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We went on summer break (or winter break for our astronomer down under) but JWST did not! In our first episode back, we report on two new JWST Astrobites about exoplanet atmosphere. Kiersten tells us about the search for an atmosphere in a famous planetary system, Sabrina explains how poisonous gasses can signal “pre-life,” and Will appreciates null results that aren’t his own.
Tag: science
Episode 77.5: Astro[sound]bites on three continents
In this episode, astro[sound]bites gets even more international as we welcome our new co-host, Cormac Larkin, based in Europe! We sit down in three different time zones and continents to learn more about Cormac and discuss what we’re each excited about for the next year of astro[sound]bites.
Episode 77: The Air out There
We take a deep breath of exoplanet atmospheres, discussing what JWST is capable of and what it already has accomplished using transmission spectroscopy. In this episode, we learn that Sabrina misses SOFIA, brown dwarfs have sandy clouds, and Will knows a thing or two about Picaso (yes, that’s with one “s”). AND as a tribute to Black Space Week, following up from Episode 76, the papers we presented in this episode were both written by Black astronomers. Astrobites: https://astrobites.org/2021/12/22/atmospheres-small-planets-big-telescope/ https://astrobites.org/2022/09/02/jwsts-first-direct-spectrum/ Space sound: HARP. You can sign up to be a part of this amazing citizen science research! https://listen.spacescience.org/
Episode 76: Black In Astro 2023
Only 1% of Physics PhDs awarded to US citizens were to Black students in 2019 (according to the American Institute of Physics). In celebration of Juneteenth, we’ve invited the Black In Astro team to chat about their mission to support and highlight Black people in space science-related fields. We hear about their trajectories in space sciences and astronomy and their perspectives on the future. This episode’s release also marks the beginning of Black Space Week hosted by Black in Astro! They tell us how the celebration will be bigger and better in 2023 to continue celebrating Black scientists worldwide.
Episode 75: Stellar Snacks
Did you know that talking about astronomy can actually make you hungry? In this episode, Kiersten and Will take us on a culinary adventure through food themed astrobites. Instead of starting with the main course, Will takes us to Mars for dessert where we dine on a meteorite that initially got confused for a huge piece of chocolate. Then, Kiersten takes us to a stellar cooking class where we learn about the ingredients needed to make small exoplanets and its striking similarities to baking a cake.
Episode 74: Super Co-Host, Super Alex, Supernova
Before we bid our tearful farewells to Alex, Sabrina and Kiersten present and discuss two of his three publications. We learn how Alex developed and deployed a machine learning model to classify supernovae using only photometry from their host galaxies! Now that Alex is a *doctor*, he’s taking his machine learning and supernova expertise to MIT and Harvard. During the episode, Will peppers Alex with some important and some…less than important interview questions (we'll let you decide which is which). Together the gang explores what happens when you try to replace your friend with an AI.
Episode 73: Astrophysical Prison Break
We’re planning a prison break! But first, we’re consulting the experts on this topic. Sabrina takes us to a distant galaxy cluster to figure out how so much light is escaping. Once we know how it’s breaking free, Will brings us back a little closer to home where he consults with the Trojans (and we don’t mean the ones from Homer’s Odyssey) about how a fraction of their fellow soldiers made a successful getaway. As Kiersten comes along for the ride, she makes the terrible mistake of mentioning the dreaded space sound by name. Will we successfully escape? Or will we be caught and forced to listen to space sounds forever?
Episode 72: A Trip to the Optometrist
In case your graduate student insurance doesn’t cover you over the summer, join us now as we take a quick trip to the optometrist! Kiersten checks the prescription of a neural network in finding strong lenses, and compares the results to those found by the original signers of the Declaration of Independence (there were 56, not 55, but he gets his facts from National Treasure). Will takes us to the bleeding edge of the early Universe to a tiny protocluster lensed by JWST. Alex can’t decide on a final space sound so he chooses a black hole, a giant star, an X-ray transient, a quasar, AND a nova, all wrapped into one.
Episode 71: Galaxies Say Halo
Today we say halo from a bird’s eye view of the Universe by exploring some of the largest simulations that exist. Kiersten tells us how cosmological simulations help us study the black hole populations that the next generation of gravitational wave detectors will discover. We also say our first goodbye to Alex as he presents his last astrobite (but don’t worry, he’ll still be around for a few more episodes!). He teaches us that most astrophysicists do not have an aversion to genetically modified organisms, especially when those GMOs are dark matter halos in the early universe.
Episode 70: Astronomy 10 Years into the Future Part II
Who knew a decade would fly by so quickly? In the dramatic conclusion of our two-part series, we explore cosmology, supernovae, and galaxy evolution in the year 2033 (or 2034, if you ask Kiersten about Dragonfly). Alex tells us how massive stars might live out their final days (after a few too many disclaimers), and Sabrina portmanteaus her way through the early universe with a baby quasar in tow. We get eight futuristic forecasts from colleagues near and far (and none of them are Australian), and then we throw out our wildest predictions to tie it all together. Do you think we’ll see a Galactic supernova soon? Will we discover life on Mars, Titan, or in the surface chemistry of some distant exoplanet? Or will a solar storm fry all our tech before we get there? Let us know by tweeting at us @astrosoundbites. We can’t wait to discuss.
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