AstrotalkUK

Not for profit website/blog on astronomy, space and my writing

Episode 100 Sandra Benitez Herrera – ESA Education Outreach

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Astrophysicist Sandra Benitez-Herrera  talks about the opportunities for teachers and students made available by the European Space Agency‘s CESAR (Cooperation through Education in Science and Astronomy Research) program. This episode was recorded in Athens in July during Cospar 2022.

If you are a student or a teacher in Europe or beyond, Sandra explains how you make use of CESAR’s resources – optical, solar and radio telescopes, online seminars, face-to-face training and an enormous quantity of space data from ESA and other space agencies. All in one place and with no charge. She starts with an explanation of what CESAR is – in audio and Youtube video below.

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Episode 99 Professor Stamatios Krimigis – Exploring the Solar System with Voyager

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This episode was recorded in Athens in July 2022 during Cospar 2022 and he speaks about his remarkable career guided in large part by his mentor, physicist James Van Allen.

Professor Stamtios Krimigis

He started studying physics at the University of Minnesota in the same month that Sputnik was launched. A chance meeting with James van Allen led Stamatios Krimigis to build instruments for Mariner 3 and 4. Eventually assigned as the Principle Investigator for the charged particle instrument on the voyager program which was initially known as Mariner Jupiter Saturn 77 program.

It is released today to mark his 84th birthday tomorrow on September 10th. Audio and youtube video below.

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Episode 98 Astrophotography with Nik Szymanek

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Nik Syzamnek is one of the UK’s leading astrophotographers and one who has been doing it for almost four decades.

Nik Szymanek

In this episode, Nik shares his unique perspective on how the hobby of astronomy and especially astrophotography has evolved since the 1980s when he first started.

We cover a lot of ground including modern software used for image processing and telescope control, increasing use of robotic telescopes e.g. Telescope Live by amateurs and the obstacles introduced by Climate Change and the mega-constellations of satellites. We conclude this episode on his lesser-known skills as a drummer in a band.

Books
2005 – Infinity Rising: A Personal View of the Universe
2018 – Co-author of – Spacerocks: A collectors’ guide to meteorites, tektites and impactites
2020 – Shooting Stars – 2nd Edition (AstronomyNow website)

Nik’s images on Flickr.

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A video of this interview is also available here on Youtube and includes many of his images.

As the lock-down begins to end – Nik is getting out and doing some talks live. If you are in the area – catch him live in 2021 here


2nd November: Stour Astronomical Society
17th November; Havering Astronomical Society twitter.com/HaveringSociety

Episode 96 Seti – The search so far with Jill Tarter

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Allen Telescope Array. Source Seti.org

The Earth is one ordinary planet of many orbiting one typical sun of many in an unremarkable galaxy, the milky way one of the countless numbers in an ever-expanding universe.

Since the beginning of human civilisation, people have looked up at the night sky and wondered – are we alone? Science and technology of the 20th century has made it possible to try to address that question. So how is are we doing?

What have been the near-misses? How has the search evolved since then what are the current prospects of detecting a signal?

Jill Tarter from @SETIInstitute has worked on a number of major scientific projects, most relating to the search for extraterrestrial life and attempt to answer the question ”Are we alone in the universe.  The 1997 Hollywood film ‘Contact’ starring Jodi Foster was largely based on her work. 

As the former director of the Seti Institute, she explains when Seti research began, the technology used, how it is funded and the global collaborative international endeavour it has now become. 

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A video of the interview on which this episode is based is available on youtube.