loader from loading.io

The Last Minute Astronomer - January 2025

The 365 Days of Astronomy

Release Date: 01/04/2025

Astronomy Cast Ep. 763: Interstellar Comets show art Astronomy Cast Ep. 763: Interstellar Comets

The 365 Days of Astronomy

Season 19. Streamed live Sep 8, 2025. Welcome to the first episode of our 19th season! This week we look at objects coming from other solar systems that come passing on by our Sun. During the summer hiatus the 3rd interstellar object was discovered: Comet 3I/ATLAS! So now we have 3 different interstellar interlopers to compare & contrast. What are we starting to learn about other star systems from this small sample size and how will our detection get even better? [Editor’s note: HiRISE’s telescope is 1/2 meter.]   We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to...

info_outline
Travelers in the Night Eps. 331E & 332E: Asteroid Defense & Another Close One show art Travelers in the Night Eps. 331E & 332E: Asteroid Defense & Another Close One

The 365 Days of Astronomy

Dr. Al Grauer hosts. Dr. Albert D. Grauer ( ) is an observational asteroid hunting astronomer. Dr. Grauer retired from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 2006. From April 2025. Today's 2 topics: - In 2013 a 56 foot diameter space rock exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia releasing the energy of 450 kilotons of TNT and filled local hospitals with some of the 1,500 people who were injured. Fortunately no one died. In 1908 a 200 ft diameter meteor exploded over a largely unpopulated region at Tunguska, Siberia knocking down trees over a 750 square mile area. If it had hit over a...

info_outline
NOIR Lab - Fast X-Ray Transients & The Deaths Of Massive Stars show art NOIR Lab - Fast X-Ray Transients & The Deaths Of Massive Stars

The 365 Days of Astronomy

Since their first detection, powerful bursts of X-rays from distant galaxies, known as fast X-ray transients (FXTs), have mystified astronomers. FXTs have historically been elusive events, occurring at vast distances away from Earth and only lasting seconds to hours. Einstein Probe (EP), launched in 2024, is dedicated to observing transient events in the X-ray and is changing the game for astronomers looking to understand the origin of these exotic events. In this podcast, Dr. Robert Eyles-Ferris discusses a recent FXT and what it reveals about the deaths of massive stars.   ...

info_outline
EVSN - Rockets Make Bad Neighbors show art EVSN - Rockets Make Bad Neighbors

The 365 Days of Astronomy

From September 3, 2025. In this week's episode, we take a look at the impact SpaceX launches from the Space Coast will have on their competitors and those living, working, and going to school near Kennedy and Cape Canaveral. We also look at a bunch of new science discoveries, including the origins of Ryugu & Bennu, the solar system shocked itself, a new supernova that blew off an unusual number of layers before exploding, and quick updates on Psyche, Juno, JUICE, and the number of moons orbiting Uranus.   We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing,...

info_outline
Space Stories - Where Day Meets Night: The Equinox show art Space Stories - Where Day Meets Night: The Equinox

The 365 Days of Astronomy

Hosted by Avivah Yamani, our Director. We are exploring the word Equinox. We start by having the definitions, why “equal night” isn’t quite exact, how spring/autumn flip between hemispheres, and a whirlwind tour of equator monuments from Pontianak to Macapá, Cayambe, Kayabwe, Nanyuki, Ilhéu das Rolas, and Bonjol.   We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.  Just visit: and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too!  Every bit helps! Thank you!...

info_outline
Guide To Space - What Does the Universe Do When We're Not Looking? show art Guide To Space - What Does the Universe Do When We're Not Looking?

The 365 Days of Astronomy

Hosted by Fraser Cain. From Jul 19, 2016. Some of the greatest discoveries in astronomy have been made by watching how the skies change over time. Today we talk about these techniques, and an observatory that will revolutionize time-based astronomy.   We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.  Just visit: and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too!  Every bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------ Do go visit for cool Astronomy Cast...

info_outline
Ask A Spaceman Ep. 255: How Do The Biggest Stars Get So Big? show art Ask A Spaceman Ep. 255: How Do The Biggest Stars Get So Big?

The 365 Days of Astronomy

How do we measure the sizes of stars? What are the biggest ones today, and how big could stars have gotten in the past? Is there any way for a star to cheat and get even bigger? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman!   Support the show: All episodes: Watch on YouTube: Read a book:   Keep those questions about space, science, astronomy, astrophysics, physics, and cosmology coming to #AskASpaceman for COMPLETE KNOWLEDGE OF TIME AND SPACE!   Big thanks to my top Patreon supporters this month: Justin G, Chris L, Alberto M, Duncan M, Corey D, Michael P,...

info_outline
Astronomy Cast Ep. 155: Dwarf Stars show art Astronomy Cast Ep. 155: Dwarf Stars

The 365 Days of Astronomy

From September 14, 2009. We think we live near an average star, but that’s not the case at all. Compared to most stars in the Universe, the Sun is a giant! Let’s look at the small end of the stellar spectrum, to stars with a fraction of the size and mass of our own Sun. There are many ways that a star can get small, and they lead dramatically different lives and deaths.   We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.  Just visit: and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon...

info_outline
Travelers in the Night Eps. 329 & 330: Near Neighbor & Comet Johnson show art Travelers in the Night Eps. 329 & 330: Near Neighbor & Comet Johnson

The 365 Days of Astronomy

Dr. Al Grauer hosts. Dr. Albert D. Grauer ( ) is an observational asteroid hunting astronomer. Dr. Grauer retired from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 2006. From November 2024. Today's 2 topics: - My Catalina Sky Survey teammate Carson Fuls was using the new hundred million pixel camera on our team's Schmidt telescope located on Mt. Bigelow, Arizona, when he discovered 2017 AG13. It passes near the Earth's orbit twice a year on its own 345 day path around the Sun. When Carson spotted it, 9 lunar distances from him it was heading in our direction at about nine and a half miles...

info_outline
Awesome Astronomy - September Part 1: Paul in Festival Land show art Awesome Astronomy - September Part 1: Paul in Festival Land

The 365 Days of Astronomy

Paul Hill, Ralph Wilkins and Dr. Jenifer “Dr. Dust” Millard host.  Damien Phillips, John Wildridge and Dustin Ruoff produce. [Editor’s note: This episode is 1 hour 37 minutes long.] A bumper end of summer episode with Paul out in the world of science outreach and communication in a Summer music festival. There’s also discussion of the new Astronomer Royal, China’s moon program, Starship and a deep dive on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.   We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.  Just visit: and...

info_outline
 
More Episodes

Hi everybody, I’m Rob Webb, your Last Minute Astronomer, bringing astronomy to normies and nerds, with little time to spare. We’ll start by talking about January’s big events, then highlight the naked eye planets, and finish up with the lunar phases, so you can plan ahead better than me. 

 

January 2025 is a PLANETARY month! Mars gets big, Mars gets occulted, Mars gets outshined by Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter, then Venus and Saturn pass right by each other, and a brief but intense meteor shower shows up. 

 

13th - Occultation of Mars - MORE than a close encounter, Mars will be right next to the Moon all night, except for about an hour when the Moon occults Mars.  Around Philadelphia, the occultation starts at 9:17pm, when the Moon passes right in front of Mars.  This lasts until about 10:32pm, when Mars pops back out on the other side of the Moon.

 

Music was produced by Deep Sky Dude and used with permission. 

 

We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs. 

Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can!

Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too! 

Every bit helps! Thank you!

------------------------------------

Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness!

http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations. 

Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!)

------------------------------------

The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu

Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at [email protected].