To help us understand the history and the future of Arecibo we’re joined at The Star Spot by Observatory Director Dr. Robert Kerr. Also in today’s special double bill, Jose Molina explains his plans to make Puerto Rico a primary site for space tourism, scientific research and eventually a space port. Current in Space

No longer merely theoretical, Anuj introduces us to our universe's first generation of stars - thousands of times the mass of the sun. And as our knowledge of exoplanets increase in detail, Dave explains what we're learning from studying the first stratosphere of a planet beyond our solar system.

About our Guests Jose Molina is an engineer working in the aeronautical industry. He received a Master’s Degree in Space Studies at the International Space University, then brought his knowledge and excitement for commercial spaceflight back home to Puerto Rico. There is he is working to enhance the island’s space tourism industry through the development of spaceports and launch vehicles. Robert Kerr is an upper atmospheric physicist who worked as Professor of Astronomy at Boston University and Program Manager at the National Science Foundation. He is the current Director of the Arecibo Observatory.      ]]>5cc70933d6548c1ffd6deac3c0a7e928Mon, 29 Jun 2015 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guests: Robert Kerr and Jose Molina Nestled in the mountains of northern Puerto Rico lies an icon of astronomy: the Arecibo Observatory, the largest radio telescope on Earth. It has been featured in the X-Files, James Bond’s Golden Eye and of...
Nestled in the mountains of northern Puerto Rico lies an icon of astronomy: the Arecibo Observatory, the largest radio telescope on Earth. It has been featured in the X-Files, James Bond’s Golden Eye and of course Carl Sagan’s Contact. To help us understand the history and the future of Arecibo we’re joined at The Star Spot by Observatory Director Dr. Robert Kerr. Also in today’s special double bill, Jose Molina explains his plans to make Puerto Rico a primary site for space tourism, scientific research and eventually a space port. Current in Space

No longer merely theoretical, Anuj introduces us to our universe's first generation of stars - thousands of times the mass of the sun. And as our knowledge of exoplanets increase in detail, Dave explains what we're learning from studying the first stratosphere of a planet beyond our solar system.

About our Guests Jose Molina is an engineer working in the aeronautical industry. He received a Master’s Degree in Space Studies at the International Space University, then brought his knowledge and excitement for commercial spaceflight back home to Puerto Rico. There is he is working to enhance the island’s space tourism industry through the development of spaceports and launch vehicles. Robert Kerr is an upper atmospheric physicist who worked as Professor of Astronomy at Boston University and Program Manager at the National Science Foundation. He is the current Director of the Arecibo Observatory.      ]]>1538art,big,black,dan,doug,energy,james,jim,keith,kevin,light,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,super,systemfalse80fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-79-governing-outer-space-with-lorna-jean-edmonds--67982362
As our civilization moves out into the solar system and beyond, will we be ready to govern ourselves in a way better than we have here on Earth? Today we're joined at The Star Spot on location at the International Space Development Conference 2015 by space policy thinker and Vice Provost for Global Affairs at Ohio University, Lorna Jean Edmonds, who believes, “those who control the galaxy control the world.” Current in Space

With a new discovery of a Kuiper-belt like phenomena around another star, Tony wonders just how unique is our solar system? And Dave explains why astronomers are rethinking what they thought about the oldest nova studied. About Our Guest

Lorna Jean Edmonds is Vice Provost for Global Affairs and International Studies, as well as Professor, College of Health Sciences and Professions at Ohio University. She has held senior executive jobs with the Universities of Toronto, Ottawa, and Western, and she has a deep interest in space governance. She joined us at The Star Spot live on location at the 2015 International Space Development Conference in Toronto.]]>0d379752cddfc3b06da920625e1e57a8Mon, 15 Jun 2015 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Lorna Jean Edmonds As our civilization moves out into the solar system and beyond, will we be ready to govern ourselves in a way better than we have here on Earth? Today we're joined at The Star Spot on location at the International...
As our civilization moves out into the solar system and beyond, will we be ready to govern ourselves in a way better than we have here on Earth? Today we're joined at The Star Spot on location at the International Space Development Conference 2015 by space policy thinker and Vice Provost for Global Affairs at Ohio University, Lorna Jean Edmonds, who believes, “those who control the galaxy control the world.” Current in Space

With a new discovery of a Kuiper-belt like phenomena around another star, Tony wonders just how unique is our solar system? And Dave explains why astronomers are rethinking what they thought about the oldest nova studied. About Our Guest

Lorna Jean Edmonds is Vice Provost for Global Affairs and International Studies, as well as Professor, College of Health Sciences and Professions at Ohio University. She has held senior executive jobs with the Universities of Toronto, Ottawa, and Western, and she has a deep interest in space governance. She joined us at The Star Spot live on location at the 2015 International Space Development Conference in Toronto.]]>1354art,big,black,dan,doug,energy,james,jim,keith,kevin,light,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,super,systemfalse79fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-78-robotic-explorers-that-think-for-themselves-with-raymond-francis--67982367
Raymond Francis is a postdoctoral fellow in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Western University, specializing in robotic technology for space exploration. He is currently working in NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and served as a member of the team for the Mars Science Laboratory rover, or Curiosity. Francis has a background that mixes space science and mechanical engineering. He is a former host of alma mater’s own podcast, Western Worlds. ]]>32f067efe48745527b21a6f6c504b1a4Mon, 01 Jun 2015 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Raymond Francis Today’s robotic planetary explorers have little ability to make decisions for themselves. They follow orders, but often those orders take many precious minutes to arrive from Earth. Now imagine rovers that could...
Raymond Francis is a postdoctoral fellow in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Western University, specializing in robotic technology for space exploration. He is currently working in NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and served as a member of the team for the Mars Science Laboratory rover, or Curiosity. Francis has a background that mixes space science and mechanical engineering. He is a former host of alma mater’s own podcast, Western Worlds. ]]>1324art,big,black,dan,doug,energy,james,jim,keith,kevin,light,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,super,systemfalse78fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-77-cosmic-magnetism-with-jo-anne-brown--679823959ac9fce2f232df1fa54db7c35bab82a3Mon, 18 May 2015 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Jo-Anne Brown We all know the Earth has a magnetic field, but it might surprise you to learn that our galaxy has one too. To help us understand the origin of our galactic magnetic field and how cosmic magnetism effects the galaxies in...2111art,big,black,dan,doug,energy,james,jim,keith,kevin,light,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,super,systemfalse77fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-76-introducing-the-thirty-metre-telescope-with-raymond-carlberg--67982372c54de1ada0cdf866368b6ae9b8cb27b4Mon, 04 May 2015 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Raymond Carlberg When finally operational in 2018 the Thirty Metre Telescope will be the largest telescope ever built, three times larger than the best telescopes operating today. To help us understand how the Thirty Metre Telescope...2774art,big,black,dan,doug,energy,james,jim,keith,kevin,light,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,super,systemfalse76fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-75-secrets-from-the-early-universe-with-marc-kamionkowski--67982374Johns Hopkins University, previously at the The California Institute of Technology. He was awarded the US Department of Energy's 2006 E. O. Lawrence Award in High Energy and Nuclear Physics as well as the  the Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics from the American Astronomical society and the American Institute of Physics. His research interests include particle physics, dark matter, inflation, the cosmic microwave background and gravitational waves.]]>88040f1e6d91f8f8d70872935c8d4b63Mon, 20 Apr 2015 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Marc Kamionkowski When we study the cosmic microwave background we see our universe before its infancy. But we learn about today’s biggest mysteries, like gravitational waves and supersymmetric dark matter. Professor Marc Kamionkowski...Johns Hopkins University, previously at the The California Institute of Technology. He was awarded the US Department of Energy's 2006 E. O. Lawrence Award in High Energy and Nuclear Physics as well as the  the Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics from the American Astronomical society and the American Institute of Physics. His research interests include particle physics, dark matter, inflation, the cosmic microwave background and gravitational waves.]]>2690aaron,art,big,black,dan,doug,energy,james,jim,keith,kevin,light,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,systemfalse75fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-74-the-disappearing-martian-atmosphere-with-david-brain--67982373
Today I’m joined at The Star Spot by Professor David Brain to help us understand how Mars ended up so different from Earth, where the Red Planet is headed and what all this means for our search for life.   Current in Space A 345 year old mysterious stellar event could finally be solved, Anuj explains. Then Dave describes the influential role played by Jupiter when a time long ago Earth survived an attack from the giant. About Our Guest Professor David Brain is Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder in the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences. He is co-investigator for the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission science team. Scientists hope MAVEN, which arrived at the Red Planet September 2014, will explain where all the Martian atmosphere has gone.]]>0b61d2c582939ef944291946dbd52595Mon, 06 Apr 2015 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: David Brain When our solar system was young, newborn Earth and Mars were like siblings, similar in climate, water composition and atmosphere. But it turns out 4.5 billion years can change things between two planets. Today I’m joined...
Today I’m joined at The Star Spot by Professor David Brain to help us understand how Mars ended up so different from Earth, where the Red Planet is headed and what all this means for our search for life.   Current in Space A 345 year old mysterious stellar event could finally be solved, Anuj explains. Then Dave describes the influential role played by Jupiter when a time long ago Earth survived an attack from the giant. About Our Guest Professor David Brain is Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder in the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences. He is co-investigator for the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission science team. Scientists hope MAVEN, which arrived at the Red Planet September 2014, will explain where all the Martian atmosphere has gone.]]>2335aaron,art,big,black,dan,doug,energy,james,jim,keith,kevin,light,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,systemfalse74fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-73-things-that-explode-with-christian-ott--67982364bd4ca8e79b1596a6661ffebb524d6fb3Mon, 23 Mar 2015 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Christian Ott What do all massive stars have in common. They go boom. Today I’m joined at The Star Spot by Professor Christian Ott. Behind Ott’s highly technical work in numerical relativity and nuclear astrophysics is his love affair...2148aaron,art,big,black,dan,doug,energy,james,jim,keith,kevin,light,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,systemfalse73fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-72-the-changing-international-landscape-for-space-exploration-with-kevin-shortt--67982360e06a43c6f84aca265591f292953c3e83Mon, 09 Mar 2015 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Kevin Shortt In the second part of their conversation on the international state of space exploration, Kevin Shortt and Justin Trottier tour the globe. They explore the contributions coming from the four corners of our world. China has...1698aaron,art,big,black,dan,doug,energy,james,jim,keith,kevin,light,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,systemfalse72fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-71-2014-an-amazing-year-for-space-exploration-with-kevin-shortt--67982356b0b049fdbd9c6c065637b3ef8c8fd138Mon, 23 Feb 2015 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Kevin Shortt It’s a year that saw ups, such as the Dawn mission which became the first to study a dwarf planet. It was a year that experienced downs, like the tragic explosion of SpaceShipTwo and questions over the incident’s...2511aaron,art,big,black,dan,doug,energy,james,jim,keith,kevin,light,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,systemfalse71fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-70-dynamic-stars-and-ubiquitous-disks-part-2-with-aaron-sigut-and-carol-jones--67982380b17661f8eeb44062e5f14bb78988d660Mon, 09 Feb 2015 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guests: Aaron Sigut and Carol Jones  The disks of matter that form around mysterious B emission stars are providing astronomers with a unique place to study a ubiquitous phenomenon in our universe. Disks are everywhere and on every scale, from...2592aaron,art,big,black,dan,doug,energy,james,jim,keith,light,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,super,systemfalse70fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-69-dynamic-stars-and-ubiquitous-disks-part-1-with-aaron-sigut-and-carol-jones--67982365aa1c4cc4fc01881f9a66e33377da3fdfMon, 26 Jan 2015 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guests: Aaron Sigut and Carol Jones Disks are ubiquitous in our universe. They are found in the spiral arms of galaxies. They are found among new and old stars, whether in the protoplanetary gas associated with stellar births or the black...2695aaron,art,big,black,dan,doug,energy,james,jim,keith,light,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,super,systemfalse69fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-68-inspiring-images-of-the-cosmos-with-jayanne-english--6798235724189e4040c4252f02629c9c268c3ca1Mon, 12 Jan 2015 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Jayanne English   We've all been blown away by those jaw dropping majestic images of the cvosmos. But would you feel deceived to know that few of those images show what the eye would truly see? Today guest host Dave Kirsch welcomes...2835art,big,black,dan,doug,energy,james,jim,keith,life,light,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,super,systemfalse68fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-67-the-accelerating-universe-with-brian-schmidt--679823619450b6b1d0276d7b67d87fff17d025a8Mon, 15 Dec 2014 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Brian Schmidt The 1929 discovery of the expanding universe by Edwin Hubble forever changed our picture of the cosmos and our understanding of our place in the universe. In 1998 we learned that wasn’t the only surprise. That’s when two...2105art,big,black,dan,doug,energy,james,jim,keith,life,light,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,super,systemfalse67fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-66-blue-stragglers-the-stars-that-shouldn-t-exist-with-alison-sills--679823680f4ecd48d05259e523526a6f6d34faf4Mon, 01 Dec 2014 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Alison Sills   It’s a phenomenon so mysterious one astronomer wondered if it could be evidence of an advanced extraterrestrial intelligence. Meet blue straggers, the black sheeps of the stellar family. Today we're joined at The Star...2497art,big,black,dan,doug,energy,james,jim,keith,life,light,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,super,systemfalse66fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-65-bringing-mris-into-space-with-gordon-sarty--67982369419db8e042e0727d62870663cf694ba2Mon, 17 Nov 2014 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Gordon Sarty Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or MRI, has become a vital technique for diagnosing, treating and monitoring disease. The technology has saved countless lives. But can we ever get MRIs into space where they can help keep...2385art,big,black,dan,doug,energy,james,jim,keith,life,light,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,super,systemfalse65fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-64-echoing-through-space-with-doug-welch--679823835512c0e1f47eb7e8c99ad708b6ed9de9Mon, 03 Nov 2014 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Doug Welch Imagine being able to go back centuries to study the great supernova of the past. Tycho’s nova of 1572 for example. Now we may be able to do the next best thing. Astronomers have discovered a phenomena known as light echoes...2836art,big,black,dan,doug,energy,james,jim,keith,life,light,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,super,systemfalse64fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-63-the-dark-stringy-universe-with-jim-cline--6798240463e61a048903614b28bb27d7781591e8Mon, 20 Oct 2014 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Jim Cline Dark matter. Dark energy. String theory. At the frontiers of fundamental physics science seems confronted with mystery and progress is grinding to a halt. But can studying the early universe provide the answer? To help answer...2307art,big,black,computing,dan,energy,hot,james,jim,keith,life,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,super,systemfalse63fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-62-gardening-the-international-space-station-with-gioia-massa--6798237827aad8a67dabf389990d849ec376e1feMon, 06 Oct 2014 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Gioia Massa Imagine enjoying a romantic and nutritious picnic - on Mars! If such a dream is ever to be realized, we're going to have to learn how to grow plants in space and on other worlds. Today we're joined at The Star Spot by space...2903art,big,black,computing,dan,energy,hot,james,jim,keith,life,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,super,systemfalse62fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-61-molecules-where-chemistry-meets-astronomy-with-jan-cami--67982394 Did you know that buckyballs, complex soccer-ball shaped molecules formed from 60 carbon atoms, were recently discovered deep in interstellar space. Atoms and molecules may be small, but they can tell us lot about the very large, from the temperature of stars to the evolution of galaxies to the startling locations where life might be found. For more on the chemistry of the universe, today I’m joined at the start spot by Jan Kami Current in Space Think interesting geological events only happen on Earth? Anuj shares groundbreaking new evidence of subduction occurring on Jupiter's icy moon Europa. About Our Guest

Jan Kami is professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Western Ontario. His research is in molecular spectroscopy, dust mineralogy and diffuse interstellar bands. Kami has worked as a research scientist with the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, or SETI and is deeply involved in astronomy outreach]]>24f115b6db4247edf8bc226530a0e1c7Mon, 22 Sep 2014 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Jan Cami Did you know that buckyballs, complex soccer-ball shaped molecules formed from 60 carbon atoms, were recently discovered deep in interstellar space. Atoms and molecules may be small, but they can tell us lot about the very... Did you know that buckyballs, complex soccer-ball shaped molecules formed from 60 carbon atoms, were recently discovered deep in interstellar space. Atoms and molecules may be small, but they can tell us lot about the very large, from the temperature of stars to the evolution of galaxies to the startling locations where life might be found. For more on the chemistry of the universe, today I’m joined at the start spot by Jan Kami Current in Space Think interesting geological events only happen on Earth? Anuj shares groundbreaking new evidence of subduction occurring on Jupiter's icy moon Europa. About Our Guest

Jan Kami is professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Western Ontario. His research is in molecular spectroscopy, dust mineralogy and diffuse interstellar bands. Kami has worked as a research scientist with the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, or SETI and is deeply involved in astronomy outreach]]>2743art,big,black,computing,dan,energy,hot,james,jim,keith,life,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,super,systemfalse61fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-60-building-the-cities-of-our-universe-with-pauline-barmby--67982370
Just like the cities of our world, galaxies are the busy and over-crowded population centres where so much of the action takes place in our universe. The study of globular clusters and starburst galaxies are providing new insights into the how these cities of the cosmos were built. To share with us new discoveries from the Spitzer space telescope, including gossip about the weird behaviour of our next door metropolis, the Andromeda Galaxy, today I’m joined at the star spot by Pauline Barmby. Current in Space If the American can't get back to the moon Earth does have other options. Denise shares excitement over Chinese plans for a lunar sample return mission About Our Guest Pauline Barmby is an observational astrophysicist and associate professor in the department of physics and astronomy at the University of Western Ontario. She worked at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, the Canada France hawaii telescope and is a member of the instrument team for IRAC, the InfraRed Array Camera on the Spitze Space Telescope. In her spare time Dr. Barmby gives public talks clarifying misconceptions about astronomy.  She is a science fiction enthusiast and enjoys listening to podcasts, perhaps including the star spot.]]>6df378cd828260261f5bb15d3736c249Mon, 08 Sep 2014 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Pauline Barmby Just like the cities of our world, galaxies are the busy and over-crowded population centres where so much of the action takes place in our universe. The study of globular clusters and starburst galaxies are providing...
Just like the cities of our world, galaxies are the busy and over-crowded population centres where so much of the action takes place in our universe. The study of globular clusters and starburst galaxies are providing new insights into the how these cities of the cosmos were built. To share with us new discoveries from the Spitzer space telescope, including gossip about the weird behaviour of our next door metropolis, the Andromeda Galaxy, today I’m joined at the star spot by Pauline Barmby. Current in Space If the American can't get back to the moon Earth does have other options. Denise shares excitement over Chinese plans for a lunar sample return mission About Our Guest Pauline Barmby is an observational astrophysicist and associate professor in the department of physics and astronomy at the University of Western Ontario. She worked at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, the Canada France hawaii telescope and is a member of the instrument team for IRAC, the InfraRed Array Camera on the Spitze Space Telescope. In her spare time Dr. Barmby gives public talks clarifying misconceptions about astronomy.  She is a science fiction enthusiast and enjoys listening to podcasts, perhaps including the star spot.]]>2124art,big,black,computing,dan,energy,hot,james,jim,keith,life,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,super,systemfalse60fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-59-brown-dwarfs-super-planet-or-failed-star-with-stanimir-metchev--67982376d0218c6a527137e7c3341353742b2540Mon, 25 Aug 2014 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Stanimir Metchev Brown dwarfs: giant planets or failed stars? The debate rages on with comparable intensity to the surprisingly violent storms seen to roil these fascinating bodies. To help settle the debate, and for cutting edge...1751art,big,black,computing,dan,energy,hot,james,jim,keith,life,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,super,systemfalse59fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-58-the-mandate-of-heaven-ancient-chinese-astronomy-with-david-pankenier--6798236674e509c36a35389e675393c0ea1847f0Mon, 11 Aug 2014 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: David Pankenier The scholar of Chinese science Joseph Needham wrote that "astronomy was a science of cardinal importance for the chinese since it arose naturally out of that cosmic religion, that sense of the unity and even ethical...2750art,big,black,computing,dan,energy,hot,james,jim,keith,life,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,super,systemfalse58fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-57-exoplanets-a-retrospective-survey-and-the-road-ahead-with-paul-delaney--67982371ad52ea9075ecc97bd5f15b6cc3b0f38bMon, 28 Jul 2014 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Paul Delaney The next time you look up at the night sky, struck dizzy by the sheer number of stars shining down on you, here’s something to consider. On average each star host at least one planet. That’s the accumulated result of our...3037art,big,black,computing,dan,energy,hot,james,jim,keith,life,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,super,systemfalse57fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-56-the-art-of-astrononomy-with-robin-kingsburgh--67982377
Albert Einstein once said "After a certain high level of technical skill is achieved, science and art tend to coalesce in esthetics, plasticity, and form. The greatest scientists are always artists as well." To help us understand the dynamic between the arts and the science of astronomy, today Robin Kingsburgh joins Justin Trottier at The Star Spot.

Current in Space 

Some like it hot. But what happens when it gets a little too hot? For those who like to work those tans, Benjamin warns you to beware. Scientists have discovered the highest UV index ever, though not near any beaches you'd probably be travelling to this summer. Dave shares the mystery of the magic island, a structure that appeared and disappeared within a matter of days on the seas of Titan. And Benjamin on the fascinating field of archaeoastronomy in which we learn about ancient civilizations down here on Earth by studying the sky the ancients would have seen up above. About our Guest 

Robin Kingsburgh received her PhD in astronomy from her studies of stars and planetary nebulae. A renaissance woman, she now teaches in the faculty of arts and sciences at the Ontario College of Art and Design and in the division of natural sciences at york university. She combines her love of art and science by introducing astronomy subjects to artists and through her own work curating exhibits like Occam’s Razor: art, science and aesthethics, currently on public display.]]>6ad53a2309f233bf48f0b9979cd62045Mon, 14 Jul 2014 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Robin Kingsburgh  Albert Einstein once said "After a certain high level of technical skill is achieved, science and art tend to coalesce in esthetics, plasticity, and form. The greatest scientists are always artists as well." To help...
Albert Einstein once said "After a certain high level of technical skill is achieved, science and art tend to coalesce in esthetics, plasticity, and form. The greatest scientists are always artists as well." To help us understand the dynamic between the arts and the science of astronomy, today Robin Kingsburgh joins Justin Trottier at The Star Spot.

Current in Space 

Some like it hot. But what happens when it gets a little too hot? For those who like to work those tans, Benjamin warns you to beware. Scientists have discovered the highest UV index ever, though not near any beaches you'd probably be travelling to this summer. Dave shares the mystery of the magic island, a structure that appeared and disappeared within a matter of days on the seas of Titan. And Benjamin on the fascinating field of archaeoastronomy in which we learn about ancient civilizations down here on Earth by studying the sky the ancients would have seen up above. About our Guest 

Robin Kingsburgh received her PhD in astronomy from her studies of stars and planetary nebulae. A renaissance woman, she now teaches in the faculty of arts and sciences at the Ontario College of Art and Design and in the division of natural sciences at york university. She combines her love of art and science by introducing astronomy subjects to artists and through her own work curating exhibits like Occam’s Razor: art, science and aesthethics, currently on public display.]]>2946art,big,black,christopher,computing,dan,david,energy,james,jim,keith,life,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,systemfalse56fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-55-where-have-all-the-anti-matter-gone-with-scott-menary--67982407
Are there anti-matter galaxies out there in space? Will we ever be able to make anti-atoms of heavy elements? How do you trap something that is detroyed immediately upon contact? And of course, will anti-matter become an energy source for space exploration propulsion systems a la Star Trek?

Professor Scott Menary joins Justin Trottier at The Star Spot to discuss his work studying the properties of anti-matter, the relationship between anti-matter and anti-gravity, and his attempts to answer one fundamental question: where did all the anti-matter go?

Current in Space

Benjamin brings us a whiff of space, helping us add the sense of smell to our repertoire of data on alien worlds.

About our Guest

Scott Menary is professor of physics at York university. He works on the ALPHA experiment at CERN to produce and trap antihydrogen atoms in order to study their properties. He has also worked at fermilab studying neutrino oscillation physics and charm quarks. He is also a recipient of the Polanyi Prize in honour of the 1986 nobel prize winner John Charles Polanyi.]]>0b34ac0fcb3dd554b0090151b022185bMon, 16 Jun 2014 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Scott Menary Are there anti-matter galaxies out there in space? Will we ever be able to make anti-atoms of heavy elements? How do you trap something that is detroyed immediately upon contact? And of course, will anti-matter become an...
Are there anti-matter galaxies out there in space? Will we ever be able to make anti-atoms of heavy elements? How do you trap something that is detroyed immediately upon contact? And of course, will anti-matter become an energy source for space exploration propulsion systems a la Star Trek?

Professor Scott Menary joins Justin Trottier at The Star Spot to discuss his work studying the properties of anti-matter, the relationship between anti-matter and anti-gravity, and his attempts to answer one fundamental question: where did all the anti-matter go?

Current in Space

Benjamin brings us a whiff of space, helping us add the sense of smell to our repertoire of data on alien worlds.

About our Guest

Scott Menary is professor of physics at York university. He works on the ALPHA experiment at CERN to produce and trap antihydrogen atoms in order to study their properties. He has also worked at fermilab studying neutrino oscillation physics and charm quarks. He is also a recipient of the Polanyi Prize in honour of the 1986 nobel prize winner John Charles Polanyi.]]>2027art,big,black,christopher,computing,dan,david,energy,james,jim,keith,life,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,systemfalse55fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-54-the-astronomy-of-shakespeare-with-dan-falk--67982390https://www.youtube.com/user/thestarspotTV The Star Spot’s YouTube channel features special additional media from our program, as well as re-released YouTube versions of our regular episodes.  Current in Space Surfs Up on Titan? Benjamin revisits a previous report purporting to show a lack of waves on the ocean's of Saturn's moon. Moving on to another gas giant, Arjun wonders if the Great Red Spot is about to lose its greatness.  About our Guest Dan Falk is an award winning science journalist and broadcaster. He’s been published very broadly, including in the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, Cosmos magazine, and New Scientist, and has contributed to CBC and TV Ontario science programming. Dan Falk is also the author of three books, including In Search of Time: Journeys Along a Curious Dimension, Universe on a T-Shirt: The Quest for the Theory of Everything, and the newly released Science of Shakespeare: A New Look at the Playwright's Universe  ]]>5fe23e62cd36768aaea4e8edf0ce5048Mon, 02 Jun 2014 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Dan Falk Astronomy meets Shakespeare? An unlikely pair you might imagine, but “There are more things in heaven and earth, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy”. Today on this special audio and video edition of the show we're joined by...https://www.youtube.com/user/thestarspotTV The Star Spot’s YouTube channel features special additional media from our program, as well as re-released YouTube versions of our regular episodes.  Current in Space Surfs Up on Titan? Benjamin revisits a previous report purporting to show a lack of waves on the ocean's of Saturn's moon. Moving on to another gas giant, Arjun wonders if the Great Red Spot is about to lose its greatness.  About our Guest Dan Falk is an award winning science journalist and broadcaster. He’s been published very broadly, including in the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, Cosmos magazine, and New Scientist, and has contributed to CBC and TV Ontario science programming. Dan Falk is also the author of three books, including In Search of Time: Journeys Along a Curious Dimension, Universe on a T-Shirt: The Quest for the Theory of Everything, and the newly released Science of Shakespeare: A New Look at the Playwright's Universe  ]]>3661art,big,black,christopher,computing,dan,david,energy,james,jim,keith,life,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,systemfalse54fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-53-stump-the-astronomer-at-international-astronomy-day-2014--67982414ee62edf03da8af7680d4117674c2afe6Mon, 19 May 2014 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryInternational Astronomy Day 2014 occurred on Saturday, May 10. The Star Spot celebrated at the David Dunlap Observatory in Richmond Hill, Ontario, which boasts the largest telescope in Canada. The Dunlap Observatory was once the second largest...3319art,big,black,chris,christopher,computing,david,energy,james,jim,keith,life,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,systemfalse53fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-52-neutrino-geophysics-journey-to-the-centre-of-the-earth--6798238819fe1d69a06a5a2cc63eecc55cb9356bMon, 05 May 2014 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Norman Sleep Have you ever wondered what the massive internal hot core of the Earth has to do with space? Enter the world of neutrino geophysics. It might sound technical, but in probing the nature of the mysterious centre of the...3745art,big,black,chris,christopher,computing,david,energy,james,jim,keith,life,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,systemfalse52fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-51-quasar-storms-of-the-early-universe-with-sarah-gallagher--67982389
Quasars are among the most energetic and mysterious phenomena of the ancient universe. Spiraling gas is heated to such extremes that the neighbourhood around the quasar glows brighter than the entire surrounding galaxy. In the process, quasars generate dust grains, winds and storms of unimaginable violence. To help us understand the growing pains of the young universe, today Sarah Gallagher joins Justin Trottier at The Star Spot.     About Our Guest

Sarah Gallagher is assistant professor of physics and astronomy at the university of western ontario. She completed a  Spitzer postdoctoral fellowship in 2006 based on her studies of quasar winds. Since her PhD work she has specialized in X-ray studies of these active supermassive black holes at the centres of distant and ancient galaxies. Gallagher has worked at Penn State, MIT, and UCLA and at NASA observatories Spitzer and Chandra. A well rounded individual, Gallagher has coached soccer and has an interest in art history.]]>e64de986ae14db1bdc6c1b6e0d5afc0cMon, 28 Apr 2014 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Sarah Gallagher Quasars are among the most energetic and mysterious phenomena of the ancient universe. Spiraling gas is heated to such extremes that the neighbourhood around the quasar glows brighter than the entire surrounding...
Quasars are among the most energetic and mysterious phenomena of the ancient universe. Spiraling gas is heated to such extremes that the neighbourhood around the quasar glows brighter than the entire surrounding galaxy. In the process, quasars generate dust grains, winds and storms of unimaginable violence. To help us understand the growing pains of the young universe, today Sarah Gallagher joins Justin Trottier at The Star Spot.     About Our Guest

Sarah Gallagher is assistant professor of physics and astronomy at the university of western ontario. She completed a  Spitzer postdoctoral fellowship in 2006 based on her studies of quasar winds. Since her PhD work she has specialized in X-ray studies of these active supermassive black holes at the centres of distant and ancient galaxies. Gallagher has worked at Penn State, MIT, and UCLA and at NASA observatories Spitzer and Chandra. A well rounded individual, Gallagher has coached soccer and has an interest in art history.]]>2127art,big,black,chris,christopher,computing,david,energy,james,jim,keith,life,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,systemfalse51fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-50-mapping-our-galactic-neighborhood-dark-matter-galactic-collisions-startling-discoveries-in-our-local-sheet-with-marshall-mc--67982419Today we’re joined by Marshall McCall for a special interview originally held in front of a live audience at an event hosted by the University of Toronto Astronomy and Space Exploration Society.   In front of a live audience, Professor McCall joins Justin Trottier for a wide ranging discussion on all things galaxies. McCall tells how he wound up as a gardener at the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, briefly the largest telescope on Earth, and then off to the opposite corner of the world working at observatories in Australia. A debate with the audience ensues over northern versus southern skies.   The two then discuss whether our galaxy is unique, the importance of dwarf galaxies, and get controversial exploring alternative theories of gravity. McCall explains the role of dark matter in giving rise to the superstructure we see as cosmic webs of sheets, filaments and voids. If dark matter dominated our past, the Andromeda galaxy will dominate our future when, in 3 billion years, we collide.   The conversation concludes with a focus on McCall’s recent research on our mysterious local sheet of galaxies. Out to 20 million light years galaxies surrounding the Milky Way appear to lie on a surprisingly flat sheet. McCall describes this puzzling structure, which he dubbed the “council of giants,” how work with his graduate student George Conidisis leading to startling revelations that suggest our neck of the woods might have some special qualities after all.   Current in Space   What effect does microgravity have on an astronauts internal organs? Ben gets to the heart of the matter. Then Anuj introduces us to an object called a Centaur which lives like an asteroid, behaves like a comet and has rings like a gas giant. And finally Dave shares the startling announcement  of an equally puzzling new addition to our family, a dwarf planet in the inner Oort Cloud and the possibility that its discovery could point to a super-Earth far out beyond Pluto   About Our Guest Marshall McCall is Chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at York University. After graduating with degrees from the University of Victoria and the University of Texas at Austin, McCall spent two years observing southern skies at Mt. Stromlo and Siding Spring Observatories in Australia. His research interests focus on the structure, evolution and formation of galaxies and galaxy aggregates. He was involved in recent discoveries of two hitherto unknown galaxies in the neighborhood of the milky way, research that is providing a new understanding of the puzzling arrangement of galaxies around our own.]]>312aca12b3c60480da968926d191dc0cMon, 07 Apr 2014 01:00:00 +0000wise gerry  The Star Spot Episode 50   Today marks the 50th time I’ve welcomed you and our guests to the The Star Spot. It is also our two year anniversary. I wanted to thank each member of our great team of volunteers for getting us this far. We’ve had some...Today we’re joined by Marshall McCall for a special interview originally held in front of a live audience at an event hosted by the University of Toronto Astronomy and Space Exploration Society.   In front of a live audience, Professor McCall joins Justin Trottier for a wide ranging discussion on all things galaxies. McCall tells how he wound up as a gardener at the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, briefly the largest telescope on Earth, and then off to the opposite corner of the world working at observatories in Australia. A debate with the audience ensues over northern versus southern skies.   The two then discuss whether our galaxy is unique, the importance of dwarf galaxies, and get controversial exploring alternative theories of gravity. McCall explains the role of dark matter in giving rise to the superstructure we see as cosmic webs of sheets, filaments and voids. If dark matter dominated our past, the Andromeda galaxy will dominate our future when, in 3 billion years, we collide.   The conversation concludes with a focus on McCall’s recent research on our mysterious local sheet of galaxies. Out to 20 million light years galaxies surrounding the Milky Way appear to lie on a surprisingly flat sheet. McCall describes this puzzling structure, which he dubbed the “council of giants,” how work with his graduate student George Conidisis leading to startling revelations that suggest our neck of the woods might have some special qualities after all.   Current in Space   What effect does microgravity have on an astronauts internal organs? Ben gets to the heart of the matter. Then Anuj introduces us to an object called a Centaur which lives like an asteroid, behaves like a comet and has rings like a gas giant. And finally Dave shares the startling announcement  of an equally puzzling new addition to our family, a dwarf planet in the inner Oort Cloud and the possibility that its discovery could point to a super-Earth far out beyond Pluto   About Our Guest Marshall McCall is Chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at York University. After graduating with degrees from the University of Victoria and the University of Texas at Austin, McCall spent two years observing southern skies at Mt. Stromlo and Siding Spring Observatories in Australia. His research interests focus on the structure, evolution and formation of galaxies and galaxy aggregates. He was involved in recent discoveries of two hitherto unknown galaxies in the neighborhood of the milky way, research that is providing a new understanding of the puzzling arrangement of galaxies around our own.]]>4199art,big,black,chris,christopher,computing,david,energy,james,jim,keith,life,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,systemfalse50fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-49-enduring-mysteries-of-the-early-universe-with-mark-halpern--67982421
We're all worried about meteor collision induced apocalypse scenarios, but now Benjamin reminds us that magnetic storms, coronal mass ejections, and other severe solar activity could also prove catastrophic. And does Saturn's moon Titan habour the most eerily calm lakes - and lamest surfing conditions - in the solar system? Then Anuj follows up with more on the sun and the special qualities of our star's much bigger cousins, the yellow hypergiants About our Guest Mark Halpern is Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of British Columbia. His focus is experimental cosmology of the early universe, specifically the cosmic microwave background and the history of early galaxy and star formation. He is involved in high redshift research with the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope and BLAST, a submillimeter telescope that  hangs from a high altitude balloon. ]]>c6109e39b511e5a491270ce9baf7c0c5Sun, 23 Mar 2014 23:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Mark Halpern The early universe is a place of mystery and paradox. But the one thing we are sure of is that to understand our far future we must look to our ancient origins. To help us make some progress today Mark Halpern joins Justin...
We're all worried about meteor collision induced apocalypse scenarios, but now Benjamin reminds us that magnetic storms, coronal mass ejections, and other severe solar activity could also prove catastrophic. And does Saturn's moon Titan habour the most eerily calm lakes - and lamest surfing conditions - in the solar system? Then Anuj follows up with more on the sun and the special qualities of our star's much bigger cousins, the yellow hypergiants About our Guest Mark Halpern is Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of British Columbia. His focus is experimental cosmology of the early universe, specifically the cosmic microwave background and the history of early galaxy and star formation. He is involved in high redshift research with the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope and BLAST, a submillimeter telescope that  hangs from a high altitude balloon. ]]>2248art,big,black,chris,christopher,computing,david,energy,james,jim,keith,life,mark,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,systemfalse49fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-48-science-and-technology-at-the-cutting-edge-of-exoplanet-research-with-olivier-guyon--67982409623ea972122aa3e15df4ecd5fc6e6c4fMon, 10 Mar 2014 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Olivier Guyon   Since he was young his driving passion has been a single mystery: are we alone in the universe? Astronomer Olivier Guyon, who has now been awarded a half a million dollars MacArthur genius grant to answer that question,...2012art,big,black,chris,christopher,computing,david,energy,for,james,jim,keith,life,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,systemfalse48fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-47-quasars-supernova-hypernova-and-other-gamma-ray-exotica-with-david-hanna--67982400   David Hanna is an astrophysicist at McGill University in Montreal. He works in experimental high energy physics, everything from particle accelerators probing the physics of the very small to gamma ray astronomy studying the incredibly large.   Hanna was a founding member of the US/Canada collaboration known as STACEE, the Solar Tower Atmospheric Cherenkov Effect Experiment. Yup, that’s why they call it STACEE. STACEE was an experiment dedicated to the study of high energy gamma rays emitted by astrophysical sources and was active observations until 2007.   He is currently a member of a new gamma ray collaboration called VERITAS which revels in its even longer name: the Very energetic radiation imaging telescope array system.   Through his work in high energy physics, Hanna studies black holes at the centre of active galaxies, pulsars, gamma ray bursts, supernova remnants, dark matter, quasars, hypernova, supernova, unidentified sources. today he joins me to discuss this zoo of the exotica]]>f2897a9f9936a5bba19d3be4c3733e2dMon, 24 Feb 2014 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: David Hanna   Supernovae and hypernove, blazars and quasars: our universe is one exotic place. To help us to make sense of it, today we're joined at The Star Spot by Professor David Hanna.   Current in Space   What do satellites and...   David Hanna is an astrophysicist at McGill University in Montreal. He works in experimental high energy physics, everything from particle accelerators probing the physics of the very small to gamma ray astronomy studying the incredibly large.   Hanna was a founding member of the US/Canada collaboration known as STACEE, the Solar Tower Atmospheric Cherenkov Effect Experiment. Yup, that’s why they call it STACEE. STACEE was an experiment dedicated to the study of high energy gamma rays emitted by astrophysical sources and was active observations until 2007.   He is currently a member of a new gamma ray collaboration called VERITAS which revels in its even longer name: the Very energetic radiation imaging telescope array system.   Through his work in high energy physics, Hanna studies black holes at the centre of active galaxies, pulsars, gamma ray bursts, supernova remnants, dark matter, quasars, hypernova, supernova, unidentified sources. today he joins me to discuss this zoo of the exotica]]>3012art,big,black,chris,christopher,computing,david,energy,for,james,jim,keith,life,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,systemfalse47fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-46-a-space-travel-agent-and-a-space-journalist-with-leon-graafland-and-elizabeth-howell--679823965694256f3904b570dfa4653b68eab1a5Mon, 10 Feb 2014 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guests: Leon Graafland and Elizabeth Howell On today's episode of The Star Spot we conclude our coverage of the 2013 Canadian Space Summit with special back to back feature interviews. First we're joined by Leon Graafland, a space travel agent...2738art,big,black,chris,christopher,computing,david,energy,for,james,jim,keith,life,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,systemfalse46fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-45-satellite-communication-the-technological-foundation-of-a-nation-with-peter-garland--67982402About Peter Garland Peter Garland is Vice President of Advanced Programs in the MDA Satellite Systems Division in Montreal, Canada. He has been involved at the leading edge of Satellite Communications for over thirty years. In the early nineties he led the Canadian Advanced Satcom team that performed early work on Ka Band systems and has subsequently led key Broadband developments, including the introduction of standard waveforms, working closely with both the Canadian and European Space Agencies. In his current work he is focused on applications that integrate new technologies in both the space and ground segments, particularly in the broadband mobile area.
]]>97f68bc90ea971cf8c5a503c2bf43062Mon, 27 Jan 2014 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Peter Garland On today's episode of The Star Spot we continue our highlights of the 2013 Canadian Space Summit. Justin Trottier is joined by Peter Garland, Vice President of Advanced Programs with MDA. The two discuss how satellite...About Peter Garland Peter Garland is Vice President of Advanced Programs in the MDA Satellite Systems Division in Montreal, Canada. He has been involved at the leading edge of Satellite Communications for over thirty years. In the early nineties he led the Canadian Advanced Satcom team that performed early work on Ka Band systems and has subsequently led key Broadband developments, including the introduction of standard waveforms, working closely with both the Canadian and European Space Agencies. In his current work he is focused on applications that integrate new technologies in both the space and ground segments, particularly in the broadband mobile area.
]]>1994art,big,black,chris,christopher,computing,david,energy,for,james,jim,keith,life,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,systemfalse45fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-44-art-at-the-final-frontier-with-catherine-hazin--67982399 Historically in the 1800s, artists accompanied explorers on their excursions to discover the frontier of America, and their contributions to communicating the images of the new lands were prolific and highly valued, from the paintings of Thomas Moran and Albert Bierstadt to Frederick Church, considered the highest paid painter of his day in 1872. More often than not, Church was able to finance his very own exploratory expeditions by painting Earth’s new wonders, like the north pole Aurorae, icebergs of the Arctic sea, and volcanoes in South America. The wonders of earth when they were first discovered inspired volumes of artwork and depicted places not yet known such as Yellowstone, and Yosemite, now protected national parks in the West. Today these visuals of the previously unknown American Western frontier serve to document our human heritage, and were the basis of immense inspiration, sense of adventure, risk, danger, and of the unknown. So bringing to the present what we have seen from history, what about the artist’s role today for the human exploration…of space – the final frontier?
Denise and Catherine discuss the renaissance in the connection between art and the nature of exploration and discovery. How relevant is space art today? What function does it serve space exploration? Is it possible for artists’ impressions, and artistic works, to disappear into history just as it did alongside the disappearance of Earth’s new frontier lands? And if we leave out the art, how would space exploration suffer?  Current in Space Dave shares the first cloudy weather forecast for a Super Earth extrasolar planet. Then Arjun excites us with new data anticipated from the spacecraft GAIA, a super sensitive billion pixel camera set to survey a billion stars in the Milky Way Galaxy (and costing some billion dollars). Finally Benjamin on how disappointment quickly turned to delight when researchers with the Hunt for Extromoons with Kepler (HECK) project made one heck of a discovery: no moon but the least massive gaseous world we've yet found. About Catherine Hazin Catherine Hazin is a professional writer and artist who received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Alberta College of Art and Design. She co-founded the Alberta Chapter of the Canadian Space Society in 2011, and is currently the Arts and Culture Director for the Canadian Space Society.
Catherine also has a love of fashion design and wearable art. She is the Editor of Luxe Magazine, and a senior writer for Calgary Bride. She is also the Fashion and Performance Coordinator for “Make Fashion,” the annual fashion show held in Calgary, Canada. Catherine is devoted to promoting and encouraging collaborations between artists and space science professionals in order to better engage the public, and communicate the accomplishments and the needs of the space industry. and she presented her work to the attendees of the Canadian Space Summit in November 2012, in Calgary.
]]>040ba876bcd464e01656b2ae7450b997Mon, 13 Jan 2014 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Catherine Hazin We begin our coverage of the 2013 Canadian Space Summit held in Ottawa in November 2013, with the first of five feature Star Spot interviews with guests at the Summit. Co-host Denise Fong was pleased to be joined by... Historically in the 1800s, artists accompanied explorers on their excursions to discover the frontier of America, and their contributions to communicating the images of the new lands were prolific and highly valued, from the paintings of Thomas Moran and Albert Bierstadt to Frederick Church, considered the highest paid painter of his day in 1872. More often than not, Church was able to finance his very own exploratory expeditions by painting Earth’s new wonders, like the north pole Aurorae, icebergs of the Arctic sea, and volcanoes in South America. The wonders of earth when they were first discovered inspired volumes of artwork and depicted places not yet known such as Yellowstone, and Yosemite, now protected national parks in the West. Today these visuals of the previously unknown American Western frontier serve to document our human heritage, and were the basis of immense inspiration, sense of adventure, risk, danger, and of the unknown. So bringing to the present what we have seen from history, what about the artist’s role today for the human exploration…of space – the final frontier?
Denise and Catherine discuss the renaissance in the connection between art and the nature of exploration and discovery. How relevant is space art today? What function does it serve space exploration? Is it possible for artists’ impressions, and artistic works, to disappear into history just as it did alongside the disappearance of Earth’s new frontier lands? And if we leave out the art, how would space exploration suffer?  Current in Space Dave shares the first cloudy weather forecast for a Super Earth extrasolar planet. Then Arjun excites us with new data anticipated from the spacecraft GAIA, a super sensitive billion pixel camera set to survey a billion stars in the Milky Way Galaxy (and costing some billion dollars). Finally Benjamin on how disappointment quickly turned to delight when researchers with the Hunt for Extromoons with Kepler (HECK) project made one heck of a discovery: no moon but the least massive gaseous world we've yet found. About Catherine Hazin Catherine Hazin is a professional writer and artist who received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Alberta College of Art and Design. She co-founded the Alberta Chapter of the Canadian Space Society in 2011, and is currently the Arts and Culture Director for the Canadian Space Society.
Catherine also has a love of fashion design and wearable art. She is the Editor of Luxe Magazine, and a senior writer for Calgary Bride. She is also the Fashion and Performance Coordinator for “Make Fashion,” the annual fashion show held in Calgary, Canada. Catherine is devoted to promoting and encouraging collaborations between artists and space science professionals in order to better engage the public, and communicate the accomplishments and the needs of the space industry. and she presented her work to the attendees of the Canadian Space Summit in November 2012, in Calgary.
]]>2075art,big,black,chris,christopher,computing,david,energy,for,james,jim,keith,life,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,systemfalse44fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-43-a-brief-tour-of-home-with-jim-bell--67982403be0a77d665843e07a7e2c67b7af37762Mon, 30 Dec 2013 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Jim Bell Does our solar system really have 35 or even 40 planets? Is Mars merely the moon with an atmosphere or is it actually an ancient Earth? From the red planet to the jovian moons and then out to Pluto, destination for the New...2870astronaut,big,black,chris,christopher,computing,david,energy,for,james,jim,keith,life,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,systemfalse43fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-42-the-changing-neighborhood-stars-and-their-galaxies-with-christine-wilson--67982430 Current in Space
On today's Current in Space, Benjamin offers new discoveries helping to date the age of the Marsian surafce. Then Dave tells us how the Milky Way's supermassive black hole Sagitarrius A Stars has some life in it yet. About Christine Wilson
  Christine Wilson is professor of radio astronomy at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. She has worked with the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, the Submillimeter Array and the Herschel Space Observatory. She is currently on research leave as Canadian project scientist at the Atacama Large Millimeter Array, or ALMA,  a large international collaboration involving europe, north america and japan. Her work studies star formation through observational work with large galactic surveys.]]>fb915cc6b97dc2ea01085d8a7adcc085Mon, 02 Dec 2013 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Christine Wilson No neighborhood avoids change, and that certainly includes the neighborhood around stars. As the stars that populate galaxies form and develop through their life cycle, how exactly do they change the interstellar medium... Current in Space
On today's Current in Space, Benjamin offers new discoveries helping to date the age of the Marsian surafce. Then Dave tells us how the Milky Way's supermassive black hole Sagitarrius A Stars has some life in it yet. About Christine Wilson
  Christine Wilson is professor of radio astronomy at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. She has worked with the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, the Submillimeter Array and the Herschel Space Observatory. She is currently on research leave as Canadian project scientist at the Atacama Large Millimeter Array, or ALMA,  a large international collaboration involving europe, north america and japan. Her work studies star formation through observational work with large galactic surveys.]]>2561astronaut,big,black,canadian,chris,christopher,computing,david,energy,for,james,keith,life,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,systemfalse42fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-41-astrobiology-the-search-for-life-s-origins-with-paul-higgs--67982415
What is the answer to “Life, the universe and everything”,  Douglas Adams’ great question about the meaning of it all? (Assuming it’s not 42.) We may never have an answer to possibly undefinable questions, but thanks to science, we’re actually getting a little closer to understanding a big part of one our universe’s mysteries: life. Today we're joined at the star spot by Professor Paul Higgs, origin of life researcher.
Paul Higgs and Justin Trottier enjoy a wide ranging discussion, including a focus on recent progress in astrobiological research, the RNA world model and its rival hypotheses to account for life's origins, and the interaction between the SETI search, planetary exploration in our solar system, and studies in our laboratories right here on Earth.
Current in Space
On episode 38 SETI researcher Jill Tarter joined us at The Star Spot. In answer to a question about the likelihood of finding life in the cosmos, she cited two critical discoveries: the growing zoo of extremophiles here on earth and the growing zoo of exoplanets across our galaxy. Anuj and Dave have excited news to share on both those fronts, to copmliment this episode’s feature interview on life’s origins. And Benjamin shares new technological developments toward space-based power generation!
About Paul Higgs
  Paul Higgs is professor of biophysics at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. He holds a joint appointment in the departments of Physics and Biochemistry. Higgs participates in McMaster’s new Astrobiology graduate level research program as well as the Origins Institute, both of which are looking at the question of life’s origins. He is coauthor of the textbook Bioinformatics and molecular evolution, and co-editor of Planetary System and the origin of life.
]]>0cf12232b1b41451e477713216da2e46Mon, 18 Nov 2013 00:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Paul Higgs What is the answer to “Life, the universe and everything”,  Douglas Adams’ great question about the meaning of it all? (Assuming it’s not 42.) We may never have an answer to possibly undefinable questions, but thanks to...
What is the answer to “Life, the universe and everything”,  Douglas Adams’ great question about the meaning of it all? (Assuming it’s not 42.) We may never have an answer to possibly undefinable questions, but thanks to science, we’re actually getting a little closer to understanding a big part of one our universe’s mysteries: life. Today we're joined at the star spot by Professor Paul Higgs, origin of life researcher.
Paul Higgs and Justin Trottier enjoy a wide ranging discussion, including a focus on recent progress in astrobiological research, the RNA world model and its rival hypotheses to account for life's origins, and the interaction between the SETI search, planetary exploration in our solar system, and studies in our laboratories right here on Earth.
Current in Space
On episode 38 SETI researcher Jill Tarter joined us at The Star Spot. In answer to a question about the likelihood of finding life in the cosmos, she cited two critical discoveries: the growing zoo of extremophiles here on earth and the growing zoo of exoplanets across our galaxy. Anuj and Dave have excited news to share on both those fronts, to copmliment this episode’s feature interview on life’s origins. And Benjamin shares new technological developments toward space-based power generation!
About Paul Higgs
  Paul Higgs is professor of biophysics at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. He holds a joint appointment in the departments of Physics and Biochemistry. Higgs participates in McMaster’s new Astrobiology graduate level research program as well as the Origins Institute, both of which are looking at the question of life’s origins. He is coauthor of the textbook Bioinformatics and molecular evolution, and co-editor of Planetary System and the origin of life.
]]>3203astronaut,big,black,canadian,chris,christopher,computing,david,energy,for,james,keith,life,matt,medium,of,paul,science,space,systemfalse41fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-40-into-darkness-the-study-of-dark-energy-in-the-universe-with-matt-dobbs--67982433Feature Guest: Matt Dobbs Dark energy is described as one of the most mysterious phenomenon in our already generally baffling universe. To help us shed some light in the darkness, Matt Dobbs joins Justin Trottier at The Star Spot. His observations of galaxy clusters at the south pole telescope are at the leading edge of our exploration into the unknown. Current in Space Benjamin reminds us that astronomers get as close as likely possible to working as time travellers - or at least time voyeurs - and recently discovered the furthest - and hence oldest - galaxy in the universe. Then, as if competing for best entries in the Book of Guinness World Records, Anuj and Victoria tell us about the Boomerang Nebula, a place in our galaxy so cold it makes Toronto winters - and even the afterglow of the Big Bang - seem balmy by comparison. And Dave rounds out our news with the announcement of a major milestone in our search for candidate extrasolar planets in our hunt for Earth's twin.  About Matt Dobbs Matt Dobbs is an Associate Professor of Physics and associate member of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at McGill University in Montreal. He is a Canada Research Chair and is a Senior Fellow in the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research Cosmology and Gravity program. He was a recipient of an Owen Chamberlain Fellowship at the Lawrence Berkely Laboratory in 2002 and a Sloan Fellowship in 2009. His work explores the intersection between particle physics and cosmology. His research has brought him to some exotic locations, but none more remote than his observations with the South Pole telescope.]]>db3f84cf6989b10ae942f6ee14c16879Mon, 04 Nov 2013 00:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Matt Dobbs Dark energy is described as one of the most mysterious phenomenon in our already generally baffling universe. To help us shed some light in the darkness, Matt Dobbs joins Justin Trottier at The Star Spot. His observations of...Feature Guest: Matt Dobbs Dark energy is described as one of the most mysterious phenomenon in our already generally baffling universe. To help us shed some light in the darkness, Matt Dobbs joins Justin Trottier at The Star Spot. His observations of galaxy clusters at the south pole telescope are at the leading edge of our exploration into the unknown. Current in Space Benjamin reminds us that astronomers get as close as likely possible to working as time travellers - or at least time voyeurs - and recently discovered the furthest - and hence oldest - galaxy in the universe. Then, as if competing for best entries in the Book of Guinness World Records, Anuj and Victoria tell us about the Boomerang Nebula, a place in our galaxy so cold it makes Toronto winters - and even the afterglow of the Big Bang - seem balmy by comparison. And Dave rounds out our news with the announcement of a major milestone in our search for candidate extrasolar planets in our hunt for Earth's twin.  About Matt Dobbs Matt Dobbs is an Associate Professor of Physics and associate member of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at McGill University in Montreal. He is a Canada Research Chair and is a Senior Fellow in the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research Cosmology and Gravity program. He was a recipient of an Owen Chamberlain Fellowship at the Lawrence Berkely Laboratory in 2002 and a Sloan Fellowship in 2009. His work explores the intersection between particle physics and cosmology. His research has brought him to some exotic locations, but none more remote than his observations with the South Pole telescope.]]>2761astronaut,big,black,canadian,chris,christopher,computing,david,energy,for,galaxy,james,keith,matt,medium,science,society,space,star,systemfalse40fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-39-return-to-the-moon-upcoming-rover-missions-to-the-lunar-surface-with-peter-visscher--67982438898b76eb76821a29f5da260d865fe723Wed, 23 Oct 2013 17:39:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Peter Visscher The return of humans to the moon is well over a decade away. But one key step, the development of unmanned lunar rovers that could be scaled up for human exploration, is well underway. Today on the star spot i’m joined by...2621astronaut,big,black,canadian,chris,christopher,computing,david,energy,for,galaxy,james,keith,medium,planets,science,society,space,star,systemfalse39fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-38-hunting-extraterrestrials-with-jill-tarter--679824404ed26728cfcf54e89ec3df30d3b6d439Sun, 06 Oct 2013 23:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Jill Tarter The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. No other space-related program so effectively stirs our emotions, symbolizes our sense of hope and optimism for the future, or provokes philosophical debates about the meaning of...3217astronaut,big,black,canadian,chris,christopher,computing,david,energy,for,galaxy,james,keith,medium,planets,science,society,space,star,systemfalse38fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-37-organized-activism-for-space-exploration-with-wayne-ellis--67982379
The weekend of November 14 to 16 in Ottawa the Canadian Space Society will be hosting their annual space summit, with keynote speakers including the President of the Canadian Space Agency, the associate administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations Directorate at NASA, and leading members of the aerospace industry, the Ministry of Defense, and the world of space journalism. The earlybird pricing for the summit ends september 30 so visit www.css.ca as soon as possible for information.

The theme of the summit this year is Canada’s space economy. Wayne Ellis, President of the Canadian Space Society, joins Justin Trottier at The Star Spot to argue that when we think of the space economy of any nation, we should be thinking well beyond just the business of space. Making the general argument for why we should support space exploration is the primary mandate of the world’s many non-profit space advocacy organizations. Wayne explains what drives space exploration enthusiasts and how organized advocacy groups fit into a national and even international space program.

Current in Space

In today’s Current in Space, Victoria reports on how one private space company is aiming to get people into space by reducing costs through spacesuits constructed from items purchased at local hardware stores. And from sources of destruction to the seeds of life, Benjamin tells us why comets are now seen as the potential origin of life’s building blocks.

About Wayne Ellis

Wayne Ellis is chief consultant for aerospace and defence analysis at AppSpace Solutions Inc. and served as space instructor at the canadian forces school of aerospace studies. Wayne specializes in canadian space and defense activities and currently serves as President of the Canadian Space Society.]]>9907ae148062f248d01df22c2381cf19Sun, 22 Sep 2013 23:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Wayne Ellis The weekend of November 14 to 16 in Ottawa the Canadian Space Society will be hosting their annual space summit, with keynote speakers including the President of the Canadian Space Agency, the associate administrator for...
The weekend of November 14 to 16 in Ottawa the Canadian Space Society will be hosting their annual space summit, with keynote speakers including the President of the Canadian Space Agency, the associate administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations Directorate at NASA, and leading members of the aerospace industry, the Ministry of Defense, and the world of space journalism. The earlybird pricing for the summit ends september 30 so visit www.css.ca as soon as possible for information.

The theme of the summit this year is Canada’s space economy. Wayne Ellis, President of the Canadian Space Society, joins Justin Trottier at The Star Spot to argue that when we think of the space economy of any nation, we should be thinking well beyond just the business of space. Making the general argument for why we should support space exploration is the primary mandate of the world’s many non-profit space advocacy organizations. Wayne explains what drives space exploration enthusiasts and how organized advocacy groups fit into a national and even international space program.

Current in Space

In today’s Current in Space, Victoria reports on how one private space company is aiming to get people into space by reducing costs through spacesuits constructed from items purchased at local hardware stores. And from sources of destruction to the seeds of life, Benjamin tells us why comets are now seen as the potential origin of life’s building blocks.

About Wayne Ellis

Wayne Ellis is chief consultant for aerospace and defence analysis at AppSpace Solutions Inc. and served as space instructor at the canadian forces school of aerospace studies. Wayne specializes in canadian space and defense activities and currently serves as President of the Canadian Space Society.]]>2152astronaut,big,black,canadian,chris,christopher,computing,david,energy,for,galaxy,james,keith,medium,planets,science,society,space,star,systemfalse37fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-36-quantum-computing-space-science-meets-science-fiction-with-martin-laforest--67982408  Martin Laforest joins Justin Trottier at The Star Spot to discuss the fascinating, complex and bizarre world of the quantum. After describing the Institute for Quantum Computing and the uniqueness of its home, the University of Waterloo and the technological industrial hub of Waterloo, Ontario, the two explore quantum information, cryptography, and the often counter-intuitive theoretical underpinnings of these technological breakthroughs.
  Justin then goes through his list of fanciful “science meets science fiction” topics, ranging from quantum teleportation and replication to what possible effect it would have on SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) if aliens have moved on to using quantum encoded signals in their communication.
  Finally Laforest comments on how we can harness a topic like quantum computing - which has excited public interest but is inherently complicated - to drum up interest in science.
  Current in Space
  As a special treat, given that we missed our last regularly scheduled episode, we’ve included an expanded Current in Space segment featuring: * Jessica sharing new evidence that shows we might all be martians after all
* Benjamin describing new studies which are making us rethink our conception of a bone dry moon
* Denise expaining how iron could get into necklace beads thousands of years before the iron age (hint: it came from outer space!)
* Justin discussing how our supermassive central black hole offers the galaxy's least hospitable neighborhood for a recently discovered pulsar
* Julia telling us how crowfounding can get a space start-up off the ground (literally when you’re talking about a $1.5 million kickstarter-funded public space telescope project!) About Martin Laforest
  Martin Laforest is Senior Manager for Scientific Outreach at the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo, where he networks with government, industry and academia on behalf of the university and its quantum computing programs. He leads the Undergraduate School on Experimental Quantum Information Processing and the Quantum Cryptography School for Young Students. A mathematics and physics graduate from McGill university, Laforest is a passionate proponent of science communication and recently presented at TEDx Waterloo 2013]]>aee06aaa72b67c635d1584588348eb17Sun, 08 Sep 2013 23:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Martin Laforest   Martin Laforest joins Justin Trottier at The Star Spot to discuss the fascinating, complex and bizarre world of the quantum. After describing the Institute for Quantum Computing and the uniqueness of its home, the...  Martin Laforest joins Justin Trottier at The Star Spot to discuss the fascinating, complex and bizarre world of the quantum. After describing the Institute for Quantum Computing and the uniqueness of its home, the University of Waterloo and the technological industrial hub of Waterloo, Ontario, the two explore quantum information, cryptography, and the often counter-intuitive theoretical underpinnings of these technological breakthroughs.
  Justin then goes through his list of fanciful “science meets science fiction” topics, ranging from quantum teleportation and replication to what possible effect it would have on SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) if aliens have moved on to using quantum encoded signals in their communication.
  Finally Laforest comments on how we can harness a topic like quantum computing - which has excited public interest but is inherently complicated - to drum up interest in science.
  Current in Space
  As a special treat, given that we missed our last regularly scheduled episode, we’ve included an expanded Current in Space segment featuring: * Jessica sharing new evidence that shows we might all be martians after all
* Benjamin describing new studies which are making us rethink our conception of a bone dry moon
* Denise expaining how iron could get into necklace beads thousands of years before the iron age (hint: it came from outer space!)
* Justin discussing how our supermassive central black hole offers the galaxy's least hospitable neighborhood for a recently discovered pulsar
* Julia telling us how crowfounding can get a space start-up off the ground (literally when you’re talking about a $1.5 million kickstarter-funded public space telescope project!) About Martin Laforest
  Martin Laforest is Senior Manager for Scientific Outreach at the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo, where he networks with government, industry and academia on behalf of the university and its quantum computing programs. He leads the Undergraduate School on Experimental Quantum Information Processing and the Quantum Cryptography School for Young Students. A mathematics and physics graduate from McGill university, Laforest is a passionate proponent of science communication and recently presented at TEDx Waterloo 2013]]>3681astronaut,big,black,chris,christopher,computing,david,energy,for,galaxy,james,keith,mars,medium,philosophy,planets,science,space,star,systemfalse36fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-35-chasing-comets-with-david-levy--67982385cfa547839c7d685f1a1f85fa0bb7083bSat, 10 Aug 2013 01:00:00 +0000wise gerry“When beggars die there are no comets seen. The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes.” - William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Act 2, Scene 2 Feature Guest: David Levy As we are quickly learning, our solar system is anything but quiet....2895astronaut,big,black,chris,christopher,david,energy,exploration,for,galaxy,james,keith,mars,medium,philosophy,planets,science,space,star,systemfalse35fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-34-the-intimate-relationship-between-galaxies-and-dark-matter-with-anne-marie-weijmans--679824201a5149f7f6f63fd84c742af38b9ef13eSat, 27 Jul 2013 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Anne-Marie Weijmans Dark matter and galaxies turn out to live together as intimate partners. What role did dark matter play in the formation, characteristics and subsequent evolution of galaxies in our universe? And what do our studies...2532astronaut,big,black,chris,christopher,energy,exploration,for,galaxy,intelligence,james,keith,mars,medium,of,philosophy,planets,science,space,starfalse34fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-33-but-what-is-space-anyway-a-philosopher-s-eye-on-astronomy-with-james-robert-brown--67982460294db1eff354d7cf60ec6bd65729e00dSat, 13 Jul 2013 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: James Robert Brown We talk a lot at The Star Spot about space, but what, exactly, is space, or time for that matter, and how is it we can know anything at all about our universe and its laws. Some have pronounced the death of philosophy...3213astronaut,big,black,chris,christopher,energy,exploration,for,galaxy,intelligence,james,keith,mars,medium,of,philosophy,planets,science,space,starfalse33fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-32-the-space-between-the-stars-with-christopher-mckee--67982410  The two discuss McKee's contribution to our understanding of the interstellar medium, how the discovery of dark matter effected his model, and what role his work in two very different areas of astrophysics - quasars and the space between the stars - played in advancing his career.
Current in Space
Chinese astronauts blast off on a new mission to their space lab in what will be the longest duration Chinese mission to date. And could crowdfunding be the new mechanism by which we build  space telescope to detect alien worlds?
About Christopher McKee
  Astrophysicist Christopher McKee is professor of physics and astronomy at the University of California Berkeley, where he co-founded the Theoretical Astrophysics Center. He has had appointments at Caltech, Harvard and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. McKee is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is an authority on the interstellar medium, the environment of sparse gas that exists between the stars of our galaxy.
]]>cd2c10aa372643de3b1a2fe4c783211aSat, 15 Jun 2013 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Christopher McKee Astronomy and science popularizaer Carl Sagan famously declared “We are all starstuff.” He was referring to the discovery that much of the heavier elements in our body formed in the supernovas of dying stars. But...  The two discuss McKee's contribution to our understanding of the interstellar medium, how the discovery of dark matter effected his model, and what role his work in two very different areas of astrophysics - quasars and the space between the stars - played in advancing his career.
Current in Space
Chinese astronauts blast off on a new mission to their space lab in what will be the longest duration Chinese mission to date. And could crowdfunding be the new mechanism by which we build  space telescope to detect alien worlds?
About Christopher McKee
  Astrophysicist Christopher McKee is professor of physics and astronomy at the University of California Berkeley, where he co-founded the Theoretical Astrophysics Center. He has had appointments at Caltech, Harvard and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. McKee is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is an authority on the interstellar medium, the environment of sparse gas that exists between the stars of our galaxy.
]]>3092astronaut,astronomy,big,black,chris,christopher,dark,energy,exploration,for,galaxy,intelligence,keith,mars,medium,planets,science,space,star,xfalse32fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-31-branding-the-space-industry-in-the-21st-century-with-laila-zichmanis--67982423d171d7b3a13a037d79fea97478e3f4adSat, 01 Jun 2013 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Laila Zichmanis The Google Lunar X Prize. The NASA Space Apps Challenge. And Chris Hadfield nearing 1 million twitter followers. As the face of space exploration changes, government space agencies, commercial and non-profit...2622astronaut,astronomy,big,black,chris,dark,energy,exploration,for,galaxy,intelligence,international,keith,marketing,mars,planets,science,space,star,xfalse31fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-30-hacking-the-future-of-space-exploration-featuring-the-international-space-apps-challenge--67982413
  To assist NASA provided scientists and other experts as consultants through live international hookups. The goal? To open up both space exploration and social need while empowering citizens around the world. The event was the international space apps challenge. Special Guests
On today’s episode of The Star Spot we chat with Jonathan Moneta, an organizer with the Toronto contingent. Then, we speak with William Sellier, a member of the team Green Mars. Green Mars, which answered the challenge of designing the concept for a deployable greenhouse for a future mission to Mars, won one of the two Best in Hardware awards. Finally, we hear from 4 members of the Team known as Museum of Intergalactic Species (Jane Saputra, Charlotte Tang, Kris Nicolaoum, and Mario Dabrowski). Their challenge was to adopt a space-craft, that is to humanize the voyager mission by telling the story of the first human object to leave the solar system in an innovative and interactive way that connected it to people’s lives.
Current in Space
Jessica Campbell and Dennis Silin provide a retrospective look at the remarkable expedition of Chris Hadfield, recently returned to Earth from the ISS. Plus, just how did the moon lose its mojo?
]]>a7fa5146cfc842730fbafd5844d4932aSat, 18 May 2013 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryOn the weekend of April 20, 2013, 9000 people from over 80 countries responded to NASA’s call to hack their way towards unique and innovative solutions to special space challenges. A huge array of projects were available, from designing a deployable...
  To assist NASA provided scientists and other experts as consultants through live international hookups. The goal? To open up both space exploration and social need while empowering citizens around the world. The event was the international space apps challenge. Special Guests
On today’s episode of The Star Spot we chat with Jonathan Moneta, an organizer with the Toronto contingent. Then, we speak with William Sellier, a member of the team Green Mars. Green Mars, which answered the challenge of designing the concept for a deployable greenhouse for a future mission to Mars, won one of the two Best in Hardware awards. Finally, we hear from 4 members of the Team known as Museum of Intergalactic Species (Jane Saputra, Charlotte Tang, Kris Nicolaoum, and Mario Dabrowski). Their challenge was to adopt a space-craft, that is to humanize the voyager mission by telling the story of the first human object to leave the solar system in an innovative and interactive way that connected it to people’s lives.
Current in Space
Jessica Campbell and Dennis Silin provide a retrospective look at the remarkable expedition of Chris Hadfield, recently returned to Earth from the ISS. Plus, just how did the moon lose its mojo?
]]>2335aliens,astronaut,astronomy,big,black,chris,dark,energy,exploration,for,galaxy,intelligence,international,keith,mars,planets,science,space,star,xfalse30fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-29-the-search-for-extraterrestrial-intelligence-with-seth-shostak--67982386About Seth Shostak Dr. Seth Shostak is an expert in radio astronomy, which he puts to good use as Senior Astronomer at the SETI Institute: the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. Dr. Shostak hosts the SETI institute radio program Big Picture Science as well as the monthly podcast Skeptic Check that focuses on debunking pseudoscience. He won the 2004 Klumpke-Roberts Award from the Astronomical Socierty of the Pacific for his work in the public understanding of astronomy and in 2010 was elected a fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry at the Center for Inquiry. He is the author of several books, including Confession of an Alien Hunter, and  Life in the Universe, co-authored with Jeffrey Benett and Bruce Jakosky]]>6dbeddc6a16c4e230549faf9c9c020dbSat, 04 May 2013 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryFeature Guest: Seth Shostak With ever more groundbreaking data coming in from exploratory missions in our own solar system to the burgeoning array of extrasolar planets being discovered on a regular basis, are we getting closer to answering the age...About Seth Shostak Dr. Seth Shostak is an expert in radio astronomy, which he puts to good use as Senior Astronomer at the SETI Institute: the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. Dr. Shostak hosts the SETI institute radio program Big Picture Science as well as the monthly podcast Skeptic Check that focuses on debunking pseudoscience. He won the 2004 Klumpke-Roberts Award from the Astronomical Socierty of the Pacific for his work in the public understanding of astronomy and in 2010 was elected a fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry at the Center for Inquiry. He is the author of several books, including Confession of an Alien Hunter, and  Life in the Universe, co-authored with Jeffrey Benett and Bruce Jakosky]]>2138aliens,astronaut,astronomy,big,black,chris,dark,energy,exploration,for,galaxy,intelligence,keith,mars,planets,science,space,star,ufo,xfalse29fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-28-a-current-in-space-interregnum--67982417e5993a374716af843946da4fa5ba01f1Sat, 20 Apr 2013 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryA quick episode to break up our usual interview-focused show. At The Star Spot today in Current in Space, can we boldly go where no one has gone before, and do so at the speed of light via space-time distortions? Harold White, a scientist at the...479aliens,astronaut,astronomy,big,black,chris,dark,energy,exploration,galaxy,hole,keith,mars,planets,science,space,star,ufo,universe,xfalse28fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-27-the-birth-and-death-of-stars-clusters-supernovae-and-gamma-ray-bursts-with-chris-matzner--679824577910c2ede38b4ada54bd292026cd99bbSat, 06 Apr 2013 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryChris Matzner joins Justin Trottier at The Star Spot for a wide ranging conversation focused on the dynamical periods of a star’s life. He shares insights into the fascinating activities occurring in stellar nurseries, based on a major discovery by...2679aliens,astronaut,astronomy,big,black,chris,dark,energy,exploration,galaxy,hole,keith,mars,planets,science,space,star,ufo,universe,xfalse27fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-26-exposing-the-many-faces-of-planet-x-with-stuart-robbins--67982439001a35c47625201ea45ad15c774d9b22Sat, 23 Mar 2013 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryPseudoscientific belief in mysterious non-observable planets in the far off solar system span the gamut from small Earth-size objects to brown dwarf failed stars, the source for such nearly mystical beliefs range from Sumerian tablets to the  Biblical...2467aliens,astronaut,astronomy,big,black,chris,dark,energy,exploration,galaxy,hole,keith,mars,planets,science,space,star,ufo,universe,xfalse26fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-25-past-life-and-humanity-s-future-on-mars-with-dr-chris-mckay--67982459
Dr. McKay conducts research on extremophiles in Mars-like environments on Earth, including in the ice-covered lakes of antarctica, Siberia, Death Valley, the Canadian Arctic. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Planetary Society.

Current in Space Confirmation of Marsian past habitability is one of two space-related headline news stories of the last few weeks. The other is the discovery by astronomer Mike Brown and colleague Kevin Hand that Europa's vast liquid water ocean deep below its icy crust might not be isolated from the surface after all. Mallory Warren and Julia Mazurchuk discuss this new discovery and its implications. ]]>3b2ee07e4f4ae2ce5fad2301ee4dcf2dSun, 17 Mar 2013 22:01:00 +0000wise gerryOn this special first year anniversary edition of The Star Spot, NASA's preeminent astrobiologist Dr. Chris McKay talks all things Mars: the possibility of past life, the hunt for current spots of habitability by the Curiosity rover, and the prospects...
Dr. McKay conducts research on extremophiles in Mars-like environments on Earth, including in the ice-covered lakes of antarctica, Siberia, Death Valley, the Canadian Arctic. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Planetary Society.

Current in Space Confirmation of Marsian past habitability is one of two space-related headline news stories of the last few weeks. The other is the discovery by astronomer Mike Brown and colleague Kevin Hand that Europa's vast liquid water ocean deep below its icy crust might not be isolated from the surface after all. Mallory Warren and Julia Mazurchuk discuss this new discovery and its implications. ]]>1519aliens,astronaut,astronomy,big,black,chris,dark,energy,exploration,galaxy,hole,keith,mars,planets,science,space,star,ufo,universe,universityfalse25fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-24-atmospheres-signs-of-life-on-planets-beyond-our-solar-system-with-sara-seager--67982397Sara Seager, a world authority on the study of atmospheres of extrasolar planets joins Justin Trottier to share how cutting edge research is pushing the frontier not just in discovering planets beyond our solar system, but in starting to actually characterize their attributes like atmosphere and composition. The two discuss the startlingly diverse zoo of objects out in our galaxy, Dr. Seager's excitement being part of the team that detected evidence of the first extrasolar planet atmosphere, and most tantalizingly, how we are now on the cusp of being able to identify biosignatures of life as we home in on other Earths out there in space. Dr. Seager also provides some insider information on the pseudoscientific History Channel program Ancient Aliens, on which she's appeared on several occasions.On January 25th of this year, the Astronomy and Space Exploration Society based out of the University of Toronto hosted its 10th annual Expanding Canada’s Frontiers symposium, a series that has become a fixture in the city for celebrating achievements in astronomy and space sciences and engineering. This 10th event in the series was a real landmark, focused on the search for life beyond Earth. The Star Spot caught up with Dr. Seager following her presentation on campus, and on an upcoming episode of The Star Spot we will be joined by NASA's eminent astrobiologist, Dr. Chris McKay, another of the symposium's keynote speakers.About Dr. Sara SeagerDr. Sara Seager is currently professor of astronomy at the Massachusettes Institute of Technology and a world authority on the study of atmospheres on extrasolar planets, the subject of her Harvard University PhD. She's the recipient of the Helen B. Warner Prize from the American Astronomical Society, Harvard’s Bart J. Bok Prize in Astronomy, and named to Popular Science’s Fifth annual brilliant 10. Even more cool, NASA’s planetquest has described Dr. Seager as “an astronomical indiana jones.”

Current in Space

On Current in Space, we comment on the excitement and destruction generated by the recent meteor that shot across the Russian skies and crashed into Chebarkul Lake, followed by a quick update on the ongoing adventures of the Mars Curiosity rover.]]>5695ffc44decf468d07327d274e710efSat, 23 Feb 2013 02:00:00 +0000wise gerrySara Seager, a world authority on the study of atmospheres of extrasolar planets joins Justin Trottier to share how cutting edge research is pushing the frontier not just in discovering planets beyond our solar system, but in starting to actually...Sara Seager, a world authority on the study of atmospheres of extrasolar planets joins Justin Trottier to share how cutting edge research is pushing the frontier not just in discovering planets beyond our solar system, but in starting to actually characterize their attributes like atmosphere and composition. The two discuss the startlingly diverse zoo of objects out in our galaxy, Dr. Seager's excitement being part of the team that detected evidence of the first extrasolar planet atmosphere, and most tantalizingly, how we are now on the cusp of being able to identify biosignatures of life as we home in on other Earths out there in space. Dr. Seager also provides some insider information on the pseudoscientific History Channel program Ancient Aliens, on which she's appeared on several occasions.On January 25th of this year, the Astronomy and Space Exploration Society based out of the University of Toronto hosted its 10th annual Expanding Canada’s Frontiers symposium, a series that has become a fixture in the city for celebrating achievements in astronomy and space sciences and engineering. This 10th event in the series was a real landmark, focused on the search for life beyond Earth. The Star Spot caught up with Dr. Seager following her presentation on campus, and on an upcoming episode of The Star Spot we will be joined by NASA's eminent astrobiologist, Dr. Chris McKay, another of the symposium's keynote speakers.About Dr. Sara SeagerDr. Sara Seager is currently professor of astronomy at the Massachusettes Institute of Technology and a world authority on the study of atmospheres on extrasolar planets, the subject of her Harvard University PhD. She's the recipient of the Helen B. Warner Prize from the American Astronomical Society, Harvard’s Bart J. Bok Prize in Astronomy, and named to Popular Science’s Fifth annual brilliant 10. Even more cool, NASA’s planetquest has described Dr. Seager as “an astronomical indiana jones.”

Current in Space

On Current in Space, we comment on the excitement and destruction generated by the recent meteor that shot across the Russian skies and crashed into Chebarkul Lake, followed by a quick update on the ongoing adventures of the Mars Curiosity rover.]]>2234aliens,astronaut,astronomy,big,black,chris,dark,energy,exploration,galaxy,hole,keith,mars,planets,science,space,star,ufo,universe,universityfalse24fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-23-studying-the-universe-s-large-scale-structure-from-the-south-pole-with-keith-vanderlinde--6798242518827c144472856100497c6f0e8f21caSat, 09 Feb 2013 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryKeith Vanderlinde joins Justin Trottier at The Star Spot to share his Antarctica experience, studying the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation from the South Pole Telescope. He explains the ambiance, challenges and thrills of working in cold and...1806aliens,armstrong,astronaut,astronomy,big,black,dark,energy,exploration,galaxy,hole,keith,mars,planets,science,space,star,ufo,universe,universityfalse23fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-22-magnetism-probing-planets-and-searching-for-life-with-sabine-stanley--67982398f447d06d85ac5d51d72d6d2c0d9482a1Sat, 26 Jan 2013 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryProfessor Sabine Stanley joins Justin Trottier at The Star Spot to discuss everything to do with magnetic fields: how they're created, where they can be found, and what they tell us about the composition and behaviour of planets. Why does Mercury have...2730aliens,armstrong,astronaut,astronomy,big,black,cern,dark,energy,exploration,galaxy,hole,mars,planets,science,space,star,ufo,universe,universityfalse22fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-21-the-great-stories-of-science-with-stuart-clark--67982401741dc4e41fa058e4e20b21b695e1ed32Sat, 12 Jan 2013 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryDr. Stuart Clark joins Justin Trottier at The Star Spot to share his unique work dramatizing the great stories of science. Clark combines his background in astrophysical research with his career in science journalism and writing to author a trilogy of...2537aliens,armstrong,astronaut,astronomy,big,black,cern,dark,energy,exploration,galaxy,hole,mars,planets,science,space,star,ufo,universe,universityfalse21fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-20-a-universe-from-nothing-with-lawrence-krauss--67982444
Professor Lawrence Krauss is Foundation Professor of the School of Earth and Space Exploration and Director of the Origins Project at Arizona State University. He grew up in Toronto and studied at Carleton University, then received a PhD in physics at MIT. He served on President Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign science policy committee, and has received awards from the American Physical Society, the American Association of Physics Teachers and the American Institute of Physics. He is the author of a number of books, including Hiding in the Mirror, Quantum Man: Richard Feynman’s Life in Science, The Physics of Star Trek and A Universe From Nothing: Why there is something rather than nothing.]]>d236adf194f461c712ce57837f9092a2Sat, 29 Dec 2012 02:00:00 +0000wise gerryLawrence Krauss joins Justin Trottier at The Star Spot to discuss nothing, and how a universe can arise from it. Covering Krauss' earlier book "The Physics of Star Trek," the two discuss warp drives, time travel and transporters, and then reflect on...
Professor Lawrence Krauss is Foundation Professor of the School of Earth and Space Exploration and Director of the Origins Project at Arizona State University. He grew up in Toronto and studied at Carleton University, then received a PhD in physics at MIT. He served on President Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign science policy committee, and has received awards from the American Physical Society, the American Association of Physics Teachers and the American Institute of Physics. He is the author of a number of books, including Hiding in the Mirror, Quantum Man: Richard Feynman’s Life in Science, The Physics of Star Trek and A Universe From Nothing: Why there is something rather than nothing.]]>2254aliens,armstrong,astronaut,astronomy,big,black,cern,dark,energy,exploration,galaxy,hole,mars,planets,science,space,star,ufo,universe,universityfalse20fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-19-gravity-waves-opening-a-new-window-on-the-cosmos-with-luis-lehner--679824263c38a1ef07d2d1e67bb4f8dab8d9a247Sat, 15 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000wise gerryLuis Lehner joins Justin Trottier at The Star Spot to discuss his work in numerical relativity and his search for elusive gravity waves. Since they are not scattered by intervening objects but carrying pure information from their points of...2881aliens,and,armstrong,astronaut,astronomy,big,black,dark,energy,exploration,galaxy,hole,mars,planets,science,space,star,ufo,universe,universityfalse19fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-18-hosting-the-world-s-longest-running-science-show-with-bob-mcdonald--67982422 Bob McDonald is Canada’s best known science journalist. A long standing fixture on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and host of CBC’s Quirks and Quarks which draws half a million listeners each week, Bob Mcdonald is the author of the book Measuring the earth with a stick: science as I've seen it, which was short listed for the chadian science writers association book award. He is the the recipient of a variety of awards for science communication, including the 2005 McNeil Medal for the public awareness of science from the royal society of canada and the 2001 michael smith award for science promotion from NSERC. The university drop out who wound up with 6 honorary doctoral degrees - and counting - sits down with Justin Trottier to discuss how unique opportunities have shaped his life, the value of story telling in selling science, and his experiences on the CBC.]]>f4a879310ea5c407d686bb6cd497e370Sat, 01 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000wise gerryThe Star Spot is excited to announce a new development: video. Today’s episode of The Star Spot also features a special video edition to be posted on our recently launched YouTube channel, "TheStarSpotTV." There you can watch a video recording of our... Bob McDonald is Canada’s best known science journalist. A long standing fixture on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and host of CBC’s Quirks and Quarks which draws half a million listeners each week, Bob Mcdonald is the author of the book Measuring the earth with a stick: science as I've seen it, which was short listed for the chadian science writers association book award. He is the the recipient of a variety of awards for science communication, including the 2005 McNeil Medal for the public awareness of science from the royal society of canada and the 2001 michael smith award for science promotion from NSERC. The university drop out who wound up with 6 honorary doctoral degrees - and counting - sits down with Justin Trottier to discuss how unique opportunities have shaped his life, the value of story telling in selling science, and his experiences on the CBC.]]>1526aliens,and,armstrong,astronaut,astronomy,cern,dark,energy,exploration,galaxy,mars,planets,science,sky,space,star,survey,ufo,universe,universityfalse18fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-17-the-mysterious-centre-of-the-milky-way-galaxy-with-leo-meyer--67982455 About Leo Meyer Dr. Leo Meyer is Assistant Researcher in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of California Los Angeles. He obtained his PhD in physics from the university of cologne, Germany. He held a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the German Academic Exchange Service from 2008 to 2009 and a Graduate Fellowship of the Max-planck Society from 2005 to 2008. His research expertise lies in adaptive optics, general relativity, back holes and especially the Milky Way’s galactic centre.
]]>80d20a87b73d63147a37f1b677adbffbSun, 18 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0000wise gerryDr. Leo Meyer joins Justin Trottier at The Star Spot to discuss his UCLA research group's discovery of S0-102, a star 11.5 light years from the supermassive black hole at the core of our galaxy. The closest star yet discovered to the galactic centre,... About Leo Meyer Dr. Leo Meyer is Assistant Researcher in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of California Los Angeles. He obtained his PhD in physics from the university of cologne, Germany. He held a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the German Academic Exchange Service from 2008 to 2009 and a Graduate Fellowship of the Max-planck Society from 2005 to 2008. His research expertise lies in adaptive optics, general relativity, back holes and especially the Milky Way’s galactic centre.
]]>2188aliens,astronaut,astronomy,dark,exploration,galaxy,guy,hoax,hole,john,mars,planets,science,skeptic,space,star,taylor,time,ufo,universityfalse17fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-16-curiosity-on-mars-with-ralf-gellert--67982406 In Current in Space we report on the discovery of super-luminous supernovae out at edge of the observable universe, and provide an update on Voyager 1 and its mission to a different edge - that of our own solar system.
About Ralf Gellert
Dr. Ralf Gellert is a German-born physicist who in 2005 became an Assistant Professor of Physics at the University of Guelph in Canada. He previously worked as a research scientist at the University of Mainz and the Max-Plank Institute for Chemistry, also in Mainz, Germany. After leading the successful proposal to NASA, he became the principal investigator of the Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer, or APXS instrument, one of the primary instruments currently on board NASA’s Curiosity Mars Rover. The APXS is designed to analyze the elements of a Marsian sample through alpha particle and X-ray bombardment.
]]>8ffff7ae420826b0bb6934e83097ad25Sat, 03 Nov 2012 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryOn today’s episode Dr. Ralf Gellert, principal investigator of the Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectromer, or APXS, one of the primary instruments on the Mars Curiosity rover, joins Justin Trottier at The Star Spot to discuss how his instrument is currently... In Current in Space we report on the discovery of super-luminous supernovae out at edge of the observable universe, and provide an update on Voyager 1 and its mission to a different edge - that of our own solar system.
About Ralf Gellert
Dr. Ralf Gellert is a German-born physicist who in 2005 became an Assistant Professor of Physics at the University of Guelph in Canada. He previously worked as a research scientist at the University of Mainz and the Max-Plank Institute for Chemistry, also in Mainz, Germany. After leading the successful proposal to NASA, he became the principal investigator of the Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer, or APXS instrument, one of the primary instruments currently on board NASA’s Curiosity Mars Rover. The APXS is designed to analyze the elements of a Marsian sample through alpha particle and X-ray bombardment.
]]>2776aliens,astronaut,astronomy,dark,exploration,galaxy,guy,hoax,hole,john,mars,planets,science,skeptic,space,star,taylor,time,ufo,universityfalse16fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-15-sharing-a-passion-for-astronomy-with-john-percy--67982405 About John Percy Dr. John Percy is professor emeritus of astronomy at the University of Toronto. He is past president of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, the Royal Canadian Institute, and as honorary president of the science teachers’ association of ontario and vice-chair of the board of trustees of the ontario science centre.

Among a variety of awards and distinctions, Dr. percy won the 1997Royal Canadian Institute's Sandford Fleming Medal for contributions to public awareness and appreciation of science and technology and the 1999 Jack Bell Award for leadership in science education. He is a fellow of the american association for the advancement of science.

But perhaps his most long lasting recognition came with the naming of his own asteroid. He joins us here at the Star Spot to discuss that honour, and his insights bringing the world of astronomy and space exploration alive to students and learners of all ages.]]>664d2d58eec43f0d7630c532e78549adFri, 19 Oct 2012 23:00:00 +0000wise gerryIn today's episode Professor John Percy, a professional astronomer with a passion for making astronomy and space exploration engaging, joins Justin Trottier at The Star Spot. Dr. Percy discusses his many educational astronomy activities, from hosting... About John Percy Dr. John Percy is professor emeritus of astronomy at the University of Toronto. He is past president of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, the Royal Canadian Institute, and as honorary president of the science teachers’ association of ontario and vice-chair of the board of trustees of the ontario science centre.

Among a variety of awards and distinctions, Dr. percy won the 1997Royal Canadian Institute's Sandford Fleming Medal for contributions to public awareness and appreciation of science and technology and the 1999 Jack Bell Award for leadership in science education. He is a fellow of the american association for the advancement of science.

But perhaps his most long lasting recognition came with the naming of his own asteroid. He joins us here at the Star Spot to discuss that honour, and his insights bringing the world of astronomy and space exploration alive to students and learners of all ages.]]>2202aliens,astronaut,astronomy,dark,exploration,galaxy,guy,hoax,hole,john,mars,planets,science,skeptic,space,star,taylor,time,ufo,universityfalse15fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-14-particle-physics-and-its-cosmological-implications-with-wendy-j-taylor--67982456d4e56998cf9d2e2fba806e77535533b5Fri, 05 Oct 2012 23:00:00 +0000wise gerryOur guest today is Professor Wendy J. Taylor who joins Justin Trottier at The Star Spot to discuss the Large Hadron Collider, the search for the Higgs Boson and dark matter, and how the new field of astro particle physics may prove that discoveries at...2108aliens,armstrong,astronaut,astronomy,dark,exploration,galaxy,guy,hoax,hole,mars,planets,science,skeptic,space,star,taylor,time,ufo,universityfalse14fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-13-ancient-aliens-astrology-and-pseudoastronomy-with-guy-p-harrison--67982458 In Current in Space we comment on discussions from the 100 Year Starship initiative which seeks to prepare for interstellar travel within a century. At a recent symposium everything from new possibilities for warp drives to a debate about whether religion should accompany humanity was on the table. Finally, we provide an update on the status of  the B612 Foundation's Sentinel mission, a sun-orbiting telescope that will increase our ability to track dangerous asteroids on potential collision courses with Earth. About Guy P. Harrison Guy P. Harrison graduated with a history and anthropology degree from the university of southern florida. He is an award winning writer, journalist and photographer. Harrison is the author of a number of books, including Race and Reality: What Everyone Should Know about Our Biological Diversity, 50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God, and his newest book, 50 Popular Beliefs That People Think Are True, described as a skeptical grand tour of extraordinary claims such as ESP, ghosts, psyhics, hoemopathic medicine, bigfoot and more. His primary interest is to promote science and skeptical inquiry.]]>918b2a61b3e30a6c62a5b32a65043b9cFri, 21 Sep 2012 23:00:00 +0000wise gerryAppropriate to Episode #13, given the superstitious associations of that particular number, our guest today, Guy P. Harrison, is a debunker of superstitions and paranormal beliefs of all stripes. He joins Justin Trottier at The Star Spot to discuss... In Current in Space we comment on discussions from the 100 Year Starship initiative which seeks to prepare for interstellar travel within a century. At a recent symposium everything from new possibilities for warp drives to a debate about whether religion should accompany humanity was on the table. Finally, we provide an update on the status of  the B612 Foundation's Sentinel mission, a sun-orbiting telescope that will increase our ability to track dangerous asteroids on potential collision courses with Earth. About Guy P. Harrison Guy P. Harrison graduated with a history and anthropology degree from the university of southern florida. He is an award winning writer, journalist and photographer. Harrison is the author of a number of books, including Race and Reality: What Everyone Should Know about Our Biological Diversity, 50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God, and his newest book, 50 Popular Beliefs That People Think Are True, described as a skeptical grand tour of extraordinary claims such as ESP, ghosts, psyhics, hoemopathic medicine, bigfoot and more. His primary interest is to promote science and skeptical inquiry.]]>3014aliens,armstrong,astronaut,astronomy,exploration,galaxy,guy,hoax,hole,marc,mars,planets,science,skeptic,sky,space,star,time,ufo,universityfalse13fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-12-quasars-clues-to-the-ancient-universe-with-patrick-hall--67982416 In Current in Space we introduce a cryptic new start-up company Uwingu seeking to fundraising and raise public engagement in space exploration, comment on the enduring fascination with the concept of a space elevator, and pay tribute to one of the greatest explorers of our time - Neil Armstrong.
About Patrick Hall Patrick Hall received his PhD in astronomy from the University of Arizona, worked at Princeton University as its Observatory Research Associate and is currently associate professor at York University. He is an expert in quasars and active galactic nuclei. He’s received a number of National Science and Engineering Research Council grants as well as the ontario early research award for studies on disks of matter orbiting supermassive black holes. Hall participates in analyzing data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, a project that, among many many other things, resulted in the discovery of an asteroid that now bears his name Pathall.]]>918dedfb9ce61d2cad9b31855d48edd7Fri, 07 Sep 2012 23:00:00 +0000wise gerryOur guest today is Patrick Hall who joins Justin Trottier at The Star Spot to discuss one of the most energetic, myserious and ancient of phenomana in our universe: quasars. Hall shares his insights into the role quasars played in the evolution of the... In Current in Space we introduce a cryptic new start-up company Uwingu seeking to fundraising and raise public engagement in space exploration, comment on the enduring fascination with the concept of a space elevator, and pay tribute to one of the greatest explorers of our time - Neil Armstrong.
About Patrick Hall Patrick Hall received his PhD in astronomy from the University of Arizona, worked at Princeton University as its Observatory Research Associate and is currently associate professor at York University. He is an expert in quasars and active galactic nuclei. He’s received a number of National Science and Engineering Research Council grants as well as the ontario early research award for studies on disks of matter orbiting supermassive black holes. Hall participates in analyzing data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, a project that, among many many other things, resulted in the discovery of an asteroid that now bears his name Pathall.]]>2014armstrong,astronaut,astronomy,exploration,galaxy,hall,hole,james,marc,mars,planets,science,sky,space,star,time,ufo,university,white,yorkfalse12fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-11-the-james-webb-space-telescope-building-the-successor-to-hubble-with-neil-rowlands--67982431
In Current in Space we ask whether space and time might not be fundamental after all but rather emerged at the Big Bang. We then detail some of the astronauts who have moved into the political world including first Canadian in space Marc Garneau, now likely to run for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada. Finally, we give tribute to a little world recently demoted to dwarf planet status.

About Neil Rowlands Neil Rowlands Neil obtained his B.Sc (Engineering Physics) from the University of Alberta and his Ph.D. (Astronomy) from Cornell University. At Cornell, he participated in the construction and use of infrared instrumentation for the Kuiper Airborne Observatory and the 5m Hale telescope at Mt. Palomar.   

He held NSERC post-doctoral fellowships at the Canada Centre for remote sensing and another  at the Université de Montréal working with an infrared camera for the Canada France Hawaii Telescope.

In 1995 he joined CAL Corporation now called COM DEV, as an electro-optical engineer, developing space-borne scientific instrumentation for the space physics, atmospheric sciences and astronomy communities.  He is currently a Staff Scientist at COM DEV.  He has been working on the Canadian contribution to the James webb space telescope or JWST since 1997 on an instrument on the Fine Guidance Sensor/and near InfraRed Imager and Slitless Spectrograph or NIRISS  system
]]>cf5615f305edd467c638f933c62b3b4cFri, 24 Aug 2012 23:00:00 +0000wise gerryOur guest today is Neil Rowlands who joins Justin Trottier at The Star Spot to discuss the engineering and science of the James Webb Space Telescope, scheduled for launch in 2018. The two cover the exciting objects and phenomena JWST will study,...
In Current in Space we ask whether space and time might not be fundamental after all but rather emerged at the Big Bang. We then detail some of the astronauts who have moved into the political world including first Canadian in space Marc Garneau, now likely to run for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada. Finally, we give tribute to a little world recently demoted to dwarf planet status.

About Neil Rowlands Neil Rowlands Neil obtained his B.Sc (Engineering Physics) from the University of Alberta and his Ph.D. (Astronomy) from Cornell University. At Cornell, he participated in the construction and use of infrared instrumentation for the Kuiper Airborne Observatory and the 5m Hale telescope at Mt. Palomar.   

He held NSERC post-doctoral fellowships at the Canada Centre for remote sensing and another  at the Université de Montréal working with an infrared camera for the Canada France Hawaii Telescope.

In 1995 he joined CAL Corporation now called COM DEV, as an electro-optical engineer, developing space-borne scientific instrumentation for the space physics, atmospheric sciences and astronomy communities.  He is currently a Staff Scientist at COM DEV.  He has been working on the Canadian contribution to the James webb space telescope or JWST since 1997 on an instrument on the Fine Guidance Sensor/and near InfraRed Imager and Slitless Spectrograph or NIRISS  system
]]>2412astronaut,astronomy,com,exploration,galaxy,hole,james,marc,mars,neil,planets,science,space,star,station,supernova,telescope,time,ufo,whitefalse11fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-10-the-illusion-of-time-with-julian-barbour--67982434 Barbour is a theoretical physicist. Uniquely, he contributes to various fields without holding an academic position. He works part time as a translator and lives on a farm north of Oxford village. He’s been a visiting professor at the University of Oxford since 2008. Barbour holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Buckingham and is the author of a number of books, including Absolute or Relative Motion?, The Discovery of Dynamics, and The End of Time. His interests include quantum gravity, the history of science, and of course time In Curent in Space we remind listeners not to miss the final days of the Perseid Meteor Show and provide an update on the first few Sols of the Curiosity rover which is now sending its first colour images from the Red Planet.



]]>5a01b44a6b54479f091e61855101eb31Fri, 10 Aug 2012 23:00:00 +0000wise gerryOur guest today is Julian Barbour who joins Justin Trottier at The Star Spot to share his unique insights into the elusive mystery of time. He explains how new perspectives and research he is leading on time - which take seriously the puzzling... Barbour is a theoretical physicist. Uniquely, he contributes to various fields without holding an academic position. He works part time as a translator and lives on a farm north of Oxford village. He’s been a visiting professor at the University of Oxford since 2008. Barbour holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Buckingham and is the author of a number of books, including Absolute or Relative Motion?, The Discovery of Dynamics, and The End of Time. His interests include quantum gravity, the history of science, and of course time In Curent in Space we remind listeners not to miss the final days of the Perseid Meteor Show and provide an update on the first few Sols of the Curiosity rover which is now sending its first colour images from the Red Planet.



]]>2652ancient,astronomy,egypt,exploration,galaxy,gamma,hole,julian,mars,planets,pulsar,science,space,star,stars,station,supernova,time,ufo,whitefalse10fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-9-ancient-egyptian-astronomy-with-sarah-symons--67982435 In Current in Space we discuss the illuminating findings from the nineth collection of UFO files recently turned over by the British government, then prepare for the August 6th landing of the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover by exploring the many unique attributes of this most exciting mission to the red planet.
]]>ec9f9157da4887bf80bfa6727b42e8b3Sat, 28 Jul 2012 03:30:00 +0000wise gerryOur guest today is Professor Sarah Symons who joins Justin Trottier at The Star Spot to enlighten us about ancient Egyptian sophisticated conceptions of the night sky. The conversation ranges from understanding the intimate interplay between the... In Current in Space we discuss the illuminating findings from the nineth collection of UFO files recently turned over by the British government, then prepare for the August 6th landing of the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover by exploring the many unique attributes of this most exciting mission to the red planet.
]]>2767ancient,astronomy,egypt,exploration,galaxy,gamma,hole,julian,mars,planets,pulsar,science,space,star,stars,station,supernova,time,ufo,whitefalse9fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-8-the-physics-of-astronomy-with-marten-van-kerkwijk--67982462
In Current in Space we cover the ongoing travels of Voyager, the first human-made object poised to cross into interstellar space. We describe the Geoflow series, designed to use experiments aboard the International Space Station to study events far of in the core of the Earth. Finally in our new Entertainment section, host Justin Trottier provides his review of Ridley Scott's science fiction summer blockbuster Prometheus.

About our guest: Dr. Marten Van Kerkwijk obtained his Masters and PhD from the University of Amsterdam. He worked as a Hubble Fellow at Caltech, then a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Cambridge, before joining the faculty of the University of Toronto in 2003. He was part of a team that discovered a solar system consisting of the smallest body to orbit a star at the furthest distance. He’s been interviewed by several Canadian TV networks on a broad array of astronomy topics.

The Star Spot invites listeners to send in their thoughts on any of the news and variety pieces we cover, as well as our interviews, or send in ideas for topics we should cover. Email starspotpodcast@gmail.com
For full information please visit the official website of The Star Spot at www.starspotpodcast.com]]>4253fb9131f81ab3a343b2cf72d9235fSat, 14 Jul 2012 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryOur guest today is Professor Marten Van Kerkwijk who joins The Star Spot to discuss the physics of astronomy. With host Justin Trottier, the two focus on the intersection of astronomy and physics, how astronomical discoveries inform our understanding...
In Current in Space we cover the ongoing travels of Voyager, the first human-made object poised to cross into interstellar space. We describe the Geoflow series, designed to use experiments aboard the International Space Station to study events far of in the core of the Earth. Finally in our new Entertainment section, host Justin Trottier provides his review of Ridley Scott's science fiction summer blockbuster Prometheus.

About our guest: Dr. Marten Van Kerkwijk obtained his Masters and PhD from the University of Amsterdam. He worked as a Hubble Fellow at Caltech, then a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Cambridge, before joining the faculty of the University of Toronto in 2003. He was part of a team that discovered a solar system consisting of the smallest body to orbit a star at the furthest distance. He’s been interviewed by several Canadian TV networks on a broad array of astronomy topics.

The Star Spot invites listeners to send in their thoughts on any of the news and variety pieces we cover, as well as our interviews, or send in ideas for topics we should cover. Email starspotpodcast@gmail.com
For full information please visit the official website of The Star Spot at www.starspotpodcast.com]]>2495asteroids,astronomy,burst,dwarf,exploration,galaxy,gamma,hole,mars,mercury,planets,pulsar,science,space,star,stars,station,supernova,venus,whitefalse8fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-7-the-business-of-space-exploration-with-chuck-black--67982461 For full information please visit the official website of The Star Spot at www.starspotpodcast.com

]]>eb6695dc6223d687ac8ae35f829291e1Sat, 16 Jun 2012 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryOur guest today is Chuck Black who joins The Star Spot to discuss the business case for space within the international scene. Following hot on the heels of the success of private spacecraft Dragon and the upcoming Chinese launch to the Tiangong Space... For full information please visit the official website of The Star Spot at www.starspotpodcast.com

]]>2367astronomy,black,burst,chuck,dragon,exploration,galaxy,gamma,hole,mars,mercury,planets,ray,science,space,stars,station,supernova,venus,zoofalse7fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-6-zooniverse-citizen-science-how-300-000-average-people-became-astronomers-with-chris-lintott--67982441For full information please visit the official website of The Star Spot at www.starspotpodcast.com]]>ff42f0fff29be4a8230a8df502f931c8Sat, 02 Jun 2012 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryOur guest today is Christopher Lintott, an astrophysicist, a researcher in the Department of Physics at the University of Oxford and a junior research fellow at New College. also at the University of Oxford. A fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society,...For full information please visit the official website of The Star Spot at www.starspotpodcast.com]]>2382asteroids,astronomy,chris,citizen,dragon,exoplanets,exploration,galaxy,lintott,mars,mercury,planets,quasar,science,space,spacex,stars,transit,venus,zoofalse6fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-5-the-transit-of-venus-with-jay-pasachoff--67982466 as well as a play and an opera. One man who will be making the most of this event is renowned transit of venus authority Jay Pasachoff. Jay M. Pasachoff is the Director of the Hopkins Observatory as well as Chair of the Astronomy Department and 
Field Memorial Professor of Astronomy at Williams College. He comments frequently on the status of astronomy and science education, and is the author of textbooks in astronomy, physics, mathematics, and various other sciences. Pasa­choff has an article in the May 2012 issue of Physics World about transits, and he sits down with Justin Trottier to discuss the history, science, and deep significance, of the Transit of Venus. After exploring the amazing discoveries that can be made from such a deceptively simple event, the two discuss Pasachoff's varied career which has taken him into nooks all over the field of astronomy, then onto science education and the dangers of pseudoastronomy.

More information and details about Transit of Venus events near you are available at  http://venustransit.nasa.gov/

In Current in Space, we discuss blows to the favourd theories of dark matter, a historic flight that could open space to the commercial sector, and surprising plans already underway for mining beyond Earth. Visit www.starspotpodcast.com for more details.



]]>334466a82ff52be3ad8d9ab4d089dafaSat, 19 May 2012 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryUnless you expect to be alive in 105 years, you won't want to miss the June 5/6 transit of Venus. The appeal of this unique phenomenon has bridged the gap between art and science. It was was basis for a military brass band march, as well as a play and... as well as a play and an opera. One man who will be making the most of this event is renowned transit of venus authority Jay Pasachoff. Jay M. Pasachoff is the Director of the Hopkins Observatory as well as Chair of the Astronomy Department and 
Field Memorial Professor of Astronomy at Williams College. He comments frequently on the status of astronomy and science education, and is the author of textbooks in astronomy, physics, mathematics, and various other sciences. Pasa­choff has an article in the May 2012 issue of Physics World about transits, and he sits down with Justin Trottier to discuss the history, science, and deep significance, of the Transit of Venus. After exploring the amazing discoveries that can be made from such a deceptively simple event, the two discuss Pasachoff's varied career which has taken him into nooks all over the field of astronomy, then onto science education and the dangers of pseudoastronomy.

More information and details about Transit of Venus events near you are available at  http://venustransit.nasa.gov/

In Current in Space, we discuss blows to the favourd theories of dark matter, a historic flight that could open space to the commercial sector, and surprising plans already underway for mining beyond Earth. Visit www.starspotpodcast.com for more details.



]]>1932asteroids,astronomy,exoplanets,exploration,jay,mars,mercury,pasachoff,planets,space,spacex,stars,transit,venusfalse5fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-4-the-afterlives-of-stars-with-victoria-kaspi--67982427 Fellow in the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, the Royal Society and the US National Academy of Sciences. Her research expertise is in observational studies of neutron stars and pulsars, McGill Pulsar Group. Among other distinctions, she has won the John C. Polanyi Award from the NSERC, the Rutherford Memorial Medal of the Royal Society of Canada, and the Prix Marie-Victorin, the highest scientific award of the province of Québec. 
Dr. Victoria Kaspi joins Justin Trottier at The Star Spot to discuss the wide range of exotic afterlife experiences a star may enjoy, including neutron stars, pulsars, magnetars, and quark (or strange) stars. The two also discuss upcoming missions like NuSTAR which will study black holes, supernova explosions, and active galaxy nuclei, as well as SWIFT, primarily concerned with mysterious gamma ray bursts. Dr. Kaspi shares her passion for discovery, why her work connects to the average person, and what new possibilities the future might hold. In Current in Space, we discuss the case for ancient oceans on Mars, The Jupiter Icy moons Explorer (JUICE), and why two researchers think the safe bet that life exists beyond Earth may need to be rethought.
Visit www.starspotpodcast.com for more details.
Links http://heasarc.nasa.gov/docs/swift/swiftsc.html

http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Media-Media/2minutes-2minutes/Kaspi-Kaspi_eng.asp

http://www.technophilicmag.com/mag/qanda/victoria-kaspi

http://www.nustar.caltech.edu/home

http://heasarc.nasa.gov/docs/swift/swiftsc.html

http://www.cifar.ca/victoria-m-kaspi  

http://www.hep.physics.mcgill.ca/~vkaspi/new_web_site/en/index.php

http://www.physics.mcgill.ca/~pulsar/

]]>af9f01c32cc1b15bf59d0382cac2f0adSat, 05 May 2012 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryOur guest today is Victoria Kaspi, the Lorne Trottier Chair in Astrophysics, the Canada Research Chair in Observational Astrophysics and Professor of Physics at McGill University. She earned her PhD working under nobel prize winning astrophysicist... Fellow in the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, the Royal Society and the US National Academy of Sciences. Her research expertise is in observational studies of neutron stars and pulsars, McGill Pulsar Group. Among other distinctions, she has won the John C. Polanyi Award from the NSERC, the Rutherford Memorial Medal of the Royal Society of Canada, and the Prix Marie-Victorin, the highest scientific award of the province of Québec. 
Dr. Victoria Kaspi joins Justin Trottier at The Star Spot to discuss the wide range of exotic afterlife experiences a star may enjoy, including neutron stars, pulsars, magnetars, and quark (or strange) stars. The two also discuss upcoming missions like NuSTAR which will study black holes, supernova explosions, and active galaxy nuclei, as well as SWIFT, primarily concerned with mysterious gamma ray bursts. Dr. Kaspi shares her passion for discovery, why her work connects to the average person, and what new possibilities the future might hold. In Current in Space, we discuss the case for ancient oceans on Mars, The Jupiter Icy moons Explorer (JUICE), and why two researchers think the safe bet that life exists beyond Earth may need to be rethought.
Visit www.starspotpodcast.com for more details.
Links http://heasarc.nasa.gov/docs/swift/swiftsc.html

http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Media-Media/2minutes-2minutes/Kaspi-Kaspi_eng.asp

http://www.technophilicmag.com/mag/qanda/victoria-kaspi

http://www.nustar.caltech.edu/home

http://heasarc.nasa.gov/docs/swift/swiftsc.html

http://www.cifar.ca/victoria-m-kaspi  

http://www.hep.physics.mcgill.ca/~vkaspi/new_web_site/en/index.php

http://www.physics.mcgill.ca/~pulsar/

]]>2559astronomy,bursts,exoplanets,exploration,gammyray,kaspi,magnetars,neutron,planets,pulars,quark,space,stars,strange,victoriafalse4fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-3-exploring-saturn-with-carolyn-porco--67982471
Dr. Carolyn Porco joins Justin Trottier at The Star Spot to discuss everything about Saturn: the mission, the moons, the rings, the possibility of life on Enceladus, and the momentous touchdown on Titan. She also shares her passion for science education and her special sense of the spiritual. In Current in Space, guest journalist Amanda Gadke discusses the final adventure of the Discovery Space Shuttle. Visit www.starspotpodcast.com for more details.]]>6d7f0baf48e983441c4787d8b8735909Sat, 21 Apr 2012 01:00:00 +0000wise gerryOur guest today is Dr. Carolyn Porco, a planetary scientist who led the imaging team in studying and interpreting the images from the Cassini/Huygens mission to Saturn and its moon Titan.  She is senior research scientist at the space science...
Dr. Carolyn Porco joins Justin Trottier at The Star Spot to discuss everything about Saturn: the mission, the moons, the rings, the possibility of life on Enceladus, and the momentous touchdown on Titan. She also shares her passion for science education and her special sense of the spiritual. In Current in Space, guest journalist Amanda Gadke discusses the final adventure of the Discovery Space Shuttle. Visit www.starspotpodcast.com for more details.]]>2703astronomy,carolyn,cassini,enceladus,exoplanets,exploration,huygens,moons,planets,porco,rings,saturn,space,stars,titanfalse3fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-2-life-the-universe-and-everything-with-dan-falk--67982463]]>fc2d1c64c3a4bab38a7f9e7fd60d9e2eSat, 07 Apr 2012 08:23:00 +0000wise gerryOur guest is Dan Falk, an award winning science journalist and broadcaster. He's been published very broadly, including in the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, Cosmos Magazine, and New Scientist, and has contributed to CBC and TV Ontario science...]]>2250astronomy,exoplanets,exploration,planets,seti,space,stars,timefalse2fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/episode-1-images-of-new-worlds--67982464c354e98e94ac6e0ad454b2c815e3b87fFri, 23 Mar 2012 18:19:00 +0000wise gerryOur pilot episode has featured guest Dr. David Lafreniere, an astrophysicist and an assistant professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Montreal. His pioneering work relates to the detection of exoplanets, which are planets beyond...1713astronomy,exoplanets,exploration,planets,space,starsfalse1full