SkyCaramba
Science Podcasts
Podcast about astronomy and the joys of watching the skies at night--and sometimes during the day
Location:
United States
Genres:
Science Podcasts
Description:
Podcast about astronomy and the joys of watching the skies at night--and sometimes during the day
Language:
English
Website:
https://anchor.fm/skycaramba
Episodes
Two planets in a super close conjunction
4/28/2024
Mars and Neptune will appear very close. To see this super close conjunction, you will need to be in a place where it's still dark when they're up. And you'll need magnification. How much? Not much. But you need something else too.
Duration:00:05:14
April Lyrids versus the full moon
4/21/2024
Earth is passing through the dust stream that produces the April Lyrid meteor shower this week. There are sometimes bright fireballs. The full moon is interfering though.
Duration:00:04:36
Eclipse follow-up
4/14/2024
What an exciting week that just ended with a total solar eclipse. Red prominences showed in the corona. Why are they that color? And what did scientists learn about the sun by analyzing the corona's spectum?
Duration:00:04:50
A planetary lineup straddling the sun at eclipse time
4/7/2024
Several planets are lined up in the morning. The moon is with them at first. One more admonition to protect your eyes during the solar eclipse. Several planets appear close to the sun during the eclipse. Then the moon passes Mercury and Jupiter in the evening.
Duration:00:04:44
The moon meets the morning planets and more eclipse preparation tips
3/31/2024
Mercury's leaving the evening sky. Jupiter is heading toward Uranus. Three planets are leaving the morning sky, but there's time for the moon to meet up with them. And here's some more advice on how to experience the total solar eclipse.
Duration:00:04:45
The comet halfway from Halley's next showing
3/24/2024
Legends abound about seven stars and why only six of them are visible. We review what the ancient Greeks said about the Pleiades and which Pleiad is missing.
As Comet Halley is at the halfway point between appearances, another comet with an orbit almost as long is showing in the evening sky. Find out about Comet Pons-Brooks.
And planets keep working their way out of the evening and morning skies.
Duration:00:05:55
Penumbral lunar eclipse
3/17/2024
Evening planet viewing isn't so bad right now. It's getting hard to see the morning planets. There will be a penumbral lunar eclipse next week.
Duration:00:04:44
Total solar eclipse plans
3/10/2024
There are a lot of things to think about if you will travel to see the total solar eclipse next month. Do you need a place to stay? Where will you eat while you're there? How will you keep everyone in your party occupied during the trip?
Maybe you should try to DX the eclipse. Listen for radio stations coming in from farther than usual during the daytime because of what darkness does in the upper atmosphere.
Duration:00:05:12
The celestial police
3/3/2024
An asteroid is at opposition this week. It's one of the asteroids discovered by the "celestial police" who looked over areas of the sky for objects between Mars and Jupiter. And there's a reason they expected to find something there. But maybe it's just a coincidence that they did.
Duration:00:06:17
A historic star catalog is recovered
2/25/2024
Jupiter still rules the evening. Venus and Mars are leaving the morning sky. The moon will soon pass in front of Antares. And part of a famous but long lost star catalog has been found.
Duration:00:05:20
Planets exiting the stage; a hidden conjunction
2/18/2024
An evening planet is heading into the sunset. Three morning planets are heading into the sunrise. And there will soon be a conjunction of two planets with each other and with the sun!
Duration:00:04:10
Moon over Elnath
2/11/2024
The moon will pass in front of Elnath for viewers in part of Australia and Indonesia next week. Scientists can learn a lot about a star that's hidden that way. And several planets are on their way out of the night sky.
Duration:00:04:03
Dual meteor shower challenge
2/4/2024
Southern hemisphere observers can take a double challenge--try to see some meteors and then figure out which of two overlapping showers they came from. It's not easy. Both radiate from the same constellation and neither shower produces a lot of meteors.
Learn about the Centaur constellation.
Three planets are on the way out of the morning sky. One planet is hanging on before exiting the evening sky.
Duration:00:05:07
The sun at its latest--clock time versus sun time
1/28/2024
You may have noticed that the sun rarely crosses the meridian when the clock says it's 12pm. High noon is about as late as it gets this time of year.
Some planets are leaving the morning sky. Some are leaving the evening sky.
Duration:00:05:37
Why applause is appropriate for this week's morning show
1/21/2024
Saturn's disappearing from the evening sky. The moon's approaching full phase and northern lunistice. It's Venus's turn to apparently pass by a very distant star. And the morning planetary action lately deserves applause, because it's associated with a figure said to have started the tradition of hand-clapping to show appreciation.
Duration:00:04:39
Mercury and a very distant star
1/14/2024
The moon goes through first quarter. Orion and Gemini are becoming prominent. Three planets are in the morning sky. Mercury is about to (appear to) pass by a star nearly 30,000 light years away.
Duration:00:05:08
The moon gets in on the morning action
1/7/2024
As three planets move in the morning sky this week, the moon passes them by.
Duration:00:03:33
Events to watch for in 2024
12/31/2023
In 2024, the moon will pass in front of bright stars several times, there'll be a total solar eclipse, increasing solar activity could mean more aurorae, and the moon will reach its farthest north and south since 2006. In just the next few weeks, three planets will cross the Sagittarius teapot in the morning sky. And Saturn is heading into the sunset.
Duration:00:07:52
A very old star
12/24/2023
There's planet watching in the evening and morning. Venus passes through Libra. And there's a star, not very far away as cosmic distances go, that might be almost as old as the universe. You can actually see it with binoculars.
Duration:00:05:17
Remembering the Pioneer plaque designer
12/17/2023
Linda Salzman Sagan, who designed the plaque on the Pioneer 10 and 11 probes, died last month. Her art sure got people talking.
The asteroid Vesta is at opposition this week.
Duration:00:05:16