365 Days of Astronomy - Weekly Edition

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  Ep. 800: The Beginning & End of Everything - Part 1 14.09.2026 41dk

  Streamed live on Sep 7, 2026. Hosted by: Fraser Cain (@frasercain) and Dr. Pamela L. Gay (@CosmoQuest) This show is supported through people like you on Patreon.com/AstronomyCast To celebrate our 20th season, we thought we’d go back right to the beginning… of everything. Let’s wind the clock back to the earliest moments of the Universe, where we’ll measure time in fractions of a second. As the foundational laws of physics were laid down and we experience the repercussions to this day!
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  Ep. 799: Heavy Lift Rockets 29.06.2026 57dk

  Hosted by: Fraser Cain (@frasercain) and Dr. Pamela L. Gay (@CosmoQuest) Streamed live June  22, 2026. The Saturn 5 was a monster, capable of sending humans and a lander to the Moon and bringing them back again. But the number of heavy lift rockets since then has gotten pretty sparse. Now, with tens if not hundreds of thousands of satellites in the works, giant new space telescopes and multi-ton lunar landers in development there are heavy lift solutions to match. So let’s talk about them! From yesterday's Saturn V to today's Ariane VI, rockets capable of launching large telescopes or small space stations in a single go are modern marvels. They are also wildly dangerous, and not exactly compatible. Let's look at today's fleet of rockets and just what they're accomplishing.    This show is supported through people like you on Patreon.com/AstronomyCast  In this episode, we'd like to thank: Andrew Poelstra, Burry Gowen, David, David Rossetter, Ed, Eric Lee, Gerhard Schwarzer, Jason Kwong, Jeanette Wink, Joe McTee, Michael Purcell, Sergey Manouilov, Siggi Kemmler
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  Ep. 798: Our Summer Media List 22.06.2026 59dk

  Streamed live on Jun 15, 2026. Well, we’re just a couple of weeks away from summer hiatus and so it’s time to give you some homework. Here’s our list of stuff we’ve been reading watching and playing. This should fill the Astronomy-Cast-shaped hole in your media landscape. On the plane, on the beach, from the passenger seat in a car, summer is a time for escaping into a good book, video, or game. From classics to the latest releases, here are our recommendations for keeping your brain occupied while your body is renewed.   This show is supported through people like you on Patreon.com/AstronomyCast  In this episode, we'd like to thank: Andrew Poelstra, Burry Gowen, David, David Rossetter, Ed, Eric Lee, Gerhard Schwarzer, Jason Kwong, Jeanette Wink, Joe McTee, Michael Purcell, Sergey Manouilov, Siggi Kemmler
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  Ep. 797: Summer in Space 15.06.2026 1sa 10dk

  Hosted by: Fraser Cain (@frasercain) and Dr. Pamela L. Gay (@CosmoQuest) Streamed live June 10, 2026. We’re about to take a much needed 2 month hiatus. But just because we’re not here doesn’t mean space stops existing and doing things. Today, let’s give a preview of the big events due to happen in space this summer so you can prepare yourself and make sure you don’t miss a thing! From meteors to moon landings and more, join Fraser and Pamela as the look at what you can enjoy this summer, after we go to hiatus in July.   This show is supported through people like you on Patreon.com/AstronomyCast  In this episode, we'd like to thank: Andrew Poelstra, Burry Gowen, David, David Rossetter, Ed, Eric Lee, Gerhard Schwarzer, Jason Kwong, Jeanette Wink, Joe McTee, Michael Purcell, Sergey Manouilov, Siggi Kemmler
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  Ep. 796: Oceans & Organics on Mars 08.06.2026 59dk

  Hosted by: Fraser Cain (@frasercain) and Dr. Pamela L. Gay (@CosmoQuest) Streamed live on Jun 1, 2026. Mars is cold & dry today, but the evidence is growing that it used to be warmer & wetter. with seas & oceans that covered large parts of its surface. With the additional findings of the chemicals for life, the search for life on Mars is getting pretty interesting! New results from Perseverance and Curiosity describe a past Mars with complex chemistry and water. But did it have life? Background image credit: Kevin Gill   This show is supported through people like you on Patreon.com/AstronomyCast  In this episode, we'd like to thank: Andrew Poelstra, Burry Gowen, David, David Rossetter, Ed, Eric Lee, Gerhard Schwarzer, Jason Kwong, Jeanette Wink, Joe McTee, Michael Purcell, Sergey Manouilov, Siggi Kemmler
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  Ep. 795: Expanse Science 01.06.2026 33dk

  Streamed live on May 10, 2026. This is the final episode of our series on sci-fi universes. And this week we will tackle “The Expanse”. Now we’ve got fusion drives, Proto-matter, g-forces! Listen up, belta lawda! Let's look at the science of our own possible (with a side of aliens) future.    This show is supported through people like you on Patreon.com/AstronomyCast  In this episode, we'd like to thank: Andrew Poelstra, Burry Gowen, David, David Rossetter, Ed, Eric Lee, Gerhard Schwarzer, Jason Kwong, Jeanette Wink, Joe McTee, Michael Purcell, Sergey Manouilov, Siggi Kemmler
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  Ep. 794: Stargate Science 18.05.2026 40dk

  Hosted by: Fraser Cain (@frasercain) and Dr. Pamela L. Gay (@CosmoQuest) Streamed live on May 10, 2026. We continue our ad-hoc miniseries through sci-fi franchises. This week we’ll talk about Stargate, worm holes, mind parasites and self-replicating bots. There’s a lot to talk about!   This show is supported through people like you on Patreon.com/AstronomyCast  In this episode, we'd like to thank: Andrew Poelstra, Burry Gowen, David, David Rossetter, Ed, Eric Lee, Gerhard Schwarzer, Jason Kwong, Jeanette Wink, Joe McTee, Michael Purcell, Sergey Manouilov, Siggi Kemmler
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  Ep. 793: Star Trek Science 11.05.2026 57dk

  Hosted by: Fraser Cain (@frasercain) and Dr. Pamela L. Gay (@CosmoQuest) Streamed live May 4, 2026. Today we continue our mini-series; evaluating the science of various sci-fi franchises. We did Star Wars last week, this week tackle Star Trek. From transporters to warp drives, from phasers to photon torpedos. Let’s tackle what Star Trek gets right and wrong about science. Let's look at the science of our galaxy, some day far in the future.    This show is supported through people like you on Patreon.com/AstronomyCast  In this episode, we'd like to thank: Andrew Poelstra, Burry Gowen, David, David Rossetter, Ed, Eric Lee, Gerhard Schwarzer, Jason Kwong, Jeanette Wink, Joe McTee, Michael Purcell, Sergey Manouilov, Siggi Kemmler
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  Ep. 792: Star Wars Science 04.05.2026 57dk

  Hosted by: Fraser Cain (@frasercain) and Dr. Pamela L. Gay (@CosmoQuest) Streamed live April 29, 2026. May the fourth be with you! Isn’t that what people say on the international holiday known as Star Wars Day? Today we’re gonna talk about the science in everyone’s favorite sci-fi fantasy stories. Which of it is real, and which is essentially magic? Let’s find out! Let's look at the science of a galaxy long ago and far away. (Did you just hear the theme music in your head? We heard it start in our head!)   This show is supported through people like you on Patreon.com/AstronomyCast  In this episode, we'd like to thank: Andrew Poelstra, Burry Gowen, David, David Rossetter, Ed, Eric Lee, Gerhard Schwarzer, Jason Kwong, Jeanette Wink, Joe McTee, Michael Purcell, Sergey Manouilov, Siggi Kemmler
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  Ep. 791: Chang'e Sample Return 27.04.2026 1sa

  Hosted by: Fraser Cain (@frasercain) and Dr. Pamela L. Gay (@CosmoQuest) Streamed live on Apr 20, 2026. Last week we talked about samples from other worlds delivered to Earth by meteorites. But sometimes you’ve gotta do the job yourself. Visit the far off place and bring the samples home. And today we’re gonna talk about China’s Chang’e sample return program. How they’ve delivered rocks from different parts of the Moon, and how this sets the stage for their upcoming human lunar missions.    The Chinese space program is step by step testing the technologies necessary for humanity to return to the surface of the Moon. From orbiting comms satellites, to landing sample return missions, the Chang`e missions are exploring new places in new ways. In today's episode, we discuss the Chang`e 6 sample return.   This show is supported through people like you on Patreon.com/AstronomyCast  In this episode, we'd like to thank: Andrew Poelstra, Burry Gowen, David, David Rossetter, Ed, Eric Lee, Gerhard Schwarzer, Jason Kwong, Jeanette Wink, Joe McTee, Michael Purcell, Sergey Manouilov, Siggi Kemmler
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  Ep. 790: Meteorites From Other Worlds 20.04.2026 53dk

  Hosted by: Fraser Cain ( @frasercain ) and Dr. Pamela L. Gay ( @CosmoQuest ) Streamed live April 17, 2026. Even though humanity has returned samples from a fraction of the worlds in the solar system, the cosmos has delivered many more without us having to lift a finger. Meteorites. We have meteorites from the Moon, Vesta and even Mars! What have we learned about these rocks from other worlds? Space missions to other worlds cost millions to billions of dollars, and if we want to know exactly where space rock samples come from, we need to spend the big bucks for sample return. But, if it's good enough to know "this rock came from somewhere on that world," space offers an amazing delivery system in the form of meteorites. Come learn about the search for, identification, and science of meteorites from other worlds.     This show is supported through people like you on Patreon.com/AstronomyCast !!! In this episode, we'd like to thank: Andrew Poelstra, Burry Gowen, David, David Rossetter, Ed, Eric Lee, Gerhard Schwarzer, Jason Kwong, Jeanette Wink, Joe McTee, Michael Purcell, Sergey Manouilov, and Siggi Kemmler
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  Ep. 789: What Happens When a Planet's Star Dies 05.04.2026 52dk

  Hosted by: Fraser Cain (@frasercain) and Dr. Pamela L. Gay (@CosmoQuest) Streamed live on Mar 30, 2026. A star like the Sun only lasts about 10 billion years and it becomes a red giant and finally a white dwarf. This is catastrophic for some of the planets, consumed by the expanding red giant star. But most survive. What happens next in the long, slow cooling to the background temperature of the Universe?   This show is supported through people like you on Patreon.com/AstronomyCast  In this episode, we'd like to thank: Burry Gowen, Eric Lee, Jeanette Wink, Michael Purcell, Andrew Poelstra, David, David Rossetter, Ed, Gerhard Schwarzer, Jason Kwong, Joe McTee, Sergey Manouilov, Siggi Kemmler, Sergio Sancevero
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  Ep. 788: Life’s Molecules Form in Space 30.03.2026 58dk

  Hosted by: Fraser Cain ( @frasercain ) and Dr. Pamela L. Gay ( @CosmoQuest ) Streamed live on Mar 23, 2026. The theory of evolution how life takes on its wildly different forms. But how did life get started in the first place? It appears the Universe has been making life’s molecules in space for billions of years, setting up the conditions for life… everywhere? One of humanity's fundamental questions is "where does life come from." We can't answer that question, but we can tell you where some of the stuff of life came from.   This show is supported through people like you on Patreon.com/AstronomyCast  In this episode, we'd like to thank: Burry Gowen, Eric Lee, Jeanette Wink, Michael Purcell, Andrew Poelstra, David, David Rossetter, Ed, Gerhard Schwarzer, Jason Kwong, Joe McTee, Sergey Manouilov, Siggi Kemmler, Sergio Sancevero
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  Ep. 787: Evolved Stars (They're not dead yet!) 23.03.2026 56dk

  Streamed live on Mar 16, 2026. Main sequence stars spend most of their time being… normal. Fusing hydrogen into helium in their cores. Producing radiation. But as their stockpiles of hydrogen run out they switch to other fuels, starting to climb the ladder of the periodic table of elements. And this is when things get weird. As we get more and more observations of the cosmos, our understanding gets more detailed. In this episode we look at all the ways a star can die and the updates that we've learned in the past 20 years of Astronomy Cast.    Image Credit: NASA Galex This show is supported through people like you on Patreon.com/AstronomyCast  In this episode, we'd like to thank: Burry Gowen, Eric Lee, Jeanette Wink, Michael Purcell, Andrew Poelstra, David, David Rossetter, Ed, Gerhard Schwarzer, Jason Kwong, Joe McTee, Sergey Manouilov, Siggi Kemmler, Sergio Sancevero
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  Ep. 786: Wolf-Rayet Stars 16.03.2026 55dk

  Hosted by: Fraser Cain (@frasercain) and Dr. Pamela L. Gay (@CosmoQuest) Streamed live on Mar 9, 2026. You think the Sun is a terrifying ball of fire and fury? Wait until you learn about today’s topic: Wolf-Rayet stars! These are massive, dying stars hurling their outer layers out into space before detonating as supernovae. Big stars live brief lives, and Wolf-Rayet stars are the punctuation mark we see before things go supernova.  Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Science: Yinuo Han (Caltech), Ryan White (Macquarie University); Image Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI) Learn more here: https://science.nasa.gov/asset/webb/w... This show is supported through people like you on Patreon.com/AstronomyCast  In this episode, we'd like to thank: Burry Gowen, Eric Lee, Jeanette Wink, Michael Purcell, Andrew Poelstra, David, David Rossetter, Ed, Gerhard Schwarzer, Jason Kwong, Joe McTee, Sergey Manouilov, Siggi Kemmler, Sergio Sancevero
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  Ep. 785: Magnetars 09.03.2026 1sa 2dk

  Hosted by: Fraser Cain (@frasercain ) and Dr. Pamela L. Gay (@CosmoQuest ) Streamed live March 6, 2026. Magnetars are a special type of neutron star with physics that defy comprehension. Magnetic fields so powerful they could strip you apart at an atomic level. But, where do they come from? So many mysteries to uncover about magnetars. Back in December 2004, a gamma rays washed out cameras and zotted satellites as a star on the other side of the Milky Way shifted around its magnetic fields. Magnetars are violent that way. In this episode of Astronomy Cast, Fraser and Pamela take on this tiny terrible monsters.   This show is supported through people like you on Patreon.com/AstronomyCast In this episode, we'd like to thank: Burry Gowen, Eric Lee, Jeanette Wink, Michael Purcell, Andrew Poelstra, David, David Rossetter, Ed, Gerhard Schwarzer, Jason Kwong, Joe McTee, Sergey Manouilov, Siggi Kemmler, Sergio Sancevero
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  Ep. 784: Pulsar-Powered Science 02.03.2026 32dk

  Streamed live on Feb 16, 2026. Pulsars are dead stars and fascinating in their own right, but astronomers can use their predictable rotation for exploring the cosmos in a series of amazing ways. We can detect gravitational waves, navigate the solar system, test general relativity and find exoplanets. Pulsars are the time keepers of the sky, with their precise ticking allowing researchers to track gravitational waves, find exotic planets, and study weird relativistic effects. Come learn about how pulsars can be used to explore our universe. Image credit: NASA/CXC/ASU/J. Hester et al., HST/ASU/J. Hester et al.   This show is supported through people like you on Patreon.com/AstronomyCast  In this episode, we'd like to thank: Burry Gowen, Eric Lee, Jeanette Wink, Michael Purcell, Andrew Poelstra, David, David Rossetter, Ed, Gerhard Schwarzer, Jason Kwong, Joe McTee, Sergey Manouilov, Siggi Kemmler, Sergio Sancevero
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  Ep. 783: Cataclysmic Variable Stars 23.02.2026 51dk

  Hosted by: Fraser Cain (@frasercain) and Dr. Pamela L. Gay (@CosmoQuest) Streamed live on Feb 16, 2026. There are many types of variable stars. Today we’re gonna talk about cataclysmic variable stars, which are the result of a white dwarf stealing material from a companion star. And this whole process makes supervillain Pamela happy. Gravity is the weakest force, but on the scales of stars, it is capable of great violence. In this episode, we look at the wild physics of cataclysmic variables: binary star systems where one star is a predatory compact stellar remnant, while the other is a victimized normal star. Image credit: NASA/CXC/M.Weiss   This show is supported through people like you on Patreon.com/AstronomyCast  In this episode, we'd like to thank: Burry Gowen, Eric Lee, Jeanette Wink, Michael Purcell, Andrew Poelstra, David, David Rossetter, Ed, Gerhard Schwarzer, Jason Kwong, Joe McTee, Sergey Manouilov, Siggi Kemmler, Sergio Sancevero
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  Ep. 782: Luminous Fast Blue Optical Transients 16.02.2026 58dk

  Streamed live on Feb 13, 2026. Modern astronomy has found that the Universe can surprise us. Here’s one which astronomers have called Luminous Fast Blue Optical Transients. They’re kinda like supernovas, they’re kind of like gamma ray bursts, but they’re not like them. So what are they? In the distant Universe, are blue light flashes, bright and hard to understand. These objects, uncreatively named "Luminous Fast Blue Optical Transients," are just the kind of puzzle astronomers love. In this episode, we look at their discovery and our current understanding of what they might be. Image credit: NASA, ESA, NSF’s NOIRLab, Mark Garlick, Mahdi Zamani   This show is supported through people like you on Patreon.com/AstronomyCast  In this episode, we'd like to thank: Burry Gowen, Eric Lee, Jeanette Wink, Michael Purcell, Andrew Poelstra, David, David Rossetter, Ed, Gerhard Schwarzer, Jason Kwong, Joe McTee, Sergey Manouilov, Siggi Kemmler, Sergio Sancevero
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  Ep. 781: Awakening Black Holes 09.02.2026 1sa 7dk

  Streamed live on Feb 2, 2026. One long standing mystery in astronomy were the quasars. Incomprehensible energy blasting out of a point-like source, billions of light years away. We now know these are actively feeding supermassive black holes, which can turn off and on in a startlingly short period of time. Today: When black holes awaken! Our Universe is filled with sleeping monsters. And sometimes, whether we want it or not, they wake up hungry. In this episode, we take a look at the science behind how and why black holes of all sizes can go from nothing to the triggers of massive high-energy power release.   This show is supported through people like you on Patreon.com/AstronomyCast  In this episode, we'd like to thank: Burry Gowen, Eric Lee, Jeanette Wink, Michael Purcell, Andrew Poelstra, David, David Rossetter, Ed, Gerhard Schwarzer, Jason Kwong, Joe McTee, Sergey Manouilov, Siggi Kemmler, Sergio Sancevero   Image credit: LOFAR/Pan-STARRS/S. Kumari et al.