Episodes - Spacepod

236: Are there rainbows on other planets? (Part II) Spacepod A halo, a rainbow-like pattern, around the moon near Kitt Observatory. Source: NOIRLab/AURA/NSF . We try, a second time, to answer a question from Maeve, who is almost 3 years old. Dr. Matthew Kenworthy answers. For more on rainbows on other planets, see episode 232 .

235: Why is the sun hot? Spacepod Image of the sun on from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory ( link to source ). A question from Ida, age 4. Miho Janvier answers. Find out more about the Solar Dynamics Observatory , the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) , Solar Orbiter ,  and Proba-3 . For more on Dr. Janiver’s work, see episode 121 .  

234: How many stars are there in space? Spacepod The night sky from La Silla Observatory. (Credit: ESA, source ) A question from Kellan, age 6. Professor Kim McLeod answers. To learn more about Wellesley College’s Whitin Observatory, including public visit nights, go here . For more on what you can do to reduce light pollution, see these resources from Dark Sky International.

232: Are there rainbows on other planets? Spacepod A double rainbow on planet Earth. Credit: Eric Rolph at Englis h Wikipedia. Source . A question from Maeve, who is almost 3 years old. Dr. Alejandro Soto answers. For more on Dr. Soto’s work, see episodes 44 and 136 .

232: How many potholes are on an asteroid? Spacepod Artist’s illustration of the DART spacecraft (source) A question from Issac, age 5. Dr. Nancy Chabot answers. For more on Dr. Chabot’s work, see episodes 7 and 152 . For more on the Planetary Defense, see this NASA website . For more on the DART mission , see the mission website.

231: How big is space? Spacepod The Bullet cluster, as imaged by JWST and Chandra. Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, CXC. Source . A question from Issac, age 4. Dr. Jeff Rich answers. For more on Dr. Rich's work, see episodes 14 , 81 , 118 , or 159 , or visit the Carnegie Observatories website . Find the pocket solar system instructions here . Copies of the pocket solar system instructions are...

230: What is the fastest planet? Spacepod An artist’s impression of a small planet moving in front of it’s star. Credit: ESA. Source. A question from Renny, age 4. Dr. Jessie Christensen answers. For more on Dr. Christensen's work, see episodes 42 and 102 .

229: What do asteroids smell like? Spacepod The asteroid Bennu, as photographed by the OSIRIS-REx mission. ( Source ) A question from Sabine, age 5. Dr. Christopher Snead answers. For more on Dr. Snead's work, see Episode 184 of Spacepod.

Do other planets really have diamond rain? Spacepod Neptune as seen by the Voyager 2 spacecraft. Source . Dr. Sabine Stanley answers. For more about planetary insides, check out her book, " What's Hidden Inside Planets ".

227: What is the fastest asteroid? Spacepod 3I Atlas, as imaged by Gemini Observatory. (Source) Dr. Michael Busch answers. Do you know a kid with a space question? Upload it at listentospacepod.com and I’ll do my best to get an answer!

226: The intersection of computer science and astronomy with Dr. Kubica Spacepod By Rubin Observatory/NSF/AURA/B. Quint - https://noirlab.edu/public/images/iotw2207a/ , CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=128254763 Dr. Jeremy Kubica talks about his work on the LINCC Frameworks project, and how he brings together astronomers and computer scientists to create software tools. H...

225: A newly discovered Martian volcano with Dr. Lee Spacepod Dr. Pascal Lee. Dr. Pascal Lee tells the story of how he and his collaborators found a new volcano on Mars. He tells us about the "convergence of lines of evidence" that led to this discovery. He also explains why this site may be a good place to look for life.

224: Aurora borealis with Tina Ibsen Spacepod Astrophysicst Tina Ibsen. Image credit: Emil Hougaard. Astrophysicist Tina Ibsen tells us about the northern lights. She talks about her research and gives tips on how to observe the lights. She tells us how Denmark is a space nation and shares her thoughts about the future of space exploration. We also talk about RumSnak , the space podcast she co-hos...

223: Preparing for something we haven't seen yet with Dr. Holt Spacepod Dr. Carrie Holt talks about how she's getting ready for the Legacy Survey of Space and Time ( LSST ) by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory. She explains how astronomers are using simulated and real data to prepare in advance of this new data.

222: Measuring the emptiness of space with Dr. Becker Spacepod Dr Tracy Becker tells us about solar system science using ultraviolet light. She explains how the color of a planet's northern lights depends on the planet's atmosphere. She also describes how scientists repurposed the New Horizons spacecraft to measure how empty space is.

221: The queens of heaven with Prof. Tauris Spacepod Professor Thomas Tauris explains what gravitational waves can tell us about colliding neutron stars. He corrects Carrie's misconception about how gravitational waves affect people. He also explains how the last 400 years of astronomy have been like watching a silent movie, but now with gravitational waves, we have a soundtrack.

220: Walking on the roof of hell with Prof. Stanley Spacepod Prof. Sabine Stanley. Image Credit: Heidi Markley. Prof. Sabine Stanley , author of " What's Hidden Inside Planets ," tells us how the interior of Earth helps make this planet a nice place to live. She tells us that the Earth's mantle is actually solid rock, not liquid rock. She also explains what the Earth's interior and birthday balloo...

219: Breaking the models with Dr. Merrison Spacepod View of the Mars Simulation Laboratory at Aarhus University. Image: Carrie Nugent Dr. Jon Merrison talks about the Mars Simulation Laboratory. Here, scientists study what happens in low temperature, low pressure, windy environments. He says visiting scientists often "come to our lab with some idea based on the conventional model and go away with...

218: Anything we try is new with Dr. Cable Spacepod Image credit: Lori Shiraishi. Dr. Morgan Cable returns to the show after nine years! She tells us how she creates new minerals in her laboratory. She explains how this work helps shape NASA's Dragonfly mission. She encourages listeners to have confidence in their results.

217: A beautiful experience with JWST with Dr. Villanueva Spacepod Dr. Geronimo Villanueva tells us about solar system discoveries with JWST. He talks about several projects, including observing water plumes from Saturn's moon Europa and looking for rings around Mars. He shares what it feels like to use this incredible space telescope.