You'll be amazed at how much we can learn from iron meteorites. Who would have guessed that analysis of the compositions of these humble metallic remnants of asteroids would be able to tell us about the shape of the protoplanetary disk? We'll learn about the latest clues to the early history of our solar system, the surprising abundance of deuteron…

The clock is ticking on T Coronae Borealis which seems primed to undergo a nova explosion this summer. That will make this otherwise faint star as bright as Polaris thanks to a burst of nuclear fusion reactions on the exposed surface of this white dwarf. Another curious binary system, Cygnus X-3, is beaming x-rays toward us thanks to some nifty pho…

We take a look at some Beta Pic Disk shots before journeying back to the earliest era of the universe and the possible formation of primordial black holes. Some of these may have been only the size of an atom and would have long since evaporated through Hawking radiation. But they may have left an observable imprint for our powerful telescopes peer…

The Astroquarks celebrate their 360th episode with discoveries showing carbon much earlier in the universe than previously thought possible, and an exotic new proposal as an alternative to dark matter. Plus, we have radioactive trivia and a slew of space news with a busy week in rocket and spaceship activity.…

There is a mountain - or should we say a volcano - of evidence, building that suggests volcanic activity on Venus during the time of the Magellan mission in the 1990s. We’ll dig into that, struggle to get our script right, ponder the Fantastic Voyage, upcoming spaceflight milestones, and much more.By Josh Colwell, Addie Dove, Jim Cooney, Audrey Martin

New observations of Erigone, the parent body of an asteroid family, indicate its rocks are juicy with water. That makes it both a potential resource for future missions but also shows that asteroids may have played a big role in delivering water to the early Earth. Watery Erigone: it rhymes! You'll have to listen for details. And students discovere…

The Astroquarks delve into the possibility of giant alien constructs around stars, and the strange weather on a planet that is unreasonably close to its star. Join us for space news, trivia, and a fun exploration of odd topics in astronomy on Walkabout the Galaxy.By Josh Colwell, Addie Dove, Jim Cooney, Audrey Martin

NASA's Lucy mission discovered a surprising moon of the small asteroid Dinkinesh on its way to the orbit of Jupiter. New studies of that moon, a contact binary, suggest it may have a surprisingly young age. Meanwhile, cosmologists continue to wrestle with various seemingly contradictory measurements. One model suggests a modification to that old Ph…

A clever test of dark matter and an alternative theory of gravity to explain the motions of stars around galaxies results in another check in the win column for dark matter. Simulations with the modified model of gravity failed to explain the motions in the inner regions of galaxies. Meanwhile the search for a hypothesized large object in the dista…

Analysis of the samples returned from the asteroid Bennu have revealed surprising assemblages of minerals that put new constraints on the origin of the solar system. And once Top Quark Jim Cooney stops giggling, he tells us about the discovery of an itsy-bitsy galaxy, if you can call it that, orbiting the Milky way. It has only dozens of stars, plu…

We peer back in time both to the murky history of our own solar system and to the dark ages of the universe. The JWST has confirmed that dwarf galaxies were the first to illuminate the universe, putting an end to the dark ages that followed the cooling after the big bang. In our own corner of the universe, new research highlights how nearby stars c…

One of only a handful of recurrent novas, white dwarf stars that undergo a periodic explosive brightening as they accrete material from a neighboring star, is showing signs that it may be ready to blow sometime in 2024! Visible in the northern hemisphere, T CrB may become visible to the naked eye for a few days this year, repeating a cycle that occ…

The presumed metallic asteroid Psyche gets a new look before the spacecraft of the same name gets there in 2029, and it reveals different spectral characteristics than were observed in previous studies. We discuss the mystery of metallic asteroids and what we might see at Psyche. Top quark educates us about the largest binary black hole system, wit…

Saturn's so-called Death Star moon Mimas may harbor a global subsurface ocean based on analysis of Cassini data of the tiny moon's orbit and rotation. And in the distant universe, what was previously thought to be a run-of-the-mill star in our own galaxy turns out to be a quasar thousands of times brighter than our entire galaxy itself. Join us on …

Water molecules have been observed on the surface of an asteroid for the first time, and new studies help explain some of the odd behavior of planetary ring systems, including why they even exist around small objects in the outer solar system. Join us for a clear and fun explanation, the latest from Mars, upcoming missions, space trivia and more.…

In this special episode recorded live at MegaCon Orlando 2024, we are joined by NPR space reporter Brendan Byrne to take a close look at where we are in the mission to get people to the red planet. We take a look at the next steps in the Artemis program, and the history and future of robotic exploration of Mars. Find out when we will walk on Mars, …

There's another claim for a violation of the cosmological principle - that all parts of the universe are basically the same on large scales - but Top quark Jim Cooney explains all is not lost for the standard model of the universe, and more observations are needed. The JWST is providing amazing observations near and far, and has now separately meas…

Strange disappearing islands in the hydrocarbon lakes of Saturn's giant moon Titan may be fluffy icebergs of hydrocarbon snow. If you're on Titan, definitely don't eat the snow, yellow or not. As the Lucy mission heads towards the Trojan asteroids, questions remain about how this strange population of objects formed. We catch up with all the space …

What role has Jupiter played in the existence of our warm and cosy home planet? Has it been bravely using its gravity to keep the inner solar system calm, or did we luck out and escape getting hurtled out of the solar system or dashed to bits in a giant collision? We’ll discuss new research that explores exoplanetary systems with multiple large pla…

New analysis of Cassini data suggests more complex hydrocarbons are part of Enceladus's global sub-surface ocean. We discuss the prospects for life on this tiny moon. The JWST continues to deliver scientific bonanzas, now providing direct observations of globular clusters in very distant galaxies, helping us understand these enigmatic and ancient s…

At Pluto’s frigid temperatures, even what we breathe is frozen. This can give rise to unusual cryovolcanism, and new research suggests a super cryovolcano tens of kilometers across on the ninth planet (yes, we went there). Speaking of super things, we also review the argument that we are located in a cosmological supervoid and whether than can expl…

The second most energetic cosmic ray (really a particle) ever observed smashed into the Earth a couple of years ago, raising more questions about the origins of these incredibly energetic particles. Solar wind particles meanwhile smash into the planets, and now a green glow from Mars' atmosphere has been observed by one of the many spacecraft explo…

The astroquarks are joined by Dr. Erika Nesvold, astrophysicist and author of “Off Earth: Ethical Questions and Quandaries for Living in Outer Space” to explore some of the surprising problems people need to think about when going to space. We’re busy littering already, but that’s just the tip of the asteroid. Join us for a discussion of some of th…

JWST data confirm early formation of supermassive black holes, less than 500 million years after the big bang. This early formation suggests these monsters start off very large and form with the initial formation of the galaxy. We also take a closer look at the exciting results from the Lucy spacecraft's flyby of the asteroid Dinkinesh and its surp…

The Lucy spacecraft had its first asteroid encounter, revealing Dinkinesh to be a binary asteroid. In cosmology, a new simulation with a terrible acronym leaves the "S8 Tension" intact. Models of the expansion of the universe starting with our observations of the cosmic microwave background are in disagreement (tension) with observations of the act…

New research suggests that Venus, Earth’s twin gone bad, may have started off with tectonic plate activity, like Earth. This will help us understand the evolution of Earth-like planets and why they become hothouses like Venus. Our other planetary next-door neighbor, Mars, may have a deep molten magma ocean, revealed thanks to a fortuitous meteoroid…

Fast Radio Bursts are back, this time providing a crucial measurement of the amount of normal matter in the universe. Top quark Jim Cooney explains how the interaction of light from very distant gamma ray bursts reveals the otherwise invisible matter sprinkled in the intergalactic void. Somewhat closer to home, JWST is providing tantalizing glimpse…

Images of the distant Kuiper Belt Object Arrokoth add more weight to the pebble accretion model of planetesimal formation via the streaming instability. If that sounds strange, then you'll really love the story about comparing Fast Radio Burst statistics to earthquakes. This study suggests that these energetic bursts of radiation may be produced by…

The next supercontinent could spell bad news for mammals. The equivalence principle passes another test, with antimatter atoms falling just like normal matter atoms, and Josh gets excited about the evection resonance and the role it may have played in the formation of Saturn’s rings. Plus, we have top quark trivia and a nerd news rant. Join us!…

Strange and Top discuss the return of the sample from the asteroid Bennu and an intriguing measurement from a dark matter detector in Italy in this, our first Short Take episode. Sadly, the measurement has not been reproduced. Yet. A new detector in Australia will try to confirm the Italian result.By Josh Colwell, Jim Cooney

There's more tension in the standard model of the history of the universe. Giant superclusters of galaxies formed early than we thought they could. These collosal structures trace their origins to quantum fluctuations in the early universe. Find out what it all means, plus chthonian planets, asteroid encounters and more on Walkabout the Galaxy.…

This episode is about hollows in space on very different scales and for very different reasons. Ho'oleilana is the largest observed structure in the universe, a bubble of sorts defined by great sheets of galactic superclusters whose size is a reflection of acoustic oscillations in the very early universe. Closer to home, we take a look at mysteriou…

The astroquarks report from Dragoncon 2023 on the surprisingly diverse distribution of water in the solar system, where it came from, and the prospects for life on other worlds. We are joined by planetary geologist R. Scott Harris for this special episode with a live audience. This episode of Walkabout the Galaxy also features obscure sci-fi trivia…

When we think of all the wonderfully unique things about the Earth as a planet (liquid water on the surface, life, plate tectonics), the existence of lovely granite kitchen countertops doesn’t usually make the list. But it turns out granite is uncommon elsewhere in the solar system. But there’s a big hot blob of it underneath the lunar surface. We’…

The Sun is showering us with far more gamma rays than anticipated according to new measurements from a Cerenkov radiation detector in Mexico. The way those gamma rays are produced is very cool. Also cool: data continue to suggest a significant problem with the so-called standard model of particle physics. Muons are misbehaving, and it may suggest a…

We take a look at two extraordinary astronomical news items in this episode. A deep dive into an astronomical survey has discovered an Earth-sized rogue planet and a Neptune-sized rogue planet. Extrapolating from those discoveries, there may be trillions of Earth-sized rogue planets roaming the galaxy. That's more than the number of stars in the Mi…

The JWST has spotted water vapor in the hot inner region of a protoplanetary disk, the same region where rocky planets like are own are expected to form. This suggests water can be incorporated into terrestrial planets during formation, without relying on comet impacts. Much, much further away, a new interpretation of JWST results is consistent wit…

We think of aurora as an atmospheric phenomenon, but what happens when high energy particles from the Sun directly impact a planetary surface? Mercury reveals another cool planetary twist with auroral-like emission from its surface. Meanwhile, Jim and and Josh are gobsmacked by the old news of a big gravitational potential hump in the Indian ocean …

Nature has provided us with exquisitely accurate clocks in the form of pulsars, those rapidly rotating neutron stars whose beams of radiation act like high-powered lighthouses across the galaxy. We discuss the amazing discovery of a deep, low, rumble of gravitational waves across the universe by analyzing the periods of 79 of those pulsar lighthous…

Top quark has a field day in this episode with a model for fuzzy dark matter, new data that could shed light on dark energy, and a cool x-ray echo from the supermassive black hole at the heart of our galaxy. Closer to home, we take a look at how JWST is helping us determine if exoplanets have comfortable greenhouse effect atmospheres. Plus, we have…

New analysis of radioisotopes of meteorites and the Earth suggest the Earth formed in only a few million years via a process called pebble accretion. This may mean the Earth’s water was incorporated early and gradually rather than through late impacts. Recent determinations of the historical length of the Earth’s day suggest it stalled out at 19 ho…

There’s a bright supernova in a nearby galaxy, and a very distant supernova made brighter by the beauty of gravitational lensing. In another galaxy, a gargantuan black hole is revealed to be orbited by another supermassive black hole, resulting in a gamma ray flares as it rips through the main black hole’s accretion disk. Closer to home, we learn a…

Lefty astroquark Jim Cooney leads us on an exploration of what it means for the universe to have chirality. In other words, is there a break in parity in the way galaxies are distributed, or would the universe look the same if we saw its mirror image? The answer and its possible explanation are fascinating. And Josh gets to once again talk about on…

We take a deep dive into the origin of Mars’s moons and whether they are chips off the old block. There’s no research to explain the mystery of why Mars and the rest of the planets are even here after billions of years, when the solar system seems to be inherently unstable. And astronomers may have caught a star in the act of gobbling up a planet i…

We explore the strange ring system of dwarf planet Quaoar, and discuss a new study that suggests that Uranus's four largest moons (which aren't really very large!) may have subsurface salty oceans. In the astrophysical realm, black holes may have emerged from the chaotic soup of energy during the inflation era when the universe was not even minutes…

New calculations show how large impacts onto Mars may have boosted its greenhouse effect, helping explain how it was warm enough for all those rivers and lakes billions of years ago. If that explains Mars' early warm climate, it could be bad news for potential for life there. Futher from home, dust has been observed star forming regions in the Smal…

We return to Orlando Nerd Nite for a live recording where we take a look at the exciting upcoming missions to the Moon and the ESA mission to Jupiter's moons, JUICE, now on its 8 year journey to its destination. We revisit the amazing image of the supermassive black hole in the galaxy M87, now even amazing-er thanks to the clever implementation of …

Space reporter Brendan Byrne becomes an honorary astroquark at MEGACON 2023 where we take a look at some of the recent and landmark discoveries of JWST, including the earliest supermassive black hole and a new era of studying exoplanets. Plus: Anime trivia!By Josh Colwell, Addie Dove, Audrey Martin

That interstellar comet appears to have gotten its odd behavior from the natural rocket effect of hydrogen gas being released near the Sun and not, sadly, alien rocket technology. The universe is still a cool and interesting place, though, and a new clever measurement of stars orbiting black holes shows evidence for a pile-up of dark matter around …

Compelling evidence for recent (1990’s!) volcanic activity on Venus has been un-Earthed, or rather un-Venused, by Robert Herrick through analysis of Magellan radar data. A volcanic vent seems to have roughly doubled in size in 1991. We discuss the difficulties of these observations and the implications for future missions. We also take a look at th…