astro[sound]bites

Episode 118: Star-studded submissions

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 13:20:27 -0500

In this episode, as we (at the time of recording) approach Astronomy’s (JWST) awards season, Cormac and Cole shed some light on just how ideas become astronomical datasets. Our two putative principal investigators discuss why grad students should consider applying for telescope time, the main components and categories of proposals, and how successful proposals are finally selected and scheduled. We conclude with our most memorable moments from our own efforts to get time on facilities like JWST, Roman and Gemini.

SPHEREx Data Tools:
https://irsa.ipac.caltech.edu/applications/spherex/

Episode 117: A Field Day

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 06:07:51 -0500

In this episode, we move away from point particles to talk about fields. Shashank, Cole and Cormac start with a discussion of different kinds of fields in astrophysics. Then, Cole describes Lagrange points and why they can be useful for satellites and asteroids seeking a safe place to camp out (or lay siege). Cormac dives into the atmospheres of hot Jupiter exoplanets, where we get a glimpse of temperature and wind velocity fields on other planets. By the end, you’ll certainly have a lot more field experience!

What’s the (Lagrange) point?

https://astrobites.org/2026/01/29/whats-the-lagrange-point/

The Fires Within: Investigating the Atmospheres of Inflated Hot Jupiters

https://astrobites.org/2023/01/03/hot_interior_exoplanets/

Space sound:

https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/FutureEO/Swarm/The_scary_sound_of_Earth_s_magnetic_field

Episode 116: Love’s Gonna Get you killed, but Tide’s gonna be the death of you

Sat, 07 Feb 2026 12:58:25 -0500

In our valentines’ day special, Shashank, Cole, and Cormac explore the dating lives of stars and other compact objects by looking at the romantic couples of astrophysics: binary systems. Immediately ruining this theme, Shashank covers some particularly messy breakups (though these lovers are able to rebound and move on) while Cormac shows us how even stars’ healthy relationships involve some give and take.

Astrobites:

What are Partial Tidal Disruption Events, and How Do We Find Them?

https://astrobites.org/2025/08/04/partial-tdes-galactic-center/

Sharing is caring: how do binary stars actually transfer mass?

https://astrobites.org/2025/07/14/binary-mass-transfer/

Space Sound:

https://www.nasa.gov/missions/chandra/nasa-telescopes-tune-into-a-black-hole-prelude-fugue/

Episode 115: Star Wrapped Holiday Special

Sat, 20 Dec 2025 09:51:02 -0500

Apply to join us as a co-host! https://astrosoundbites.com/recruiting-2025

In today’s extra-special seasonal episode, Cormac, Lucia and Shashank share some of their highly curated metrics inspired by Spotify wrapped to end our a[s]b year. Much like ourselves, this episode is a mixed bag - we hope you enjoy it! This also marks the start of our long-awaited Winter (or Summer, depending on your hemisphere) break - see you in a few weeks!

Space sound:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmsOmqf7Hso

Bonus festive EWOCS JWST image released after we recorded:

https://esawebb.org/images/potm2512a/

Episode 114: A World of Disc-overy

Mon, 08 Dec 2025 10:49:23 -0500

Apply to join us as a co-host! https://astrosoundbites.com/recruiting-2025

This week, Shashank, Cole, and Cormac dive into the many disks of the universe, from planet-forming disks to AGN and galactic structures. Cole explores a misbehaving protoplanetary disk that hints at chaotic early planet formation. Cormac follows by showing how external radiation can erode disks and hinder the birth of giant planets. We then zoom out to compare these turbulent young systems to the massive disks around galaxies and supermassive black holes, tying together why disks form across so many cosmic environments and the methods we use to explore them.

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2025/09/18/forming-misaligned-discs/

https://astrobites.org/2025/11/01/planet_formation_vs_stellar_uv_radiation/

ALMA images: https://www.almaobservatory.org/en/press-releases/alma-campaign-provides-unprecedented-views-of-the-birth-of-planets/attachment/20181212-andrews-et-al-all-disks/

Space Sound: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8__1mSFS7vQ

Episode 113: Black Holes? Here? It’s more likely than you think.

Fri, 21 Nov 2025 09:49:07 -0500

Episode 113: Black Holes? Here? It’s more likely than you think.

In today’s episode, Cole, Cormac, and Shashank celebrate our glorious return from hiatus by tackling an astronomical favorite: black holes. These guys are important to astronomers for a wide range of reasons, but what happens when you find a black hole somewhere weird? Like in another black hole’s accretion disk? Or in your model of dark energy? Or in a Hot dog? Shashank covers a lot of similar-sounding acronyms for when we find black holes living inside (the accretion disks) of other black holes, while Cormac does his second ever Astrobite with a type of sausage in the title, establishing a worrying precedent.
If you’re interested in Science Communication, make sure you apply to Astrobites:
https://astrobites.org/2025/10/31/apply-to-write-for-astrobites-2025/

And to cohost our show!

https://astrosoundbites.com/recruiting-2025/

Questions?

astrosoundbites@gmail.com

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2025/10/28/the-black-hole-meet-up-emris-and-imris-in-the-same-agn-disk/

https://astrobites.org/2025/10/23/hide-hot-dog/

Space Sound:

https://www.nasa.gov/universe/new-nasa-black-hole-sonifications-with-a-remix/

Episode 112.5: Extremely Looming Trouble?

Sat, 13 Sep 2025 17:51:05 -0500

In today’s mini-episode, Cormac highlights how a proposed industrial megaproject threatens the pristine observing conditions at Paranal Observatory - home of the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope, as well as the upcoming Extremely Large Telescope and Cherenkov Telescope Array South facilities. We will also be taking our summer break a little later than usual - see you in a few weeks!

Roel’s interview:
https://astrobites.org/2025/08/29/the-looming-drama-for-the-paranal-observatory/

Apply to join us as a co-host!
https://astrosoundbites.com/recruiting-2025

Episode 112: It’s not fun to be in a YMC, eh?

Sat, 30 Aug 2025 15:04:57 -0500

Episode 112: It’s not fun to be in a YMC, eh?

Apply to join us as a co-host! https://astrosoundbites.com/recruiting-2025

In today’s episode, Cormac, Shashank and Lucia come together to crack open the craziness inside Young Massive (Stellar) Clusters - some of the most exciting neighbourhoods in our Universe. They’re a very hot topic at the moment, and not just because of their intense radiation - they host the majority of massive stars, and ancient YMCs might be the ancestors of the globular clusters that orbit our own Milky Way today. Shashank shares a recipe for cooking up YMCs through a computational collision, and Lucia takes a peek at YMCs emerging from their dust-embedded embryonic environs. We round off with a casual discussion of whether simulationists are taking Wittgenstein’s Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus a bit too literally and chat about our favourite star clusters.

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2025/07/23/ymc_formation/

https://astrobites.org/2025/07/09/gmc-dispersal/

Episode 111: Mergers for Nothing and Your Chirps for Free

Sat, 16 Aug 2025 11:00:00 -0500

The only thing better than studying the largest compact objects in the universe is smashing them together. In this episode, Lucia, Shashank, and Cole cover binary black hole mergers and what these violent events can tell us about our universe! Lucia talks us through some mergers' specific spins and Cole forces Shashank to talk about cosmology again.

Astrobites:
https://astrobites.org/2025/06/27/pisngap_gws_flexible_models/

https://astrobites.org/2025/07/17/lss-bbhgw-expansionrate/

Space Sound:

https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/multimedia/sonifications/

Episode 110: Bayesian Biosignatures

Sun, 03 Aug 2025 13:28:12 -0500

Apply to join us as a co-host! https://astrosoundbites.com/recruiting-2025

This week, Shashank, Cole and Cormac discuss a concept that has come up on many an ASB episode past: Bayesian statistics. They start by trying to wrap our heads around what a probability really means. Cole introduces us to a recent and attention-grabbing paper on a potential biosignature in the atmosphere of an exoplanet, with lots of statistics along the way. Then, Cormac brings up some counterpoints to this detection. They debate what it would take—statistically and scientifically—for a detection of biosignatures to cross the line from intriguing to compelling.

New Constraints on DMS and DMDS in the Atmosphere of K2-18 b from JWST MIRI

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/adc1c8

Are there Spectral Features in the MIRI/LRS Transmission Spectrum of K2-18b?

https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.15916

Insufficient evidence for DMS and DMDS in the atmosphere of K2-18 b. From a joint analysis of JWST NIRISS, NIRSpec, and MIRI observations

https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.13407

Space Sound:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGdk49LRB14

Episode 109: Big, Small and In-Between

Sat, 19 Jul 2025 17:22:44 -0500

Apply to join us as a co-host! https://astrosoundbites.com/recruiting-2025

This week, Lucia, Cole and Cormac discuss cosmic sandwich kids: intermediate mass black holes. Where are they hiding? How do they form? And can they grow up to become supermassive black holes? To answer questions like these, we take a look at globular cluster simulations and a famous gravitational wave event: GW190521. The discussion takes us to alien civilisations in the far, far future.

From Globs to Gravitational Waves: A Simulated Cosmic Choreography
https://astrobites.org/2025/06/19/from-globs-to-gravitational-waves-a-simulated-cosmic-choreography/

Uncovering Precession for GW190521: How the Last Cycle Cracked the Case
https://astrobites.org/2025/06/21/precession_gw190521/

Space Sound: https://soundcloud.com/esa/sound-of-a-juice-boom-deploying

The clock ticking sound is by “opticalnoise” on freedsound.org (https://freesound.org/people/opticalnoise/sounds/201194/).

The alarm sound is by “hypocore” on freesound.org (https://freesound.org/people/hypocore/sounds/164090/).

Episode 108: 2000 Meters Under The Mediterranean

Fri, 04 Jul 2025 23:49:04 -0500

This week, Lucia, Cormac, and Shashank dive into the depth of the Mediterranean Sea to discover more about the most energetic neutrino measured to date, which had an energy of a whooping 120 PeV! They then pay a visit to the South Pole to discuss what the ICECUBE neutrino observatory can tell us about the proton fraction of cosmic rays at the highest energies.

Casting a wide (KM3)NeT for a record-breaking neutrino
https://astrobites.org/2025/05/29/km3net-neutrino

Kachow! Three high energy neutrinos speed through IceCube
https://astrobites.org/2025/05/31/template-post-33

Space Sound: https://youtu.be/VKvuohsicZs (Particle of Doubt by David Ibbett)

Gammapy Song: https://gammapy.org/gammapy_song.mp3 (Gammapy Python package: https://gammapy.org)

Episode 107: Things That Go Blip in the Night

Sat, 21 Jun 2025 12:42:34 -0500

The more things change, the more they, uh, change. This episode Cole, Shashank, and Cormac cover the exciting events that change what we see on the night sky. Ancient astronomers tracked the motions of the planets and the arrival of “guest stars” (supernovae), and nowadays we’re lucky enough to see some really wild and energetic events. Cormac gives us a view into what happens when a star punches through a black hole’s accretion disc, Shashank shows us a particularly persnickety pulsar, and Cole gets his twenty minute monologue on modern classical music cut for time.

Astrobites:

This Pulsar Has Mood Swings

https://astrobites.org/2025/05/21/this-pulsar-has-mood-swings/

X-treme X-rays in an X-tra young system

https://astrobites.org/2025/04/16/x-treme-x-rays-in-an-x-tra-young-system/

Space Sound:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2_3RgX-RIY&list=PPSV

Gif of Sagittarius A* we mentioned:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0QRpid5_QU

Episode 106: Sabrina’s Super Sad Sendoff

Thu, 12 Jun 2025 11:27:27 -0500

In this episode, we say goodbye to one of our beloved hosts, Sabrina Berger. We take a voyage through the depths and breadths of Sabrina’s research experience. Cole tells us how Sabrina investigates JWST’s ability to estimate the masses of galaxies through the glare of their quasars, and Lucia tells us how Sabrina used navigation satellites to calibrate radio telescopes. In between, we quiz Sabrina on her own ASB episodes and finish with Sabrina’s experience in 3 different countries and Sabrina’s advice for future grad students!

Arxiv links:

- https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.06144

- https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.12130

Episode 105.5: NASA Needs Your Help!

Sat, 24 May 2025 11:09:02 -0500

In this episode, the (domestic) American sector of Astro[sound]bites covers the recent proposed budget cuts to NASA, the largest in NASA’s entire history. We cover the downsides that these cuts would have for science and the economy, and what you can do to speak out.

How to reach out:

Find your representative:

https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

AAS Letter Writing Guidelines for Astronomers:

https://aas.org/advocacy/get-involved/action-alerts/action-alert-2025-support-science

Planetary Society Letter Writing Guidelines for the General Public

https://www.planetary.org/advocacy-action-center#/53

Astrobite with Guidelines for Letter Writing

https://astrobites.org/2025/04/15/help_nasa/

Sources:

The Budget Request (NASA Stuff begins on page 39 of the pdf)

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Fiscal-Year-2026-Discretionary-Budget-Request.pdf

Original ArsTechnica Report:

https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/04/trump-white-house-budget-proposal-eviscerates-science-funding-at-nasa/

NASA’s economic output:

https://www.nasa.gov/fy-2023-economic-impact-report/#:~:text=NASA%20Boosts%20the%20U.S.%20Economy,D.C.%2C%20in%20fiscal%20year%202023.

NASA’s economic output reaches all 50 states:

https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasas-economic-benefit-reaches-all-50-states/

NASA’s research on climate change

https://science.nasa.gov/climate-change/

NASA’s research on asteroid defense

https://science.nasa.gov/planetary-defense/

NASA Education and Outreach

https://www1.grc.nasa.gov/space/education-outreach/

Cuts disproportionately affect marginalized groups:

https://www.fastcompany.com/91328007/trumps-federal-layoffs-are-disproportionately-impacting-women-and-people-of-color

Episode 105: Citizen Brain

Sat, 10 May 2025 10:25:03 -0500

In today’s episode, Cormac, Cole and Lucia catch you up with all things Citizen Science. In the epoch of ChatGPT, Grok and Gemini (no, not the telescope), it’s easy to forget about the 20 Watt computer you’re using to read this sentence. Yes, even YOU can contribute to cutting-edge astronomical research, as we present two examples of cosmic crowdfunding in action. Cole convinces us that nearby galaxies need some Clump Scouts, and Lucia shows us how volunteers have been the (tur)key to finding a new star-studded dwarf galaxy. We also discuss the non-research benefits of democratising science, and in a fourth-wall-shattering pivot, we ask you, yes YOU, what you’d like to hear more of on a[s]b.

astrosoundbites@gmail.com

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2024/07/29/galaxy-zoo-clump-scout/

https://astrobites.org/2023/11/18/a-lonely-little-galaxy-at-the-edge-of-our-neighborhood/

Space Sound:

Adapted from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6vbST9iMOU

XKCD Comic:

https://xkcd.com/1425/

Article about the (not so?) amateur astronomer:

https://astro.arizona.edu/news/tucson-doctor-wins-national-award-his-second-act-amateur-astronomer

Episode 104: Star Destroyers

Sun, 27 Apr 2025 03:38:04 -0500

That stars die will be old news for most listeners. But sometimes, stars don’t just die, they get ripped apart by supermassive black holes. Cormac, Cole and Lucia discuss these so-called tidal disruption events. Specifically, how these events are connected to X-ray absorption features called extreme coronal lines. The hosts also take a look at one of the true superstars of supernova remnants: the Crab Nebula. As it turns out, studying the ejecta can give clues about the pulsar at the heart of the nebula. The discussion revolves around the every-day of doing science. Spoiler: it’s not all like solving exercise sheets.

A New Look at Our Old Friend, the Crab Nebula
https://astrobites.org/2025/03/16/new-look-at-crab/

Exploring the remains of a destroyed (death) star
https://astrobites.org/2025/03/08/exploring-the-remains-of-a-destroyed-death-star/

Space Sound: https://youtu.be/aG300vtQ1es

Episode 103: Lambasting Lambda CDM

Sat, 12 Apr 2025 12:26:55 -0500

Shoot, someone made the mistake of letting Cole pick the episode topic. In this episode, Cole, Cormac, and Shashank talk about the big boy on cosmology campus: Lambda CDM. This model has gotten a bit too big for its britches we think: what are the things about the universe that this model can’t explain? Shashank gives us a tour through the dark matter hearts of galaxies which don’t match up with cosmological predictions and Cormac shows us how 1500 (ish? We’re not clear on this one.) supernovae could hint at a fundamental flaw in Lambda CDM.

Astrobites:

Testing cosmology with the DES 5-year supernovae dataset:

https://astrobites.org/2024/03/22/template-post-21/

Digging into the Core: Dark Matter and Dwarf Galaxies

https://astrobites.org/2015/07/14/digging-into-the-core-dark-matter-and-dwarf-galaxies/

Space Sound:

Listen to the hum of NANOGrav's gravitational wave background

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGO0wQK9ns4

Episode 102: Per-severance Ad Astra

Sat, 29 Mar 2025 05:21:01 -0500

In this episode, Cormac, Lucia and Cole lift the lid on the lifecycle of space missions by peering into a preponderance of proposals. If you’ve ever wondered how your favourite telescope, rover or probe made it into space, then wonder no more. Lucia brings us a novel way to track potentially hazardous space junk using 5G, while Cole teases us with some magnetic results from the LISA Pathfinder mission. We also discuss our favourite proposed space missions, and debate the right balance between risk and reward.

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2024/08/13/5g-signals-to-track-space-trash/

https://astrobites.org/2024/12/21/template-post-15-2/

Space Sound:

https://www.nasa.gov/audio-and-ringtones/
(First Acoustic Recording of Laser Shots on Mars)

Episode 101: Weather Woes

Sun, 16 Mar 2025 23:50:17 -0500

Episode 101: Weather Woes

In this episode, we take a dive into weather phenomena in space. Shashank, Cormac and Lucia discuss what the terms hot and cold mean in space and the temperature ranges we tend to see outside the Solar System and the galaxy. Then, Cormac tells us about the climate on Venus, and Lucia delves into cold fronts between galaxies. Finally, we round off with some hot takes about the most underrated parts of the electromagnetic spectrum in astrophysics!

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2024/12/24/its-getting-hot-in-here-so-take-off-all-your-h2o/

https://astrobites.org/2024/11/11/cold-front-outside/

Space sound:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYXAdXf5gWU

Episode 100: Be There or Be Ten Squared

Sat, 11 Jan 2025 22:05:22 -0500

Astrobites turns 100! For our ten squared-th episode we take a tour of all of the extremes of astrophysics: the heaviest and the lightest, the fastest and the slowest, the brightest and dimmest. In doing so, Shashank covers an astrobite on itty bitty particles that pack a big punch, Lucia talks about medium-ish galaxies and their black hole hearts, and Cormac panics about the danger of violent kilonovae. To help us celebrate, we meet up with some old friends to discuss dark matter, exoplanets, and how ridiculously long a Ph.D. takes.

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2024/06/06/agns-quenching-dwarf-galaxies/

https://astrobites.org/2013/06/04/cosmic-rays-from-the-telescope-array/

https://astrobites.org/2023/11/20/kilonova-safety/

https://astrobites.org/2018/08/16/do_the_milky_ways_stellar_streams_have_that_fuzzy_dark_matter_feeling/

https://astrobites.org/2022/11/28/evaporating-exoplanet/

Space sound:

http://soundcloud.com/alexhp-1/supernova-sonata

MIT study on children thinking logarithmically:

https://news.mit.edu/2012/thinking-logarithmically-1005#:~:text=Cognitive%20scientists%20theorize%20that%20that's,is%2031%2C%20or%203.

Episode 99: The Grand Finale

Sun, 01 Dec 2024 14:00:00 -0500

Danger - explosive! This week’s episode is all about supernovae. These star-ripping, neutrino spewing explosions are important to various fields of astrophysics. Cormac, Cole, and Lucia discuss just when stars actually go supernova. And also, whether we can use gravitational waves to tell which compact object is left behind. Everybody gets to share their favourite supernova science and (as we all love to do) to complain about how much astronomers love old, inconsistent nomenclature. Enjoy!

Intro questions: Powering a Supernova https://astrobites.org/2024/10/04/how-to-power-supernovae/
The explodability criterion: How to make a star go supernova https://astrobites.org/2024/09/13/explodability-criterion/
Can we perform a Supernova Autopsy Via Gravitational Waves? https://astrobites.org/2024/10/08/gwautopsy/

Space Sound: https://youtu.be/S-saaAyaW0c

Episode 98: When PIGS Fly

Sat, 16 Nov 2024 13:59:26 -0500

In this episode, Cormac, Shashank and Cole dig deep into Galactic Archaeology as we look into the past of our Milky Way. Cole brings us a catastrophic computational collision, while Shashank gives us the low-down on low-metallicity, and we see just how the (Gaia) sausage gets made. We also discuss the rights, wrongs and funnies of Astronomers trying to name things, and the diverse design philosophies behind some of our favourite observational facilities.

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2023/07/27/colossal_collisions_and_the_milky_way/

https://astrobites.org/2024/08/03/pigs-sagittarius/

Space sound:

https://www.aip.de/en/news/exploring-the-history-of-the-early-milky-way-with-sound/

DOOFAS Acronyms website:

https://lweb.cfa.harvard.edu/~gpetitpas/Links/Astroacro.html

Episode 97: Cosmic Time Machines

Sat, 12 Oct 2024 21:36:36 -0500

In this episode, Shashank, Cole and Lucia bend time in their debut podcast together as we talk about the various ways astronomy is like time travel. Lucia gives us a peek into the past with the storied supernova Cas A, while Cole brings us on a nostalgic quest into gravitational wave memory. We hope you enjoy time traveling with us!

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2024/08/26/cas_a_jwst/

https://astrobites.org/2024/08/28/gwmem/

Space sound:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9vGpkQurfc

JWST Cas A images:

https://webbtelescope.org/contents/media/images/2023/149/01HGGZ4TPD8XFNPCBTZ2QYM0ZM

https://webbtelescope.org/contents/media/images/2023/121/01GWQBBY77MHGFV3M3N63KDCEJ

Episode 96: kiErsten’s Exoplanetary Elemental Exit Episode

Sun, 21 Jul 2024 07:07:11 -0500

This episode marks Kiersten’s last astro[sound]bites episode (and also side note – we’re posting this on her birthday!). To recognize Kiersten for her incredible time as a co-host, we take a journey through her academic paper trail by discussing her papers on how magma and metallicities affect how we think about exoplanetary formation and observations. Then we take a deep dive into Kiersten’s time as a co-host and graduate student including her stance on “publish or perish” and what she’s most excited about starting her NASA Sagan Postdoctoral Fellowship this fall.

Kiersten’s Papers:

Episode 95: IMPReSsive Research

Sat, 13 Jul 2024 07:43:25 -0500

In this week's episode, we take you on a two-part journey to Europe! First, Lucia and Cormac guide you through the differences of graduate programs in Europe and the US. Then, we jump into a series of mini-interviews with fellow PhD students about their research. We journey through a wide range of topics, including black holes big and smalls, the powerful winds of massive stars, and much more. If you would like to learn more about any of these topics, check out the links below! The mini-interviews were conducted as part of the IMPRS-Astro Hackathon, an unconference organised by Cormac and a few colleges, which brought together students from Heidelberg and Munich.

IMPRS-Astro Hackathon
https://imprs-astro-hackathon.de/

Statistics on physics students in Germany (unfortunately in German)
https://www.dpg-physik.de/veroeffentlichungen/magazine-und-online-angebote/pj/studierendenstatistiken

Mini-Interviews

The circumgalactic medium - Joanne's personal website
https://tanofspace.github.io/

Past episodes relating to topics that came up in the mini-interviews

Episode 93: Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Primordial Black Hole Machiney
https://astrosoundbites.com/2024/06/20/episode-93-itsy-bitsy-teeny-weeny-primordial-black-hole-machineyepisode-92-5-the-ship-of-3-seus/

Episode 72: A Trip to the Optometrist
https://astrosoundbites.com/2023/04/15/episode-72-a-trip-to-the-optometrist/

Episode 71: Galaxies Say Halo
https://astrosoundbites.com/2023/03/26/episode-70-astronomy-10-years-into-the-future-part-ii-2/

Episode 70: Astronomy 10 Years into the Future Part II
https://astrosoundbites.com/2023/03/04/episode-70-astronomy-10-years-into-the-future-part-ii/

Episode 49: A Fine Dining Experience
https://astrosoundbites.com/2022/01/30/episode-49-a-fine-dining-experience/

Episode 3: 6 Unbelievable Facts about Black Holes
https://astrosoundbites.com/2019/12/07/episode-3-6-unbelievable-facts-about-black-holes/

Credit for the jingle (transition to the mini-interviews): SergeQuadrado on freesound.org
https://freesound.org/people/SergeQuadrado/sounds/455606/

Episode 94: The Floor Is Lava!

Sun, 30 Jun 2024 13:42:43 -0500

Was the floor in your childhood home ever lava? If so, you may have been training to visit these spicy magma-filled exoplanets! In this episode, we're turning up the heat and investigating what makes magma/lava so important for potential extraterrestrial life. Sabrina takes us to the poster child of strange lava worlds and finally gives exoplanteers an answer to the long debate of whether it has an atmosphere or if its star blew it away. Then, Cormac tells us all about how water can play well with magma. Kiersten is convinced that these lava worlds might just be the perfect place for a hot summer vacation.

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2024/06/19/template-post-17/

https://astrobites.org/2023/09/21/magma-oceans-and-surface-water/

Kiersten’s paper:

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/acea85/pdf

Space sound:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3clDSXN26N9lQtCwJgMb2tR/sonification

Episode 93: Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Primordial Black Hole Machiney

Thu, 20 Jun 2024 08:38:02 -0500

In this week’s episode, we take a look at the hottest trend in dark matter candidates - Primordial Black Holes. They’re like black holes, only smaller (in some cases)! Join us as we see what all the fuss is about. Kiersten shares a story of a black hole playing video games inside a star and glitching out of the mainframe, while Shashank makes his a[s]b debut with an explosive transient conundrum that *might* explain the mystery of dark matter once and for all. We round off with a discussion about our favourite pet dark matter theories and the merits of direct experimental searches.

Astrobites:
https://astrobites.org/2024/05/29/noclip-on-simulated-primordial-black-holes-could-dance-through-sun-like-stars/

https://astrobites.org/2024/05/31/are-pbhs-detonating-white-dwarfs/

Astrobite Paper with Pretty Orbits:
https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.08113

Space Sound:
https://supernova.eso.org/news/releases/es2105/

Episode 92.5: The Ship of 3-seus

Sun, 16 Jun 2024 19:13:52 -0500

We've reached a pivotal moment for astro[sound]bites: the podcast era where each of the original co-hosts has been replaced. Just like the Ship of Theseus, we ask: Is astro[sound]bites still the same show, even though all its original components have been replaced? We believe it is, and we’re excited about its continued evolution.

In this episode, we’re thrilled to introduce the three new astro[sound]bites co-hosts: Shashank, Cole, and Lucia. They'll be joining us in the next few months, and we’ll discuss what each is excited about for the future of the show. Stay tuned for an exciting new chapter as the new co-hosts take over steering the ship!

Beyond- Astronomy is a little Mental

Tue, 04 Jun 2024 08:26:23 -0500

Episode 92: Beyond- Astronomy is a little Mental

Astronomy is hard! And in ways that extend far beyond the science we do every day. In this Beyond episode, Kiersten and Cormac talk all about mental health in astronomy and the structural issues that may be contributing to things like burnout and anxiety. It’s not all doom and gloom though. There are a few things that studies suggest that can help. We also chat about strategies that have helped us when we were struggling in hopes that they may be useful to you too. We round off with Cormac’s Hai-cool poetic riff for our one sentence summary.

Papers discussed:

https://arxiv.org/abs/2202.01768

https://www.nature.com/articles/nbt.4089

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048733317300422?via=ihub

https://comm.wayne.edu/files/keashly_spectra2015.pdf

Cormac’s shameless plug for the Early Career Astronomers’ session at the European Astronomical Society’s meeting:

https://eas.unige.ch/EAS2024/session.jsp?id=SS23

Crisis hotlines and remote support:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (US): +1-800-273-8255 (live chat also available on website; hearing-impaired TTY users can also dial 800-799-4889)

National Crisis Text Line: text/SMS HOME to 741741 for US; to 686868 for Canada; to 85258 for the UK

Crisis Services Canada: +1-833-456-4566 (text/SMS and live chat also available on website)

Samaritans (UK and Ireland): +44 116 123 (email also available on website)

The Trevor Project (US): +1-866-488-7386 (text/SMS and live chat also available on website; the lifeline will talk with any individual regardless of sexuality or gender)

Trans Lifeline: US: +1-877-565-8860; Canada: +1-877-330-6366

TelefonSeelSorge (Germany): 0800 / 111 0 111 or https://online.telefonseelsorge.de/index.php

Episode 91: A Uranian FareWill

Thu, 23 May 2024 05:40:40 -0500

91 is the atomic number of protactinium. Speaking of protracted, it’s finally time to say FareWill to Dr astroSaundbites himself, after five years of co-hosting our wonderful podcast. We begin with a deep dive into his Uranian adventures that might offer the key to our next mission there. We then reflect on his time in grad school, share some sage wisdom and explore what the future holds as he transitions to a not-postdoc at NASA.

Will’s first paper: https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2021AJ....161..280S/abstract
Will’s’ second paper: https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2022P%26SS..21305431S/abstract
Will’s third paper: https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2023PSJ.....4..199S/abstract
(Will’s fourth paper is in review - so stay tuned!)

Will’s career resource links:

Websites to help you discover lots of careers you can pursue with your PhD and how to get there:
https://beyondprof.com/
https://theprofessorisin.com/
https://myidp.sciencecareers.org/?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
https://gradfutures.princeton.edu/

A great webinar on career transitions for astronomers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OX3aUONcLP0&ab_channel=AAS

Great books:
https://kansaspress.ku.edu/9780700626885/
https://theprofessorisin.com/buy-the-book/

Episode 90: The Great H0 Debate

Sun, 28 Apr 2024 23:07:21 -0500

How fast is the universe expanding? It turns out this important value, the Hubble constant (H0), is under constant debate. The two main teams have numbers that disagree by over 5 standard deviations! Today on a[s]b, we resolve the Hubble tension once and for all, as Cormac and Kiersten square off in the Great H0 Debate. Cormac comes in with feist and facts while Kiersten engages with rebuttal and reason. In the end, there can only be 1 winner, and that’s for you to decide! Vote here for the winner of the debate, what the true value of H0 should be, and what we got wrong in the episode (we tried our best!). https://forms.gle/3dybtrhysS9Lvia37

Timeline of the Hubble tension: https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/format:webp/1*oekTYTkZQmw7DxzUaLqDVw.png

Astrobites used for this episode:

https://astrobites.org/2016/04/20/conflicts-between-expansion-history-of-the-local-and-distant-universe/

https://astrobites.org/2020/05/12/magnets-and-hubble/

https://astrobites.org/2021/04/01/south-polarization/

https://astrobites.org/2021/04/27/bursting-the-hubble-trouble-bubble-measuring-h0-with-fast-radio-bursts/

https://astrobites.org/2023/03/29/multi-messenger-constraints-on-the-hubble-constant/

https://astrobites.org/2023/10/04/holy-cow-is-our-journey-through-the-universe-the-reason-for-the-hubble-tension/

https://astrobites.org/2024/04/16/sn_h0pe/

Space sound: https://www.system-sounds.com/earth-day/. Credit: SYSTEM Sounds/Matt Russo/Andrew Santaguida

Article by Subir Sarkhar: https://inference-review.com/article/heart-of-darkness

Cool Wikipedia page Will references: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numeral_prefix

Chart Kiersten references: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_distance_ladder#/media/File:Extragalactic_Distance_Ladder_en.svg

Episode 89: Extremely Emotional Exoplanets

Tue, 16 Apr 2024 00:05:02 -0500

In this episode, we hear about Kiersten and Will’s epic adventures in both hemispheres! Both Kiersten and Will watched the eclipse that passed through North America on April 8, 2024 and are still buzzing with excitement. Kiersten tells us about a recent paper that explores why planets might act so indecisive about sitting between being a super-Earth or mini-Neptune. Will’s astrobite describes a similarly chaotic exoplanetary tale about a very slow moving planet which “came in like a wrecking ball” and “never hit habitability so hard” (everything in quotations must be sung in Miley Cyrus’ singing voice). All in all, we all share a laugh and an emotionally charged episode!

Kiersten’s astrobite: https://astrobites.org/2024/03/28/template-post-22/

Will’s astrobite: https://astrobites.org/2024/03/06/exoplanet-hr-5183-b/

Eclipse XKCD: https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2914:_Eclipse_Coolness

Eclipse Astronomy Photo of the Day: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240409.html

Sonification: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8al9FRz-VKY

Sonification description: https://www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse/listen-eclipse

Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My2FRPA3Gf8

Episode 88: The Luck of the Irish

Sat, 30 Mar 2024 13:09:09 -0500

In celebration of the a-bit-over-a-week after St. Patrick’s (definitely not Patty’s) Day, we bring you another Ireland-related episode. Due to historically unsupported stereotypes about the Irish being lucky, we bring you two astrobites busting with cosmic coincidences and a dash of luck. Kiersten tells about a plucky planet that avoided a hangry host star, while Will brings us yet another binary black hole bonanza. Cormac shares a bit of an infamous Irish space sound that you could call cosmic comic relief. In the spirit of luck, we talk about the role of luck in our own journeys to space and in the field of astronomy as a whole.

This week’s “space sound” - https://www.tiktok.com/@ladbibleireland/video/7278649311334780192?lang=en

Episode 87.5: The Shamrock Shake-Up

Sun, 17 Mar 2024 17:07:21 -0500

In celebration of St. Patrick’s (not Patty’s) Day, we share a super short sneak peek at next week’s episode, featuring fun Irish astronomical facts. We’re calling it the Shamrock Shake-up! In addition to the astronomical facts, Will takes us on a journey to the past with some wild Irish lore of his own! We hope you enjoy what might be our first “Beyond the beyond” episode, and Lá Fhéile Pádraig faoi mhaise daoibh go léir!

Intro music excerpt: “Granny hold the candle while I shave the chicken’s lip” - Bodega

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fz4IxFy27dw

Episode 87: Unexpected Gravitational Waves

Sun, 10 Mar 2024 21:43:43 -0500

We talk about gravitational waves again, but this time, in ways you wouldn’t expect. Cormac tells us how you could use gravitational waves to study the interior of the Sun, if the alignment is just right. Sabrina explores whether gravitational waves could be detected by Earth’s magnetosphere through the Gertsenshtein effect. Simultaneously, we learn that Sabrina knows how to pronounce Russian names properly and Will isn’t the biggest fan of theory.

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2023/06/20/using-planetary-magnetospheres-to-detect-gravitational-waves/

https://astrobites.org/2023/11/11/using-gravitational-waves-to-peer-inside-of-the-sun/

Additional thematic material:

https://astrobites.org/2023/02/08/detecting-gravitational-waves-with-the-moon/

https://astrobites.org/2022/12/22/gravitational-wave-parallax/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0273117723009171?via%3Dihub

Space sound: https://www.nasa.gov/solar-system/sounds-of-the-sun/

Ultra-high-frequency gravitational wave conference: https://www.ctc.cam.ac.uk/activities/UHF-GW.php

Episode 86: Indigenous Astronomy Part II - Science of the First Astronomers

Fri, 23 Feb 2024 00:19:28 -0500

In the second episode of the astro[sound]bites series focusing on Indigenous astronomy, we interview Duane Hamacher, a physics professor at the University of Melbourne and a world leading researcher in Indigenous astronomy. Duane shares his journey from Missouri to pursuing a PhD in Australia and immersing himself in the study of astronomy within the Torres Strait community, learning from Indigenous knowledge holders. He tells us how Indigenous peoples around the world have seen astronomy more as a way of life that’s embedded in their culture. Through our discussion, we challenge common misconceptions and gain insight into the profound significance that Indigenous astronomy has held for humanity, long preceding the invention of telescopes. However, our interview only scratches the surface of the field of Indigenous astronomy.

Thank you to Prof. Duane Hamacher for taking the time to be interviewed for this episode! (Also sorry for the construction noise in the background of this episode! We hope the exciting interview makes up for it.)

Duanes’ book The First Astronomers: https://www.thefirstastronomers.com/

Episode 85: Indigenous Astronomy Part I - Living Descendants of the First Astronomers

Sun, 04 Feb 2024 12:10:00 -0500

Did you know that Indigenous communities around the world have been doing astronomy since ancient times? Indigenous peoples studied the night sky with great precision. In this episode, we talk to five indigenous astronomers from across the world to understand how their identity and communities shaped their journey to science. Their interviews tell us about their cultures from who their Elders are to how they used the constellations to harvest emu eggs.

Thank you to Kirsten Banks, Krystal de Napoli, Hilding Nielson, Bridget Kimsey, and Corey Gray for taking the time to be interviewed for this episode!

Check out these astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2018/10/26/additional-arguments-that-aboriginal-australians-observed-variable-stars/

https://astrobites.org/2022/11/11/book-review-the-first-astronomers/

https://astrobites.org/2023/07/01/betelgeuse-betelgeuse-betelgeuse-is-it-supernovatime/

The First Astronomers Book:

https://www.thefirstastronomers.com/

Episode 84.5: Come Podcast With Us!

Mon, 08 Jan 2024 11:24:31 -0500

Did we mention we’re recruiting two new co-hosts? And also our new Mars Office Manager and Chief Astrologer? Lots of exciting things are happening on a[s]b (and on Mars) in 2024 and we want you to be a part of it! Find out more and apply to be a co-host here: https://astrosoundbites.com/recruiting-2024/. We can’t wait to hear from you.

Episode 84: Abominable Ice

Sun, 10 Dec 2023 13:50:32 -0500

It’s all about ice, ice, baby! In this episode, Sabrina takes us on a trek to Antarctica. While we hide from Cthulhu, she tells us how the frigid observatory IceCube is using elusive neutrinos to tell us about the Milky Way. Meanwhile, our meteorologist Will does some investigation of the flavors of ice we can expect to find on some potentially habitable planets.

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2023/06/29/

https://astrobites.org/2022/01/07/

Space sound:

https://webbtelescope.org/contents/media/videos/2022/040/01GA960MD71VJ5ZE3EDFRT72NE

Episode 83: Stellar Shrinkflation

Mon, 27 Nov 2023 05:14:22 -0500

In this week’s episode, Cormac has somehow made it to hosting a second time (applause). This time, we discuss the smallest, reddest and exoplanetiest(?) stars - M dwarfs! Find out why we call them that, and why these temperamental ‘tars are interesting for exoplanets. Sabrina tells us about not-so-boring M stars showing complex and periodic behaviour, and Will shares some *gasp* lab work-based results showing that M dwarfs may be more habitable than we think…
This week’s episode rounds off with a discussion about what the “Search for Life” really means, and how it’s (sometimes mis)used in astronomy.

Astrobites:
astrobites.org/2023/11/02/ripples-in-time-the-transient-nature-of-mysterious-m-stars/
astrobites.org/2023/03/22/could-some-earthlings-survive-in-exoplanets-around-m-dwarfs/

Space Sound:
“The Sound of Two Black Holes Colliding” by LIGO Lab Caltech : MIT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyDcTbR-kEA

Episode 82: So the universe thinks it can dance?

Sat, 11 Nov 2023 20:38:33 -0500

This week, our astro[sound]bites co-host crew starts a dance crew with the help of Kiersten, a former professional ballerina. We get a sample of Kiersten’s ballet skills through her astrobite, which tells us all about the secret spinning life of black holes. Our space sound sounds like something only those black holes could dance to! Cormac takes us through our first ever physics education astrobite on viewing solar eclipses with a disco ball. Do not fret if our dancing analogy still did not get you to put on your tap shoes as we also discuss the importance and diversity of analogies within astronomy and the podcast.

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2023/09/01/bhballet/

https://astrobites.org/2023/10/13/doing-astronomy-with-disco-balls/

Space Sound:

https://www.mso.anu.edu.au/pfrancis/Music/library/QSOcomp.mp3

Paper on space sound:

https://www.mso.anu.edu.au/pfrancis/Music/

Episode 81: Hubble’s Hydra

Sun, 29 Oct 2023 09:58:31 -0500

In this week’s episode, Cormac makes his hosting debut as we talk about the most pressing threat to modern Astronomy (other than a worldwide coffee shortage) – megaconstellations! Despite sharing a majority of syllables with the collective noun of asterisms we all know and pretend to remember, these formations of hundreds of satellites are becoming more and more of an issue for astronomers. Will tells us about how satellites are sprinkling spectra with a side of the Sun and Kiersten reveals how even the Hubble Space Telescope is not safe from the multi-headed monsters of Musk et al. Join us as we find out that things might not be as bad as they seem, and discuss the pros and cons of these developments.

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2023/09/07/satellites-in-weave/

https://astrobites.org/2023/08/10/telescopes_in_orbit/

Space Sound:

Handcrafted by Cormac using twotone.io, based on a MESA stellar evolution model by Harim Jin.

Episode 80: The Pulsar Boomerang

Sun, 15 Oct 2023 03:22:37 -0500

In this week’s episode, we meet some of the animals in the neutron star zoo through astrobites with two surprising observations. Will tells us about a mysterious signal from a magnetar that appeared two years ago for 20 minutes and has yet to come back. Meanwhile, Cormac provides Will’s magnetar with some hope by telling us the story of a pulsar signal that appeared 20 years ago and just reappeared recently. Come along for a boomerang of a journey as we discuss observing pulsars from Earth, what it’s like at the pulsars themselves, and all the way back to Earth for a discussion of bad naming and bad programming languages.

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2023/07/31/disappearing-pulsar/

https://astrobites.org/2023/08/21/long-period-magnetar/

Space Sound:

https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/musicshow/the-black-of-the-star--for-percussion-and-pulsar/5011294

Performance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okeBqktyyS4

Episode 79: The Vanishing Act

Fri, 29 Sep 2023 12:30:00 -0500

Spooky season is here! In this episode, we’re investigating the ghostly disappearances of astrophysical objects. Sabrina does some detective work to solve the mystery of a missing black hole, and Kiersten tries to convince her that Halloween is the best holiday. Meanwhile, Cormac convenes with ghosts of stars to figure out where they have vanished off to. It turns out that gravitational waves are the perfect medium for an astrophysical seance!

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2022/05/10/missing-black-hole/

https://astrobites.org/2023/08/12/vanishing-stars-massive-island/

Space sound:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Xo3HajfkrKQ

Episode 78: There’s More Air out There

Sun, 17 Sep 2023 09:19:51 -0500

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.

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2023/08/08/vibe-checking-trappist-1c/

https://astrobites.org/2023/08/19/signs-of-pre-life-jwst/

Space sound:

https://chandra.si.edu/photo/2022/sonify5/animations.html

Episode 77.5: Astro[sound]bites on three continents

Sun, 30 Jul 2023 23:37:40 -0500

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.

Introduction to research with astro[sound]bites:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1ztsQ92NeV0Nzhg0ZaohNB?si=a5a06325cb444076

Introduction to exoplanets with astro[sound]bites:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4YQaowzQUGlSiyQdtdglUy?si=9e1201dbabf34ba8

Episode 77: The Air out There

Mon, 03 Jul 2023 10:36:19 -0500

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

Sun, 18 Jun 2023 15:47:50 -0500

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.

Black In Astro: https://www.blackinastro.com/

Black Space Week 2023: https://www.blackinastro.com/posters-and-advertisements-for-bsw2023

Juneteenth: https://www.nytimes.com/article/juneteenth-day-celebration.html

Black Representation in Physics & Astronomy: https://astrobites.org/2020/06/12/blackinastro-black-representation-in-astro-physics-and-the-impact-of-discrimination/

American Institute of Physics Report: https://www.aip.org/statistics/reports/trends-physics-phds-171819

Articles:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41578-021-00361-5

https://hbr.org/2019/11/the-costs-of-codeswitching

https://onezero.medium.com/a-break-up-letter-with-astronomy-from-a-young-black-woman-a30de24fe209

https://www.forbes.com/sites/janicegassam/2022/02/11/does-academia-actually-want-black-professors/?sh=6af2a1b1f4ca

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-diversity-makes-us-smarter/

Episode 75: Stellar Snacks

Mon, 29 May 2023 10:26:52 -0500

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.

Sonification & Visualization:

Sounds of Exoplanet Systems: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idlB8JgKGU4

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2023/04/29/cacao-meteorite-and-other-fe-ni-meteorites-on-mars/

https://astrobites.org/2022/10/21/the-great-planet-bake-off/

Episode 74: Super Co-Host, Super Alex, Supernova

Sun, 14 May 2023 21:38:55 -0500

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. Together the gang explores what happens when you try to replace your friend with an AI.

Paper Kiersten presented: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2105.09963.pdf

Paper Sabrina presented: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2305.08894.pdf

Another of Alex’s papers (for the supernova lovers): https://arxiv.org/pdf/2008.09630.pdf

Alex’s inspiration for Will’s space sound: https://twitter.com/alexgagliano/status/1648034047942066176?cxt=HHwWgICw1YSP_94tAAAA

Episode 73: Astrophysical Prison Break

Sat, 29 Apr 2023 13:06:22 -0500

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?

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2023/03/11/

https://astrobites.org/2020/05/13/

Space sound:

https://youtu.be/BAWkuv1HXy4

Episode 72: A Trip to the Optometrist

Sat, 15 Apr 2023 08:28:12 -0500

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 Will 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.

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2023/02/16

https://astrobites.org/2022/12/17

Space sound:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2m1QE3lVDi8

Episode 71: Galaxies Say Halo

Sat, 25 Mar 2023 20:47:37 -0500

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.

Want to join the team? Apply to be an a[s]b co-host here!

Sonification & Visualization: https://vimeo.com/160122270

The Datasaurus Dozen: https://www.autodesk.com/research/publications/same-stats-different-graphs

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2023/03/09/smbh-mergers-in-cosmological-simulations/

https://astrobites.org/2021/05/03/genetic-galaxy-halos/

Episode 70: Astronomy 10 Years into the Future Part II

Sat, 11 Mar 2023 12:22:17 -0500

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.

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2021/09/29/a-stars-final-words/

https://astrobites.org/2022/05/11/missing-link-quasars/

Space sound:

https://twitter.com/esascience/status/990625583989186560

AGN/Galaxy classification guide:

https://astrobites.org/guides/galaxy-and-agn-types/

Episode 69: Astronomy 10 Years into the Future Part I

Sun, 26 Feb 2023 17:00:24 -0500

What will astronomy be like in the year 2033?

In the first of this two-part series, we predict the (short-term) fate of the solar system, exoplanets, and the culture of astronomy a decade down the line. Kiersten and Will both focus on planets, one close to home and the other (hopefully) not too far away. We then get futuristic forecasts from six guest astronomers working around the world, who paint us an exciting (and slightly troubling) picture of new-wave astrophysics, covering everything from the role of machine learning to a crisis in publishing, with discoveries of Earth-like exoplanets in between!

Stay tuned for Part II, in which Alex and Sabrina will talk about the more distant universe and eight more guest astronomers describe the future of their fields.

Astrobites:

astrobites.org/2023/02/13/earth-as-an-exoplanet/

astrobites.org/2021/05/08/where-to-find-biosignatures-on-mars-a-case-for-clays/

Space sound:

https://eos.org/articles/nasas-perseverance-rover-records-the-first-sounds-of-a-dust-devil-on-mars

Imaginable book: janemcgonigal.com/2021/12/17/imaginable-how-to-see-the-future-coming-and-feel-ready-for-anything-even-things-that-seem-impossible-today/

Superforcasting book:

wsp.wharton.upenn.edu/book/superforecasting/

Episode 68: Breaking the Stigma around Community College Part II

Sun, 12 Feb 2023 16:10:00 -0500

In our second episode taking another in-depth look into community college, we start off by hearing about Sabrina’s experiences. She tells us about her journey from attending high school abroad to starting community college. Kiersten also interviews , Prof. Andria Schwortz, a physics and astronomy professor at Quinsigamond Community College. Join us on an adventure to Europe, community college, and with a second love story sprinkled in. Don’t forget to check out our associated astrobites beyond post!

Prof. Andria Schwortz twitter: https://twitter.com/aschwortz

Equity image link: https://healthcity.bmc.org/policy-and-industry/health-equity-vs-health-equality-whats-difference

Episode 67: Breaking the Stigma Around Community College Part I

Sun, 29 Jan 2023 08:58:43 -0500

Did you know that half of our astro[sound]bites co-hosts went to community college? We’re here to talk about our experiences and work towards breaking the stigma! This is our first episode in this two part series which features Kiersten’s trajectory from community college into a brilliant exoplanet scientist. Next, Alex interviews Dra. Natalie Nicole Sanchez, an NSF MPS-Ascend postdoctoral fellow at Carnegie Observatories and Caltech, whose interest in astrophysics was sparked while studying art at community college. Join us on a whirlwind tour of engineering, love affairs, and artistic endeavors - and stay tuned for an associated astrobites post!

Link to Dra. Sanchez’s twitter: https://twitter.com/the_n_nicole

Episode 66: B-Field Bonanza

Sat, 17 Dec 2022 18:00:00 -0500

This episode is all about magnetic fields because we couldn’t stay away from such a polarizing topic! Alex takes us on a journey to the center of a star where we find how intense its magnetic field actually is. Along the way, Kiersten brings up a blast from the past with a sonification that had its own record release. To wrap up, Sabrina tells how we can use radio waves to find an exoplanet with a magnetic field because cosmic rays and solar winds don’t sound like a pleasant time for us humans.

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2022/07/19/

https://astrobites.org/2022/09/08/

Space sound: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5MHsnc67yw

Episode 65: A Tale of Sixes

Sun, 04 Dec 2022 13:32:45 -0500

In this episode, the gang catches multiplicity mania and learn about sextuple systems of stars, galaxies, and planets. Sabrina brings us an astrobite that resonates with us all (or maybe none of us), Will the Fourth carries the torch in studying the hierarchical Castor system, and Alex speeds through a requiem for high-redshift galaxies taken from us too soon.

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2021/09/30

https://astrobites.org/2022/11/07

https://astrobites.org/2022/02/26

Compact Object Merging with its Companion Star Triggering a Supernova:

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/astronomy-star-swallow-black-hole-supernova-cosmology

Space sound: https://vimeo.com/621744665

A transient radio source consistent with a merger-triggered core collapse supernova: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abg6037

In-Vitro Is Not The Only Reason Older Women Have More Twins:

https://www.webmd.com/baby/news/20060222/older-women-more-likely-to-have-twins

Episode 64: Our Take on Landmark Papers Part II

Mon, 21 Nov 2022 10:41:00 -0500

We’re back with more of the most important papers in our subfields. Sabrina tells us how Karl, an engineer at Bell Labs, became the father of radio astronomy and stole her heart through time and space. Kiersten couldn’t pick just one paper so she choses a review article and gives it a favorable review on our own little a[s]b revue program.

The gang really struggles on the space sound and then decides it just might be okay to peak in grad school.

Papers:

https://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/pdf/1933PA.....41..548J

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1086/428383/pdf

Space sound: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/19/5065

Episode 63: Our Take on Landmark Papers Part I

Tue, 08 Nov 2022 23:42:35 -0500

Episode 63: Our Take on Landmark Papers Part I

In this week’s episode, we take a deeper look into Alex and Will’s research through two landmark papers in their field. Will pulls out a strip chart to teach us about how Neptune’s atmosphere looked in the 1960s (and why it’s still important today). Alex gives us a deeper look into explosive transients and presents a paper on supernovae from the early 1970s that reveals the power of fermi estimation and a little intuition. Meanwhile, Sabrina kicks off a conversation about the ethics of research and faces the reality of not being able to check every line of source code from the simulations she uses. See you next episode for Kiersten and Sabrina’s turn!

Link to sonification competititon: https://astrosoundbites.com/astrosoundbites-sonification-challenge-2022/

Papers:

https://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/pdf/1969A%26A.....2..398K

https://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/pdf/1973A%26A....29..393D

Space Sound:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3x0sBCQ_c8

Acoustic dispersion (and its connection to laser beams and FRBs):

https://www.npr.org/2016/12/21/506305383/why-does-a-frozen-lake-sound-like-a-star-wars-blaster

Link to Will’s research graphic: https://williamrsaunders.com/#occ-movie

Episode 62: Skeletons and Monsters

Sat, 22 Oct 2022 12:12:49 -0500

Halloween is in the air! Get ready for a spoooooky episode where we take a stroll through the haunted side of the Universe. Alex takes us on a trek through a graveyard to investigate the skeletons the Milky Way is hiding - and no, we’re not talking about the candy! Then Will tells us a ghost story about the old blue monsters hiding under our extragalactic beds, but don’t worry too much. He reassured us that they only eat dust.

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2022/06/22/galactic-skeletons/

https://astrobites.org/2022/09/27/did-blue-monster-galaxies-in-the-early-universe-sweep-away-their-dust/

Space Sound:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfFoUWm3NDA

Episode 61: What’s the Tea on JWST?

Mon, 10 Oct 2022 23:41:26 -0500

The gang is back! In this episode, we take a trip to the largest and the smallest astronomical scales to learn about all the exciting new ways that JWST is transforming the field in its first 100 days. Sabrina zooms out to find some sparkly galaxies and catch a glimpse into the dazzling high-redshift Universe. Then Kiersten zooms into JWST’s first directly imaged exoplanet to figure out why it’s making us all so hungry. We round out the episode with an interview from York University Professor Sarah Rugheimer, who tells us all about the science to get excited about in the years to come.

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2022/09/06/sparkling-stars/

https://astrobites.org/2022/09/01/jwsts-first-directly-imaged-exoplanet/

Space Sound:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=49&v=La9DB-bcy5Y&feature=emb_title

Sabrina Holds a Press Conference

Mon, 15 Aug 2022 09:19:41 -0500

We’re herded into a crowded auditorium for a press conference held by our very own Sabrina Berger. The breaking news? We’re going on break! But not just that, we’re launching our second sonification challenge! This challenge is focused on using sound for instruction, so submit a sound that teaches us about an astronomy concept in two minutes or less. Click the link below for details. To get inspired, we hear from Jendaya Wells, a music major at Lincoln University and a member of the team using sonification to explore data from the upcoming Vera Rubin Observatory! Both her and her sonifications are very bright.

Links:

Astro[sound]bites Sonification Contest: https://astrosoundbites.com/astrosoundbites-sonification-challenge-2022/

Rubin Rhapsodies: https://lsst-tvssc.github.io/RubinRhapsodies

Sound Effects: https://sound-effects.bbcrewind.co.uk

Episode 60: An Ear for Education (Sonification 2)

Tue, 02 Aug 2022 16:40:41 -0500

It’s time for our jam-packed sonification sequel, which includes two interviews, 5 (!) space sounds, and a critical fourth “i” for how sonification is used in astronomy! We’re first joined by Paul Green and Afra Ashraf, the creators of the new sonification project Sensing the Dynamic Universe. Then Sarah Kane, a senior undergrad at the University of Pennsylvania, joins us to talk about her journey in astronomy and sonification while being legally blind. We round things out by listening to kilonovae, radio interferometers, and the atmosphere of Uranus! Is there anything we didn’t discuss?

0:00 First 3 “i”s

5:05 Sensing the Dynamic Universe interview (4th “i”)

29:17 Reflections on SDU

32:14 Sarah Kane interview

55:31 Our educational sonifications

Sensing the Dynamic Universe: https://lweb.cfa.harvard.edu/sdu/index.html

Our sonification astrobite from last year: astrobites.org/2021/06/17/getting-started-in-sonification/

An article about Sarah Kane (isn’t she so fashionable?): omnia.sas.upenn.edu/story/disability-advocacy-and-sciences

SonoUno:sion.frm.utn.edu.ar/sonoUno/

Astronify:astronify.readthedocs.io/

Twotone: twotone-midiout-beta.netlify.app

Miditime (for advanced users): github.com/cirlabs/miditime

Episode 59: Staring into the Voids in the Universe

Tue, 05 Jul 2022 22:26:54 -0500

Is it Halloween yet? This week, Alex, Kiersten, and Sabrina zoom out to stare at the spookiest voids on the most massive scales. Alex tells us how we can use baryonic acoustic oscillations, or BAOs – the astrophysical counterpart to the delicious buns – to study the shapes of these voids. Sabrina turns up the power for her space sound, and we turn on the lights while listening to Kiersten describe a chilling cold spot in the CMB.

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2022/06/11/stare-into-the-void/

https://astrobites.org/2021/12/21/eridanus-supervoid/

Space Sounds:

https://www.matrix441.eu/2020/07/cmb-anisotropy/

Episode 58: Funky Fluids

Sun, 19 Jun 2022 21:10:35 -0500

To take a break from the summer heat, Sabrina, Will, and Kiersten don their floaties and take a dive into some space fluids. Sabrina plays in the sandbox of granular instabilities, explaining how solids can behave like fluids. Then Will teleports everyone to a planet with an ocean where you’re guaranteed not to get a sunburn, but getting zapped by galactic Cosmic Rays™ might be worse.

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2022/02/11/giant-impacts-small-moons/

https://astrobites.org/2021/10/07/liquid-water-on-exomoons-beneath-sunless-skies/

Space Sounds:

https://www.system-sounds.com/5000exoplanets/

Rayleigh Taylor Instability Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HV0xE5J_HVM

Episode 57: Hot Planet Summer

Sat, 04 Jun 2022 10:58:48 -0500

Break out your swim suits and fire up your Weber Spirit II 3-Burner Liquid Propane Grills, it’s summer vacation for those of us in the states! With their time off, Will, Kiersten, and Alex take a trip around the solar system in search of the best sunbathing spots. Will takes us to a molten Earth in search of the planet’s first “little dudes”, while Kiersten surfs on metallic Venusian lava flows. Alex made our road trip playlist, but it’s more ominous than we wanted.

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2022/04/19/how-a-moon-sized-deep-impact-affected-early-life-on-earth/

https://astrobites.org/2021/07/22/from-radar-mystery-to-volcanic-history-dating-venus-lava-flows-with-temperature-sensitive-minerals/

Space Sounds:

https://astrosom.com/Mar2018.php

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egmmYxXhScQ

Geological Time Scales Poster:

https://www.geosociety.org/documents/gsa/timescale/timescl.pdf

Episode 56: Overpowered in the Universe

Sat, 21 May 2022 11:11:51 -0500

Episode 56: Overpowered in the Universe

In this episode, Sabrina teaches Will gamer lingo and the gang applies it to astronomy. Alex discusses a class of super-charged supernovae with bumpy and clumpy physics, and Sabrina shows us how to use pulsars to upgrade our data security (once we figure out how to uninstall Norton Antivirus).

Then we discuss whether objects in the universe really can be OP (overpowered) and Alex begins to question if he ever really understood the definition (spoiler: he didn’t).

Astrobites:
https://astrobites.org/2022/02/05/slsne-show-bumps-and-wiggles-at-late-times/
https://astrobites.org/2022/03/03/pulsars-the-key-to-secure-encryption/

Space sound: https://chandra.si.edu/photo/2022/sgra/animations.html#audio

Sonification Credit: NASA/CXC/SAO/K.Arcand, SYSTEM Sounds (M. Russo, A. Santaguida); Image Credit: Radio: EHT Collaboration; X-ray (NASA/CXC/SAO); Infrared (NASA/HST/STScI)

Episode 55.5: Four Moving For-ward

Sat, 07 May 2022 14:02:52 -0500

Our astro[sound]bites family has grown! New co-hosts Kiersten Boley and Sabrina Berger join Alex Gagliano and Will Saunders as the four moving forward. From now on, you’ll be hearing from three of us in each episode, so get ready to mix and match your favorite a[s]b combo pack.

In this mini-episode, we get to know our new co-hosts a little and share some of the things we’re excited about in the coming year. We also learn that Kiersten’s voice is smooth as silk, Sabrina definitely doesn’t hate radio astronomy, Will is ready to be a 3am disc jockey, and Alex sleeps soundly at night, unafraid of the carnivorous cosmos.

Space sounds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESz8Cvirh00&ab_channel=ChandraX-rayObservatory (NASA/CXC/SAO/K.Arcand, SYSTEM Sounds (M. Russo, A. Santaguida))

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGXCRtMzdSE&ab_channel=atzan

(NASA/STScI/Lightkurve Collaboration

More about sonification: https://astrosoundbites.com/2021/04/11/episode-33-scintillating-sounds-of-science/

Episode 55: Exoplanets, Exits, and Exciting New Directions

Sun, 24 Apr 2022 13:44:36 -0500

Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end. In her final episode as co-host, Malena reflects on her graduate school experience, research interests, and celebrity crushes. Will brings us Malena’s research to unlock the mysteries of planet formation through interstellar aliens, and Alex shifts the conversation and stacks together Malena’s results on the hunt for Planet 9. He also spends way too long making the space sound.

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2019/09/23/aliens-among-us/

https://astrobites.org/2020/12/15/shift-stacking/

Episode 54: Dusting off the Disks

Sat, 09 Apr 2022 22:36:20 -0500

Episode 54: Dusting off the Disks

We recorded this episode a few months ago and are dusting it off today. We’re leaving a bit of dust though, because that’s what makes debris disks so exciting! Malena tells us about a disk that is both beautiful in appearance and in its scientific potential to reveal planetary dynamics. Alex tells us about a disk that might have as much water as the solar system, but unfortunately none of it is liquid (or confirmed). Will brings us a space sound that makes the episode a little more trashy.

Astrobites:

astrobites.org/2019/07/09/potential-comets-water-vapor-around-beta-pic/

astrobites.org/2017/06/30/a-ring-of-ice-and-glows-around-fomalhaut/

The “fabulous four”:

Vega (https://www.star-facts.com/vega/vega-debris-disk/),

Beta Pictoris (https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/hubble-gets-best-view-of-circumstellar-debris-disk-distorted-by-planet),

Fomalhaut (https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/science/rogue-fomalhaut.html), Epsilon Eridani (https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/spitzer/multimedia/20081027b.html).

Space Sound https://space.physics.uiowa.edu/plasma-wave/space-audio/sounds/ (Don Gurnett)

(Sounds from BBC Sounds and Mixkit)

Episode 53: Lethargic Lads and Ladies

Sun, 27 Mar 2022 09:53:49 -0500

What’s the opposite of high-energy astrophysics? In today’s episode, we recognize the unsung heroes of astronomy: the low-energy, sleepy objects that keep on chugging in spite of it all. Will describes recent findings that the Sun is a bit sleepier than its peers, Alex Illustr(is/ates) how galaxy cluster fly-bys can make an ultra-diffuse galaxy a little more chill, and Malena delivers an uncharacteristically non-thematic space sound. To top it off, we learn about the slowest song ever written (hold your applause until the end).

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2021/10/04/dead-udgs/

https://astrobites.org/2022/01/29/is-the-sun-a-lazy-star/

Space Sound:

https://www.eso.org/public/announcements/ann19045/

Fate of the Universe video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD4izuDMUQA

Episode 52: Spectacular Stellar Streams

Sat, 12 Mar 2022 09:26:37 -0500

In this episode, the gang struggles to come up with a title (and Will manages to still get it wrong in the outro). More importantly, we are joined by PhD student Sophia Lilleengen, who tells us about her research into stellar streams and dark matter in the Milky Way, as well as her career in astronomy so far. Malena presents research about a quirky stellar stream and wonders if it could contain the answers to everything, all of it.

Sophia Lilleengen’s website: sophialilleengen.me

Twitter: twitter.com/sophililleengen

Space sound:

aip.de/en/news/exploring-the-history-of-the-early-milky-way-with-sound/

Astrobite: astrobites.org/2022/02/14/analyzing-orphan-stream/

Episode 51: A Picture of Polarization

Sat, 26 Feb 2022 09:55:29 -0500

How are your sunglasses like the stars, planets, and galaxies that comprise our universe? Not only do they look cool – they’re also no stranger to polarization! In today’s episode, Will describes a mysterious transient lurking within our own galaxy, while Malena shares how baby magnetic fields might have polarized the baby Universe. Alex guides us through a trashy symphony of delightful debris, showing that even space junk can be eerily beautiful.

Astrobites:

astrobites.org/2021/10/18

astrobites.org/2021/10/05

Space Sound: http://www.projectadrift.co.uk/#jumplisten

Episode 50:50 Careers in 50 Minutes

Sat, 12 Feb 2022 09:40:09 -0500

Pop the champagne and blow out the candles, it’s our fiftieth episode!! To celebrate, we’ve prepared a list of fifty different paths that you can take with a degree in physics or astronomy. What’s the difference between soft money and hard money? What does Sir David Attenborough think about the moon? How do you really pronounce the word “potpourri”? Listen to this episode to have two of these questions answered.

Career Resources:

https://beyondprof.com/

https://myidp.sciencecareers.org/?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

https://versatilephd.com/options-4-success/

https://theprofessorisin.com

https://astrobites.org/2018/08/17/what

https://www.astrobetter.com/wiki/Possible+Career+Paths

https://www.npr.org/2022/01/31/1076978534/the-trouble-with-passion-when-it-comes-to-your-career

Space Sound(s):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tvA3Ezqjl8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXDhCHWkeRM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Li5Xi9mIvDg&t=394s

Episode 49.5: Astro[sound]bites is Hiring!

Sat, 05 Feb 2022 12:04:56 -0500

For the first time ever, astro[sound]bites is holding a hiring call. We’re looking to add a new co-host to the show! Why is that? Listen to this bite-sized episode to find out, and head over to astrosoundbites.com to learn more about the application process and what our team is looking for. Applications are due March 5th, 2022. We’re delighted to be adding a new voice to the team – and it might just be yours!

Link to application: astrosoundbites.com/astrosoundbites-is-hiring2022

Episode 49: A Fine Dining Experience

Sat, 29 Jan 2022 19:31:27 -0500

Alex and Malena sit down for a gourmet meal and Will, with curved mustache and slicked hair, pours the wine. Alex enjoys his star cluster soup as he tells us about the state-of-the-art in star formation simulations. The gang then enjoys a space sound entremet (served chilled) before moving onto a main course of freshly seared planet. Malena explains how we might tell if a sun-like star has dined on a planet, and shockingly enough, we learn that these stars like to eat. Malena also tells us all about the kind of puns she’d like to make…but she doesn’t actually make them.

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2022/01/17/recipe-for-star-cluster-soup/

https://astrobites.org/2021/09/28/yum-planets/

Space Sound: (NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/Univ of Iowa) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_09R6jIo74U&ab_channel=JPLraw

Episode 48: The Astrophysical Merry-Go-Round

Sat, 15 Jan 2022 10:11:20 -0500

We’re kicking off the new year by spinning a record from a few months back, about all the ways that rotation teaches us about the universe. Malena describes a few energetic stars lurking around the Main Sequence, and Will keeps his opinions about MOND to himself. Alex brings us home with an orchestral sonification to rival Stravinsky’s best.

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2020/05/20/blue-lurkers-and-blue-stragglers-rapidly-rotating-stars-and-their-fountain-of-youth/

https://astrobites.org/2021/03/25/galaxies-in-more-crowded-environments-rotate-slower-implications-for-gravity/

Space Sound:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtymxN67eEE&t=24s

Episode 47: Gracefully Aging Galaxies

Sat, 18 Dec 2021 20:51:14 -0500

In today’s episode, we learn all about the clues that Kevin has benevolently placed within the Universe to teach us about the graceful and multifaceted field of galaxy evolution. Alex describes how much the galaxies of today can learn from their wise, high-redshift ancestors through Lyman-alpha emission, while Will segues into the mysterious properties of one of the most nearby aged galaxies. Malena shares a snazzy sonification of a hidden neighbor, as well as her school bus seating habits.

Astrobites:

astrobites.org/2021/01/22

astrobites.org/2021/10/13

Space sound: https://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2021/sonify4/

(Chandra sonification of M87)

Episode 46: Brown Dwarfs in Unusual Places

Sat, 04 Dec 2021 12:39:45 -0500

Ever misplace a brown dwarf? If re-tracing your astrophysical steps doesn’t help, it’s probably where you least expect to find it. In this episode, Alex and Malena bring us some brown dwarfs discovered in truly unusual locations. Alex sees the glass half full when he tells us how brown dwarfs could explain long secondary periods in red giants, solving a longstanding mystery. Malena guides us to a brown dwarf oasis in the phase space desert and manages to still talk about planets.

(Listen to the outro to hear Alex’s impersonation of an asteroid.)

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2021/05/13/red-giants-and-brown-dwarfs-an-unusual-friendship/

https://astrobites.org/2021/04/05/template-post-4/

Space sound: https://youtu.be/o0UOguMeaAE

(Ruben Garcia-Benito and CosMonic project)

CosMonic: http://rgb.iaa.es/cosmonic/#1559689666254-6a21da11-a004

Astronomy Beyond the Common Senses: https://accefyn.com/microsites/nodos/astroco/ii-workshop-on-astronomy-beyond-the-common-senses-for-accessibility-and-inclusion/

Episode 45: Jamming with the GBT

Sun, 21 Nov 2021 14:26:02 -0500

It’s time to talk radio on the radio! In this episode, we explore some of the research beaming out of the world's largest fully steerable radio dish -- the Green Bank Telescope (GBT)! We hear from Brenne Gregory, a Scientific Data Analyst at GBT, about her trek from the rolling hills of Scotland to the heart of the Allegheny Mountains. Will keeps his finger on the pulse of a pair of neutron stars, and Alex listens for a lawn mower at the heart of the Crab Nebula.

Astrobite:

https://astrobites.org/2021/08/21/double-neutron-star-trouble/

Space Sound:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5BQV3WX80E

Green Bank REU and Internship page:

http://greenbankobservatory.org/about/careers/

Episode 44: Fast and Slow

Sat, 06 Nov 2021 17:44:11 -0500

All speeds are relative—especially in astrophysics. In today’s episode, we learn about the timescales of different transients and explore what the fastest and slowest events can teach us. Alex describes the fastest koala in the universe, Will shares the slowest rotating lighthouse known to date, and Malena tosses in a magnetic curveball to bring us home.

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2019/05/20/radio-pulsars-how-slow-do-they-go/

https://astrobites.org/2020/04/20/a-fast-blue-koala-shines-bright-in-a-distant-galaxy/

Space sound: https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Sounds_from_space

Randall Munroe’s mole of moles calculation: https://what-if.xkcd.com/4/

Episode 43: Welcome to the World of Science Communication

Sat, 23 Oct 2021 11:33:46 -0500

Do you enjoy reading and listening to science communication? Are you ready to get involved with it yourself? From chatting with friends to podcasting, blogging to writing magazine stories, the world of SciComm is more accessible and more diverse than you may have thought.

We share some personal stories about how we got started in scicomm and hear from 2 SciCommers who made the leap from being PhD students to full-time communicators. Kerry shares her experience pitching magazine articles and discusses her new job as a Communications Specialist for the American Astronomical Society. Stephanie tells us how she discovered her passion for public outreach and how it led to her dream job as the head of the social media campaign for the Vera Rubin Observatory.

Kerry’s article on the Green Bank Observatory: highland-outdoors.com/green-bank-observatory-wild-wonderful-radio-quiet/

SciComm Resources:

ComSciCon: comscicon.com/
The Open Notebook: theopennotebook.com/
NPR Scicommers: npr.org/2017/08/24/537735624/friends-of-joes-big-idea-fojbis
Stephanie’s list of resources: spacescisteph.com/scicomm-resources
Astrobite with SciComm advice: astrobites.org/2018/03/16/beyond-communicating-science-like-a-boss/

Space Sound: youtu.be/kM2_Zq7DqUo (Credit: NASA/CXC/SAO/K.Arcand, SYSTEM Sounds (M. Russo, A. Santaguida))

Episode 42: Where Sci-Fi Meets Reality

Sat, 09 Oct 2021 10:37:41 -0500

This is Episode #42, so it might just contain the Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything. Today we set our phasers to stun and dig into some astrophysics research that brings science fiction one step closer to becoming science fact! Will teaches us what it takes to become a class II civilization on the Kardashev scale, and Malena gently reminds us that we can’t stop the change, any more than we can stop the suns from setting. Plus, Alex has a space sound that’ll leave you all starry-eared.

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2021/09/15

https://astrobites.org/2021/01/26

Space Sound: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESz8Cvirh00&t=41s

Episode 41: Weighing the Universe

Sat, 25 Sep 2021 08:46:29 -0500

How do we figure out the masses of astronomical objects far too large to fit on any human-made scale? In this episode, Alex tracks the paths of planets to figure out which ones are winning a gravitational game of tug-of-war, while Will describes a mysterious little galaxy that seems to be missing a key component. And, you won’t want to miss our spectacular sonification contest runner-up from Tharindu Jayasinghe, who brought to sound the most extreme heartbeat star known to date!

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2021/08/17

https://astrobites.org/2021/07/07

HR 8799 gif: https://jasonwang.space/orbits.html

ASAS-SN variable star sonifications: https://asas-sn.osu.edu/atlas

Episode 40: Space Summer Surprise

Sat, 11 Sep 2021 10:50:08 -0500

We’re back from vacation! We play 2 truths and a lie about what we did this summer and learn that the truth might be subjective. Alex brings a BBQ-themed Astrobite about the brightest galaxies, teaching us that “astronomical Hot DOG” is a state of being. Malena discusses how planets vacation to the outer solar system (spoiler: they never return home).

For this week’s space sound, we speak with the winner of the 2021 Sonification Competition, Misty Bentz. Listen to and view her winning sonification, Fantasy on Active Galaxies: https://astrosoundbites.com/2021/09/11/episode-40-space-summer-surprise/

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2021/07/21/cosmic-bbq-hot-dogs/

https://astrobites.org/2021/06/26/super-jupiters-be-like-im-getting-outta-here-the-disk-is-too-eccentric/

Episode 39: Polarizing Protostars

Sat, 03 Jul 2021 07:59:47 -0500

Billions of years before Van Gogh put paint to canvas and immortalized them forever, the stars in the sky were nothing more than an intricate tangle of magnetic fields and swirling gas. Turn the clock back with us as we learn about the physics of these protostellar systems! Northwestern/CIERA postdoctoral associate Erin G. Cox teaches us about the polarization patterns of Class 0 and Class I systems, and Will gets all turbulated as he discovers how HII regions might drive star formation.

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2021/05/05/inflating-hii-regions-cause-star-formation-to-pop/

https://astrobites.org/2020/08/05/protostar-polarization/

Erin’s website:

https://sites.northwestern.edu/eringcox/

Space sound:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8qdJsLqR7w

Credit: System Sounds (M. Russo & A. Santaguida) and NASA/CXC/SAO/K. Arcand

Episode 38: Keep Your Head in the Clouds

Sat, 19 Jun 2021 12:18:19 -0500

Tired of vacations being ruined by cloudy weather? Alex the travel agent can book your next trip to brown dwarf binary 1416B, where it’s always a balmy 2000 degrees and never cloudy. Or maybe a sojourn to a hot Jupiter is more your style? Malena the meteorologist has you covered with your 10-million year forecast: cloudy and lopsided.

In recognition of Juneteenth and the start of #BlackInAstro week, both papers featured in this episode were led by Black astronomers.

Read our new Astrobite about sonification: astrobites.org/2021/06/17/getting-started-in-sonification

Submit for the competition: astrosoundbites.com/sonification-competition-2021

Astrobites:

astrobites.org/2020/08/18/inhomogeneous-clouds/

astrobites.org/2020/10/14/brown-dwarf-weather-forecast/

Space sound: nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2021/Parker-Discovers-Natural-Radio-Emission-in-Venus-Atmosphere. (Credit: NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio/Mark SubbaRao/Glyn Collinson)

Episode 37: How to Date a Star

Sun, 06 Jun 2021 08:53:08 -0500

In this episode, we discuss the varied methods used to determine stellar ages. Alex shares how planetary companions can slow the spin of twirling stars, Will compares the spectroscopic fingerprints of binary systems (thanks, Barium!), and Malena provides some peaceful pulsations to enjoy on your next afternoon walk.

Astrobites:

astrobites.org/2021/05/24

astrobites.org/2019/05/21

Space sound: http://www.classicalmusicsentinel.com/KEEP/keep-talman.html

Credit: Jeff Talman and Daniel Huber

Episode 36: A Dance with Dark Matter

Sat, 22 May 2021 09:31:00 -0500

How can astronomers study something that nobody has ever seen? In this episode, we switch to the dark side to shine a light on one of the biggest questions in all of astrophysics: the nature of dark matter. Malena teaches us how dark matter helps galaxy clusters glow up, and Will takes a journey to the center of the Earth to find prehistoric prints from a big WIMP. Plus, Alex brings us our most romantic space sound yet.

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2019/02/12

https://astrobites.org/2018/06/19

Space sound: https://www.system-sounds.com/heartbeat-stars/

Credits: NASA/CXC/SAO/K.Arcand, SYSTEM Sounds (M. Russo, A. Santaguida)

Credit: SYSTEM Sounds (M. Russo & A. Santaguida). Data recorded by Kepler and accessed from MAST.

Episode 35: The Road Less Traveled

Sat, 08 May 2021 12:49:33 -0500

In this Beyond episode, we veer off the traditional path to a PhD with three interviews from early-career astronomers who did things a little bit differently.

Tim Holt shares his transitions from zoology to teacher and, finally, to astronomer. Ashley Walker describes how perseverance helped her to realize her dream as Chicago State University’s very first astrochemistry major. Natalia Guerrero paints a story of her journey leaving a graduate program, taking a leadership role on the TESS team, and reentering academia more inspired than ever.

Hear all about Tim’s research in Episode 15

Listen to Ashley discuss her research in Episode 16

Learn about Natalia’s research and art at https://www.nataliaguerreroart.com/

Space sound: youtu.be/t7rMtVctvag. Credits: NASA/CXC/SAO/K.Arcand, SYSTEM Sounds (M. Russo, A. Santaguida)

Episode 34: Where Classifications Crumble

Sat, 24 Apr 2021 11:14:12 -0500

You’ve heard about planets, stars, galaxies, and other “types” of astronomical objects on the show -- but what about the objects that defy our classification schemes? Will discusses how a mysterious system of massive planets(?) came to be, Alex puts on his thinking cap and tells us about the Universe’s biggest hat, and we top it all off with a discussion of the benefits and shortcomings of classifications in astronomy.

Astrobites:

astrobites.org/2021/02/05

astrobites.org/2020/03/07

Classifying the Cosmos: https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783030103798

Book review of Classifying the Cosmos: https://astrobites.org/2019/11/21/book-review-classifying-the-cosmos/

System Sounds: https://www.system-sounds.com/

Space sound: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHNeDlZp-Uk&t=3s

Episode 33: Beyond A[S]B -- Scintillating Sounds of Science

Sat, 10 Apr 2021 19:32:42 -0500

Do we have to explore astronomy data with our eyes? What if we used our ears? In this episode, we explore these and other questions in the growing field of sonification. Find out what an interstellar pancake sounds like, discover the piano sonatas of a Martian atmosphere and an unusual stellar explosion, and learn how astronomer Garry Foran at Swinburne University, despite a visual impairment, sees deeper into space than most to study the properties of high-redshift star-forming galaxies. Plus, we announce our sonification contest! We can’t wait to hear what you come up with. Click the link below for details and to submit your audio piece.

Links:

Astro[sound]bites Sonification Contest: astrosoundbites.com/sonification-competition-2021

Data from Sonifications:

Alex: www.wis-tns.org/object/2005bf

Malena: www.nature.com/articles/nature25020

Will: (pre-print of my accepted paper: http://williamrsaunders.com/Saunders_et_al_2021.pdf)

Benefits of Sonification: https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2019IAUS..339..251C/abstract

StarSound: https://www.jeffreyhannam.com/starsound

Astronify: https://astronify.readthedocs.io/en/latest/

Astronify email: astronify@stsci.edu

TwoTone: https://twotone.io/

miditime: github.com/cirlabs/miditime

Episode 32: Highlights of Undergraduate Research

Sun, 28 Mar 2021 10:48:21 -0500

In this episode we zip through a flurry of exciting undergraduate research Astrobites. Malena weaves a tale of solar tornadoes and cometary corkscrews, Alex spins a yarn of spiders and snowy telescopes, and Will answers the age-old question of nature versus nurture...for stars. We offer some of our favorite astronomy resources, provide tips on doing a literature search, and lend advice on balancing coursework and research.

Submit your own research as an undergraduate Astrobite:

astrobites.org/about/undergraduate-research-abstract-submission/

All undergraduate Astrobites:

astrobites.org/category/undergraduate-research/

Astrobites featured on the show:

astrobites.org/2018/11/28/two-solar-tornadoes-observed-with-iris/

astrobites.org/2020/09/07/ur-seek-spider-pulsars-jerk-search/

astrobites.org/2020/11/10/ur-cluster-nature-nurture/

astrobites.org/2020/12/10/investigation-of-coma-morphology/

astrobites.org/2020/06/18/pointing-the-green-bank-telescope/

Some of our favorite astronomy resources:

Python for Astronomers: prappleizer.github.io/

Canadian Astronomy Centre List of Upcoming Meetings:

cadc-ccda.hia-iha.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/en/meetings/

ADS modern: ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/

ADS classic (Will’s favorite): ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/classic-form/

Space sound: https://youtu.be/Mg7whxKFQsk

Credit: NASA/CXC/SAO/K.Arcand, SYSTEM Sounds (M. Russo, A. Santaguida)

Episode 31: Hypervelocity Heavens

Sat, 13 Mar 2021 11:29:53 -0500

Episode 31: Hypervelocity Heavens

Today we pump the gas to get up to speed on the hypervelocity objects of our universe. Alex divulges how hypervelocity stars tell us about their black hole origins, Will discusses a beehive of stars marching to the tune of its own drummer, and Malena shares plans for our first shot at reaching another stellar system.

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2020/03/25

https://astrobites.org/2021/02/16

https://astrobites.org/2021/02/02

Space Sound: https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-mars-perseverance-rover-provides-front-row-seat-to-landing-first-audio

Episode 30: Carnivorous Cosmos

Sat, 27 Feb 2021 10:49:46 -0500

It’s a harsh world out there, as the gang learns by trekking out to observe accretion in the wild. Will peers through his simulation binoculars to see whether tidal disruption events can really satisfy a hungry black hole, and Malena grabs her spectroscopic scalpel to pick apart a white dwarf’s last meal. Plus, we learn a few life lessons from planetesimals.

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2021/01/07

https://astrobites.org/2020/07/07

Astrobites Advisors Conference: https://astrobites.org/advising-webinar-2021/

Space sound: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/multimedia/audio/

Rainforest Sound Effects: https://sound-effects.bbcrewind.co.uk/search

Episode 29: Walking on Sunshine

Sat, 13 Feb 2021 10:45:15 -0500

In this episode, we’re blown back and blown away by the solar wind. Will offers a historical overview of how Eugene Parker discovered the solar wind without running a single experiment. Malena covers early results and next steps for the eponymous and incredibly hot Parker Solar Probe, as it ~enters the Sun~. Postdoc Chris Spalding also discusses Mercury’s (literally) impactful and (solar) windy childhood.

Astrobites:

astrobites.org/2020/02/13/visiting-the-sun/

astrobites.org/2020/09/03/parker-solar-wind-2/

Original solar wind paper:

ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1958ApJ...128..664P/abstract

Chris’ personal website:

christopherspalding.net

Space sound:

https://www.system-sounds.com/exoplanets4k/

Episode 28: Blink and You'll Miss It

Sat, 16 Jan 2021 20:41:12 -0500

We were going to write show notes, but it’s been a little while since we recorded and we forgot what we talked about. I guess you could call our memory…. transient!

In this episode we discuss some of the quickest, most high-energy astrophysical phenomena in the Universe. Will describes a possible explanation for some of the speediest and most mysterious flashes of energy ever detected, while Alex describes a bizarre and brilliant stellar explosion.

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2019/03/05

https://astrobites.org/2020/12/29

Episode 27: Where the Sidewalk Bends

Sat, 02 Jan 2021 17:18:56 -0500

We’re starting off the new year right by getting ahead of the curve! In this topsy-turvy episode, we tackle the stretching and curving of non-Euclidean geometry -- where it came from, why it teaches us about black holes and the shape of the universe, and how conformal diagrams help us wrap our minds (and our spacetime) around it all. Alex amazes with ascending audio, Will gives the all-clear to keep eating Pringles and Malena explains how theorists can help save trees.

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2020/12/03

https://astrobites.org/2020/11/23

Penrose’s Nobel Prize: https://astrobites.org/2020/10/15

Space sound: https://soundcloud.com/nasa/quake-sol-173

Episode 26: Surfing on a Dream

Sun, 20 Dec 2020 11:22:54 -0500

Ever experience the last rays of sunlight sparkling across the ocean? In this episode, PhD student Michael Heslar tells us how we can use this twinkling across the methane seas of Titan to study waves, winds, and much more. Plus, Alex brings us an Astrobite using shimmering starlight to help you find your next exoplanet vacation destination!

Michael’s published paper: doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/aba191

Article about Michael’s paper: skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/winds-and-tides-drive-sea-waves-on-titan

Related Astrobite: astrobites.org/2020/10/22/

Exoplanet seas: astrobites.org/2019/05/10/

Episode 25: Beyond A[S]B -- Great Advisors, Gap Years, and Getting into Grad School

Sat, 05 Dec 2020 15:33:27 -0500

Please describe a time in your life when you experienced and overcame hardship.

Well, middle school wasn’t great...I stubbed my toe this morning….how much detail are you looking for here??

The decision to apply to grad school can be both thrilling and terrifying. And, just like in research, one question can lead to ten more. Have no fear, the team is here! Will the Worthful helps you find the perfect advisor, Malena the Musicological shares her tips for crafting the perfect personal statement, and Alex the Acaudal weighs the pros and cons of taking a gap year.

Links referenced in the show: astrosoundbites.com/episode-25-resources/

Advice on writing a personal statement: astrosoundbites.com/personal-statement-advice/

Episode 24: The Stargazing Automata, Part IV

Sun, 11 Oct 2020 11:18:21 -0500

Planets and quenching and stars, oh my! In this finale to our four-part series on machine learning in astrophysics, the team hits the (virtual) road to hear from the experts. Our first stop is Irvine, California, where Tae Baxter teaches us that even galaxies struggle to stay active during quarantine. Next, we’re off to Porto, Portugal, where Ana Barboza uses the planetary ends to justify the k-means. We also make a pit stop for some banana-inspired techno.

Tae’s Website:

sentientstarstuff.github.io

Ana’s UMAP result:

astrosoundbites.files.wordpress.com/2020/10/ana-epsc-figure.png (EPSC)

Space Sound:

Video: https://photos.app.goo.gl/TR1wdozUYvkqmxqd6

Source: https://experiments.withgoogle.com/ai/giorgio-cam/view

Episode 23: The Stargazing Automata, Part III

Sat, 26 Sep 2020 09:55:14 -0500

They say the 20th century explorers were astronauts. The 21st century explorers might be data scientists using unsupervised learning methods to explore big data. In this episode, we learn Alex and computers have a love-hate relationship with authority, Will struggles to introduce his space sound, and Malena tells us she has enough coffee tables.

Astrobites

astrobites.org/2017/09/21

astrobites.org/2020/09/12

Space Sound + Reference

merl.com/demos/deep-clustering

ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7471631

Episode 22: The Stargazing Automata, Part II

Sat, 12 Sep 2020 13:18:09 -0500

Today we get to talk about everyone’s favorite problem: too much data and too little time! It’s not yet Halloween, but today’s spooky episode is full of GHOSTs and ASSASNs. Alex shares his recent work applying random forests to create a supernatural catalog and predictor of supernova types, and Will describes a tremendous classification effort to automatically sort variable stars.

Alex’s GHOST website + paper:

ghost.ncsa.illinois.edu

https://arxiv.org/abs/2008.09630

Astrobites:

astrobites.org/2020/01/30

Space Sound: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/09/this-is-the-sound-of-a-forest-changing/499802/

Episode 21: The Stargazing Automata, Part I

Sat, 29 Aug 2020 12:26:19 -0500

This episode takes us into dark notions and oscillating questions! Malena spices rocks that orbit remote places and Will covers his dwarfs with tenderness and instability.

Okay, so none of this is true. But we used machine learning to generate this text! Episode 21 is the first in our three part series covering machine learning methods in astronomy. First up? Neural networks!

https://astrobites.org/2019/04/02/

https://astrobites.org/2020/01/02/

Space sound: https://openai.com/blog/jukebox/

Episode 20: Power Law School

Sat, 15 Aug 2020 17:20:31 -0500

Why are power laws so ubiquitous in nature? And how can they teach us about space? In today’s episode, we dive into some classic research results to understand the properties of objects at all scales and sizes. Malena has her head in the (molecular) clouds, Will gets a little peculiar, and Alex takes pulsars for a spin.

astrobites.org/2012/11/18

astrobites.org/2016/06/30

astrobites.org/2017/04/11

Space sound: youtube.com/watch?v=WJ9Go1PnAVA

Power laws derivation: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mejn/courses/2006/cmplxsys899/powerlaws.pdf

Episode 19: Little Green Men, or Big Glowing Trees?

Sat, 01 Aug 2020 10:03:09 -0500

Is there extraterrestrial life? Are they on giant glowing planets? Do they listen to Bach? We explore three papers in the field of astrobiology that take concrete, experimental steps toward an answer. "Everything not forbidden is compulsory,” so we speculate wildly about first contact.

astrobites.org/2020/03/12

astrobites.org/2019/08/27

astrobites.org/2020/04/06

Space sound: youtube.com/watch?v=qTpCD2Xvh_s

Cinder lake crater fields: youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=FVkBaaOBejc&feature=emb_title

Episode 18: Hazy High-z

Sun, 19 Jul 2020 11:43:06 -0500

We venture far beyond the local universe, outside our subfields, and back in time to look at galaxies when they just formed for the first time. In doing so, we learn Malena’s beagle was a good boy, Alex has a soft spot for dropouts, and Will’s doppelganger is a more prolific publisher.

Astrobites:

astrobites.org/2020/05/16

astrobites.org/2020/05/02

astrobites.org/2020/02/05

Space Sound: Prof. Alicia Margarita Soderberg

scholar.harvard.edu/asoderberg/supernova-sonification

Episode 17: Beyond A[S]B -- Success and Publishing in Astronomy

Sat, 04 Jul 2020 16:42:16 -0500

What does it mean to be a successful astronomer? In our second Beyond episode, we delve into the notion of personal and professional success in the field, and revisit the constant expectation to "publish or perish".

Astrobites:

astrobites.org/2017/10/27

astrobites.org/2016/12/16

astrobites.org/2018/08/17

astrobites.org/2020/06/19

Episode 16: The Elementals

Sun, 21 Jun 2020 20:49:44 -0500

Water, Earth, Fire, Air. Long ago, we thought these substances were the building blocks for everything except Space. Today we know better. In this episode, we scour the furthest reaches of the Cosmos for the Elementals. Will goes with the flow, Malena keeps us grounded, and NASA Intern Ashley Walker and Alex take us over the (Titan) rainbow.

Ashley Walker: @That_Astro_Chic

https://astrobites.org/2018/07/18

https://astrobites.org/2017/06/01/

Space Sound: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7PX51IeMbU

#BlackInAstro

Episode 15: Minor Planets, Major Problems

Sat, 06 Jun 2020 19:51:50 -0500

Little rocks rock! We learn from Will and PhD student Tim Holt that home is where the collision is, from Alex that Pluto is cold-hearted, and from Malena that rocks that orbit together, stay together.

astrobites.org/2020/05/13

astrobites.org/2020/02/14

astrobites.org/2019/07/01

Euler Diagram: wikipedia.org/wiki/Minor_planet

Space Sound: ESA

We begin with a statement of solidarity with the Black community. We are working with Astrobites to better elevate Black voices in STEM. #blackinastro #blm

Episode 14: Baby Photos

Sat, 23 May 2020 11:37:28 -0500

This Memorial Day weekend, we're dusting off the baby photos! We discuss how these snapshots of planets, galaxy clusters, and even the Universe itself can help us to understand where we came from and how the Universe evolved.

Astrobites:

astrobites.org/2019/07/26

astrobites.org/2018/10/30

astrobites.org/2016/11/28

Space Sound: youtube.com/watch?time_continue=160&v=IzeJq3CbiZM&feature=emb_title

CMB Sound: youtube.com/watch?v=2WuIWyxZ1D4

Music: Joel Ong

Logo: Joanna Ramasawmy

** After recording, we found another paper demonstrating that brown dwarf disks may, indeed, be common! https://arxiv.org/abs/1606.06448

Episode 13: My Chemical AstRomance

Sat, 09 May 2020 13:43:30 -0500

This episode takes us as far out as Taurus and as far back as Will’s middle school days as we review exciting research into the chemical composition of our universe. Malena spices up the episode, Alex stays COM and collected, and Will sets his PHAZERs to stun.

Chembites: https://chembites.org/

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2018/03/20/

https://astrobites.org/2020/02/24/

https://astrobites.org/2020/03/16/

Space sound: https://soundcloud.com/colchrishadfield/space-station-noise

Episode 12: Beyond A[S]B -- Our First Research Experiences

Sat, 25 Apr 2020 14:14:38 -0500

In our first Beyond A[S]B episode, we take you all the way back to the beginning...of our research careers. We share the disappointment of unanswered emails, excitement of unexpected opportunities, and hard lessons learned.

Did you like hearing about us? Email us: astrosoundbites@gmail.com.

Astrobite:

astrobites.org/2013/02/21

Malena’s particle physics video:

youtu.be/oTUPOoy7YL8

12th grade Will’s interview:

soundcloud.com/the-lisa-wexler-show/wiiliam-saunders

ISO Opening Ceremony:

youtu.be/8YKnKBNcPKM

Episode 11: The Chaotic Universe

Sat, 11 Apr 2020 11:34:12 -0500

In today's episode, we delve into the realm of unpredictable astrophysical phenomena. Will explores chaos and instability in multiplanet systems, Alex explains what happens when >2 black holes don't practice social distancing, and Malena describes the algorithms we use to simulate it all.

Featured Astrobites:

astrobites.org/2020/02/11

astrobites.org/2018/02/23

astrobites.org/2017/05/01

Credits:

Music: Joel Ong

Logo: Joanna Ramasawmy

Space Sound: ESA, https://soundcloud.com/esa/philae-touchdown-thud

Episode 10: Baryonic Banter

Sat, 21 Mar 2020 12:41:05 -0500

Why aren’t galaxies randomly distributed in space? In this episode, we explore this and other questions from the field of cosmology! Malena goes on a hunt for missing baryons, Alex surfs the Cosmic Web, and Will does a deep dive into dark matter.

Featured Astrobites:

astrobites.org/2020/01/27

astrobites.org/2019/11/18

astrobites.org/2020/02/06

Links:

Saturn Lightning: solarsystem.nasa.gov/resources/10611/lightning-sounds-from-saturn/

Credits:

Music: Joel Ong, Scott Buckley

Logo: Joanna Ramasawmy

Episode 9: Beyond the Grave

Sun, 08 Mar 2020 09:48:06 -0500

We may never know if there’s an afterlife, but we do know that death isn’t the end for some unusual objects in space. Alex tells us about a zombie star that may have gone supernova twice, Will covers white dwarfs with a (potentially) explosive afterlife, and Malena talks about planets that might survive a supernova.

Astrobites:

astrobites.org/2019/05/13

astrobites.org/2016/10/05

astrobites.org/2020/01/31

Credits:

Music: Joel Ong

Logo: Joanna Ramasawmy

Space Sound: NASA, youtube.com/watch?v=H-Ci_YwfH04

Episode 8: Beyond Exoplanets with TESS

Sat, 22 Feb 2020 18:16:31 -0500

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite was designed to find exoplanets -- but, it turns out that there's a huge amount of other science that it can do, too! In this episode, we provide an inside look at the TESS Ninja 3 conference and explore the range of science being studied with TESS: comets, stellar clusters and flares, trans-Neptunian objects, black holes, and more.

Featured Astrobites:

astrobites.org/2019/12/06

astrobites.org/2019/11/19

Credits:

Interviews: Isabel Colman, Kareem El-Badry

Space sound: http://www-pw.physics.uiowa.edu/space-audio/sounds/

Music: Joel Ong

Logo: Joanna Ramasawmy

Episode 7: Constants....Or Not?

Sat, 08 Feb 2020 12:14:18 -0500

The laws of physics that govern our universe rely on only a handful of constants. But are these values really constant after all? In this episode, we explore new research into the gravitational constant, the diffuse gas fraction in the universe, and a very peculiar planet's orbital period.

Featured Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2018/09/27/

https://astrobites.org/2019/09/24/

https://astrobites.org/2019/09/11/

Credits:

Music: Joel Ong

Logo: Joanna Ramasawmy

Episode 6: Farewell Spitzer

Sat, 25 Jan 2020 13:30:56 -0500

Join us in celebrating the life of the Spitzer Space Telescope! Malena talks about Spitzer’s discovery of exoplanets, Alex explains Spitzer’s fascination with dust, and Will presents a brown dwarf that Spitzer found to be much more luminous than expected.

Featured Astrobites:

astrobites.org/2011/08/04

astrobites.org/2018/09/17

astrobites.org/2018/08/06

Links:

Harmonics: https://bit.ly/30PzNJH

M31: https://go.nasa.gov/36uFYUN

Credits:

Music: Joel Ong, Scott Buckley

Logo: Joanna Ramasawmy

Episode 5: Astrophysical Beasts and Where to Find Them

Sat, 11 Jan 2020 13:10:27 -0500

Goblins, giants, and dwarfs, oh my! Today we discuss the variety of mythical creatures in astronomy, including ghost and goblin galaxies, sneezy M dwarfs with cyclops planets, and oscillating giant stars.

Featured Astrobites:

astrobites.org/2018/11/22

astrobites.org/2019/09/16

astrobites.org/2019/11/20

Credits:

Music: Joel Ong

Logo: Joanna Ramasawmy

Episode 4: Cosmic Recycling

Sat, 21 Dec 2019 20:57:15 -0500

"Reduce, reuse, recycle." You may practice this advice in your own life, but did you know the universe does the same thing on a much larger scale? Will tells us about quasars that reduce, Malena talks about galactic recycling, and Alex describes galaxies that reuse hydrogen.

Featured Astrobites:

astrobites.org/2019/07/24

astrobites.org/2019/11/13

astrobites.org/2019/11/26

Credits:

Music: Joel Ong

Logo: Joanna Ramasawmy

Episode 3: 6 Unbelievable Facts about Black Holes

Sat, 07 Dec 2019 08:35:54 -0500

They're sources of unending creation, they're tearing apart spacetime, they're...bald? Tune in as we explore the newest research on black holes!

Featured Astrobites:

astrobites.org/2019/11/06/elusive-black-holes-have-we-found-the-middle-sibling/

astrobites.org/2019/10/22/how-to-glo-up-black-hole-neutron-star-mergers/

astrobites.org/2019/09/19/spinning-down-the-origins-of-black-hole-mergers/

Credits:

Music: Joel Ong

Logo: Joanna Ramasawmy

Episode 2: Getting to Know the Neighbors

Sat, 23 Nov 2019 14:00:17 -0500

Let’s get to know the neighbors: our dear friends in the solar system! In today’s episode, we explore mysteries of the Sun, the Moon, and the giant planets.

Featured Astrobites:

astrobites.org/2019/08/12/a-proposed-moon-formation-theory-the-multiple-impact-hypothesis

astrobites.org/2018/12/24/vary-vary-little-star

astrobites.org/2019/08/21/why-are-jupiter-and-saturn-spinning-so-slowly

Credits:

Music: Joel Ong

Logo: Joanna Ramasawmy

Featuring Raluca Rufu

Episode 0: What, Who, and Why?

Fri, 01 Nov 2019 21:08:16 -0500

Astrobites for your ears. Three grad students bring you cutting-edge research findings in astronomy and connect the dots between diverse subfields.

Credits:

Music: Joel Ong

Logo: Joanna Ramasawmy

Episode 1: Disks, Discs, and Disques

Fri, 01 Nov 2019 20:05:12 -0500

Disks, discs, and disques...no matter the spelling, disks are relevant to many areas of astronomy! In this episode, we discuss three recent papers about disks of different size scales: circumplanetary, circumstellar, and galactic.

Featured Astrobites:

astrobites.org/2019/08/08/moonetesimals_from_nondetections

astrobites.org/2019/08/14/invisible-giant

astrobites.org/2019/09/02/with_age_comes_wisdom

Credits:

Music: Joel Ong

Logo: Joanna Ramasawmy