http://www.whyy.org/91FM/skytalk.html?rss A weekly discussion of what's new and interesting in astronomy with astronomer Derrick Pitts and WHYY-FM's Dave Heller. http://www.whyy.org/podcast/images/skytalk_pod.jpg http://www.whyy.org/skytalk?rss 300 300 en-us Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:30:08 EST Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:30:08 EST Copyright 2009 WHYY webmaster@whyy.org WHYY Public Radio No http://www.whyy.org/91FM/skytalk.html?rss Only a few more days to check out the No Night without a Telescope program at area universities. Among those participating in the program are Haverford College, Drexel University, Swarthmore College, Villanova University, Widener University, West Chester University, University of Pennsylvania and The Franklin Institute. Not all of these institutions still have available nights so be sure to check http://www.haverford.edu/iya2009/ for dates and times. In the night sky this week keep watch for Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn. If your using a telescope to view these planets you might be interested in the worlds biggest telescope. Recently astronomers linked telescopes, a technique to simulate an even larger instrument. All of their signals are blended together into one signal and simulates a telescope that is as big as the diameter of the earth. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:30:00 EST 5:09 Only a few more days to check out the No Night without a Telescope program at area universities. Among those participating in the program are Haverford College, Drexel University, Swarthmore College, Villanova University, Widener University, West Chester University, University of Pennsylvania and The Franklin Institute. Not all of these institutions still have available nights so be sure to check http://www.haverford.edu/iya2009/ for dates and times. In the night sky this week keep watch for Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn. If your using a telescope to view these planets you might be interested in the worlds biggest telescope. Recently astronomers linked telescopes, a technique to simulate an even larger instrument. All of their signals are blended together into one signal and simulates a telescope that is as big as the diameter of the earth. http://www.whyy.org/podcast/news/st20091123.mp3 http://www.whyy.org/91FM/skytalk.html?rss Astronomers discover some of the oldest galaxies to date, a mere 787 million years after the "Big Bang." But remember distance is time, so astronomers may only be seeing remnants of what once was. Much like the classic sci-fi movie "Star Wars" when Luke looks out at the two setting suns, more clues have been discovered about a binary system, thus indicating somewhere in the galaxy there might be a pair of stars with their own set of planets. Also Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter gives us a glimpse of the Apollo 11 landing site - a remarkable image to see. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:30:00 EST 5:09 Astronomers discover some of the oldest galaxies to date, a mere 787 million years after the "Big Bang." But remember distance is time, so astronomers may only be seeing remnants of what once was. Much like the classic sci-fi movie "Star Wars" when Luke looks out at the two setting suns, more clues have been discovered about a binary system, thus indicating somewhere in the galaxy there might be a pair of stars with their own set of planets. Also Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter gives us a glimpse of the Apollo 11 landing site - a remarkable image to see. http://www.whyy.org/podcast/news/st20091116.mp3 http://www.whyy.org/91FM/skytalk.html?rss It wasn't long ago that commercial space exploration was considered out of reach, but now companies like Google are upping the ante. Google is offering a $30 million dollar prize for the first company to come up with a launch vehicle that can go to the moon, traverse the surface, and send back pictures of the experience. There is even a space hotel scheduled to open in 2012, but it will cost a lot more than your average getaway. Also, the Messenger mission gleans new information from Mercury. Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:30:00 EST 5:09 It wasn't long ago that commercial space exploration was considered out of reach, but now companies like Google are upping the ante. Google is offering a $30 million dollar prize for the first company to come up with a launch vehicle that can go to the moon, traverse the surface, and send back pictures of the experience. There is even a space hotel scheduled to open in 2012, but it will cost a lot more than your average getaway. Also, the Messenger mission gleans new information from Mercury. http://www.whyy.org/podcast/news/st20091109.mp3