Allan I Carswell Observatory Presents: York Universe

York Universe is a weekly astronomy and astrophysics program written and presented by the students, faculty, alumni, and friends of the Allan I Carswell Observatory at York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Image credits: AICO, Elaina Hyde, Max Neumann

20250623_Summer Solstice 06/24/2025

20250623_Summer Solstice In this episode Dr. Mary-Helen Armour and Dr. Jeremy Webb discuss the summer solstice touching on what a solstice is, and what historical significance it has in everything from time keeping, finding the size of the Earth, and how ancient monuments were aligned. In the news we touch on the early images from the Vera Rubin telescope. Image courtest NASA at /episode/index/show/c7ec35a8-3f2d-4423-99cf-045f514be0b7/id/37128930

20250616_Moons in the Solar System and Beyond 06/17/2025

20250616_Moons in the Solar System and Beyond In this episode Sunna Withers and Dr. Elaina Hyde investigate some historical moons of Saturn, Pluto, and of course our own Earth’s Moon as well as the latest Moon news and discoveries from JWST. Image credit: 2025 03 08 The moon through the AICO Unistellar eVscope by Nakul Sethuram /episode/index/show/c7ec35a8-3f2d-4423-99cf-045f514be0b7/id/37042955

20250609_From Local to Cosmological… it is all about space! 06/10/2025

20250609_From Local to Cosmological… it is all about space! Join us as we discuss everything from exploring our Solar System to the outermost regions of the Universe! Hosted by Paul Mackin and Sunna Withers, this week's episode highlights asteroid sample return missions and observing distant stars and galaxies. Image Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, G. Gozaliasl, A. Koekemoer, M. Franco, and the COSMOS-Web team /episode/index/show/c7ec35a8-3f2d-4423-99cf-045f514be0b7/id/36931690

20250602_From Naked Eye to high tech 06/03/2025

20250602_From Naked Eye to high tech This episode touches on transits of Venus and their historical and astronomical importance. It also looks a bit at how the observations of the solstice could also be used to gain an understanding of Earth. Your hosts Prof. Mary-Helen Armour and Dr. Elaina Hyde touch on more modern history looking at lunar investigation by the Surveyor and Hayabusa2 investigation of asteroids. In the news we look at recent JWST discoveries, like one of the most distant and youngest galaxies every imaged, amazing aurora and hot exoplanets. Image credit: NASA (2012 transit) https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/10996/#media_group_349107 /episode/index/show/c7ec35a8-3f2d-4423-99cf-045f514be0b7/id/36828190

20250526_Projects! 05/28/2025

20250526_Projects! Paul Mackin and Mary-Helen Armour describe Apollo missions and more. Sometimes big, sometimes small, sometimes personal, sometimes public… It is always great to have a project. Join in this episode to hear about some historical and very recent space projects. Image Credit: Paul Mackin 2024 - The Apollo 10 command module - Charly Brown. A Soyuz which carried a British Cosmonaut to Mir. Courtesy of the Science Museum in London /episode/index/show/c7ec35a8-3f2d-4423-99cf-045f514be0b7/id/36740120

20250512_Everything is space telescopes 05/13/2025

20250512_Everything is space telescopes This episode features a journey through past and present space telescopes with Sunna Withers and Dr. Elaina Hyde. Missions both large and small have contributed significantly to astronomy as we know it, and in the news now we can’t help but mention some of the latest from JWST. Image credit: NASA/Chris Gunn "Technicians successfully performed a critical test on Webb's 5-layer sunshield by fully deploying each of its uniquely sized layers to the same position that they will have while orbiting the Sun a million miles away from Earth." /episode/index/show/c7ec35a8-3f2d-4423-99cf-045f514be0b7/id/36543400

20250505_Star Wars vs Star Trek vs reality! 05/06/2025

20250505_Star Wars vs Star Trek vs reality! Paul Mackin and Professor Elaina Hyde cover the science fiction film that changed it all as well as other items in space history and the most recent astronomy news. This episode looks at Venus, Mars, and the space program with a bit of a sci-fi tint! Image credit: AICO, Elaina Hyde, 2023: The Allan I Carswell Observatory showing the dome during the day with the moon above /episode/index/show/c7ec35a8-3f2d-4423-99cf-045f514be0b7/id/36449135

20250428_Hints of summer! 04/29/2025

20250428_Hints of summer! Paul Mackin and Julie Tomé discuss the beginnings of radio astronomy, pioneering astronauts, and wish astronomer Gibor Basri a happy birthday this week in astronomy and space history. In news, the Lucy Mission has done a flyby of Asteroid Donaldjohnson and New Horizons data were used to map the galaxy in Lyman-alpha radiation. As April winds down we get better weather and a preview of our summer skies! Episode art: M13 Great Cluster in Hercules, image credit Conor Hayes, AICO, 2021 /episode/index/show/c7ec35a8-3f2d-4423-99cf-045f514be0b7/id/36350135

20250414_Daydreaming in the Solar System: Surfing Saturn's Rings, Golfing on the Moon, and Other Adventures in Space Exploration 04/15/2025

20250414_Daydreaming in the Solar System: Surfing Saturn's Rings, Golfing on the Moon, and Other Adventures in Space Exploration This week's episode features John Moores, Jesse Rogerson and Michelle Parsons, authors of "Daydreaming in the Solar System: Surfing Saturn's Rings, Golfing on the Moon, and Other Adventures in Space Exploration". Join as our host Robin Metcalfe leads an exciting discussion on how to daydream in the solar system, including ice skating on Pluto and Enceladus, falling through Jupiter's atmosphere, and spelunking on Saturn's moon Hyperion! Erratum: Robin's younger son is a 6'2" goalie (not 5'2") Image Credit: Michelle Parsons /episode/index/show/c7ec35a8-3f2d-4423-99cf-045f514be0b7/id/36146985

20250331_Launches, Exoplanets & Little Red Dots 04/01/2025

20250331_Launches, Exoplanets & Little Red Dots Sunna Withers and Julie Tomé discuss several historic launches and the achievements of astronomer Donald Lynden-Bell. In the news, detecting exoplanets using their magnetosphere and the solution to the mystery of the JWST Little Red Dots. Spoiler - the Universe isn’t broken. Photo credit: AICO, 40 cm telescope /episode/index/show/c7ec35a8-3f2d-4423-99cf-045f514be0b7/id/35953390

20250324_Earth and Moon This Week 03/25/2025

20250324_Earth and Moon This Week This Week in Space and Astronomy History is all about our solar system! Join this week's host's Professor Mary-Helen Armour and Paul Mackin as they discuss history of solar system exploration from the first images of the Moon to the exploration of Mars and beyond! Image Credit: The Moon imaged by the Allan I. Carswell Observatory 1m telescope /episode/index/show/c7ec35a8-3f2d-4423-99cf-045f514be0b7/id/35848925

20250317_Canadian Astronomers Rock! 03/17/2025

20250317_Canadian Astronomers Rock! Have you ever wondered what Canadian astronomers are studying? This episode discusses recent discoveries by Canadian astronomers on Saturn's moons and upcoming research with the James Webb Space Telescope. The host's Sunna Withers and Paul Mackin also discuss some astronomy history including a remarkably bright Gamma Ray Burst and the Voyager missions. Image credit: Sunna Withers /episode/index/show/c7ec35a8-3f2d-4423-99cf-045f514be0b7/id/35734055

20250310_March Moon Madness 03/11/2025

20250310_March Moon Madness Did you know that there will be a TOTAL Lunar Eclipse this March 13th, 2025? Join Dr. Elaina Hyde and Parisa Nozari for an episode of eclipse history, moon news, and of course some event tips for this March 13th, 2025 event. Those joining the observatory YouTube can enjoy some live moon images. The live event recording is at Image Credits: AICO, 1m Moon imaging, Camila Guzman, Nakul Ramjee, Sunna Withers, March 10 2025 /episode/index/show/c7ec35a8-3f2d-4423-99cf-045f514be0b7/id/35621905

20250303_600 episodes, E rings, and Saturn 03/04/2025

20250303_600 episodes, E rings, and Saturn 600th episode spectacular, join us for a Saturn deep dive as we explore our mysterious distant cousin and its disappearing rings. Hosts Dr. Elaina Hyde, Professor Paul Delaney, Paul Mackin, Sunna Withers and Julie Tomé explore the 6th planet, its rings, and a few of its fascinating moons. Episode photo credit: AICO, 1m telescope /episode/index/show/c7ec35a8-3f2d-4423-99cf-045f514be0b7/id/35523060

20250224_Crash Course in Comets 03/01/2025

20250224_Crash Course in Comets Crashes and launches abound in this set of astronomy history and news. Join Dr. Elaina Hyde and Sunna Withers for some crash landings on Venus, the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, the Moon and Earth as well as a ‘near miss’ in the future as asteroid 2024 YR4 continues to get it’s orbital parameters refined. Image credit: Venera 14 view of the surface of Venus: lava plates March 5, 1982. This image from the lander was processed by Ted Stryk. (Russian Academy of Sciences / Ted Stryk) /episode/index/show/c7ec35a8-3f2d-4423-99cf-045f514be0b7/id/35494875

20250210_In the cold, cold night 02/11/2025

20250210_In the cold, cold night Do you enjoy the winter weather? Put on your snow parka, grab some mittens and join Dr. Elaina Hyde and Paul Mackin for an icy hike through the outer reaches of our own solar system. It’s colder than Canada, but well worth exploring! Image credit: Pluto, as imaged from the AICO 1m telescope at York University, 2022, Sunna Withers/AICO /episode/index/show/c7ec35a8-3f2d-4423-99cf-045f514be0b7/id/35239080

20250203_Telescopes,Telescopes,Telescopes 02/04/2025

20250203_Telescopes,Telescopes,Telescopes This episode sees our astronomers revisit some famous historical telescopes as well as one planned for the future. Join Dr. Elaina Hyde and Paul Mackin for fun facts about the Hale, Keck, and Hubble as well as the (for now) future Vera C. Rubin Observatory. Image Credit: Allan I Carswell Observatory 1m telescope, 2022, E.A. Hyde/AICO /episode/index/show/c7ec35a8-3f2d-4423-99cf-045f514be0b7/id/35148110

20250127_Detections and Discoveries 01/28/2025

20250127_Detections and Discoveries This episode covers some fun detections and discoveries from this week in history, including the Satarian Moon Epimetheus, the 'Hoth' exoplanet, the rocketeering of Robert Goddard, the 'moon' Pasiphae and more. We also discuss a few news items and the dissolution of the comet Atlas. The hosts for this episode are Dr. Elaina Hyde and Paul Mackin. Image credit: 2025-01-22 1m telescope, object: Mintaka, taken by: Nakul Sethuram/AICO /episode/index/show/c7ec35a8-3f2d-4423-99cf-045f514be0b7/id/35041585

20250120_Planning For Planets 01/21/2025

20250120_Planning For Planets Join our director Dr. Elaina Hyde and special Guest Prof. Jeremy Webb for a planetary extravaganza covering Uranus and Neptune (this week in history). As an extra, we will also discuss a few fun events and tips for outreach with Prof. Webb and look at the recent end to the GAIA spacecraft mission. The website for Prof. Webb can be found here: Image Credit: Nov 9, 2023: Neptune imaged by the AICO 1m telescope at York University (Mallincam camera). /episode/index/show/c7ec35a8-3f2d-4423-99cf-045f514be0b7/id/34935895

20250113_Fun with Flybys 01/14/2025

20250113_Fun with Flybys This episode we look at amazing flybys in history, covering Mercury, Uranus, Pluto and Saturn's moon Titan. A special welcome to new host Paul Mackin. We also have special guest Majid Naji to talk about his astronomer in residence tenure at Killarney Park with the Allan I Carswell Observatory and to share some tips. Image credit: The planet Uranus: imaged by the Malincam at the AICO 1m, 2023 11 11 /episode/index/show/c7ec35a8-3f2d-4423-99cf-045f514be0b7/id/34845935

20241216_I Look at the Skies Down Under 12/17/2024

20241216_I Look at the Skies Down Under Special guest Brendan O’Brien of the Astrophiz podcast joins Dr. Elaina Hyde and Julie Tomé for a conversation about all things space and astronomy down under! Learn about Woomera and what has landed there, the Honeysuckle Creek Tracking Station, radio astronomy and all its various antennae, and science communication. Brendan’s podcast can be found at: Image credit: One of the tiles making up the 32T, a prototype instrument for the Murchison Widefield Array. Natasha Hurley-Walker. (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MWA_32T_Tile.jpg#/media/File:MWA_32T_Tile.jpg) /episode/index/show/c7ec35a8-3f2d-4423-99cf-045f514be0b7/id/34480730

20241209_JWST Starts With A Bang 12/10/2024

20241209_JWST Starts With A Bang This exciting episode features a tall glass of JWS-T, as discussed by our host Elaina Hyde with special guest Ethan Siegel. Join us for a journey through time and space to one of the most interesting telescopes of this decade! For some more great JWST discussion see our guests’ new book “Infinite Cosmos: Visions From the James Webb Space Telescope” which can now be found at all major publishers. Ethan’s blogsite and podcast can be found here Image credit: JWST- at L2 - 2023: AICO, Sunna Withers, Zena Khadour /episode/index/show/c7ec35a8-3f2d-4423-99cf-045f514be0b7/id/34369375

20241202_Stargazing: Through the Looking Glass 12/03/2024

20241202_Stargazing: Through the Looking Glass Observations past, present and future. Join Parisa Nozari and Dr. Elaina Hyde for a journey through stargazing, radio astronomy, optical astronomy and meteor showers. We discuss this week in space history as we look to the skies for interesting observational targets and we talk about upcoming astronomical events as well. Image Credit: Messier Object M16, Zachary Sharp, AICO, 2024 /episode/index/show/c7ec35a8-3f2d-4423-99cf-045f514be0b7/id/34259165

20241125_Space Danger, Space Debris 11/26/2024

20241125_Space Danger, Space Debris Investigate Space Debris with Dr. Elaina Hyde and Parisa Nozari as we discuss a history of things coming down, and some recent news from the Dragonfly mission, SpaceX and more! The more space junk we have, the higher the danger for astronauts… and earth based humans too. image credit: AICO Killarney Park Astronomer in Residence 2024 Sunna Withers and Anna Skrinnik took this lovely sky image showing a shooting star. /episode/index/show/c7ec35a8-3f2d-4423-99cf-045f514be0b7/id/34151245

20241118_The Expansion of the Universe and Rocks in Drawers 11/19/2024

20241118_The Expansion of the Universe and Rocks in Drawers Julie Tomé and Mary-Helen Armour discuss overlooked events and people like the second moon, the first African American astronomer, and the astronomer whose work Edwin Hubble’s built on. In news: a new measurement of the Hubble Constant and some interesting science performed on a meteorite found in a drawer at a university. Episode image credite: Sunna Withers/AICO /episode/index/show/c7ec35a8-3f2d-4423-99cf-045f514be0b7/id/33989582

20241104_Retro Rockets, the 70s and more! 11/05/2024

20241104_Retro Rockets, the 70s and more! This episode is a dive into science and science fiction with space launches from the past. We travel through the 70s (and a bit of the 50s) with space launches from Mariner, Voyager, Pioneer, and more. Join Elaina and Mary-Helen for this literal blast into space! Image credit: NASA, The aboard the lifted off on September 5, 1977, joining its sister spacecraft, the , on a mission to the outer planets. /episode/index/show/c7ec35a8-3f2d-4423-99cf-045f514be0b7/id/33788282

20241028_Spooky Stars, Dead Comets 10/29/2024

20241028_Spooky Stars, Dead Comets Join Sunna and Elaina for a spooky journey into exploded stars in the forms of supernovae and creepy comets. We discuss some of the astronomical history of Halloween, a few famous events, a few dead comets, and of course the most recent supernova from JWST. Image Credit: A live view of Comet A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS from AICO 1m on 16 October 2024. E.A. Hyde, AICO. The mini livestream can be found here: /episode/index/show/c7ec35a8-3f2d-4423-99cf-045f514be0b7/id/33659567

20241021_Hot, Old Stars 10/22/2024

20241021_Hot, Old Stars The sun is at solar maximum and we have a slew of hot stars to cover. Join Julie and Elaina for a stellar trip down memory lane as we talk about stars in the Milky Way, strangeness and new stars with strange properties. Episode art: GPX 1b - exoplanet, image credit Nakul Sethuram, AICO, 2024 /episode/index/show/c7ec35a8-3f2d-4423-99cf-045f514be0b7/id/33561802

20241007_Infrared Sox: Where are they now? 10/08/2024

20241007_Infrared Sox: Where are they now? Robin Metcalfe takes the host chair and gathers former players of York University Faculty of Science softball teams IR Sox, the Expose and Comets in an exploration of career paths that a degree in science at York University can take you. Episode art: Warren Fisher /episode/index/show/c7ec35a8-3f2d-4423-99cf-045f514be0b7/id/33370522

20240930_Killarney Comet Sandwich 10/02/2024

20240930_Killarney Comet Sandwich This episode is a ‘sandwich’ of co-hosts, Robin and Ryan both talk about their Astronomer in Residence experience out at Killarney Park (with the AICO), and we discuss viewing and comets, in particular the upcoming comet A3 and the discovery by Maria Mitchell back in 1847. Image Credit: C2023/E1 Green Comet, 1m, AICO, EHyde /episode/index/show/c7ec35a8-3f2d-4423-99cf-045f514be0b7/id/33298487

Allan I Carswell Observatory Presents: York Universe

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