AWESOME ASTRONOMY

Awesome Astronomy explores the frontiers of science, space and our evolving understanding of the universe. Join Paul & Dr Jeni for informative and fun astronomy programmes dedicated to space and astronomy news and occasional podcast extras covering hot topics and special interviews in the world of science and astronomy.

Vanishing Stars and Invisible Galaxies 03/01/2026

Vanishing Stars and Invisible Galaxies This month it is the curious case of a vanishing star and galaxies that shine no light...plus our monthly skyguide and Jeni has a blocked drain! Produced by Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin /episode/index/show/awesomeastronomy/id/40270615

Ozone Hole II Mega-Constellation Bogaloo 02/15/2026

Ozone Hole II Mega-Constellation Bogaloo This episode we chat about the potential ozone hole issue caused by mega constellations, how Jupiter has shrunk and what Aurora would look like when Earth's poles flip. Produced by Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin /episode/index/show/awesomeastronomy/id/40116825

The End of British Astronomy? 02/01/2026

The End of British Astronomy? We discuss the British Government's vandalism of UK physics and astronomy. In better news we celebrate the refunding of NASA and the up coming Artemis II mission... will Paul finally get excited? Produced by Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin /episode/index/show/awesomeastronomy/id/39951565

3 days to lose LEO 01/16/2026

3 days to lose LEO So it looks like Low Earth Orbit is not just crowded but a disaster waiting to happen trapping humanity on this planet for a very long time... Produced by, Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin /episode/index/show/awesomeastronomy/id/39761060

Soundgarden win at Astrophysics 01/05/2026

Soundgarden win at Astrophysics So it turns out Soundgarden nailed astrophysics in 1994. We explore latest thinking on Little Red Dots, Globular Custers, oldest supernovae, No-ceans on Titan as well as our monthly skyguide and moon guide. Produced by Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin /episode/index/show/awesomeastronomy/id/39617585

Panto 2025: Cometh the Comet, Comet the Ralph 12/25/2025

Panto 2025: Cometh the Comet, Comet the Ralph It's time for our annual review of the year, a look forward to next year and of course the Panto!...and the return of an old face! Produced by Ralph, Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin /episode/index/show/awesomeastronomy/id/39534060

Yeeting your office into a flamepit 12/14/2025

Yeeting your office into a flamepit In this chatty news episode we chat about more Artemis mission shenanigans and how the Russians have wrecked their only human rated launch pad. Produced by Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin /episode/index/show/awesomeastronomy/id/39403665

Icy Telescopes and Martian Lightning 12/01/2025

Icy Telescopes and Martian Lightning This episode it is a new bananza with discussion of the Thirty Metre Telescope, shenanigans on Mars, asymmetrical supernovae and more trouble in the world of cosmology. There is a Xmas Telescope buying guide as well as our monthly skyguide! Produced by Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin /episode/index/show/awesomeastronomy/id/39218230

What an Artimess! 11/15/2025

What an Artimess! In our second episode of the month we chat about the weird mess that is now the Artemis Programme, whether there is even a new space race and what strange shenanigans rogue planets are up to! Produced by Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin /episode/index/show/awesomeastronomy/id/39045120

Comet I3 ATLAS and Cerne Abbas Star Party 10/31/2025

Comet I3 ATLAS and Cerne Abbas Star Party Time for a Comet 3I ATLAS deep dive, a chat about Paul's recent visit to the Cerne Abbas Starparty and our new extended skyguide. Produced by Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin /episode/index/show/awesomeastronomy/id/38870510

Camping, Craters and Comets 10/01/2025

Camping, Craters and Comets This month we are at Astrocamp, our biannual dark sky retreat. We have a Q and A session with the campers and we talk a newly confirmed impact crater in the UK, Artemis II, ozone layer, and an upcoming comet bonanza! Produced by Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin /episode/index/show/awesomeastronomy/id/38430010

Paul in Festival Land 09/02/2025

Paul in Festival Land 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 programme, Starship and a deep dive on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. /episode/index/show/awesomeastronomy/id/38062545

AI, Hypersonics and Betelbuddy 08/01/2025

AI, Hypersonics and Betelbuddy This month we talk about Jen at the BBC, AI in science communication, a supernova in NGC7331, whether Betelgeuse has a companion, Exoplanet shenanigans, European hypersonic space planes, and of course our monthly sky guide and general chat. Produced by Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin /episode/index/show/awesomeastronomy/id/37633000

Vera Rubin, Welsh Satellites and LIGO disaster 07/01/2025

Vera Rubin, Welsh Satellites and LIGO disaster A bumper episode or is that a Jumper episode if Jeni has her way. Paul has new scope and Jeni has been seeing the Sun. We have terrible news from LIGO, the end of Milkomeda, Light pollution paradox, Vera Rubin first light, a new satellite from Wales, spaceX kablooie, leaks on the ISS and of course the usual skyguide and emails! Phew! /episode/index/show/awesomeastronomy/id/37245165

Lancing Galaxies and Angry Emails 06/04/2025

Lancing Galaxies and Angry Emails This month we have Galactic sized lancing battles, Jupiter twice its size, Wales entering the space race and we have emails! Oh we have emails! /episode/index/show/awesomeastronomy/id/36845955

Lancing Galaxies and Angry Emails 06/04/2025

Lancing Galaxies and Angry Emails 06/01/2025

AstroCamp Spring 2025! 05/07/2025

AstroCamp Spring 2025! We come at you with all the fun of AstroCamp in Welsh Wales. Chat, debate and birdsong! Produced by Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin /episode/index/show/awesomeastronomy/id/36467830

Has NASA been Trumped? 04/01/2025

Has NASA been Trumped? We try to keep it upbeat this month with tales of blackholes, definitions of moons, and solar system science but unfortunately the fate of NASA and American science currently hangs in the balance... Produced by Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin /episode/index/show/awesomeastronomy/id/35963515

Paranal Problems: Light Pollution at the VLT 03/02/2025

Paranal Problems: Light Pollution at the VLT It looks as though the European Southern Observatory is caught in an American light pollution pincer...starlink above and now the threat of an American industrial complex as a neighbour. Is this the end? We have eclipse news, launch round up and the usual inane chatter from Jeni & Paul. /episode/index/show/awesomeastronomy/id/35497605

Asteroid Doom and Gaia Gloom 02/11/2025

Asteroid Doom and Gaia Gloom The world veers towards madness, asteroids threaten destruction and Gaia is no more. But the planets are putting on a show and Pluto is 95, so that’s alright... Produced by Ralph, Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin /episode/index/show/awesomeastronomy/id/35236615

Venus. Twined with Milton Keynes 01/04/2025

Venus. Twined with Milton Keynes Happy New Year! This month we talk about an new climate history for Venus, a new origin story for Mars' moons and we chat about the new potential head of NASA... Produced by Ralph, Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin /episode/index/show/awesomeastronomy/id/34721680

Panto 2024! 12/31/2024

Panto 2024! It's that time of year again where the team get silly...this year Butch and Suni hijack the ISS... /episode/index/show/awesomeastronomy/id/34673145

Re-examining Uranus 12/05/2024

Re-examining Uranus This month we look at new old data about Uranus, a possible second dinosaur asteroid the first image of a star in another galaxy and the image of a new planet forming. Plus sky and launch guides and a chat about Christmas present ideas! Produced by Ralph, Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin /episode/index/show/awesomeastronomy/id/34300710

Comets, Cruises and Outreach 11/30/2024

Comets, Cruises and Outreach This month the episode is all about astronomy! Yep just astronomy. We catch up with the wonderful comet observations of the autumn, Jen’s aurora cruise in Norway and we talk outreach astronomy in response to a listener's question. /episode/index/show/awesomeastronomy/id/34208870

Apollo 12 11/04/2024

Apollo 12 The Team are taking a little break so here is a classic interview with Apollo astronaut Alan Bean. /episode/index/show/awesomeastronomy/id/33772212

Gaining InSight 10/18/2024

Gaining InSight Meet Dr Anna Horleston from Bristol University. NASA’s InSight lander was active on Mars from November 2018 to December 2022 – a total of 1446 sols (Martian days). InSight carried a suite of geophysical instruments designed to help us understand the interior structure of the red planet. The primary instrument was a seismometer – the first seismometer to be deployed to the surface of Mars – and my job was to analyse the seismic data, to find Marsquakes (like earthquakes but on Mars), and to figure out what was causing them. I’ll take you through the highs and lows of working on an active NASA mission, the real meaning of “remote working”, and show you some of the amazing results from the mission. /episode/index/show/awesomeastronomy/id/33519902

AstroCamp Special! 10/03/2024

AstroCamp Special! This month the episode comes from the user dark skies of Wales as it is AstroCamp time! Discussion of Hera and Europa Clipper probes, comet news and the live recording of the Astrocamp panel! Enjoy /episode/index/show/awesomeastronomy/id/33320107

100 Hours of Astronomy with Go Stargazing 09/22/2024

100 Hours of Astronomy with Go Stargazing Between 2nd and 5th October, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) are celebrating 100 hours of astronomy. We’ve caught up with good friend of the show Neill Sanders, founder of Go Stargazing, who’s helped create an app to get you and all your friends involved with the celestial party! Enjoy! /episode/index/show/awesomeastronomy/id/33156872

Chatting Space within tent 09/01/2024

Chatting Space within tent A bit different this month as Paul is joined by Dustin as they chat about aurora on Ganymede, starliner, Polaris Dawn, Blue Origin and Dustin shares an interview at a local astronomy Festival. Produced by Paul, Jen, John, Damien & Dustin /episode/index/show/awesomeastronomy/id/32851247

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